THESOURCEOFTHENILE. 593 



Terfed'in the language of Beja, which is that of the Habab, 

 Suakem, and Mafuah. I told them plainly, that, though I 

 knew that language, I would not fuffer them to fpeak 

 any but Arabic, underftood by us all. They immediately 

 complied, and then inquired about the pofition of Abou Ber- 

 tran and his tribe of Bilhareen. This, too, I would not fuf- 

 fer the Arab to inform them of, but charged them, as he 

 did alfo, to tell his wives that he was well, and ate and 

 drank as we had done, and was within two days of arriving 

 at AlTouan, whence he Ihould be returned to them with the 

 rewards promifed. I then defired him to lay a lance in a 

 manner that the point Ihould be towards Syene, which they 

 accordingly did, and with a long needle of 12 inches in a brafs 

 box, having an arch of a few degrees marked on it, I, with 

 theutmoft attention, took the direction from Maimer to 

 Syene N. N. W. or more northerly. I would very willingly 

 have had it in my power to have made an obfervation of la- 

 titude, but noon was pall ; I contented myfelf, therefore, 

 with keeping my route as diilinaiy as poflible till the even- 

 ing. 



At 40 minutes paft one o'clock we left Haimer, and our 

 friends, the Ababde, continued their route, after giving us 

 great praife, as well for our civility, as our keeping the 

 watch like men, as they exprefTed it. At half paft eight we 

 alighted at Abou Ferege, a place where there was very little 

 verdure of any kind. Here, for the firft time on our jour- 

 ney, we met with a cloudy fky, which effecftually difap- 

 pointed my obfervation of latitude ; but every noon and 

 night I defcribed, in a rough manner, my courfe through 

 the dav, carrying always a compafs, with a needle about five 



Vol.' IV, 4 F "^chcs 



