Page:Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile - In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773 volume 1.djvu/366

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
253
TRAVELS TO DISCOVER


men the Beni Koreish, then Pagans at Beder Hunein, that Mahomet prayed to God, and a grove of balsam-trees grew up from the blood of the slain upon the field of battle; and, that with the balsam that flowed from them he touched the wounds even of those that were dead, and all those pre- destined to be good Mussulmen afterwards, immediately came to life. "I hope, said I, friend, that the other things you told me of it, are fully as true as this, for they will otherwise laugh at me in England." " No, no, says he, not half so true, nor a quarter so true, there is nothing in the world so certain as this." But his looks, and his laughing very heartily, shewed me plainly he knew better, as indeed most of them do.

In the evening, before we departed, about nine o'clock, I had an unexpected visit from the youngest of the two Agas; who, after many pretended complaints of sickness, and injunctions of secrecy, at last modestly requested me to give him some slow poison, that might kill his brother, without suspicion, and after some time should elapse. I told him, such proposals were not to be made to a man like me; that all the gold, and all the silver in the world, would not engage me to poison the poorest vagrant in the street, supposing it never was to be suspected, or known but to my own heart. All he said, was, "Then your manners are not the same as ours."— I answered, dryly, "Mine, I thank God, are not," and so we parted.

Yambo, or at least the present town of that name, I found, by many observations of the sun and stars, to be in latitude 24° 3' 35" north, and in long. 38° 16' 30" east from the meridian of Greenwich. The barometer, at its highest, on the 23d of