BRUCE — HIS AUTHENTICITY* 
91 
to Chendi, where he found extensive ruins, which 
he conjectures might be those of the ancient 
Meroe. Soon after the party lost sight of the 
Nile, which here takes a great bend to the west. 
They entered then upon the desert of Nubia, 
where, for five hundred miles, they travelled 
without meeting a human habitation. Only a 
few watering-places interrupted the expanse of 
naked rock and burning sand. The travellers 
had nearly sunk under this journey, especially as, 
towards the close of it, the camels lay down, and 
were unable to proceed. They made, however, a 
last effort, by which they at length came in sight 
of the Nile near Syene, which proved the termin- 
ation of their sufferings. 
After following Mr Bruce through this train of 
adventure, it may not be uninteresting to take 
some notice of those very warm discussions that 
have arisen relative to the authenticity of his 
narrative. There exists in all common read- 
ers an unwillingness to believe whatever passes 
the limits of their ordinary observations. The 
strange and uncouth manners described by our 
traveller, the bloody feasts of the Abyssinians, 
the savage wildness of the Galla, appeared to 
such persons altogether incredible. So short is 
the memory of the reading public, as to make it 
be wholly forgotten, that all former travellers in 
Abyssinia, who were numerous, had uniformly 
