THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 505 



Belac, moreover, told him, that the patriarch of the 

 Cophts had allured the principal people of which that cara- 

 van conufted, that the Franks then travelling with him were 

 not merchants, but forcerers, who were going to Ethiopia, 

 to obflrudt, or cut off the courfe of the Nile, that it might 

 no longer flow into Egypt, and that the general resolution 

 was to drive the Franks from the caravan at fome place in 

 the defert which fuited their defigns, which were to reduce 

 them to perrfti by hunger or thirft, or elfe to be otherwife 

 ilain, and no more heard of. 



The caravan left Siout the 12th of September. In twelve 

 days they palled the lefler defert, and came to Khargue, 

 where they were detained fix days by a young man, gover- 

 nor of that place, who obliged M. du Roule to pay him 120 

 dollars, before he would fuffer him to pafs further ; and at 

 the fame time forced him to fign a certificate, that he had 

 been permitted to pafs without paying any thing. This was 

 the flrll fample of the ufage he was to expect in the further 

 profecution of his journey. 



On the 3d of October they entered the great defert of Se- 

 lima, and on the 18th of fame month they arrived at Ma- 

 chou, or Mofcho, on the Nile, where their caravan ftaid a 

 confiderable time, till the merchants had tranfacted their 

 bufmefs. It was at this place the ambaflador learned, that 

 feveral Francifcan friars had paned the caravan while it re- 

 mained at Siout, and advanced to Sennaar, where they had 

 ftaid fome time, but had lately left that capital upon news 

 of the caravan's approaching, and had retired, nobody knew 

 whether. 



Vol. II, % S A report 



