Page:Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile - In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773 volume 3.djvu/466

 442 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

ing to prince George, who had frightened their mules. I have already hinted that this prince was fond of horfemanfhip, and rode with faddle, bridle, and ftirrups, like an Arab ; and, though young, was become an excellent horfeman, fuperior to any in Abyflinia. The manner that two Arabs falute one another, when they meet, is, the perfon inferior in rank, or age, prefents his gun at the other, about 500 yards diftance, charged with powder only; he then, keeping his gun always prefented, gallops thefe 500 yards as fall as he can, and, be- ing arrived clofe, lowers the muzzle of his gun, and pours the explofion juft under the other's ftirrups, or horfe's belly. This they do, fometimes twenty at a time, and you would often think it was impoflible fomebody mould efcape being bruifed or burnt.

The prince had learned this exercife from me, and was very perfect at the performance of it. We had procured him a fhort gun, with a lock and flint inflead of a match, and he (hot not only jultly, but gracefully on horfeback. Ke had been out after the deer all the morning ; and hearing that I was arrived, and- feeing the two Greeks riding on their mules, he came galloping furioudy with his gun prefented, and, not feeing me, he fired a mot under the belly of Stra- res's mule, upon the ground, and wheeling as quick as light- ning to the left, regardlefs of the mifchief he had occafion- ed, w r as out of fight in a moment, before he knew the con- fcquenccs.

Never was compliment worfe timed or relifhed. Stratcs had two panniers upon his mule, containing two great: earthen jars of hydromel for the king ; Sebaftos had alfo feme jars and pots, and three or four dozen of drinking-

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