Page:Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile - In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773 volume 4.djvu/387

 THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 3-59^

flaves of both fexes, brought lis a quantity of di flies of meat from the Shekh, with many flattering comphmcnts and good wifhes* The whole was difpatched very fpeedily,. and fome of oUr poor companions of the caravan, v/ith the faltj came and helped us very thankfully, without ceremony, as is the cuilom of the country. When all was over, I was aftonifhed at one young man, who came and put his mouth clofe to my ear, faying thefe few Words in Arabic, " Seitati Fidele ! el Shekh el Atbara Seitan !" i.e. l-idele is a devil ! the Shekh of Atbara is the devil himfelf !

All ftrangers were now difmifTed, under pretence of oils'- going immediately to repofe. V^Ie had, indeed, much need of reft in our prefent fituaiion, but ftill more of council, for which we immediately aiTembied by ourfelves, after having fliut the door. I alked Soliman what he thought of the Shekh of Atbara^ and his difcourfe. He anfwered, without hefitation, " He is a traitor, has deceived Yaiine, and means vou ill." The word,^rf^/ 7)7an, fo often applied to me- — the abufe beftowed upon Yafme, whom in his letters he had called his dear brother — the wondering that I came that way, after, in his letters, and by his fervants, he had fo often perfuaded us, while at Ras el Feel, that it was the beft, nay,, the only road pofTible ; all this united together,feemed to leave us no doubt but that we had fallen into a trap, from which, our own activity and relblutions, under- the protection of Providence, could alone releafe us..

It may be remembered that, fome time before our fetting out frcun Pvas el Feel, I had difpatched a fervant with the Daveina to Sennaar, whom they were to efcort as far as Bey- la; and they had confxgned him into the bands of Maho-

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