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and to fecure our lives in case of an attack, it was necessary for us to travel with light camels. That we knew not the arduous undertaking in which we had engaged; or we should scarcely hefitate to confult the only means, to smoothe the difficulties before us. Their application had indeed been too late. But to demonftrate their fincerity, they were content to be at half of the expence, rather than be in want of the camels; and to take our note for the fifteen dollars, payable at Cairo. The candor of this offer reconciled us to the expence; and we had experienced too many delays to contend any further about it. One of the owners returned to the city to collect the additional camels, and bring them after us. At eleven o'clock we moved on, and were still accompanied by the hakeem, whom we strongly suspected to be concerned in the last manœuvre of the camels. He preceded us for about a quarter of a mile on the road; when the troop faced fuddenly round, and, after paying us a complimentary falute, went off at a full gallop towards the town. We continued our march in a chearful mood, and going to the north, foon left the trees and the river behind us. Our way lay through a ftony and uneven foil; and the moon is too young to affift our camels to pick out their road by night. At two o'clock we halted, and spread our carpets upon a very rugged and uncomfortable place. We were three hours in motion, but find that our distance from Ghinnah does not exceed five miles. I have here affixed a map of Upper Egypt, where the reader is presented with the course of the Nile, and may pursue our route through the defarts of Thebais.

:

FRIDAY, 5th SEPTEMBER.

I awoke at day-break with my eyes much inflamed and difordered. I have felt a weakness in them for some time, which proceeded

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proceeded from a cold in my head: and after sleeping under cover for this month past, it is natural that the night air should have a bad effect upon my eyes. I dread the journey a little on this account, and shall not be surprised to have a confirmed humour in them before our arrival at Cairo. We are prevented going forward, by the additional camels not being come up. At eight o'clock Hadgee Uttalah set off for Ghinnah in search of them, and was accompanied by his son. As this movement presented us with a prospect of remaining here the greater part of the day, we erected a kind of tent with a cloth stretched over our baggage, beneath which we made a shift to creep, to shelter us from the fun. But we had but a disagreeable time of it. What with the suspence, the heat of the weather, and fome suspicions which were propagated among us, of the honesty of our camel-drivers, the hours passed very heavily. It was whispered to us by Ibrahim, that these fellows were not prepared for our expedition; and had only brought us out here to deceive the shaik, who was enraged at their delay. As a proof of this, he told us at ten o'clock that the camels were about to leave us. We fallied out of our nest on this alarm, and found on enquiry, that the camels were only going to the Nile, to fill up the skins with water. But the folly of Ibrahim and the rest of our fervants, was very near being productive of serious consequences. They were of opinion that we ought to return with the camels to Ghinnah, and to apply to the shaik for a more trusty conductor. Never, until this moment, had the notions of Ibrahim deviated so much from propriety. But the honesty of his intentions gave them a weight, which I am convinced they would not otherwise have had; and it was actually debated amongst us, whether we should return or not! So precipitate and ill-advised a step, would not only have betrayed our unconquerable jealousy of the Arabs, but in all likelihood, have funk us in the esteem of the shaik.

It was happily over-ruled; and the camels were permitted to go quietly on their necessary errand.

At two o'clock the camels returned; and on numbering the water-skins, we found them to amount to thirty. This is a great store; but, from our former experience, may prove little enough for our wants, before we reach the next watering-place. We would not break upon our provision, as our journey was not commenced; and made a shift therefore to dine upon dates and bread. At four o'clock we were agreeably struck with the appearance of Hadgee Uttalah, and the Arab who went last night in quest of the camels. They brought but two, and Hadgee came without his fon. On enquiring into the reason of this diminution of our guard, we learn that the shaik has detained the son, as a pledge for the fincerity of the father. We infer from this, that the shaik was not pleased with our delay here; and has therefore exacted this new hostage from our conductor, to express his dissatisfaction.

Our baggage was now replaced upon the camels; but a full hour was lost in disputes among the owners, touching the burdens to be assigned to their several beaits. These were, however, at length adjusted; and at five o'clock in the evening, we left the ground with eighteen camels in company. Our way still lay through a stony plain; and about fun-set we mounted a craggy hill, from whence we were agreeably surprized with a fudden view of the river below. The land continues barren until within a mile of the banks; on which, buried in a romantic wood, we difcerned the buildings of Dundarah, a town of which I have before spoken *. The want of population can be the only reason, that a defart should extend itself to the vicinity of the finest river in the world. And to the genius of a Mahometan government, must that want be alone attributed. As we descended the hill, we loft fight of the wood and water; and must bid adieu for some time, to such a regalement to our senses. At seven o'clock we halted for the night. The Arabs tell us, that the roads are too rugged and dangerous to travel over in the dark. This is a mortification to us; but we must put up with having come but ten miles in two days, which is our present diftance from Ghinnah. Our course has, however, been northerly, and we are so far in our route to Cairo.

SATURDAY, 6th SEPTEMBER.

At half past five this morning we refumed our march. My eyes are still bad, and I have fuffered great anguish from them on the road. The heat particularly affects them, though I defend them as well as I can from the fun. As we went along we started several deer; but they are too wild to admit of our getting a shot at them. The road still continues rugged, and we ascended several hills, but could not procure another peep at the river. It is not likely that we are far from it by the course we keep, though it will behove us shortly to maintain a respectable distance, to avoid the parties of Ibrahim Beg, which are said to hover about its neighborhood. At half past eleven we halted to the eastward of a projecting hill, under whose friendly shade we ate an hearty meal of bread and meat. Our last stage was fix hours, or fifteen miles. As we came up to this place, we disturbed a poor deer, that had sheltered itself here from the fun. These animals abound in this de-sart; and as we have not met with, or even heard of, any wild beasts, or venomous creatures in our peregrinations, I conclude Egypt to be free of them, notwithstanding the fables of antiquity.