THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 553 
place where the river turns weft by Korti towards Dongola, 
and this was of great fervice to me in fixing fome other mate- 
‘Yial points in my map. 
On the 14th, at feven in the morning we left Affa Nagga, 
eur courfe being due north. At one o’clock we alighted a- 
mong fome acacia-trees at Waadi el Halboub, having gone 
twenty-one miles. We were here at once furprifed and ter- 
rified by a fight furely one of the moft magnificent in the 
world. In that vaft expanfe of defert, from W. and toN. W. of 
us, we fawa number of prodigious pillars of fand at differ- 
ent diftances, at times moving with great celerity, at others 
ftalking on with a majeftic flownefs; at intervals we thought 
they were coming in a very few minutes to overwhelm us; 
_ and {mall quantities of fand did actually more than once 
reach us. Again they would retreat fo as to be almoft out of 
fight, their tops reaching to the very clouds. There the tops 
often feparated from the bodies ; and -thefe, once disjoined, - 
difperfed in the air, and did not appear more. Sometimes 
they were broken near the middle, as if ftruck with a large 
cannon fhot. About noon they began to advance with confi- 
derable {wiftnefs upon us, the wind being very {trong at north, 
Eleven of them ranged alongfide of us about the diftance of 
three miles. The greateft diameter of the largeft appeared to 
me at that diftance as if it would meafure ten feet. They reti- 
red from us with a wind at S. E. leaving an impreffion upon 
my mind to which | can give no name, though {urely one in- 
gredient in it was fear, with a confiderable deal of wonder 
and aftonifhment, It was in vain to think of flying; the 
{fwifteft horfe, or fafteft failing fhip, could be of no ufe to 
carry us out of this danger, and the full perfuafion of 
this rivetted me as if to the {pot where I ftood, and let the 
Wer.IV. . 4A camels 
