22 TRAVELS IN AFRICA, 
gain fome Information from the natives, or the Arabs, that 
would fix exadly the pofition of the remains, if any fuch there 
were, of the far-famed Temple of Jupiter Ammon. The people 
of Siwa have communications equally with Egypt and Fezzan, 
and the wandering Arabs pafs the defert in all diredions, in 
their vifits to that fmall territory, where they are furniflied at a 
cheaper rate with many articks of food than they can be in the 
towns of Egypt. They pafs thither from Elwah, from Feium, 
and the diftrid of Thebes, from Fezzan, from Tripoli, from 
Kahira, and from Alexandria. It feemed therefore unlikely 
that any confiderable ruins fhould exift within three or four 
days of Siwa, and unknown to them ; ftill lefs fo that they 
fhould be ignorant of any fertile fpot, where might be found 
water, fruits, and other acceptable refrelhments. 
I therefore, by means of my interpreter, whom I had always 
found honeft in his report, and attentive to my wifhes, colleded 
three of the Shechs who had fhewn themfelves moft friendly to 
us, with my condudor, and two other Arabs who happened to 
be there. They entered freely into converfation about the 
roads, and defcribed what was known to them of Elwah, Fez- 
zan, and other places. But in the diredion laid down for the 
fite of the temple, they declared themfelves ignorant of any 
fuch remains. I inquired for a place of the name of Satitrieh, 
but of this too they profefied their ignorance. Then, faid I, 
if you know of no place by the name I have mentioned, and of 
no ruins in the diredion or at the diftance defcribed, do you 
know of no ruins whatever farther to the weftward or fouth- 
weft ? Yes, faid one of them, there is a place called Arafchie^ 
where 
