Page:Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile - In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773 volume 4.djvu/553

 THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 525

the {Kort roots of grafs that are to be found by the fide of the Nile, after the fun has withered it. This they dig out tvhere it is covered with earth, and appears blanched, which they lay in fmall heaps once a- day on the ground before them. They are tethered by the fetlock joint of the fore- leg with a very foft cotton rope made with a loop and large button. They eat and drink with the bridle in their mouth, not the bridle they adually ufe when armed, but a light one made on purpofe to accuftom them to eat and drink with it : If you afk the reafon, they tell you of many battles that have been loft by the troops having been attacked by their enemy when taking off the bridles to give their horfes drink. No Arab ever mounts a flallion ; on the contrary, in Nubia they never ride mares ; the reafon is plain : The Arabs are conflantly at war with their neighbours, (for fo robbery in that country is called) and always endeavour to take their enemies by furprifc in the grey of the evening, or the dawn of day. A ftallion no fooner fmells the ftale of the mare in the enemy's quarters, than he begins to neigh, and that would give the alarm to the party intend- ed to be furprifed. No fuch thing ever can happen Vvhen they ride mares only ; on the contrary, the Funge truft on* ly to fuperior force. They are in an open, plain country, muft be difcovered at many miles diftancf, and all fuch furprifes and ftratagems are ufelefs to them.

The place where we alighted is called Hajar el Dill, and is a mile eaft from where we halted in the wood to feed our camels. We continued along the Nile at about a mile's di- flance from it, and, after advancing near three miles, came in fight of a large village called Derreira ; on the oppofite lide of the Nile, and beyond that, about four miles on tha 4 fame