EGYPT, AND SYRIA. 219 
yet been difcharged. I had been infulted with the mockery of 
juftice, yet obliged to thank my oppreffbrs for the compenfation 
with their corruption and malignity alone had rendered in- 
complete. 
I had not indeed omitted to renew to the Melek Mufa, the re- 
queft which had been previoufly made to Mifellim and Ibrahim. 
I explained to him in the manner leaft exceptionable, my inten- 
tion in coming thither, completely did away all the fufpicions, 
which my enemies had at firft been afTiduous to excite, and too 
fuccefsful in eftablifhing; and concluded with defiring permiffion 
to go to Sennaar, or to accompany the firft Selatea (an armed 
expedition for the purpofe of acquiring flaves) to the South or 
South-weft ; or finally to have a fafe-condud, and one of the 
Sultan's flaves, acknowleged as fuch, to accompany me to Ber- 
goo (the firft Mohammedan kingdom to the Weft). By the 
jftrji route I hoped to have reached Abyffinia ; or, if that had 
been impradicable, to have gone through Nubia to Egypt, or 
by Suakem to the Red Sea, and thence to Mocha or Jidda. By 
the fecond I was almoft certain of fettling fome important points 
relative to the White River, poffibly of tracing it to its fource. 
And by the thirds either of pafling diredly Weft, and tracing 
the courfe of the Niger, or of penetrating through Bornou and 
Fezzan to Tripoli. 
To the firft propofal, he anfwered in a manner which gave 
me no reafon to doubt his fincerity, that the road to Sennaar 
was at prefent impafl^ible, the Sultan being as yet mafter of but 
one half of Kordofan ; that the natives of all that part of it 
F F 2 which 
