very remarkable kind of architecture, should have passed it, both in going up and coming down; as it is, beyond comparison, a place that would have given him more satisfaction than all Upper Egypt.

While we were striking our tent, a great mob came down, but without the cadi. As I ordered all my people to take their arms in their hands, they kept at a very considerable distance; but the fool, or saint, got into the boat with a yellow flag in his hand, and sat down at the foot of the main-mast, saying, with an idiot smile, "That we should fire, for he was out of the reach of the shot." Some stones were thrown, but did not reach us.

I ordered two of my servants, with large brass shipblunderbusses, very bright and glittering, to get upon the top of the cabin. I then pointed a wide-mouthed Swedish blunderbuss from one of the windows, and cried out, "Have a care! the next stone that is thrown, I fire my cannon amongst you, which will sweep away three hundred of you instantly from the face of the earth;" though, I believe, there were not above two hundred then present.

I ordered Hagi Hassan to cast off his cord immediately; and, as soon as the blunderbuss appeared, away ran every one of them, and, before they could collect themselves to return, our vessel was in the middle of the stream. The wind was fair, though not very fresh, on which we set both our sails, and made great way.

The saint, who had been singing all the time we were disputing, began now to shew some apprehensions for his own safety. He asked Hagi Hassan, if this was the way to Girgé? and had for answer, "Yes, it is the fool's way to Girgé."

We carried him about a mile, or more, up the river; then, a convenient landing-place offering, I ask

ed him, whether he had got my money, or not, last night? He said, he had för yesterday, but he had got none for to-day. "Now, the next thing I have to ask you," said I, “is, Will "is, Will you go ashore of your own accord, or will you be thrown into the Nile?" He answered, with great confidence, "Do you know that, at my word, I can fix your boat to the bottom of the Nile, and make it grow a tree there for ever ?" Aye," says Hagi Hassan, "and make oranges and lemons grow on it, likewise, can't you? You are a cheat." "Come, sirs," said I, "lose no time, and put him out." I thought he had been blind and weak; and the boat was not within three feet of the shore, when, placing one foot upon the gunnel, he leaped clean upon land.

66

We slacked our vessel down the stream a few yards, filling our sails, and stretching away. Upon seeing this, our saint fell into a desperate passion, cursing, blaspheming, and stamping with his feet, at every word, crying, "Shar Ullah!" i. e. may God send, and do justice. Our people began to taunt and gibe him, asking him, if he would have a pipe of tobacco to warm him, as the morning was very cold; but I bade them be content. It was curious to see him, as far as we could discern, sometimes sitting down, sometimes jumping and skipping about, and waving his flag, then running about a hundred yards, as if it were after us; but always returning, though at a slower pace.

None of the rest followed. He was, indeed, apparently the tool of that rascal the cadi, and, after his designs were frustrated, nobody cared what became of him. He was left in the lurch, as those of his character generally are, after serving the purpose of knaves.

CHAP. VI.

Arrive at Furshout-Adventure of Friar Christopher -Visit Thebes-'Luxor and Carnac-Large Ruins at Edfu and Esné-Proceed on our Voyage.

We arrived happily at Furshout that same forenoon, and went to the convent of Italian Friars, who, like those of Achmim, are of the order of the reformed Franciscans, of whose mission I shall speak at large in the sequel.

We were received more kindly here than at Achmim; but Padre Antonio, superior of that last convent, upon which this of Furshout also depends, following us, our good reception suffered a small abatement. In short, the good Friars would not let us buy meat, because they said it would be a shame and reproach to them; and they would not give us any, for fear that should be a reproach to them likewise, if it was told in Europe they lived well.

After some time, I took the liberty of providing for myself, to which they submitted with christian patience. Yet, these convents were founded expressly with a view, and from a necessity of providing for travellers between Egypt and Ethiopia, and we were strictly entitled to that entertainment. Indeed, there is very little use for this institution in Upper Egypt, as long as rich Arabs are there, much more charitable and humane to stranger Christians than the monks.

Furshout is in a large and cultivated plain. It is nine miles over to the foot of the mountains, all sown with wheat. There are, likewise, plantations of sugar-canes along the banks of the river. The town, as they said, contains above 10,000 people, but I have no doubt this computation is rather exagger

ated.

We waited upon the Shekh Hamam, who was a big, tall, handsome man; I apprehend not far from sixty. He was dressed in a large fox-skin pelisse over the rest of his cloaths, and had a yellow India shawl wrapt about his head, like a turban. He received me with great politeness and condescension, made me sit down by him, and asked me more questions about Cairo than about Europe.

The Rais had told him our adventure with the saint, at which he laughed very heartily, saying, I was a wise man, and a man of conduct. To me he only said, "They are bad people at Dendera;" to which I answered, "There were very few places in the world in which there were not some bad." He replied, "Your observation is true; but there they are all bad; rest yourselves, however, here, it is a quiet place; though there are still some even here, not quite so good as they ought to be."

The Shekh was a man of immense riches, and, little by little, had united in his own person, all the separate districts of Upper Egypt, each of which formerly had its particular prince. But his interest was great at Constantinople, where he applied directly for what he wanted, insomuch as to give a jealousy to the Beys of Cairo. He had in farm from the Grand Signior almost the whole country, between Siout and Syene, or Assouan. I believe this is the Shekh of Upper Egypt, whom Mr Irvine speaks of so gratefully. He was betrayed, and murdered some time

after, by one of the Beys, whom he had protected in his own country.

While we were at Furshout, there happened a very extraordinary phænomenon. It rained the whole night, and till about nine o'clock next morning; and the people began to be very apprehensive lest the town should be destroyed. It is a perfect prodigy to see rain here; and the prophets said it portended a dissolution of government, which was justly verified soon afterwards, and, at that time, indeed, it was extremely probable.

Furshout is in lat. 26° 3' 30"; above that, to the southward, on the same plain, is another large village, belonging to Shekh Ismael, a nephew of Shekh Hamam. It is a large town, built with clay, like Furshout, and surrounded with groves of palm trees, and very large plantations of sugar canes. Here, they make sugar.

Shekh Ismael was a very pleasant and agreeable man, but in bad health, having a violent asthma, and sometimes pleuretic complaints, to be removed by bleeding only. He had given these friars a house for a convent in Badjoura; but as they had not yet taken possession of it, he desired me to come and stay there; but I preferred, for some of the first days, to stay at Furshout.

Friar Christopher, whom I understood to have been a Milanese barber, was his physician, but he had not the science of an English barber in surgery. He could not bleed, but with a sort of instrument resembling that which is used in cupping, only that it had but a single lancet; with this he had been lucky enough as yet to escape laming his patients. This

*Coptic Phi-er-sioout.