i 7 o TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



houfes. They arc all made of potter-clay, in one piece, 

 in fhape of a bee-hive ; the largeft is not above ten feet high, 

 and the greateft diameter fix. 



There are no vefliges here of any canal, mentioned to 

 have been cut between the Nile and the Red Sea. The 

 cultivated land here is not above half a mile in extent from 

 the river, but the inundation of the Nile reaches much 

 higher, nor has it left behind it any appearance of foil. 

 After paflmg Bir Ambar, we pitched our tent about four 

 o'clock at Gabba*, a fhort mile from Cuft, on the borders of 

 the defert— -here we paffed the night. 



On the 17th, at eight o'clock in the morning, having 

 mounted my fervants all on horfeback, and taken the charge 

 of our own camels, (for there was a confufion in our cara- 

 van not to be defcribed, and our guards we knew were but 

 a fet of thieves) we advanced flowly into the defert. There 

 were about two hundred men on horfeback, armed with 

 firelocks ; all of them lions, if you believed their word or 

 appearance ; but we were credibly informed, that fifty of 

 the Arabs, at firfl fight, would have made thefe heroes fly 

 without any bloodflied. 



I had not gone two miles before I was joined by the 

 Howadat Arab, whom I had brought with me in the boat 

 from Cairo. He offered me his fervice with great profef- 

 fions of gratitude, and told me, that he hoped I would again 

 take charge of his money, as I had before done from Cairo. 



It 



*It is no tov,n r but fome fand and a few bufhes, fo called.. 



