538 TRAVELS TO. DISCOVER 
‘mixt with threats, if he mifbehaved; and hearing what i 
had done for him, fhe too gave him an ounce of gold, and’ 
faid, at parting, that, for knowledge of the road through 
the defert, fhe believed Idris to be as perfect as any body ; 
but in cafe we met with the Bifhareen, they would-neither 
fhew to him nor to me any mercy. She gave me, how- 
ever, a letter to Mahomet Abou Bertran, Shekh of one of 
the tribes of Bifhareen, on the Tacazzé, near the Magiran,. 
which fhe had made her fon write from the Howat, it not 
being ufual, fhe faid, for her to write herfelf.. I begged I’ 
might be again allowed to teftify my gratitude by kiffing her: - 
hand, which fhe condefcended to in the moft gracious man- 
ner, laughing all the time, and faying, “ Well, you are an: 
odd man! if Idris my fon faw me juft now, he would think. 
me mad.” : 
On the 20th of October, in the evening, we left Chendis, 
and refted two miles from the town, and about a mile from: 
the river; and next day, the 2rft, at three quarters paft four: 
in the morning we continued our journey, and paffed: 
through five or fix villages of the Jaheleen on our left;:_ 
at nine we alighted to. feed our camels under fome trees, 
having gone about ten miles. At this place begins a large: 
ifland in the Nile feveral- miles long, full of villages, trees; 
and corn, it is called Kurgos. Oppofite to this. is the moun- 
tain Gibbainy, where is the firft fcene of ruins I have met 
with fince that of Axum in Abyffinia.. We faw here heaps: 
of broken pedeftals, like thofe of Axum, all plainly defigned 
for the flatues of the dog; fome pieces of obelifk, likewife,. 
with hieroglyphics, almoft totally obliterated. The Arabs. 
tald us thefe ruins were very exter five ; and that many pic. 
Ai ro CRS 
