THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 525 
made at Tunis, about five yards long, with a filk fringe of 
the fame colour; it was as beautiful a web of filk as ever 
I iaw; it had a fmall waved pattern Wrought in it; the 
next was a yellow, with a red narrow border, or ftripe, and 
a filver-wrought fringe, but neither fo long nor fo thick as 
the other; the next were two Cyprus manufactured fafhes,. 
filk and cotton, with a fattin ftripe, the one broader than the 
other, but five yards long each; the next was a Perfian pipe,. 
with a long pliable tube, or worm, covered with Turkey lea- 
ther, with an amber mouth-piece, and a chryftal vafe for 
- fmoking tobacco through water, a great luxury in the eaft- 
ern countries ; the next were two blue bowls, as fine as the: 
one he had juft then broken, and of the fame fort. He fhoved 
‘them. from him, laughing, and faid, “I will not take them 
from you, Yagoube ; thisas downright robbery; I have done 
nothing for this, which is a prefent tor a king.”—‘It is a 
_ prefent to a friend, faid I, often of more confequence to a 
_ ftranger than a king; Ialways except your king, who is the 
ftranger’s beft friend.” ——“ Though he was not eafily difcon- 
certed, he feemed, at this‘ time, to be very nearly fo.”—* If 
you will not receive them, continued I, fuch as they are of- 
fered, itis the greateft affront ever was put upon. me; I cam 
never, you know, receive them again.” 
By this he was convinced. More feeble arguments would 
imdeed have fatisfied him, and he folded up the napkin with 
all the articles, and gave them to an officer; after which 
the tent was again cleared for confultation; and, during this 
time, he had called his man of confidence,, whom he was 
to fend with us, and-inftructed him properly. I faw plainly 
that I had gained the afcendant; and, in the expectation of 
Ras Michael's {peedily coming to Gondar, he was as willing 
to 
So 
