A

COLLECTION

OF

VOYAGES AND TRAVELS,

FROM THE

DISCOVERY OF AMERICA

TO THE PRESENT TIME.

CONTINUATION OF MR. BRUCE'S TRAVELS.

MR. BRUCE, finding that things had come to a crisis at Sennaar, determined to leave it immediately, and visit Adelan, who had removed with his troops to some distance. But, being without money, he applied to Hagi Belal for assistance, shewing him the letter of the English broker at Jidda, and requesting him to advance 2,000 sequins. But this fellow, counterfeiting surprize, pretended, he had not above 20 dollars. However, being intimidated by the threats of an officer of the court, who had conceived a friendship for Mr. Bruce, he advanced 50 sequins; and our traveller was compelled to abandon his gold chain. In the evening, the king sent for Mr. Bruce, and requested him to endeavour to procure Mahomet's pardon, the wretch that had attempted to assassinate him. This he promised, and was dismissed. He immediately got his camels ready and departed from Sennaar, as if to visit Adelan; but having sent a letter to this powerful VOL. III.

A

chief, he travelled northward, in order to fly from this inhospitable kingdom as quickly as possible.

After travelling 10 days, with great diligence, he arrived at Herbagi, the seat of Wed Ageeb, a hereditary prince of the Arabs, but subject to Sennaar. He spoke contemptuously of the king, but informed Mr. Bruce, that a servant of Adelan had arrived with a letter and messages on his account. He also sent one of his people to protect him from the neighbouring Arabs, and gave him a letter to Sittina, his sister, who governed Chendi.

On the third day after leaving this place, our traveller and his party crossed the Nile; and, having travelled 12 days, mostly through woods and deserts, he reached Chendi, a village containing 250 houses. After resting a few day, he waited upon the princess, Sittina. She received me,' says he, behind a screen, so that it was impossible either to see her figure, or face; I observed, however, that there were apertures so managed in the screen that she had a perfect view of me. She expressed herself with great politeness, talked much upon the terms in which Adelan was with the king, and wondered exceedingly how a white man, like me, should venture so far in such an ill-governed country. "Allow me, madam," said I, "to complain of a breach of hospitality in you, which no Arab has been yet guilty of towards me.” "Me!" said she, "that would be strange, indeed, to a man that bears my brother's letter. How can that be?? "Why, you tell me,

madam, that I am a white man, by which I know that you see me, without giving me the like advantage. The queens of Sennaar did not use me so hardly; I had a full sight of them without having used any inportunity." On this she broke out into a great fit of laughter; then fell into a conversation about medicines to make her hair grow, or rather to hinder it from falling off. She desired me to come to her the next day; that her son, Idris, would be then at home from the howat (the farm where he kept the flocks belonging to himself), and that he very much wished to see me. She that day sent us plenty of provisions from her own table.

On the 13th of October, it was so excessively hot that it was impossible to suffer the burning sun. The poisonous simoon blew likewise as if it came from an oven. Our eyes were dim, our lips cracked, our knees tottering, our throats perfectly dry, and no relief was found from drinking an immoderate quantity of water. The people advised me to dip a sponge in vinegar and water, and hold it before my mouth and nose, and this greatly relieved me. In the evening I went to Sittina. Upon entering the house, a black slave laid hold of me by the hand, and placed me in a passage, at the end of which were two opposite doors. I did not well know the rea son of this; but had staid only a few minutes when I heard one of the doors at the end of the passage open, and Sittina appeared magnificently dressed, with a kind of round cap of solid gold upon the crown of her head, all beat very thin, and hung round with sequins; with a variety of gold chains, solitaires, and necklaces of the same metal, about her neck. Her hair was plaited in 10 or 12 small divisions like tails, which hung down below her waist, and over her was thrown a common cotton white garment. She had a purple silk stole, or scarf, hung very gracefully upon her back, brought again round her waist, without covering her shoulders or arms. Upon her wrists she had two bracelets, like handcuffs, about half an inch thick, and two gold manacles of the same at her feet, fully an inch in diameter, the most disagreeable and awkward part of all her dress. I expected she would have hurried through with some affectation of surprize. On the contrary, she stopt in the middle of the passage, saying, in a very grave manner, "Kif halec?" (how are you?)-I thought this was an opportunity of kissing her hand, which I did, without her shewing any sort of reluctance. "Allow me as a physician," said I, “madam, to say one word." She bowed with her head, and said, "Go in at that door, and I will hear you." The slave appeared, and carried me through a door at the bottom of the passage into a room, while her mistress vanished in at another door at the top, and there was the screen I had seen the day before, and the lady sitting behind it.

