3 9 o TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



I had orders from Shekh Hamam to lodge in the caftle. 

 But a few hours before my arrival, HufTein Bey Abou Kerfh 

 landed from Mecca, and Jidda, and he had taken up the 

 apartments which were deftined for me. He was one of 

 thofe Beys whom Ali Bey had defeated, and driven from 

 Cairo. He was called Abou Kerfh , i. e. Father Belly, from be- 

 ing immoderately fat ; his adverfity had brought him a lit- 

 tle into fhapes. My fervants, who had gone before, think- 

 ing that a friend of the Bey in power was better than an 

 enemy outlawed, and banifhed by him, had inadvertently 

 put fome of my baggage into the caftle juft when this po- 

 tentate was taking pofleffion. Swords were immediately 

 drawn, death and definition threatened to my poor fer- 

 vants, who fled and hid themfelves till I arrived. 



Upon their complaint, I told them they had acted im- 

 properly; that a fovereign was afovereign all the world over; 

 and it was not my bufinefs to make a difference, whether 

 he was in power or not. I eafily procured a houfe, and 

 fent a janiflary of the four that had joined us from Cairo, 

 with my compliments to the Bey, defiring reflitution of my 

 baggage, and that he would excufe the ignorance of my 

 fervants, who did not know that he was at CofTeir ; but 

 only, having the firman of the Grand Signior, and letters 

 from the Bey and Port of janiffaries of Cairo, they pre- 

 fumed that I had a right to lodge there, if he had not taken 

 up the quarters. 



It happened, that an intimate friend of mine, Mahomet 

 Topal, captain of one of the large Cairo mips, trading to 

 Arabia, was a companion of this HufleinBey, and had car- 

 ried him to fee Captain Thornhill, and fome of our Englifh 



captains 



