THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 879 



-diately, Charlotte; and, upon our arrival, we perceived the 

 Turks were parading round the tents in arms, and foon 

 after our Howadat Arab came to us, and with him a mef- 

 fenger from Sidi Haffan, defiring me to come inftantly to 

 his tent, while my fervants advifed me firft to hear what 

 they had to fay to me in mine, 



I soon, therefore, perceived that all was hot well, and I 

 returned my compliments to Haffan, adding, that, if he had 

 any thing to fay to me fo late, he would do well to come, or 

 fend, as it was pall my hour of vinting in the defert, efpe- 

 cially as I had not eat, and was tired with having the charge 

 of the water. I gave orders to my fervants to put out all 

 the extraordinary lights, as that feemed to be a mark of 

 fear ; but forbade any one to fleep, excepting thofe who 

 had the charge of our beafts, and had been fetching the 

 water. 



I found that, while our people had been afleep, two per- 

 sons had got into the tent and attempted to Ileal one of the 

 portmanteaus ; but, as they were chained together, and the 

 tent-pole in the middle, the noife had awakened my fer- 

 vants, who had feized one of the men ; and that the Turks 

 had intended inftantly to have difpatched him with their 

 knives, and with great difficulty had been prevented by my 

 fervants, according to my conftant orders, for I wifhed to 

 • avoid all extremities, upon fuch occafions, when poffible* 

 They had indeed leave to deal with their {licks as freely 

 as their prudence fuggefted to them ; and they had gone, 

 in this cafe, fully beyond the ordinary limits of difcretion^ 

 efpecially Abdel Gin, who was the firft to feize the robber. 

 In fhort, they had dealt fo liberally with their fticks, that 



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