Vol III. Mifcellanea Curidfa. i 27 



venture to give him a Vifit, and taking the 

 Janizary and one Servant, they carried him 

 a Prefent of two pieces of Red Cloath, and 

 four of Green, and feveral other things : 

 Being come he welcomed them into his Tent, 

 and placed the one on his right Hand and 

 the other on his left. Melkam was a young 

 Man, not above Five and Twenty, and well 

 Featured, and a moft Excellent Horfe-man ; 

 Hdmet Shideed^ the other Prince, was more 

 elderly, as about forty Years of Age, and 

 iVas not iii the Tent, but fat under a Palm^ 

 Tree near it. He treated them with Co^ee^^ 

 CamePs-flejh aiid Ihttes^ and enquired of their 

 Journey, and the Caufe of their coming : 

 They told him 'twas only Curiofity to fee 

 thofe Ruins ^ he faid that formerly Solomon 

 Ihnel Doud Built a City in that Place, which 

 being deftroyed, was Built again by a ftrange 

 People, and he believed, that we under- 

 ftanding the Writing on the Pillars, came to 

 feejc after Treafure , he having but fix 

 Moons before found a Pot of Corra Crujfes. 

 After this he went out of the Tent, leaving 

 them fmoaking Tobacco, to the Jamzary and 

 Servant, and told them, that never till that 

 Day any Franks had been at that Place, and 

 that now we knew the way through the De^ 

 fert, we might inform the Tvrkj to their Ru« 

 in and Deftruction, fo that 'twould be con- 

 venient for them to deftroy us all : But that 

 we coming as Friends^ he w^ould only have 

 4000 Dollars as a Prefent, elfe he would hang 

 them and the tWo Franks up, and go fight 

 the reft. This Meifage being brought them, 

 they wifli'd they had excusM themf^lves from 



this 



