THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 493 
THEY were all ftruck with amazement, and with a kind 
of terror. They had never before feen a gun fired on horfe- 
back, much lefs a gun fired twice without charging. I 
did not want to explain the matter to them ; and, as far as 
I could perceive, the Moullah efpecially was very glad 
when I fent it home. “ This is the way, faid I, that my 
countrymen ride, and the way they fight; no people on 
earth underftand fire-arms or horfemanfhip like. them. 
For my part, lam aman of peace, a Dervifh, and no fol- 
dier ; it is not-my profeflion, and I do the thing aukward- 
ly. If you faw fome of our foldiers ride, it would be a 
fight indeed.” Fidele laughed, or counterfeited a laugh, 
but being a foldier, it was his part to fay fomething. “ If 
many of your countrymen like you were here, man of 
peace as you are, unlefs they were friends to us they would 
get all Atbara to themfelves. If they were friends, fays he, - 
I think I could do fomething with them ; that horfe feems 
to have the fenfe of a man.”—“ Such as he is, faid I, dif 
mounting, a prince gave him to me, and fuch ashe is I 
- now give him to you, as a proof that Iam your friend, 
and that I fhould not grudge you a few paltry piafters, if 
I had not been under a vow of poverty ;. money is of no 
kind of value to me, and confequently not: carried a- 
bout with me.” The horfe was gladly received, though, as 
I was going to Sennaar, where.no horfes are kept, the 
compliment was a cheap one on my part. 
7 / 
“ How could you, Fidele, fays the Moullah in great fur- 
prife, have it in your heart to torment fuch a man as this? 
-I told you what he was, our books fpeak of them: they are 
_ not Kafrs, but fpend all their lives in wandering over the 
"i bg Agi Eve face 
