ger of deftruction, from a variety of independent caufes, which it feemed not poffibly in his power to avoid. In the evening, he fent Mr. Bruce fome refreshments, which he had long been unaccustomed to; fome tea, excellent coffee, fome honey and brown fugar, feveral bottles of rack, likewife nutmegs, cinnamon, ginger, and fome very good dates of the dry kind which he had brought from Atbara.

Hagi Belal was a native of Morocco. He had been at Cairo, and also at Jidda and Mocha. He knew the English well, and profeffed himfelf both obliged and attached to them. It was fome days before Mr. Bruce ventured to speak to him upon money bufinefs, or upon any probability of finding affiftance here at Sennaar. He gave him little hopes of the latter, repeating to him what he very well knew about the difagreement of the king and Adelan. He feemed to place all his expectations, and thofe were but faint ones, in the coming of Shekh Abou Kalec from Kordofan. He faid, nothing could be expected from Shekh Adelan without going to Aira, for that he would never truft himself in Sennaar, in this king's life time, but that the minifter was abfolute the moment he affembled his troops without the

town.

One morning he came to Mr. Bruce after having been with the king, when our traveller was himfelf preparing to go to the palace. He faid, he had been fent for upon his account, and had been questioned very narrowly what fort of a man he was. Having anfwered very favourably, both of him and his nation, he had asked for Metical Aga's letters, or any other letters received concerning him from Jidda; he said, that he had only fhewn Metical's letter, wrote in the name of the fherriffe, as also one from himfelf; that there were feveral great officers of government prefent; and the Cadi (whom Mr. Bruce had feen the first time he had been with the king) had read the letters aloud to them all: That one of them had asked, How it came that fuch a man as our traveller ventured to pass these deserts, with four or five old fervants, and what it was he came to fee; that he answered, he apprehended his chief object at Sennaar was to be forwarded

to

to his own country. It was also asked, Why Mr. Bruce had not fome Englishmen with him, as none of his fervants were of that nation, but poor beggarly Kopts, Arabs, and Turks, who were none of them of his religion. Belal anfwered, That travellers through these countries must take up with such people as they can find going the fame way; however, he believed fome English fervants had died in Abyffinia, which country he had left the first opportinity that had offered, being wearied by the perpetual war which prevailed. Upon which the king faid, He has chofen well. when he came into this country for peace. You know, Hagi Belal, I can do nothing for him; there is nothing in my hands. I could easier get him back into Abyffinia than forward him into Egypt. Who is it now that can pafs into Egypt?" The Cadi then faid, "Hagi Belal can get him to Suakem, and fo to Jidda to his countrymen. To which Belal replied, The king will find fome way when he thinks farther of it."

A few days after this, Mr. Bruce had a meffage from the palace. He found the king sitting alone, apparently much chagrined, and in ill-humour. He afked him, in a very peevish manner, if he was not yet gone? To which he anfwered, "Your Majefty knows that it is impoffible for me to go a flep from Sennaar without affiftance from you." He again afked him, in the fame tone as before, "How he could think of coming that way ?" He faid, nobody imagined in Abyffinia but that he was able to give a stranger fafe conduct through his own dominions." He made no reply, but nodded a fign for him to depart, which he immediately did, and fo finifhed this fhort, but difagreeble interview.

About four o'clock that fame afternoon, Mr. Bruce was again fent for to the palace, when the king told him, that feveral of his wives were ill, and desired that he would give them his advice, which he promised to do without difficulty, as all acquaintance with the fair fex had hitherto been much to his advantage. He was admitted into a large fquare apartment very ill-lighted, in which were about fifty women, all perfectly black, without any covering but a very narrow piece of cotton rag about their wailts. While he was mufing whether

or

Mr Bruce's Vifit to the King's Ladies at Sanaar.

or not these all might be queens, or whether there was any queen among them, one of them took him by the hand and led him rudely enough into another apartment. This was much better lighted than the firft. Upon a large bench, or fofa, covered with blue Surat cloth, fat three perfons cloathed from the neck to the feet with blue cotton fhirts.

One of thefe, who Mr. Bruce found was the favourite, was about fix feet high, and corpulent beyond all proportion. She feemed to him, next to the elephant and rhinoceros, to be the largest living creature he had met with. Her features were perfectly like thofe of a Negro; a ring of gold paffed through her under lip, and weighed it down, till, like a flap, it covered her chin, and left her teeth bare, which were very small and fine. The infide of her lip fhe had made black with antimony. Her ears reached down to her fhoulders, and had the appearance of wings; fhe had in each of them a large ring of gold, fomewhat fmaller than a man's little finger, and about five inches diameter. The weight of thefe had drawn down the hole where her ear was pierced fo much that three fingers might eafily país above the ring. She had a gold necklace, like what we used to call Efclavage, of feveral rows, one below another, to which were hung rows of fequins pierced. She had on her ancles two manacles of gold, larger than any he had ever feen upon the feet of felons, with which he could not conceive it was poffible for her to walk; but afterwards he found they were hollow. The others were dreffed pretty much in the fame manner; only there was one that had chains which came from her ears to the cutfide of each noftril, where they were faftened. There was alfo a ring put through the griftle of her nofe, and which hung down to the opening of her mouth. It had altogether fomething of the appearance of a horfe's bri. dle. Upon his coming near them, the eldest put her hand to her mouth and kiffed it, faying, at the fame time, in very vulgar Arabic, "Kifhalek howaja ?” (How do you do, merchant). Mr. Bruce never in his life was more pleased with diftant falutations than at this time. He answered, "Peace be among you! I am a phyfician, and not a merchant." Mr. Bruce here omits

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