THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 597 



fourteen or fixteen days, it is well known, an ordinary ca- 

 mel will live, though he hath no frelh fupply of water. 

 When he chews the cud, or when he eats, you conilantly fee 

 him throw, from this repofitory, mouthtuls of water to di- 

 lute his food ; and nature has contrived this velTel with 

 fuch properties, that the water within it never putrifies,nor 

 turns unwholefome. It was indeed vapid, and of a bluifh 

 caft, but had neither tafle nor fmelL 



The fmall remains of our miferable ftock of black bread 

 and dirty water, the only fupport we had hitherto lived on 

 amidft the burning fands, and our fpirits likewife, were 

 exhaufted by an uncertainty of our journey's end. We 

 were furrounded among thofe terrible and unufual pha^no- 

 mena of nature which Providence, in mercy to the weak- 

 nefs of his creatures, has concealed far from their light in 

 deferts almoit inacceffible to them. Nothing but death was 

 before our eyes ; and, in thefe terrible moments of pain, 

 fuffering, and defpair,. honour, inftead of relieving me, fug- 

 gelled ftill what was to be an augmentation to my misfor- 

 tune ; the feeling this produced fell diredly upon me alone, 

 and every other individual of the company was unconfcious 

 of it. 



The drawings made at Palmyra and Baalbec for the king, 

 were, in many parts of them, not advanced farther than the 

 outlines, which I had carried with me, that, if leifure or con- 

 finement fliould happen, I might finilli them during my 

 travels in cafe of failure of other employment, fo far at 

 leall, that, on my return through Italy, they might be in a 

 ftate of receiving further improvement, which might carry 

 them to that perfec^tion I have fince been enabled to con- 



dudi 



