556 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 
His rays fhining through them for near an hour, gave them 
an appearance of pillars of fire. Our people now became 
defperate: The Greeks fhrieked out, and faid it was the 
day of judgment. Ifmael pronounced it to be hell, and the 
Tucorories, that the world was on fire. I afked Idris if ever 
he had before feen fuch a fight? He faid he had often feen 
them as terrible, though never worfe ; but what he feared 
moft was that extreme rednefs in the air, which was a fure 
prefage of the coming of the fimoom. I begged and en- 
treated Idris that he would not fay one word of that in the 
hearing of the people, for they had already felt it at Im- ~ 
hanzara in their way from Ras el Feel to Teawa, and again 
at the Acaba of Gerri, before we came to Chendi, and they 
were already nearly diftracted at the apprehenfion of find- 
ing it here. | | . 
Art half paft four o’clock in the afternoon we left Waad 
Del Aned, our courfe a little more to the weftward than the 
dire&tion of Syene. The fands which had difappeared yef- 
terday fcarcely fhewed themfelves at all this day, and at 
a great diftance from the horizon. This was, however, a 
comfort but of fhort duration. I obferved Idris took no- 
part in it, but only warned me and the fervants, that, upon _ 
_the coming of the fimoom, we fhould fall upon our faces, 
with our mouths upon the earth, fo as not to partake of 
the outward air as long as we could hold our breath. We 
alighted at fix o’clock at a fmall rock in the fandy ground, 
without trees or herbage, fo that our camels fafted all that 
night. This place is called Ras el Seah, or, by the Bifhareen,,. 
El Mout, which fignifies death, a name of bad omen. 
On 
