THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 525 



the {Kort roots of grafs that are to be found by the fide of 

 the Nile, after the fun has withered it. This they dig out 

 tvhere it is covered with earth, and appears blanched, which 

 they lay in fmall heaps once a- day on the ground before 

 them. They are tethered by the fetlock joint of the fore- 

 leg with a very foft cotton rope made with a loop and large 

 button. They eat and drink with the bridle in their mouth, 

 not the bridle they adually ufe when armed, but a light 

 one made on purpofe to accuftom them to eat and drink 

 with it : If you afk the reafon, they tell you of many battles 

 that have been loft by the troops having been attacked by 

 their enemy when taking off the bridles to give their horfes 

 drink. No Arab ever mounts a flallion ; on the contrary, 

 in Nubia they never ride mares ; the reafon is plain : The 

 Arabs are conflantly at war with their neighbours, (for fo 

 robbery in that country is called) and always endeavour to 

 take their enemies by furprifc in the grey of the evening, 

 or the dawn of day. A ftallion no fooner fmells the ftale 

 of the mare in the enemy's quarters, than he begins to 

 neigh, and that would give the alarm to the party intend- 

 ed to be furprifed. No fuch thing ever can happen Vvhen 

 they ride mares only ; on the contrary, the Funge truft on* 

 ly to fuperior force. They are in an open, plain country, 

 muft be difcovered at many miles diftancf , and all fuch 

 furprifes and ftratagems are ufelefs to them. 



The place where we alighted is called Hajar el Dill, and 

 is a mile eaft from where we halted in the wood to feed our 

 camels. We continued along the Nile at about a mile's di- 

 flance from it, and, after advancing near three miles, came 

 in fight of a large village called Derreira ; on the oppofite 

 lide of the Nile, and beyond that, about four miles on tha 

 4 fame 



