Page:Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile - In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773 volume 4.djvu/431

 THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 403

They were all flruck with amazement, and with a kind of terror. They had never before feen a gun fired on horfe- back, much lefs a gun fired twice without charging. I did not want to .explain the matter to them ; and, as far as I could perceive, the Moullah efpecially was very glad when I fent it home. " This is the way, faid I, that my countrymen ride, and the way they fight ; no people on earth underftand fire-arms or horfemanfliip like them. For my part, I am a man of peace, a Dervifh, and no fol- dier ; it is not my profeiTion, and I do the thing aukward- ly. If you faw fome of our foldiers ride, it would be a fight indeed." Fidele laughed, or counterfeited a laugh, but being a foldier, it was his part to fay fomething. " If many of your countrymen like you were here, man of peace as you are, imlefs they were friends to us they would get all Atbara to themfelves. If they were friends, fays he, I think I could do fomething with them ; that horfe feems to have the fenfe of a man."—" Such as he is, faid I, dif- mounting, a prince gave him to me, and fuch as he is I now give him to you, as a proof that I am your friend, and that I fliould not grudge you a few paltry piafters, if I had not been under a vow of poverty ; money is of no kind of value to me, and confequently not carried a- bout with me." The horfe was gladly received, though, as I was going to Sennaar, where no horfes are kept, the compliment was a cheap one on my part.

" How could you, Fidele, fays the Moullah in great fur- prife, have it in your heart to torment fuch a man as this ? I told you what he was, our books fpeak of them : ihey are not Kafrs, but fpend all their lives in wandering over the'

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