THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 31 



The apparatus of inflruments that were opened at the 

 cuflom-houfe of Alexandria, prepofTefled Rifk in favour of 

 my fuperior knowledge in aflrology. 



The Jew, who was mailer of the cuflom-houfe, was not 

 only ordered to refrain from touching or taking them out 

 of their places {a great mortification to a Turkifh cuflom- 

 houfe, where every thing is handed about and fhewn) but 

 an order from the Bey alfo arrived that they fhould be fent 

 to me without duty or fees, becaufe they were not merchan- 

 dife. 



I was very thankful for that favour, not for the fake of 

 faving the dues at the cuilom-houfe, but becaufe I Was ex~ 

 cufed from having them taken out of their cafes by rough 

 and violent hands, which certainly would have broken fome- 

 thing. 



Risk waited upon me next day, and let me know from 

 ^vhom the favour came ; on which we all thought this was 

 a hint for a prefent ; and accordingly, as I had other bufi- 

 nefs with the Bey, I had prepared a very handfome one. 



But I was exceedingly aflonifhed when defiring to know 

 the time when it was to be offered ; it not only was refufed, 

 but fome few trifies were fent as a prefent from the fecre- 

 tary with this mefTage : " That, when I had rcpofed, he 

 *' would vifit me, defire to fee me make ufe of* thefe inftru- 

 " ments ; and, in the mean time, that I might reft confident, 

 " that nobody durft any way moleft me while in Cairo, for 

 " I was under the immediate protection of the Bey." 



He 



