= 
"THE SOURCE OF THENILE 607 
bring my baggage from Saffieha. He gave a ftart-at the 
firft requeft, and would not by any means hear of that pro- 
pofal; he called it tempting God, and affured me I fhould 
be cut off by the very men that had murdered Mahomet 
Aga; that, having feen the cafes and things which I had 
thrown away at Umarack, they would follow my tract on 
to Safficha, would have taken ever thing that I had left, and 
would be now purfuing me upto the gates of Affouan. All 
this was extremely probable, but it was not to fuch reafon- 
ing that Icould be a convert. I had infinuated that the well- 
-fare of mankind was concerned in the recovery of thofe 
papers ; that there was among them recipes, which, if they 
did not totally prevent the plague, and the fmall-pox, would 
at leaft greatly leffen their violence and duration. This, 
and perhaps a more forcible infinuation, that he fhould not 
be without a recompence for any trouble that he gave him- 
felf on my account, brought him at laft to confent to my 
‘requeft, and we arranged our expedition accordingly. 
Oour firft flep was to fend for Idris and the Arab from 
Daroo, for neither of them would enter the town with us, 
for fear fome ftory fhould be trumped up againft them 
regarding Mahomet Towath’s murder, which would not 
have failed to have been the cafe had not we been with 
-them; but upon the Aga fending a man of ‘confidence for 
them, they both came without delay, and were lodged in ° 
my houfe, under my protection. 
Tue night following, everything being ready, we fet out 
after it was dark from the caftle, all upon dromedaries, 
The gates of the town were open for us, and were imme- 
diately {hut upon our pafling through them ; the Aga fear- 
ay 
