THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 571^ 



The two Barbarins entered one of them, and found a 

 naked woman there. Ifmael and I ran brilldy into the lar- 

 geil, where we faw a man and a woman both perfedlly na- 

 ked, frightful, emaciated figures, not like the inhabitants 

 of this world. The man was partly fitting on his hams ; a 

 child, feemingly of the age to fuck, was on a rag at the cor- 

 ner, and the woman looked as- if fhe wifhed to hide her- 

 felf. I fprung forward upon the man, and, taking him by 

 the hair of the head, pulled him upon his back on the 

 floor, fetting my foot upon his bfeaft, and pointing my 

 knife to his throat ; I faid to him fternly, " If you mean to 

 pray, pray quickly, for you have but this moment to live." 

 The fellow was fo frightened, he fcarce could beg us to 

 fpare his life ; but the woman, as it afterwards appeared, 

 the mother of the fucking child, did not feem to copy the 

 pairive difpofition of her hufband ; flie ran to the corner of 

 the tent, where was an old lance, with which, I doubt 

 not, fhe would have fufficiently diflinguiftied herfelf, but 

 it happened to be entangled with the cloth of the tent, and 

 Ifmael felled her to the ground with the butt-end of his 

 blunderbufs, and wrefled the lance from her. A violent 

 howl was fet up by the remaining woman like the cries of 

 thofe in torment. " Tie them, faid I, Ifmael ; keep them 

 feparate, and carry them to the baggage till I fettle accounts 

 with this camel-ilealer, and then you fliall ilrike their 

 three heads off, where they intended to leave us miferably 

 to perifli with hunger ; but keep them feparate." While 

 the Barbarins were tying the woman, the one that was the 

 nurfe of the child turned to her hufband, and faid, in a 

 nioft mournful, defpairing tone of voice, " Did I not tell 

 you, you would never thrive if you hurt that good man ? 



3 C 2 did 



