Page:Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile - In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773 volume 4.djvu/595

 THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 567

alone; but if you approach the camels or the baggage a- gain, the world will not be able to fave your life, and your blood be upon your own head." Mahomet, Idris's nephew, who heard me cry, came running up from the well to fee what was the matter. We went down together to where the camels were, and, upon examination, found that the links of one of the chains had been broke, but the opening not large enough to let the correfponding whole link through to feparate it. A hard blue Hone was driven through a link of one of the chains of another camel, and left flicking there, the chain not being entirely broken through; we faw, befides, the print of a .man's feet on the fand. There was no need to tell us affer this that we were not to lleep that night; we made therefore another fire on the other fule of the camels with branches of the aca- cia-tree, which we gathered. I then fent the man back to Idris at the well, defiring him to fdl his flcins with water before it was light, and tranfport them to the baggage where I was, and to be all ready armed there by the dawn of day; foon after which, if the Arabs were fufficiently llrong, we were very certain they would attack us. This agreed perfectly with Idris's ideas alfo, fo that, contenting themfelves with a leller quantity of water than they firil intended to have taken, they lifted the fkins upon the camels I fent them, and were at the rendezvous, near the baggage, a. little after four in the morning.

The Barbanns, and, in general, all the lower fort of Moors and Turks, adorn their arms and wrills with amulets; thefe are charms, and are fome favourite verfe of the Koran wrapt in paper, neatly covered with Turkey leather. The two Barbarins that were with me had procured for themfelves-

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