Page:Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile - In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773 volume 4.djvu/622

 594 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER

inches radius, round my neck, by a lace, and refting in my pocket. I thus found that we had kept the hne diredly upon Syene, which the Ababde Arab had Ihewed us.

On the 26th, at half after fix in the morning we fet out from Abou Ferege, continuing nearly in the fame diretftion upon Syene till eleven o'clock, when, for the purpofe of obfervation only, I alighted at a place called Abou Here- gi, without water, grafs, or food for our camels. We were exceedingly averfe to exertions, and became fo weak and fpiritlefs, that it was not poffible to prevail upon our people to take the large quadrant out of its cheil to put it together, and prepare it for obfervation. I therefore took a Hadley's quadrant, with a mixture I had made, which ferved me bet- ter than quick- filver, and made my obfervation by reflection at Abou Heregi, and found it in lat. 23°, from which I infer- red, with fome decree of comfort to myfelf, that the longi- tude of Syene in the French maps is ill laid down, and that we were now in the dire(5lion upon Syene, had no wefting to run down, but the journey mult finifli in a very few days.

At two o'clock in the afternoon we left Abou Heregi, and at four had an unexpected entertainment, which filled our hearts with a very fliort-lived joy. The whole plain before us feeraed thick-covered with green grafs and yel- low daifies. We advanced to the place with as much fpeed as our lame condition woul-d fufter us, but how terrible was our difappointment, when we found the whole of that ver- dure to confifl: in fenna and coloquintida, the moll naufeous of plants, and the moit incapable of being fubitituted as food for man or bcaft. At nine o'clock in the evening we alight- ed at Saffieha, which is a ridge of craggy mountains to the

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