i84 TRAVELS IN AFRICA, 
able to northern nations is with them no ferious motive for the 
remiflion of labour. 
The route taken by the Soudan caravan is in part the fame 
as that traverfed by Poncet, in the beginning of the prefent cen- 
tury, on his way to Abyffinia. He pafTed by Shcb and Selime, 
and thence ftriking acrofs the defart South-eaft, crofTed the Nile 
at Mofcho. We continued our march from Selime, almoft due 
South, or with a fmall variation to the Weft. Our party having 
left Affiut on the 25th May, encamped on the mountain above it 
till the 28th, when it proceeded by fhort ftages towards El-w ah. 
The jelabs commonly pay the Muggrebines for their protection, 
or rather for forbearing to plunder them, at the rate of about a 
patacke for each camel. I refufed them this tribute, alleging 
that I was not of the number of merchants who ufually trade to 
Soudan, but a ftranger who was employed on bufmefs tp the 
Sultan ; and though my refufal occafioned a flight difpute, the 
Arabs thought proper to relinquifh their claim. The camels 
were heavily laden, and the jelabs travelled flowly, and in de- 
tached parties, each confulting his own convenience, till the 
31ft of the fame month, when we came to Gebel Rumlie, an 
high rocky mountain, which we were to defcend. It forms the 
Weftern fide of the ridge, which conftitutes, as it were, the wall 
of Egypt, and the Eaftern boundary of the low defert, in Vvrhich 
lie the Oafes. It confifts of a coarfe tufa, and is of rugged and 
difficult defcent. The road feems in many places to have been 
opened by art. We were a full hour in reaching the bottom. 
The camels not without great pain carrying their loads on the 
fteep declivity, and being often in danger of falling. 
From 
