S o6 travels to discover 



A report was foon after fpread abroad at Cairo, but no 

 one could ever learn whence it came, that the ambanador, 

 arriving at Dongola, had been affaflinated there. This, in- 

 deed, proved falfe, but was, in the mean time, a mournful 

 prefage of the melancholy cataftrophe that happened foon 

 afterwards, 



1VL du Roulf arrived at Sennaar towards the end of May, 

 and wrote at that time ; but a packet of letters was after 

 brought to the conful at Cairo, bearing date the 1 8th of June: 

 The ambaflador there mentions, that he had been well re- 

 ceived by the king of Sennaar, who was a young man, fond 

 of ftrangers ; that particular attention had been fhewn him 

 by Sid Achmet-el-coom ; or, as he fhould have called him, 

 Achmet Sid-el-coom,i. e. Achmet mafterof the houfehold. This 

 officer, fent by the king to vifitthe baggage of the ambafia* 

 dor, could not help teftifying his furprife to find it fo in* 

 connderahle, both in bulk and value. 



He faid the king had received letters from Cairo, inform* 

 ing him that he had twenty chefts of iilver along with him.-. 

 Achmet likewife told him, that he himfelf had received in- 

 formation, by a letter under the hand and feal of the moit 

 refpectable people of Cairo,, warning him not to let M. du 

 Roule pals ; for the intention of his journey into Abyffinia 

 was to prevail on Yafous to attack Mafuah and Suakemi 

 and take them from the Turks. Achmet would not' fuffer 

 the bales intended for the king of Abyffinia to be opened 

 or vifited, but left them in the hands of the ambaflador. 



M. du Roule, however, in writing this account to the 

 conful, intimated to him that he thought himfelf in dan- 



