Page:Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile - In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773 volume 3.djvu/438

 .. 4 i4 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

you, friend Strates, faid I, I never was at Scio in my life, and, therefore, could not fee it." — " Nor at Stanchio ?" — Yes, I have heen at Stanchio, and have fecn the large plane- tree there. I believe it may be about eighteeen or twenty feet in circumference." — " Galen and Hippocrates lived, adds he, there together, 2000 years before our Saviour : Did you ever hear that ? M — " I have read, faid I, Strates, that, a- bout 500 years before Chrift, Hippocrates did live there ; but Galen was not born till 20c years after Chrift. I do not re- collect if he was ever at Stanchio ; but, furely, never lived there with Hippocrates.

Strates was in the middle of a declaration, that thofc were all falsehoods of Latins and Papifts ; and we were af- cending, compofedly enough, through a narrow, rocky road, thick-covered with high trees and buflies, when, juft before our entrance into the village of Dara, a gun was fired, and the ball diilinctly heard palling through the leaves among the branches. This occaiioned a great alarm to our difpu- tant, who immediately fuppofed that Guebra Mehedin, and all his robbers, were there exprefsly waiting for us ; nor was he the only perfon that felt uneafily. Netcho, myfelf, and the generality of his officers, thought this was more than probable ; we all therefore difmounted, loaded our fire-arms, halted till all our flragglcrs came up, and con- fulted what we were to do.

Strates, though tired and naked, found it was better to go back under his carpet, and, if poffible, overtake Ayto Adigo, than take pcffcilion of his new cloaths from Negade Ras Mahomet, with the rifk of meeting Guebra Mehe- din there. In vain I remonllratcd to him, that he, of all

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