DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.11637#0102
S8 TRAVELS IN UPPER
before, some European merchants, coming from
Alexandria with their wives, and detained at the
ferry for want of a boat, had been obliged to sleep
in the camp of these Bedouins, and spoke much
in their praise. Not having the least mistrust of
them, I hired some of them to escort the camel,
whose slowness had greatly retarded the progress
of our journey, while we went before with the
janisary and our mules, and arrived at Aboukir
about eight o'clock in the evening. We alighted
at the house of the Jew interpreter, who received
us with testimonies of sincere hospitality.
When the good Jew was informed of the object
of my journey, and I requested him to procure
me camels, that I might proceed to the desert, he
exclaimed against the rashness of the undertaking;
represented it as extremely dangerous, nay even
mad ; and finished with declaring that he would
do nothing in it, because he would not be the
cause of my destruction, which he considered as
inevitable. When he found I grew angry, and
assured him that nothing could make me change
my resolution, for I was determined on the jour-
ney, he gave up the point.
A sheick, or chief of the Bedouin Arabs, was
encamped at a little distance from Abo'.ik'r. He
was a man well known, brave, and intrusted with
guarding
before, some European merchants, coming from
Alexandria with their wives, and detained at the
ferry for want of a boat, had been obliged to sleep
in the camp of these Bedouins, and spoke much
in their praise. Not having the least mistrust of
them, I hired some of them to escort the camel,
whose slowness had greatly retarded the progress
of our journey, while we went before with the
janisary and our mules, and arrived at Aboukir
about eight o'clock in the evening. We alighted
at the house of the Jew interpreter, who received
us with testimonies of sincere hospitality.
When the good Jew was informed of the object
of my journey, and I requested him to procure
me camels, that I might proceed to the desert, he
exclaimed against the rashness of the undertaking;
represented it as extremely dangerous, nay even
mad ; and finished with declaring that he would
do nothing in it, because he would not be the
cause of my destruction, which he considered as
inevitable. When he found I grew angry, and
assured him that nothing could make me change
my resolution, for I was determined on the jour-
ney, he gave up the point.
A sheick, or chief of the Bedouin Arabs, was
encamped at a little distance from Abo'.ik'r. He
was a man well known, brave, and intrusted with
guarding