Page:Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile - In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773 volume 4.djvu/584

 ^S6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

His rays fliining through them for near an hour, gave them an appearance of pillars of fire. Our people now became defperate : The Greeks flirieked out, and faid it was the day of judgment. Ifmael pronounced it to be hell, and the Tucorories, that the world was on fire. I afked Idris if ever he had before feen fuch a fight ? He faid he had often feen them as terrible, though never worfe ; but what he feared mofl was that extreme rednefs in the air, which was a fure prefage of the coming of the fimoom. I begged and en- treated Idris that he would not fay one word of that in the hearing of the people, for they had already felt it at Im- hanzara in their way from Ras el Feel to Teawa, and again at the Acaba of Gerri, before we came to Chendi, and they were already nearly diftra6ted at the apprehenfion of find- ing it here.

At half pad four o'clock in the afternoon we left Waadi Del Aned, our courfe a little more to the weftward than the direflion of Syene. The fands which had difappeared yef- terday fcarcely fliewed themfelves at all this day, and at a great diftance from the horizon. This was, however, a comfort but of fliort duration. I obferved Idris took no part in it, but only warned me and the fervants, that, upon the coming of the fimoom, we fliould fall upon our faces, with our mouths upon the earth, fo as not to partake of the outward air as long as we could hold our breath. We alighted at fix o'clock at a fmall rock in the fandy ground, without trees or herbage, fo that our camels failed all that night. This place is called Ras el Seah, or, by the Bifliareen,. El Mout, which fignifies death, a name of bad omen.

On