CHAP. XXVI.

Journey across Bahire-Bedouins-Starlings-Beans -Damanhour-Reports Spread respecting the Author's journey--Cotton--Courtefans-Continuation of the journey as far as the defert-Wretched fate of the country people-Superb plains—The defert-Hares—Birds-Wild oxen-Antelopes— A tyger-Oftriches.

A

FTER having made a few trifling prefents

to my hoft's wives, we fet out, on the first of January, 1778, at eight o'clock in the morning. I was mounted on a very fine horfe, that would have carried me over a great deal of ground, if the extreme flowness of the camels, which conveyed my companions, and which were of the fmall breed, had not retarded my progrefs. A village named Karioum appeared on a height, about a league to the northweft of the camp. We purfued our way along the canal of Alexandria, directing our courfe fouth-east. On this fide there were only fome very fmall tracts cultivated; the reft being a mere plain of fand, lefs parched indeed than what we had croffed the day before in coming from Aboukir; whence it may be prefumed, that rigid defpotifin, and the barbarous ftate of the inhabitants have condemned

VOL. II.

I

condemned this bank to fterility. The oppofite bank exhibited a lefs melancholy aspect, a line of villages appearing to range parallel with it at a little distance.

I had gone on before with my horfe, and arrived at a village called Berfik, near which fome Bedouins of the fame tribe with Huffein were encamped. The Sheick, without knowing who I was, conducted me to his tent. On giving him to understand that I was a Frenchman, I was immediately furrounded by a crowd of Bedouins, who looked at me, examined me, felt me, as if I were fome extraordinary being. Thefe made the fign of the crofs with their fingers, or on the fand, like those I had just left. The women too were defirous of feeing me, but they accompanied their curiofity with prefents of excellent milk. I was preffed upon on all fides, till at length the arrival of our party freed me from my friendly but too troublesome companions.

On leaving Berfik the arid plains of fand were exchanged for fertile fields, in which were a prodigious quantity of larks, flying in large flocks.

About noon we reached a village, or rather three villages fituate very near each other, all bearing the name of Sentaw. Near them, in the midft of a herd of cows, I faw a numerous flock of ftar

lings,

lings, the firft that I had obferved in Egypt, where they were arrived to pass the winter.

Huffein conducted us to the Sheick el Belled, or chief of the country, to whom I prefented the letter or order of Ifmael Bey. The Sheick could not read, but he was well acquainted with the feal of the commander in chief. Juft in the fame manner the favages of Guyana pay obedience to him, who bears the feal of the Governor of Cayenne. He gave us a dinner difgufting enough in itself, and ftill more from the flovenly manner in which the Bedouins and peasants fell upon the dishes.

At two o'clock we refumed our journey across the plains, which on every fide were bounded only by the horizon, and embellifhed by cultivation. They were covered with beans in full bloom, diffufing through the air a fweet and pleafing odour. The winds, paffing over thefe beds of flowers, bear away with them the fragrant fcent, with which they perfume the towns. This plant was an abomina tion to the ancient Egyptians: they not only abftained from eating beans, but they were even forbidden to fow them; and the priests could not bear fo much as their very fight. At prefent they cover

* Etourneau. Buffon, Hift. Nat. des Oifeaux, et pl. enlum. No. 75.-Sturnus vulgaris, Lin.

+ Vicia faba, Lin,

I 2

vaft

vaft fields, and this fpecies of pulfe conftitutes one of the most common articles of food for the theep and beafts of burden. I know no plain capable of being compared with that which we were traversing. A few little hills appeared as if they were placed in it exprefsly for the purpofe of interrupting the brilliant uniformity of the flowers, and fome ruins of deferted habitations rendered the profpect ftill more picturesque.

In the evening we arrived at Guebil, a village on the western bank of the canal of Alexandria, and, like all that I had seen, built of mud. The Sheick el Belled, of whom I enquired whether there were not some veftiges of antiquity in his village or it's environs, informed me that a fuperb figure was to be feen in the mofque. Thither I defired, to be conducted, and found, that this famous figure was half a lion's head, antique it must be confeffed, which the inhabitants had enchafed in one of the walls of their temple. On the 2d of Jan. at daybreak, I perceived a confiderable flight of cranes* paffing over the village. Oppofite Guebil we croffed the canal of Alexandria perfectly dry fhod, and reached Damanhour by ten o'clock in the morning. The road between thefe two places led through fields covered with clover, and with beans in blof

* Grue. Buffon, Hift. Nat. des Oifeaux, et pl. enlum. No. 769.-Ardea grus, Lin.

fom.

fom. This extent of cultivated diftrict makes part of the province of Bahire, of which Damanhour is the capital, and which is one of the finest countries in the world.

I ftopped at the entrance of the town, to inquire whether fome dealers in cotton, who carried on a conftant intercourse in the way of trade with our merchants at Rofetta, were at home. I had been promised at Rofetta that they should be informed of my journey, and requested to afford me any fervices in their power. They had heard nothing of it nevertheless they fent a fon of one of the partners to conduct me to their houfe, where I met a very friendly reception. The next day on their finding I faid nothing about the purchase of cotton, which they fuppofed to be the object of my journey, I perceived a little coolness in them, and took leave of my too mercantile-minded hofts. From them I went to take up my abode in a fort of dirty and gloomy chamber in a caravansary; but I was scarcely in poffeffion of my new lodging, before I received an exprefs from Rofetta, with a letter of recommendation to the cotton-merchants. As foon as they were acquainted with it, they came to intreat me to return to the lodging I had quitted in their houfe, for which I cooly gave them my thanks, without accepting their offer,