S8 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



the land lay, but after the character we had of the inhabi- 

 tants, all our fire-arms were brought to the door of the ca- 

 bin. In the mean time, partly with my naked eye and 

 partly with my glafs, I obferved the ruins fo attentively as 

 to be. perfectly in love with them. 



These columns of the angle of the portico were ftanding 

 fronting to the north, part of the tympanum, cornice, 

 frize, and architrave, all entire, and very much ornamented; 

 thick trees hid what was behind. The columns were of 

 the largeit fize and fluted ; the capitals Corinthian, and in 

 all appearance entire. They were of white Parian marble 

 probably, but had loft the extreme whitenefs, or polifli, of 

 the Antinous at Rome, and were changed to the colour of 

 the fighting gladiator, or rather to a brighter yellow. I 

 faw indiftinctly, alfo, a triumphal arch, or gate of the town, 

 in the very fame ftyle ; and fome blocks of very white min- 

 ing ftone, which feemed to be alabafter, but for what em- 

 ployed. I do not know. 



"No perfon had yet ftirred, when all on a fudden we heard 

 the noife of Mahomet and the Moor in ftrong dfpute. Up- 

 on this the Rais ftripping off his coat, leaped afhore, and 

 flipped off the rope from the flake, and another of the 

 Moors ftuck a ftrong perch or pole into the river, and twill- 

 ed the rope round it. We were in a bight, or calm place, 

 fo that the ftream did not move the boat. 



Mahomet and the Moor came prefently in fight; the 

 people had taken Mahomet's turban from him, and they 

 were apparently on the very word terms. Mahomet cried 

 to us, that the whole town was corning, and getting near 



2 the 



