THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 567 



alone ; but if you approach tlie camels or the baggage a- 

 gain, the world will not be able to fave your life, and your 

 blood be upon your own head." Mahomet, Idris's nephew, 

 who heard me cry, came running up from the well to fee 

 what was the matter. We went down together to where 

 the camels were, and, upon examination, found that the 

 links of one of the chains had been broke, but the opening 

 not large enough to let the correfponding whole link 

 through to feparate it. A hard blue Hone was driven 

 through a link of one of the chains of another camel, and 

 left flicking there, the chain not being entirely broken 

 through ; we faw, befides, the print of a .man's feet on the 

 fand. There was no need to tell us affer this that we were 

 not to lleep that night ; we made therefore another fire 

 on the other fule of the camels with branches of the aca- 

 cia-tree, which we gathered. I then fent the man back to 

 Idris at the well, defiring him to fdl his flcins with water 

 before it was light, and tranfport them to the baggage 

 where I was, and to be all ready armed there by the dawn 

 of day ; foon after which, if the Arabs were fufficiently 

 llrong, we were very certain they would attack us. This 

 agreed perfectly with Idris's ideas alfo, fo that, contenting 

 themfelves with a leller quantity of water than they firil 

 intended to have taken, they lifted the fkins upon the camels 

 I fent them, and were at the rendezvous, near the baggage, 

 a. little after four in the morning. 



The Barbanns, and, in general, all the lower fort of Moors 

 and Turks, adorn their arms and wrills with amulets ; thefe 

 are charms, and are fome favourite verfe of the Koran 

 wrapt in paper, neatly covered with Turkey leather. Tlie two 

 Barbarins that were with me had procured for themfelves- 



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