[Footnote 84:  The last time I saw him was when I gave him part of the last bowl; he kissed my slipper, shedding abundance of tears, and saying that I was the only one of the caravan that had shown him mercy.  I bade him keep up a good heart, for that on the morrow morning, by the blessing of God, we should be at the river.]

[Footnote 85:  Directly opposite Seboo, on the other bank of the river, stands an ancient Egyptian temple.  Seboo is four days march of a camel above Assuan.]

[Footnote 86:  The reason for their refusal I afterwards learned, was, that they believed that the lad was already dead, and that therefore they should miss the reward promised.]

[Footnote 87:  Three days after my arrival at Assuan I had news of the fate of this lad, from a Nubian voyager of the desert, on his way to Assuan, who had found him, thirty-six hours after our arrival at Seboo, lying in the ravine leading to the river, but almost dead.  He had stopped, it seems, to sleep a few hours, believing that sleep would refresh him, and that he could do it without danger, as the river was not many hours off.  On his awaking, he found himself so weak that it was with great difficulty that he reached the ravine, where he fell.  The traveler gave him water, and placed him on his dromedary, and brought him to the river, but he was too far gone; he died in a half an hour after he reached it.  The last words he spoke, this man told me, related to his God, his prophet, and his mother:  this traveler dug his grave and buried him.  I told this man that I had offered a reward at Seboo to whoever would bring this unfortunate young man to the river, and that I would give the money to him as a recompense for having done all he could do in such a case.  The man, to my astonishment, replied, “that it was not money that he would take as a reward for what he had done; that he would receive no reward for it but from the hands of God, who would pay more for it than I could.”  I told him that I was happy to have found a Mussulman mindful of the precepts of the Koran, which inculcate charity and benevolence to all those who are in distress, and that the record of such deeds would occupy a great space on the almost blank page of our good actions.]