418 



JOURNAL RELATING TO NUBIA. 



and that one of their beys had been able to cast cannon ; and that 

 among the Mamalukes there were eight English and ten French 

 deserters. The Greek, who at first pretended to be a Turk, took me 

 aside, showed me the sign of the cross upon his arm, and by way of 

 exciting my compassion, broke out in bad English, into execrations of 

 the Turkish government. 



After waiting a short time in the caravansera, the son of the cashief, 

 the boy before mentioned, came in, attended by a number of half- 

 clothed inhabitants, squatted himself down in one quarter of the 

 room, took me by the hand and welcomed me. On receiving his 

 father's letter he got up, ran out to hear it read by the imam, and 

 returned presently, offering me any thing I wished. He was about 

 to order food to be brought to me, but being told that I should not 

 eat it, he begged me to return to my boat, and in the evening visit 

 him again. When I arrived at the boat, I found he had sent 

 me a kid and a bowl of bread, in the centre of which was the usual 

 preserve of dates, for which I returned him a present of a gold ring 

 of trifling value. In the evening I went on shore, and the little 

 cashief rather better dressed than in the morning, having the addition 

 of a sword by his side, and my ring on his thumb, received me in 

 the open air with an affectation of manly dignity, seated himself on 

 the ground, and formed his divan. Having replied to his questions, 

 and obtained a promise of horses for myself and Osman, to enable 

 me to cross the desart that night and visit Ibrim, I took my leave, 

 and went to the rocks behind the village, followed by a numerous 

 party of the natives, who came in hopes of seeing me discover treasure 

 in the ruins, which they suppose to be the object of the visits of 

 Europeans. When I arrived at the rocks which are close behind the 

 village, I found that the supposed temple was only a large excavation, 

 evidently a burial-place. The approach to it was through two rows 

 of incomplete square pillars hewn out of the rock. At the end of 

 this approach is a rude sort of portico composed of four square 

 pillars, with an entablature; a ceiling, the greatest part of which 

 is fallen down, connected these pillars with the front of the exca- 



