THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 297 



pleafure and fafety, intending it to be a prefent to my Rais 

 at parting, as he very well knew. At a quarter pall eight, 

 we were towed to our anchorage in the harbour of Kon- 

 fodah. 



Konfodah means the town of the hedge-hog*. It is afmall 

 village, confifting of about two hundred miferable houfes, 

 built with green wood, and covered with mats, made of the 

 doom, or palm-tree ; lying on a bay, or rather a mallow bafon, 

 in a defert wafte or plain. Behind the town are fmall hil- 

 locks of white fand. Nothing grows on ihore excepting 

 kelp, but it is exceedingly beautiful, and very luxuriant ; 

 farther in, there are gardens. Fifh is in perfect plenty ; but- 

 ter and milk in great abundance; even the defert looks 

 freflier than other deferts, which made me imagine that 

 rain fell fometimes here, and this the Emir told me was the 

 cafe. 



Although I made a draught of the port,, it is not worth 

 the publifhing. For though in all probability it was once 

 deep, fafe, and convenient, yet there is nothing now but a 

 kind of road, under fhelter of a point, or ridge of land, which 

 rounds out into the fea, and ends in a Cape, called Ras Mo- 

 zeffia. Behind the town there is another fmall Cape, upon 

 which there are three guns mounted, but with what in- 

 tention it was not pollible to guefs. 



The Emir Ferhan, governor of the town, was an Abyffi- 



nian Have, who invited me on more, and we dined together 



Vol. I. P p on 



* Or Porcupine. j 



