Page:Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile - In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773 volume 3.djvu/173
THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. i&»
lioufe, juft as about twenty men of the enemy's party reach- ed the bottom of it.
The governor's fervants told us, that now was the time if they advanced to fire upon them, in which cafe they would inftantly difperfe, or elfe they would cut us off from the village. But I could not enter into the force of this reafoning, becaufe, if this village was ftrong. enough to protect us, which was the caufe of our turning to the left to feek it, thefe twenty men, putting themlelves between us and the village, took the moll dangerous ftep for themfelves poffible, as they muft unavoidably be deftroyed ; and, if the village was not ftrong enough to protect us, to begin with bloodfhed was the way to lofe our lives before a fuperior enemy. I therefore called to the twenty men to flop where they were, and fend only one of their company to me; and, upon their not paying any attention, I ordered Yafine to fire a large b'lunderbufs over their heads, fo as not to touch them. Upon the report, they all fled, and a number of people flocked to us from other villages; for my part, I believe fome who had appeared againft us came afterwards and joined us. We foon feemed to have a little army, and, in about half an hour, a party came from the governor's houfe with twenty lances and fhields, and fix firelocks, and, pre- fently afttrr, the whole multitude difperfed. It was about ten o'clock when, under their efcort, we arrived at the town- of Sire, and pitched our tent in a ftrong fituation, in a very deep guliey on the weft extremity of the town.
CHAP.
