THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 591 
Twas awakened out of this delightful reverie by an alarm 
that we had loft Woldo our guide. Though I long had ex-. 
pected fomething from his behaviour, I did not think, for his. 
own fake, it could be his intention to leave us. The fer- 
vants could not agree when they laft faw him: Strates and 
Aylo’s fervant were in the wood fhooting, and we found by 
the gun that they were not far from us; I was therefore in 
hopes that Woldo, though not at all fond of fire-arms, might 
be in their company ; but it was with great diffatisfaction I - 
faw them appear without him. They faid, that, about an 
hour before, they had feen fome extraordinary large, rough 
apes, or monkeys, feveral of which were walking upright, 
and all without tails; that they had gone after them thro” 
the wood till they could fcarce get out again; but they 
did not remember to have feen Woldo at parting.. Various. 
conjectures immediately followed; fome thought he had 
refolved to betray and rob us; fome conceived it was an in- 
ftruction of Fafil’s to him, in order to our being treacheroufly 
murdered ; fome again fuppofed he was flain by the wild 
beafts, efpecially thofe apes or baboons, whofe voracity, 
fize, and fierce appearance were exceedingly magnified, ef- 
pecially by Strates, who had not the leaft doubt, if Woldo 
had met them, but that he would be fo entirely devoured, 
that we might feek in vain without difcovering even a frag-- 
ment of him. For my part, I began to think that he had 
been really ill when he firft complained, and that the fick-. 
nefs might have overcome him upon the road; andtthis, too,. ° 
was the opinion of Ayto Aylo’s fervant, who faid, however, 
- with a fignificant look, that he could-not be far off; we 
therefore fent him, and one of the men that drove the 
mules, back to feek after him; and they had not gone but a 
few hundred yards when they found him coming, but fo 
, decrepid. 
