600 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 
as 1 was, after refrefhing myfelf with my laft bread and 
water, [ fet out in the afternoon to gain a rifing ground, © 
that | might fee, if poflible, what was to the weftward; for 
the mountains feemed now rocky and high like thofe of 
the Kennoufs near Syene. I arrived, with great difficulty 
and pain, on the top of a moderate hill, but was exceeding- 
ly difappointed at-not feeing the river to the weftwards 
however, the vicinity of the Nile was very evident, by the 
high, uniform mountains that confine its torrent when it 
comes out of Nubia. The evening was ftill, fo that fitting © 
down and covering my eyes with my hands, not to be di- 
verted by external objects, I liftened and heard diftinctly 
the noife of waters, which I fuppofed to be the cataract, 
but it feemed to the fouthward of us, as if we had pafled 
it, I was, however, fully fatisfied that it was the Nile. | 
Just before I left my ftation the fun was already low, 
when I faw a flock of birds, which, in Syria, where they 
are plenty, are called the Cow Bird. In Egypt they are alfo 
numerous upon the Nile, but I-do not know their name. 
They are a fmall f{pecies of the heron, about a third of the 
fize of the common one, milk-white, having a tuft of flefh- 
coloured feathers upon their breaft, of a coarfer, ftronger, 
and more hairy-like quality than the fhorter feathers. A 
flock of thefe birds was flying ina flraight line, very low, evi- 
dently feeking food along the banks of the river. It was — 
not an hour for birds to go far from their home, nor does 
this bird feed at a diftance from its accuftomed haunt at 
any time. Satisfied then that, continuing our courfe N. W. 
we fhould arrive.at or below Syene, I returned to join my 
companions, but it was now dark, and 1 found Idris and 
2 she 
