412 
BOLTINE 
• paid me a visit, and invited me to drink coffee at his house, which 
is a kind of caravanserai for travellers : this I accepted. He was a 
pleasant middle-aged man, who had been in Italy, and over all the 
Turkish dominions. He assured us it was impossible to procure any 
more camels even in three days, and expressed his astonishment at 
our taking so disagreeable a journey, as hence direct to Damietta, a 
twenty-one hours march, over a barren desert, where not even 
water could be procured. We then enquired if we could make our 
way any farther over the lake. He advised us to go to a place on 
the opposite side of the lake, within eight hours sail, where we could 
procure every thing we wanted, and should have a succession of vil- 
lages to the Nile, on which we might embark for Damietta. He said 
he had been this way seven or eight times. We thanked him for 
his council, and determined to follow it. He expressed his regret at 
not having any thing in this place to offer us, for even water they 
were obliged to fetch from a distance. Date trees are in abundance, 
as, in their season, are melons and water-melons, the best in Egypt; 
but at that time none could be procured. We invited him to share 
our dinner, which he accepted. On returning to our tent, and tel- 
ling the Schech el Belled our intentions of going by water, he started 
many objections. There would not be water sufficient, the Caimakan 
had only gone when the Nile was at the highest, and thought all 
other times were as good; the road was infested with thieves, &:c. 
We suspected be was only interested to let us his camels and asses ; 
we therefore sent to the Caimakan to request he would pay us a 
visit at the tent. He came, and soon obliged the Schech to acknow- 
ledge that the road was safe, and that there would be probably 
water enough, as the lake was rising. Orders were therefore issued 
