BRUCe's niAVELS. 
75- 
hesitated for some time as to the directiono At 
length he fixed upon Abyssinia. His imagination 
was pecuUarly fired by the idea of penetrating to 
the sources of the Nile, which appeared to him 
yet undiscovered, though they had long excited the 
curiosity of the most celebrated philosophers, and 
even conquerors. On this subject, he laboured 
under some errors. The object at best was a very 
secondary one to that which he really accomplish- 
ed, of exploring the physical and moral character 
of a region so vast, and presenting so many inte- 
resting features. Mr Bruce was aware that the 
journey was dangerous. He fortified himself 
therefore, by a firman from the Porte, and by let- 
ters from the sherifFe of Mecca, and his minister, 
Metical Aga, He was warned that all these 
would but imperfectly protect him against the 
Naybe of Arkeeko, a stupid and blood-thirsty 
wretch, who, in the confusion of the country, had 
rendered himself nearly independent, and made 
it a regular practice to rob and murder every 
stranger. Our traveller, however, was not to be 
easily intimidated. He had been preceded by his 
guide, Mahomet Ghiberti, who spread the report 
that a great prince, son or brother to a king, was 
soon to arrive at Massuah. This boasted extrac- 
tion did not prevent the Naybe from proposing in 
council that he should be put to death, and his 
effects seized upon. His nephew Achmet, how- 
