THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. ^X5
The drum beat a little after fix o'clock in the evening. "vVe then had a very comfortable dinner fent us, camels flelh ftewed with an herb of a vifcous ilimy fubftance, called Bammia. After having dined, and finiftied the journal of the day, I fell to unpacking my inilruments, the barometer and thermometer firft, and, after having hung them up, was converfmg with Adelan's fervant when I fhould pay my vifit to his mailer. About eight o'clock came a fervant from the palace, telling me now was the time to bring the pre- fent to the king. I forted the feparate articles with all the fpeed I could, and we went diredlly to the palace. The king was then fitting in a large apartment, as far as I could guefs, at fome diftancc from the former. He was na- ked, but had feveral clothes lying upon his knee, and about him, and a fervant was rubbing him over with very ftinking butter or greafe, with which his hair was dropping as if wet with water. Large as the room was, it could be fmell- ed through the whole of it. The king afked me, If ever I greafed myfelf as he did ? I faid, Very feldom, but fancied it would be very expenfive. He then told me. That it was elephants greafe, which made people flrong, and preferved the flcin very fmooth. I faid, 1 thought it very proper, but could not bear the fmell of it, though m.y fkin fhould turn as rough as an elephant's for the want of it. He faid, " If I had ufed it, ray hair would not have turned fo red as it was, and that it would all become white prefently when that rednefs came off. You may fee the Arabs driven in here by the Daveina, and all their cattle taken from them, becaufe they have no longer any greafe for their hair. The fun firil turns it red and then perfectly white ; and you'll know them in the flreet by their hair being the colour
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