He began with an air that seemed rather ferious; "We have expected you here fome time ago, but thought you had changed your mind and was gone to India." Since failing from Jidda, I have been in Arabia Felix, the Gulf of Mocha, and croffed last from Loheia."" Are you not afraid (faid he) fo thinly attended, to venture upon thefe long and dangerous voyages ?"" The countries where I have been are either fubject to the emperor of Conflantinople, whofe firman I have now the honour to present you, or to the regency of Cairo, and port of Janiffaries-here are their letters-or to the fherriffe of Mecca. To you, Sir, I present the fherriffe's letters; and, befides thefe, one from Metical Aga, your friend, who, depending on your character, affured me this alone would be fufficient to preferve me from ill ufage fo long as I did no wrong: as for the dangers of the road from banditti and lawless perfons, my fervants are indeed few, but they are veteran foldiers, tried and exercifed from their infancy in arms, and I value not the fuperior number of cowardly and diforderly perfons."

He then returned Mr. Bruce the letters, faying, ፡፡ you will give thefe to the Naybe to-morrow; I will keep Metical's letter, as it is to me, and will read it at home." He put it accordingly in his bofom; and their coffee being done, Mr. Bruce rofe to take his leave, and was presently wet to the skin by deluges of orange flower-water showered upon him from the right and left, by two of his attendants, from filver bottles.

A very decent houfe had been provided; and he had no fooner entered than a large dinner was fent them by Achmet, with a profufion of lemons, and good fresh water, now be. come one of the greatest delicacies in life; and, inftantly after, their baggage was all fent unopened; with which he was very well pleased, being afraid they might break fomething in his clock, telescopes, or quadrant, by the violent manner in which they fatisfy their curiofity.

Late in the evening, Mr. Bruce had a visit of Achmet, and another conversation passed between them. Achmet wifhed to be more particularly informed concerning Mr. Bruce's character

character and views; Mr. Bruce anfwered his inquiries in a fatisfactory manner, and offered him a prefent of a pair of piftols. Achmet declined accepting them then, but promised to fend a person with proper tokens to receive them.

On the 20th of September, a female flave came and brought with her the proper credentials, an Indian` handkerchief full of dry dates, and a pot or bottle of unvarnished potter's earth, which keeps the water very cool.

On the 21ft, in the morning, the Naybe came from Arkeeko. The ufual way is by fea: it is about two leagues ftraight across the bay, but fomewhat more by land. The paffage from the main is on the north fide of the island, which is not above a quarter of a mile broad; there is a large cistern for rain water on the land fide, where you embark across. He was poorly attended by three or four fervants, miferably mounted, and about forty naked favages on foot, armed with fhort lances and crooked knives. The drum beat be-fore him all the way from Arkeeko to Mafuah. Upon entering the boat, the drum on the land-fide ceased, and thofe in what is called the Castle of Mafuah, began. The caftle is a fmall clay hut, and in it one swivel-gun, which is not mounted, but lies upon the ground, and is fired always with great trepidation and fome danger. The drums are earthen jars, fuch as they send butter in to Arabia, the mouths of .which are covered with a fkin; fo that a ftranger, on seeing two or three of these together, would run a great risk of believing them to be jars of butter, or pickles, carefully covered with oiled parchment. All the proceffion was in the fame ftile. The Naybe was dreffed in an old fhabby Turkish habit, much too fhort for him, and feemed to have been made about the time of Sultan Selin. He wore alfo upon his head which scarcely admitted any

a Turkish cowke, or high cape, part of his head. In this dress, which on him had a truly ridiculous appearance, he received the caftan, or investiture, of the island of Mafuah; and being thereby representative of the Grand Signior, confented that day to be called Oniar Aga, in honour of the commiffion.

In the afternoon, Mr. Bruce went to pay his refpects to the Naybe, and found him fitting on a large wooden elbow chair, at the head of two files of naked favages, who made an avenue from his chair to the door. He had nothing upon him but a coarfe cotton fhirt, fo dirty, that it feemed all pains to clean it again would be thrown away, and so short that it fcarcely reached his knees. He was very tall and lean, his colour black, had a large mouth and nofe; in place of a beard, a very fcanty tuft of grey hairs upon the point of his chin; large, dull and heavy eyes; a kind of malicious contemptuous finile on his countenance; he was altogether of a moft ftupid, and brutal appearance. His character perfectly correfponded with his figure, for he was a man of mean abilities, cruel to excefs, avaricious, and a great drunkard.

that he had never " Nor I neither,"

Mr. Bruce prefented his firman. The greatest basha in the Turkish empire would have rifen upon feeing it, kissed it, and carried it to his forehead; but he did not even receive it into his hand, and pushed it back to our traveller again, faying, "Do you read it all to me, word for word.” Mr. Bruce told him it was Turkish; and learned to read a word of that language. fays he;" and I believe I never fhall." Mr. Bruce then gave him the other letters he had brought with him. He took them all together in both his hands, and laid them unopened befide him, faying, “You should have brought a moullah along with you. Do you think I fhall read all thefe letters? Why, it would take me a month." He then glared upon our traveller with his mouth open, fo like an idiot, that it was with the utmost difficulty Mr. Bruce kept his gravity, only anfwering," Juft as you pleafe; you know beit."

