JOURNAL RELATING TO NUBIA, 



411 



part of an early Christian church. The first is almost blocked up by 

 a mass of mud, and is surrounded by the hovels of the natives. It 

 is a pyramidal portico facing the south, having two columns almost 

 engaged in a wall to the bottom of the capitals, which represent the 

 full blown lotus, and support an entablature and cornice. Between 

 this column and the sides are small door-ways with a cornice and frieze; 

 and above these a second and third cornice, in each of which is the 

 winged globe. The frieze has a bead and leaf worked on it. The 

 front of this building is about twenty-seven feet in length ; the inside 

 is perfect, having a roof supported by four columns standing on a 

 plain circular base, their capitals forming the full-blown lotus. On 

 one of the walls inside is a cross of Maltese form. 



The second building is open to the east ; the west wall is perfect ; 

 in this is a door-way, and within, in front, are two columns with 

 capitals of the full-blown lotus, supporting a small portion of roof. 

 Scriptural paintings with figures as large as those of life remain on 

 the walls, and over the cornice of the door-way is the winged globe. 

 In front of the open side lie several capitals, broken shafts, and other 

 fragments of buildings. 



I was detained at Taeefa the 16th by the Kamseen wind, which 

 changed in the evening to the north and west, driving the sands of 

 the desart for many miles, with so much violence as to obscure the 

 air, and hide from view the rocks close to the boat. The storm con- 

 tinued for two hours with violent gusts, attended with thunder and 

 lightning ; it ceased at last with a torrent of rain. During the 

 tempest, my guide Osman was chaunting the praises of God and 

 the prophet in a most discordant voice ; while the boatmen trembling 

 and shrinking from the storm, hid themselves in the bottom of the boat. 



May 17. — We rowed through the Shellaal of Galabshee. This 

 is the name given to those parts of the stream that are interrupted by 

 rocks. Here the passage of boats is not impeded, as at Assouan, 

 where the Nile is lost in streams of two, three, and four feet in 

 breadth, which interrupt the navigation, except during the inunda- 

 tion, when, as I was informed, very small boats and rafts may pass 



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