THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 2¥ 
abfolutely to give us meat for ourfelves or horfes; and, as 
we had not force,we were obliged to be content. It had 
rained violently in the evening, and we were all wet. We 
contented ourfelves with lighting a large fire in the 
middle of the houfe, which we kept burning all night, as- 
well for guard, as for drying ourfelves, though we little 
knew at the time that it was probably the only means of 
faving our lives; for in the morning we found the whole 
village fick of the fever, and two families had died out of 
the houfe where thefe people had put us: for my own part, 
upon hearing this I was more affrighted than for Welled: 
Aragawi and all his robbers. Though weary and wet, I had’ 
flept on the ground near the fire fix whole hours ;, and, tho” 
really well, I could not during the day perfuade myfelf 
there was not fome fymptom of fever upon me. My firft: 
precaution was to infufe a dofe of barkintoa glafs of aqua- 
- vite, a large horn of which we had with us;. we then 
burnt frankincenfe and myrrh in abundance, and fumiga- 
ted ourfelves, as practifed at Mafuah and in Arabia.. Early in 
the morning we repeated our dofe of bark and fumigation. 
Whether the bark prevented the difeafe or not, the aquavite 
certainly ftrengthened. the fpirits,and was a medicine to the: 
imagination.. 
TuE people, who faw the eagernefs and confidence with: 
which we fwallowed this medicine, flocked about us de- 
' manding affiftance. I confefs I was fo exafperated with their 
treatment of us, and'efpecially that of lodging us in the in- 
fected houfe, that I conftantly refufed them their requeft,. 
leaving them a prey to their diftemper, to teach them ano-- 
ther time more hofpitality to-ftrangers.. 
Tus 
