THE SOURGE OF THE NILE. 2gt 
‘nat night, and was fent to fearch for us, as we feemed to 
‘have tarried on the.road. He had brought two mules, in 
cafe any of ours had been tired,.and propofed that the next 
morning I fhould fet out with him alone for Tcherkin, 
where I fhould find Ayto Confu, and my baggage fhould 
follow me. Itold him that it was my, fixed refolution, made 
at the beginning of my journey, and which I fhould ad- 
here to-till the end, never to feparate myfelf on the road’ 
from my fervants and company, who were ftrangers, and 
without any other protection than that of being with me. 
THe man continued to prefs meallthat evening very much, ~ 
fo that we were greatly furprifed at what he could mean, 
and { ftill more and more refolved not-to gratify him. Often 
I thought he wanted to communicate fomething to me, but 
_ be refrained, and I continued obftinate; and the rather fo, 
as there was no certainty that Ayto Confu was yet arrived. 
I afked him, if Billetana Gueta Ammonios was not at Tcher- 
kin? He anfwered, without the fmalleft alteration in his 
countenance, that he was not. No people on earth diffemble 
dike the Abyflinians; this talent is born with them, and 
they improve it.by continual practice. As we had there- 
‘fore previoufly refolved, we paffed the evening at Eggir Dem- 
bic, and the fervant, finding he could not prevail, left our 
‘tent, and we all went to bed. He did not feem angry, but 
‘at going out of the.tent, faid, as half to hhimfelf, “I cannot 
‘blame you; in fuch a journey nothing is ‘like firmneis.” 
‘On the 2d of January, in the morning, by feven o’clock, 
having dreffed my hair, and perfumed it according to the 
cuftom .of the country, and put on clean clothes, with no 
other arms but my knife, and a pair of piflols at my gird’e, 
Sp ae : O02 . . I came 
