THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 599 



as a mark of duty to my fovereign, that, with thofe that 

 knew and efteemed me, I (liould be obliged to run in debt 

 for the credit of a whole narrative of circumftanccs, which 

 ought, from their importance to hiftory and geography, to 

 have a better foundation than the mere memory of any man, 

 confidering the time and variety of events which they em- 

 braced ; and, above all, I may be allowed to fay, I felt for 

 my country, that chance alone, in this age of difcovery, had 

 robbed her of the faireft garland of this kind flie ever was 

 to wear, which all her fleets, full of heroes and men of 

 fcience, in all the oceans they might be dellined to explore, 

 were incapable of replacing upon her brow. Thefe fad re- 

 flections were mine, and confined to myfelf. Luckily my 

 companions were no fliarers in them ; they had already, 

 in their own fufferings, much more than their little flock 

 of fortitude, philofophy, or education enabled them to 

 bear. 



About three o'clock in the afternoon of the 27th we 

 faw two kites, or what are called Haddaya, very numerous 

 in Egypt ; about a quarter of an hour afterwards, another of 

 the fame fort, known to be carrion-birds, probably going in 

 fearch of the dead camels. I could not conceal my joy at 

 what I regarded as a happy omen. We went five hours 

 and a half this day, and at night came to Waadi el Arab, 

 where are the firft trees we had feen fince we left El Hai- 

 mer. 



On the 28th, at half paft feven in the morning we left 

 Waadi el Arab, and entered into a narrow defile, with rug- 

 ged, but not high mountains on each fide. About twelve 

 o'clock we came to a few trees in the bed of a torrent. Ill 



