THE SOURCEOOF: THE/ NILE. 557 
_ On the 16th, at half paft ten in the forenoon we left El 
Mout, ftanding in the direction clofe upon Syene. Our men, 
if not gay, were however in better fpirits than I had feen 
them fince we left Gooz. One of our Barbarins had even 
attempted a fong; but Hagi Ifmael very gravely reproved 
him, by telling him, that finging in fuch a fituation was a 
tempting of Providence. There is, indeed, nothing more 
different than active and paflive courage. Hagi Ifmael would 
fight, but he had not ftrength of mind to fuffer. At eleven 
o'clock, while we contemplated with great pleafure the rug- 
ged top of Chiggre, to which we were faft approaching, and 
where we were to folace ourfelves with plenty of good wa- 
_ter, Idris cried out, with a loud voice, Fall upon your faces, - 
for here is the fimoom. I faw from the S. E. a haze come, 
in colour like the purple part of the rainbow, but not fo com- 
preffed or thick. Ic did not occupy twenty yards in breadth, 
and was about twelve feet high from the ground. It wasa 
kind of blufh upon the air, and it moved very rapidly, for 
Ifcarce could turn to fall upon the ground with my head to 
the northward, when I felt the heat of its current plainly up- 
on my face. We all lay flat on the ground, as if dead, till 
Idris told us it was blown over. The méteor, or purple haze, 
which I faw, was indeed pafled, but the ight.air that. ftill 
blew was of heat to threaten fuffocation. For my part, I 
found diftinély in my breait that] had imbibed a part. of it, 
nor was I free of an afthmatic fenfation till | had been fome 
months in Italy, at the baths of Poretta, near two years af- 
terwards.. 
An univerfal defpondency had taken poffeffion of our 
people. They ceaied to Bea to one another, and when 
they. 
