38 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 
Turs extraordinary animal only afflicts thofe who are*in 
conftant habit of drinking ftagnant water, whether that 
~water is drawn out from wells, as in the kingdom of Sennaar, 
-or found by digging in the fand where it is making its way 
to its proper level the fea, after falling down the fide of the 
mountains after the tropical rains. This plague appears: 
indifcriminately in every part of the body, but ofteneft in 
‘the legs and arms. Inever faw it in the face or head ; but, 
far from affecting the flefhy parts of the body, it generally 
comes out where the bone has leaft flefh upon it. 
Uron looking at this worm, on its firft appearance, a 
fmall black head is extremely vifible, with a hooked beak. 
-of a whitifh colour. Its body is feemingly of a white filky 
texture, very like a {mall tendon bared and perfettly clean- 
ed. After-its appearance the natives of thefe countries, who 
are ufed to it, feize it gently by the head, and wrap it round 
a thin piece of filk or fmall bird’s feather. Every day, or 
feveral times a-day, they try to wind it up upon the quill 
as far as it comes readily; and, upon the fmalleft refiftance, 
they give over for fear of breaking it. Ihave feen five feet, 
or fomething more of this extraordinary animal, winded 
out with invincible patience in the courfe of three weeks. 
No inflammation then remained, and fcarcely any rednefs 
round the edges of the aperture, only a {mall quantity of 
lymph appeared in the hole or puncture, which fcarcely 
iffued out upon prefling. In three days it was commonly 
well, and left no {car or dimple implying lofs of fubftance, 
I mysELF experienced this complaint. I was reading up- 
on a fofa at Cairo, a few days after my return from Upper 
Egypt, when I felt in the fore part of my leg, upon the 
; bone, 
