Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile, Volume 1 (of 5): In the years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772 and 1773Bruce, James
History
Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile, Volume 1 (of 5): In the years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772 and 1773
Bruce, James
Egypt -- Description and travel; Ethiopia -- Description and travel; Ethiopia -- History; Natural history -- Ethiopia; Nile River
I was conducted into a large room, where Captain Thornhill was sitting,
in a white callico waistcoat, a very high-pointed white cotton
night-cap, 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 go away and 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 any
thing.”--“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, that should
be either in his bed or 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.”
Philip de la Cruz was the son of a Portuguese lady, whom Captain
Thornhill had married; a boy of great talents, and excellent
disposition, who carried me with great willingness to the cook. I
made as aukward a bow as I could to Capt. Thornhill, and said, “God
will return this to your honour some day.” Philip carried me into a
court-yard, where they used to expose the samples of their 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. Several of the English from the
vessels, lascars, and others, came in to look at me; and I heard it, in
general, agreed among them, that I was a very thief-like fellow, and
certainly a Turk, and d----n them if they should like to fall into my
hands.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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