530 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



millrefs, of Chendi, or Chandi. However this may be, 

 Chendi was once a town of great refort. The caravans of 

 Sennaar, Egypt, Suakem, and Kordofan, all were in ufe to 

 rendezvous here, efpecially lince the Arabs have cut off the 

 road by Dongola, and the defert of Bahiouda ; and though 

 it be not now a place of great plenty, yet every thing here 

 is at a cheaper rate, and better than at Sennaar ; we muft 

 except the article fuel, for wood is much dearer here than 

 in any part of Atbara ; the people all burn camels dung. 

 Indeed, were it not for dreffing vidtuals, fire in a place fo 

 hot as this would be a nuifance. It was fo fultry in the 

 end of Auguft and beginning of September, that many 

 people dropt down dead with heat, both in the town and 

 villages round it ; but it is now faid to be much cooler, 

 though the thermometer at noon was once fo high as 

 119". 



Chendi has in it about 250 houfes, which are not all 

 built contiguous, fome of the bed of them being feparate, 

 and that of Sittina's is half a mile from the town. 

 There are two or three tolerable houfes, but the reft of 

 them are miferable hovels, built of clay and reeds. Sit- 

 tina gave us one of thefe houfes, which I ufed for keep-- 

 ing my inftruments and baggage from being pilfered or 

 broken ; I flept abroad in the tent, and it was even there 

 hot enough. The women of Chendi are eileemed the moft 

 beautiful in Atbara, and the men the greateft cowards. 

 This is the character they bear among their countrymen,, 

 but we had little opportunity of verifying either^. 



On our arrival at Chendi we found the people very 



much alarmed at a phenomenon, which, though it often 



3 happens. 



