The Life and Adventures of Bruce, the African TravellerHead, Francis Bond, Sir
History
The Life and Adventures of Bruce, the African Traveller
Head, Francis Bond, Sir
Bruce, James, 1730-1794; Ethiopia -- Description and travel
After having been insulted as an impostor by one of his countrymen, "I
was conducted," says Bruce, "into a large room, where Captain Thornhill
was sitting, in a white calico waistcoat, a very high pointed white
cotton nightcap, with a large tumbler of water before him, seemingly
very deep in thought. The Emir Bahar's servant brought me forward by the
hand a little within the door; but I was not desirous of advancing much
farther, for fear of the salutation of being thrown down stairs again.
He looked very steadily, but not sternly at me, and desired the servant
to shut the door. 'Sir,' says he, 'are you an Englishman?' I bowed.
'You surely are sick, you should be in your bed; have you been long
sick?' I said, 'Long, sir,' and bowed. 'Are you wanting a passage to
India?' I again bowed. 'Well,' says he, 'you look to be a man in
distress; if you have a secret, I shall respect it till you please to
tell it me; but if you want a passage to India, apply to no one but
Thornhill of the Bengal Merchant. Perhaps you are afraid of somebody; if
so, ask for Mr. Greig, my lieutenant; he will carry you on board my ship
directly, where you will be safe.' 'Sir,' said I, 'I hope you will find
me an honest man; I have no enemy that I know, either in Jidda or
elsewhere, nor do I owe any man anything.' 'I am sure,' says he, 'I am
doing wrong in keeping a poor man standing who ought to be in his bed.
Here! Philip! Philip!' (Philip appeared.) 'Boy,' says he, in Portuguese,
which, as I imagine, he supposed I did not understand, 'here is a poor
Englishman, who should be either in his bed or in his grave; carry him
to the cook; tell him to give him as much broth and mutton as he can
eat; the fellow seems to have been starved; but I would rather have the
feeding of ten to India, than the burying of one at Jidda.' I made as
awkward a bow as I could to Captain Thornhill, and said, 'God will
return this to your honour some day.' Philip carried me into a courtyard
where they used to expose their samples of India goods in large bales.
It had a portico along the left-hand side of it, which seemed designed
for a stable. To this place I was introduced, and thither the cook
brought me my dinner. I fell fast asleep upon the mat while Philip was
ordering me another apartment."
Let this sketch of Bruce's jaded appearance be deeply engraven upon the
memory of the reader; and, while the impression is fresh, he cannot but
acknowledge what steady perseverance and what manly energy Bruce must
have possessed, to have determined, in such a state of health, on
continuing to explore the Red Sea, in addition to the arduous Abyssinian
task which remained still to be performed. But, while he is sleeping on
his mat, it is absolutely necessary that we should no longer delay
noticing the observations which have been made on his voyage in the Red
Sea, etc.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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