Page:Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile - In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773 volume 4.djvu/371

 TH£ SOURCE OF THE NILS. 343

On the 2 1 ft, we fet out from Rafhid at two o'clock in the morning, and at a Uttle pall eight arrived at Imhanzara, ha- vino- crone moftly N. W. to north and by wefl. This, too, is a flation of the Arabs Daveina ; and there had been here large pools of water, the cavities, apparently dug by the hands of men, were from twenty to thirty feet deep, and not lefs than fixty yards long. The water was juft then drying up; and flood only about half a foot in depth, in the bottom of one of the pools. The borders of the bafons were thick fet with acacia and jujeb-trees ; but the fruit of the latter was drying upon the ftones, and had fallen Ihri veiled in great quantities upon the ground. We gathered about a couple of pecks, which was a very great refrefnment to us. The fruit, though retaining a very (harp acid taile, is mixed with a fweetnefs not unlike the tamarind ; and which it commu- nicated to water, upon a handful of the dry fruit being rteep- ed therein for half an hour. The ordinary jujeb in Bavba- ry is oblong like an olive ; this is perfectly round like the cherry, but Ibmethiug fmaller. The tree is thorny, and dif- fers in nothing from the other, but only in the fliapc of the fruit. When dried, it is of a golden colour ; and is here called Nabca, being the principal fuftcnance of the Arabs, till thefe pools are dry, when they are obliged to feek other food, and other water, at fome more diftant flation.

This day, being the fifth of our journey, we had gone about five hours very diligently, though, confidcring the weak ftate we were in, I do not think we advanced m.orc than feven or eieht miles ; arad it was to me very vifible, that all the animals, mules, camels, and horfes,were auecT:ed as much as we were by the fimcom. They diank repeatedly,, a and