TRAVELS OF I.E NOIR DV ROULE

Christian merchants and the friars were in a conspiracy

to defeat and break up the mission, and, if necessary, to

kill du Roule himself. Meanwhile the Copts had been con-

cocting very serious mischief. They obtained access to all the

principal natives in the caravan, and persuaded them that the

Europeans who were travelling with them were not merchants,

but sorcerers, who were going to Abyssinia on purpose to cut off

the Nile at its source, or to turn it out of its course so that it

might no longer send its waters into Egypt, which, in conse-

quence, would become a desert. In order to prove that du

Roule was a sorcerer, the frequenters of the cafes and bazaars, at

the instigation of the Copts, declared that whilst the party was

sailing up the Nile, M. du Roule shot an arrow into the air, and

that this had the effect of making appear four thousand armed men, who clashed against each other in a most alarming manner. On

his way up the river from Cairo du Roule left his boat and went

to visit some ancient ruins on the river bank, and those who told

the story of the visit in Asyut declared that whilst there he made

a sign to a high column to follow him, and that the column did

so, and actually came on board the boat, and turned forthwith

into a man of huge size, who held a conversation with du Roule. The result of all these absurd lies was that crowds of people

assembled outside the house wherein he was lodging, and their

attentions to the inmates were such that the governor of the town was sometimes obliged to send the Turkish police to

drive the people away. Meanwhile the members of the mission were to all intents and purposes prisoners, and M. Lippi, in a

letter written from Asyut on September 5th, 1704, pathetically complains to his correspondent that he cannot pursue his

botanical studies because he is afraid to leave the house to go on excursions to collect plants. Such were the troubles which came upon du Roule in Asyut, and but for the protection of

the Governor he would have found it impossible to proceed on

his way.

M. du Roule left Asyut with his caravan on September 12th, and a journey of twelve days brought him to the Oasis of Kharga, where he was detained six days by the governor, who obliged him to paj^ 120 dollars, and at the same time to sign a paper

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