THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 411
ly naked,wkh a long gun upon his flioulder, without powder or fhot, but prancing and capering about in a great paflion, and fwearing a number of Greek oaths, which nobody there underftood a word of but myfelf. This fpe&acle was ra- ther diverting for fome minutes ; at laft Netcho, though I believe he was not over-well provided, gave him an upper cloak to wrap round him. It was not then warm, indeed, but it was not very cold. After recovering the mule, he got on between the panniers, and I advifed him ro put the fmall- efl carpet about him, which he foon after did ; he had not yet fpoke a word to me from fullennefs.
" Strates, faid I, my good friend, lay afide that long gun, for you v/ill fall and break it, belides, it hath not been charged fmce it was fired at Guebra Mehedin. If you carry it to itrike terror, it is altogether unneccffary ; for, if we had dreffed you as you are now accoutred, when we lent you forward with the baggage to Dara, there is not a thief in all Bcgemder would have ventured to come near you." He looked at me with a countenance full of anger and contempt, though he faid nothing ; but, in Greek, pro- nounced anathemas againil the father of Guebra Mehedin, according to the Greek form of cmfmg. " Curie himi'elf and his brother, faid I, and not his father, for he has been dead thefe twenty years." — " I will curie whom I pkafe, fays he, in a great paffi.cn, I curie his father, himfclf, and his brother, the Ras, and the king, and everybody that has brought me into i'uch a fcrape as I have been tc-day. I have been ftripped naked, and within an inch of having my throat cut, beiides being gelded ; and well may you laugh now at the figure I make. If yen had feen thofe damned crooked knives, with their black hands, all begging, as if it
3F2 had
