THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 171 



It was now for the firfl time he told me his name, which 

 was Mahomet Abdel Gin, " the Slave of the Devil, or the 

 " Spirit." There is a large tribe of that name, many of which 

 come to Cairo from the kingdom of Sennaar ; but he had 

 been born among the Howadat, oppolite to Metrahenny, 

 where I found him. 



Our road was all the way in an open plain, bounded by 

 hillocks of fand, and fine gravel, perfectly hard, and not 

 perceptibly above the level of the plain country of Egypt. 

 About twelve miles diltant there is a ridge of mountains of 

 no coniiderable height, perhaps the mofl barren in the world. 

 Between thefe our road lay through plains, never three miles 

 broad, but without trees, fhrubs, or herbs. There are not 

 even the traces of any living creature, neither ferpent nor 

 lizard, antelope nor oflrich, the ufual inhabitants of the 

 moll dreary deferts. There is no fort of water on the fur- 

 face, brackifh or fweet. Even the birds feem to avoid the 

 place as peftilential, not having feen one of any kind fo 

 much as flying over. The fun was burning hot, and, upon 

 rubbing two flicks together, in half a minute they both took 

 fire, and flamed ; a mark how near the country was redu- 

 ced to a general conflagration ! 



At half pafl three, we pitched our tent near fome draw- 

 wells, which, upon tailing, we found bitterer than foot. 

 We had, indeed, other water carried by the camels in Ikins. 

 This well-water had only one needful quality, it was cold 

 and therefore very comfortable for refrefhing us outwardly. 

 This unpleafant ftation is called Legeta ; here we were ob- 

 liged to pafs the night, and all next day, to wait the arrival 



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