THE S OU R G E OE T HE N I'L E. 43<>
fes,. which he feemed to be contemplating with pleafure ; a-- number of black people, his own fervants and friends, were- ftanding around him. He had. on a long drab-coloured- camlet gown, lined with yellow fattin, and a camlet cap like a head piece, with two fliort poinis that covered his ears. This, it feems, was his drefs when he rofe early in? the morning to vilit his horfes, which he never negleded; The Shekh was a' man above fix- feet high, and rather cor^ pulent, had a heavy walk, feemingly more from affectation: of grandeur than want of agility. He was about fixty, o^ the colour and features of an Arab< and not of a Negro, but had rather more beard than falls to the lot of people in this country; large piercing eyes, and a determined, tho', at the fame time, a very pleafmg countenance. Upon my coming near him he got up, " You that are a horfeman, (fays he, without any falutation) what would your king of Habefh give for thefe horfes ?"— What king, anfwercd 1, in the fame tone, would not give any price for fuch horfes if he knew their value >"—^' Well, replies he, in a lower- voice, to the people about him, if we are forced to go to Habefh (as Baady was) we will carry our horfes along with lis." I underilood by this he alluded to the ilTue of his approaching quarrel with the king.
We then went into a large faloon, hung round with mirrors and fcarlet damailc ; in one of the longed fides, were two large fofa's covered with crimfon and yellow damaflc, and large cufliions of cloth of gold, like to the king's. He now pulled off his camlet gown and cap, and remained in a crimfon fattin coat reaching down below his knees, which lapped over at the breaft, and was girt round his waiO with a fcarf or fafli, in which he had ftuck a fhoPt ' tlagger in an ivory Iheath, mounted with gold ; and one of
the-