A filence followed this fhort converfation, and Mr. Bruce took the opportunity to give him his prefent, with which he did not feem difpleafed, but rather that it was below hini to tell him fo. He then took his leave of the Naybe, very little pleafed with his reception, and the final account he feemed to make of his letters, or of himself.

P2

The

The small-pox was raging with fuch violence at Masuah, that it was feared the living would not be sufficient to bury the dead. The whole inland was filled with fhrieks and lamentations both night and day. They at laft began to throw the bodies into the fea, which deprived our travellers of the fish, of which they had ate fome kinds that were excellent. Mr. Bruce had fuppreffed his character of physician, fearing he fhould be detained by reason of the multitude of fick.

The Naybe came to Mafuah on the 15th of October, difpatched the veffel that brought our travellers over; and as if he had only waited till this evidence was out of the way, he that very night, fent word, that Mr. Bruce was to prepare him a handfome prefent. He gave in a long lift of particulars to a great amount, which he defired might be divided into three parcels, and prefented three feveral days. One was to be given him as Nay be of Arkeeko; one as Omar Aga, representative of the Grand Signior; and one for having paffed their baggage gratis and unvifited, especially the large quadrant.

As the affurance of protection Mr. Bruce had received, gave him courage, he answered him, That having a firman of the Grand Signior, and letters from Metical Aga, it was mere generosity should he give him any prefent at all, either as Naybe or Omar Aga; that he was not a merchant that bought and fold, nor had merchandize on board, therefore had no cuftoms to pay. Upon this he fent for Mr. Bruce to his houfe, where he found him in a violent fury, and many useless words passed on both fides. At laft he peremp torily told our traveller, That unless he had three hundred ounces of gold ready to pay him on Monday, upon his landing from Arkeeko, he would confine him in a dungeon, without light, air, or meat, till the bones came through his fkin for want.

On the 29th of October, the Naybe came again from Arkeeko to Mafuah, and Mr. Bruce was told in a very ill humour with him. He foon received a meffage to attend him, and found him in a large waste room like a barn, with about fixty people with him. This was his divan, or grand council, with all his janiffaries and officers of ftate, all naked, affembled

in parliament. There was a comet that had appeared a few days after their arrival at Mafuah, which had been many days vifible in Arabia Felix, being then in its perihelion; and, after paffing its conjunction with the fun, it now appeared at Mafuah early in the evening, receding to its aphelion. Mr. Bruce had been obferved watching it with great attention, and the large tubes of the telescopes had given offence to ignorant people. The first question the Naybe asked him was, “ What that comet meant, and why it appeared?" And before he could answer him, he again faid, "The first time it was vifible, it brought the fmall-pox, which has killed above 1000 people at Mafuah and Arkeeko. It is known you converted with it every night at Loheia; it has now followed you again, to finifh the few that remain, and then you are to carry it into Abyffinia. What have you to do with the comet ?"

Without giving Mr. Bruce leave to speak, his brother Emir Achmet then faid, "That he was informed our traveller was an engineer going to Michael, governor of Tigre, to teach the Abyffinians to make cannon and gun-powder: that the first attack was to be against Mafuah." Five or fix others fpoke much in the fame ftrain; and the Naybe concluded by faying, That he would fend Mr. Bruce in chains to Conftantinople, unless he went to Hamazen, with his brother Emir Achmet, to the hot-wells there, and that this was the refolution of all the janiffaries; for he had concealed his being a phyfician.

After much altercation between Mr. Bruce and the Naybe, the former turned his back, and Mr. Bruce went away exceedingly disturbed, as it was plain his affairs were coming to a crifis for good or for evil. He obferved, or thought he obferved, all the people shunned him. He was, indeed, upon his guard, and did not wish them to come near him; but, turning down into his own gateway, a man paffed close by him, faying diftinctly in his ear, though in a low voice, first in Tigre and then in Arabic, " Fear nothing," or, "Be not afraid." This hint, short as it was, gave him no small courage.

Upon the 6th in the morning, while at breakfast, Mr. Bruce was told, that three fervants had arrived from Tigre; one

from