She was a woman scarcely forty, taller than the middle size, had a very round, plump face, her mouth rather large, very red lips, the finest teeth and eyes I have seen, but at the top of her nose, and between her eye-brows, she had a small speck made of cohol, or antimony, four-cornered, and of the size of the smallest patches our women used to wear; another rather longer upon the top of her nose, and one on the middle of her chin.

"Sittina. "Tell me what you would say to me as a physician." Yag. "It was, madam, but in consequence of your discourse yesterday. That heavy gold cap, with which you press your hair, will certainly be the cause of a great part of it falling off." Sitt. "I believe so; but I should catch cold, I am so accustomed to it, if I was to leave it off. Are you a man of name and family in your own country?" Yag. "Of both, madam." Sitt. "Are the women handsome there ?" Yag. "The handsomest in the world, madam; but they are so good, and so excellent in all other respects, that nobody thinks at all of their beauty, nor do they value themselves upon it." Sitt. "And do they allow you to kiss their hands?” Yag. "I understand you, madam, though you have mistaken me. There is no familiarity in kissing hands; it is a mark of homage and distant respect paid in my country to our sovereigns, and to none earthly besides." Sitt. "O yes, but the kings." Yag. "Yes, and the queens, too, always on the knee, madam; I said our sovereigns, meaning both king and queen.On her part it is a mark of gracious condescension, in favour of rank, merit, and honourable behaviour; it is a reward for dangerous and difficult services, above all other compensation." Sitt. "But do you know that no man ever kissed my hand but you?" Yag. "It is impossible I should know that, nor is it material. Of this I am confident, it was meant respectfully, cannot hurt you, and ought not to offend you." Sitt. "It certainly has done neither, but I wish very much Idris, my son, would come and see you, as it is on his account I dressed myself to day." Yag. "I hope, madam, when I do see him, he will think of some way of for

warding me safely to Barbar, in my way to Egypt." Sitt. "Safely! God forgive you! you are throwing yourself away wantonly. Idris himself, king of this country, dares not undertake such a journey. But why did not you go along with Mahomet Towash? He set out only a few days ago for Cairo, the same way you are going, and has, I believe, taken all the hybeers (guides) with him. But, while you stay, let me see you every day, and, if you want any thing, send by a servant of mine. It is a tax, I know, improperly laid upon a man like you, to ask for every necessary; but Idris will be here, and he will provide you better."

One day, sitting in my tent, musing upon the very unpromising aspect of my affairs, an Arab of very ordinary appearance, naked, with only a cotton cloth around his middle, came up to me, and offered to conduct me to Barbar, and thence to Egypt. He said his house was at Daroo on the side of the Nile, about twenty miles beyond Syene, or Assouan, nearer Cairo. I asked him why he he had not gone with Mahomet Towash? He said, he did not like the company, and was very much mistaken if the journey ended well. Upon pressing him further if this was really the only reason; he then told me, that he had been sick for some months at Chendi, contracted debt, and had been obliged to pawn his clothes, and that his camel was detained for what still remained unpaid. After much conversation, repeated several days, I found that Idris (for that was his name) was a man of some substance in his own country, and had a daughter married to the schourbatchie at Assouan. He said that this was his last journey, for he never would cross the desert again. A bargain was now soon made. I redeemed his camel and cloak; he was to shew me the way to Egypt, and he was there to be recompensed according to his behaviour.

'I prepared now to leave Chendi, but first returned my benefactress, Sittina, thanks for all her favours. She had called for Idris, and given him very positive instructions, mixed with threats, if he misbehaved; and hearing what I had done for him, she too gave him an ounce of gold, and said, at parting, that, for knowledge of the road through the desert,