was rent with the piercing cries of those who had been bereaved of the objects of their affection. In this town he was obliged to remain exposed to risk of infection nearly three weeks, from the difficulty of procuring a passage to Cosseir. At length he embarked in a crowded open vessel, some of the passengers in which were ill of a disease which appeared to be the plague, though only two of them died. Unable, however, to endure the crowd and inconvenience, he was put on shore at Sherin, whence he agreed with some Bedouins to transport him and his baggage to Tor, where the bracing mountain air soon restored him to health, which had been bad since his departure from Medina. He arrived at Cairo on the 24th of June, after an absence of nearly two years and a half.

From Cairo he afterwards made one or two unimportant excursions, in one of which he reached Mount Sinai, and traced the course of the Red Sea as far as Akaba,

"At Cairo Burckhardt remained for some time, arranging the journals of his Arabian and Nubian travels, and waiting the opportunity of joining a Moggrebin caravan, to penetrate into Africa. While thus engaged, he was attacked by a disease which carried him off after an illness of eleven days, notwithstanding the best medical attendance which the place could afford."

was rent with the piercing cries of th had been bereaved of the objects of the tion. In this town he was obliged to exposed to risk of infection nearly three from the difficulty of procuring a passa Cosseir. At length he embarked in a cr open vessel, some of the passengers in were ill of a disease which appeared to plague, though only two of them died. U however, to endure the crowd and inc nience, he was put on shore at Sherin, w he agreed with some Bedouins to tran him and his baggage to Tor, where the br mountain air soon restored him to he which had been bad since his departure Medina. He arrived at Cairo on the 24 June, after an absence of nearly two years a half.

"From Cairo he afterwards made one o unimportant excursions, in one of which reached Mount Sinai, and traced the cour the Red Sea as far as Akaba.

history.
ed to send out this new
nce of the favourable
od with the bashaw of
d, was not unwilling to
any mission which the
ight appoint; and as
ror of his name extend
frica, it was hoped by
into that part of the
many of the questions
aphy of Africa which
ublic mind, as well as
s for the commerce and

The British

ved in Tripoli on the They were introduced and him sitting crossed by armed negroes. to sherbet and coffee, ing party, where he milk-white Arabian,

126

CHAPTER V.

UNCLE THOMAS TELLS ABOUT THE TRAVELS OF DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON; THEIR JOURNEY ACROSS THE DESERT; THEIR ARRIVAL AT LAKE TCHAD; AND THEIR PRESENTATION AT THE COURT OF THE SULTAN OF BORNOU.

“NOTWITHSTANDING the failure of so many attempts to explore the interior of Africa, and the many valuable lives which have been lost in such expeditions," said Uncle Thomas to his young friends, when they again met, "the desire to ascertain what seemed hid by almost insurmountable obstacles had taken such a firm hold on the public mind, that, in 1821, the British Government was induced to appoint a new expedition, under the command of Major Denham and Captain Clapperton. They were accompanied by Dr. Oudney, a surgeon in the royal navy, who possessed also a considerable