422 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER
and began now to think there was no fafety but in the camp of the king. I will not repeat his wife expoftulations againft going to the cataract. We were rather late, and I paid little regard to them. After coffee, I mounted my horfe, with five fervants on horfeback, all refolute, active, young fellows, armed with lances in the fafhion of their country. I was joined that moment by a fon of Mahomet, on a good horfe, armed with a fhort gun, and piftols at his belt, with four of his fervants, Mahometans, flout men, each having his gun, and piftols at his girdle, and a fword hung over his moulder, mounted upon four good mules, fwifter and ftrong- er than ordinary horfes. We galloped all the way, and were out of fight in a fhort time. We then purfued our journey with diligence, but not in a hurry; we went firft to a hilly and rocky country, full of trees, moftly of unknown kinds, and all of the greateft beauty poffible, having flowers of a hundred different colours and forms upon them, many of the trees were loaded with fruit, and many with both fruit and flowers. I was truly forry to be obliged to pafs them without more diftinct notice ; but we had no time, as the diftance to the cataract was not abfolutely certain, and the cataract then was our only object.
After paffing the plain, we came to a brifk flream which rifes in Begemder, paffes Alata, and throws itfelf into the Nile below the cataract. They told me it was called Mariam Ohha; and, a little farther, on the fide of a green hill, ha- ving the rock appearing in fome parts of it, ftands Alata, a eonfiderable village, with fcveral fmaller, to the fouth and weft. Mahomet, our guide, rode immediately up to the houfe where he knew the governor, or Shum, refided, for fear of alarming him ; but we had already been feen at a 4 eonfiderable
