550 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 
Wuite the camels were loading, ! bathed myfelf with in- ~ 
finite pleafure for along half hour in the Nile, and thus 
took leave of my old acquaintance, very doubtful if we 
fhould ever meet again. We then turned our face to N. E. 
leaving the Nile, and entering into a bare defert of fixed 
gravel, without trees, and of a very difagreeable whitith co- 
jour, mixed with fmall pieces of white marble, and pebbles 
like alabafter. Ata quarter paft four we alighted in a fpot 
of high bent grafs, where we let our camels feed till eight 
o'clock, and at three quarters paft ten we halted for the 
night in another patch of grafs; the place is called Ho- 
weela. Jibbel Atefhan bore S. W. and by W. of us, the dif- 
tance about feven miles. Iinquired of Idris, if he knew, to 
point out to me, precifely where Syene lay, and he fhewed 
me without difficulty. I fet it by the compafs, and found — 
it to be N. and by W. very near the exact bearing it turned 
out upon obfervation afterwards. He faid, however,.we 
fhould not keep this traét, but fhould be obliged to vary oc- 
cafionally in fearch of water, as we fhould find the wells in 
the defertempty or full. , 
\ 
On the rath, at feven o'clock inthe morning we quitted  . 
Howeela, continuing our journey through the defert in the 
fame direction, that is tothe N. E. ; our reafon was, to avoid 
as much as poffible the meeting any Arab that could give 
intelligence of our being on our journey, for nothing was 
fo eafy for people, fuch as the Bifhareen, toway-lay and cut 
us off at the well, where they would be fure we muft of | 
neceflity pafs. At twenty minutes paft eight we came to 
Waadi el Haimer, where there area few trees and fome bent 
grafs, for this is the meaning of the word Waadi in a de- 
fert. ‘The Arabs, called Sumgar, are here on the weft of us, » 
& ; / Te 
