THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 5/9 



der in cold blood ; and therefore my determination is to 

 fpare the life even of this man, and will oppoie his being- 

 put to death by every means in my power." 



It was eafy to fee, that fear of their own lives only, and 

 not cruelty, was the reafon they fought that of the Arab. 

 They anfvvered me, two or three of them at once, " That 

 it was all very well; what fhould they do? fhould they 

 give themfelves up to the Bifhareen, and be murdered like 

 Mahomet Towafh ? was there any other way of efcaping ?" 

 " I will tell you, then,.fmce you alk me what you ihouid do: 

 You fliall follow the duty of felf-defence and felf-preferva- 

 tion, as far as you can do it witliout a crime. You fhall 

 leave the women and the child where they are, and with 

 them the camels, to give them and their child m.ilk; you 

 fliall chain the hufband's right hand to the left of fome of 

 yours, and you Ihall each of you take him by turns till we 

 fliall carry him into Egypt. Perhaps he knov/s the defert 

 and the wells better than Idris; and if he fhould not, Hill we 

 have two Hybeers inftead of one ; and who can foretell 

 what may happen to Idris more than to any other of us ? 

 But as he knows the ftations of his people, and their cour- 

 fes at particular feafons, that day we meet one Billiareen, 

 the man that is chained with him, and condu(Ss him, fliali 

 inflantly ftab him to the heart, fo that he ihali not fee, much 

 lefs triumph in, the fuccefs of his treachery. On the con- 

 trary, if he is faithful, and informs Idrij. where the danger 

 is, and where we are to avoid it, keeping us rather by fcanty 

 wells than abundant ones, on the day 1 arrive fafely in Egypc 

 I will cloath him anew, as alfo his women, give him a good 

 camel for himfelf, and a load of dura for them all. As for 



4 D 2 the 



