put upon strangers; there were many men who wore green turbans, he said, that were very great rascals; but he was a Saint, which was better than a Sherriffe, and was known as such all over the world, whatever colour of a turban he wore, or whether a turban at all, and he only dressed for my honour; would be back early in the morning, and bring me a fair wind.
"Hassan, said I, I fancy it is much more likely that you bring me some aquavitæ, if you do not drink it all." He promised that he would see and procure some, for mine was now at an end. He said, the Prophet never forbade aquavitæ, only the drinking of wine; and the prohibition could not be intended for Egypt, for there was no wine in it. But Bouza, says he, Bouza I will drink, as long as I can walk from stem to stern of a vessel, and away he went. I had indeed no doubt he would keep his resolution of drinking whether he returned or not.
We kept, as usual. a very good watch all night, which passed without disturbance. Next day, the 17th, was exceedingly hazy in the morning, though it cleared about ten o'clock. It was, however, sufficient to shew the falsity of the observation of the author, who says that the Nile[1] emits no fogs, and in course of the voyage we often saw other examples of the fallacy of this assertion.
In the afternoon, the people went ashore to shoot pigeons; they were very bad, and black, as it was not the season ofgrain.
- ↑ Herod. lib. ii. cap. 19.
