Title: The Nile Tributaries of Abyssinia, and the Sword Hunters of the Hamran Arabs
Author: Baker, Samuel White, Sir
Language: English
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THE NILE TRIBUTARIES OF ABYSSINIA AND THE
SWORD HUNTERS OF THE HAMRAN ARABS

BY SIR SAMUEL W. BAKER, M.A., F.R.G.S.



I DEDICATE THIS BOOK,
WITH SPECIAL PERMISSION,
TO HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS ALBERT EDWARD,
PRINCE OF WALES,
AS THE FIRST OF
ENGLAND'S ROYAL RACE
WHO HAS SAILED UPON THE WATERS OF
THE NILE;
THE LAKE SOURCES OF WHICH MIGHTY RIVER ARE HONOURED
BY THE NAMES OF
HIS AUGUST PARENTS.



PREFACE.

THE work entitled "The Albert N'yanza Great Basin of the Nile,"
published in 1866, has given an account of the equatorial lake
system from which the Egyptian river derives its source. It has
been determined by the joint explorations of Speke, Grant, and
myself, that the rainfall of the equatorial districts supplies
two vast lakes, the Victoria and the Albert, of sufficient volume
to support the Nile throughout its entire course of thirty
degrees of latitude. Thus the parent stream, fed by never-failing
reservoirs, supplied by the ten months' rainfall of the equator,
rolls steadily on its way through arid sands and burning deserts
until it reaches the Delta of Lower Egypt.

It would at first sight appear that the discovery of the lake
sources of the Nile had completely solved the mystery of ages,
and that the fertility of Egypt depended upon the rainfall of the
equator concentrated in the lakes Victoria and Albert; but the
exploration of the Nile tributaries of Abyssinia divides the Nile
system into two proportions, and unravels the entire mystery of
the river, by assigning to each its due share in ministering to
the prosperity of Egypt.

The lake sources of Central Africa support the life of Egypt, by
supplying a stream, throughout all seasons, that has sufficient
volume to support the exhaustion of evaporation and absorption;
but this stream, if unaided, could never overflow its banks, and
Egypt, thus deprived of the annual inundation, would simply
exist, and cultivation would be confined to the close vicinity of
the river.

The inundation, which by its annual deposit of mud has actually
created the Delta of Lower Egypt, upon the overflow of which the
fertility of Egypt depends, has an origin entirely separate from
the lake-sources of Central Africa, and the supply of water is
derived exclusively from Abyssinia.

The two grand affluents of Abyssinia are, the Blue Nile and the
Atbara, which join the main stream respectively in N. lat. 15
degrees 30 minutes and 17 degrees 37 minutes. These rivers,
although streams of extreme grandeur during the period of the
Abyssinian rains, from the middle of June until September, are
reduced during the dry months to utter insignificance; the Blue
Nile becoming so shallow as to be unnavigable, and the Atbara
perfectly dry. At that time the water supply of Abyssinia having
ceased, Egypt depends solely upon the equatorial lakes and the
affluents of the White Nile, until the rainy season shall again
have flooded the two great Abyssinian arteries. That flood occurs
suddenly about the 20th of June, and the grand rush of water
pouring down the Blue Nile and the Atbara into the parent
channel, inundates Lower Egypt, and is the cause of its extreme
fertility.

Not only is the inundation the effect of the Abyssinian rains,
but the deposit of mud that has formed the Delta, and which is
annually precipitated by the rising waters, is also due to the
Abyssinian streams, more especially to the river Atbara, which,
known as the Bahr el Aswat (Black River), carries a larger
proportion of soil than any other tributary of the Nile;
therefore, to the Atbara, above all other rivers, must the wealth
and fertility of Egypt be attributed.

It may thus be stated: The equatorial lakes FEED Egypt; but the
Abyssinian rivers CAUSE THE INUNDATION.

This being a concise summary of the Nile system, I shall describe
twelve months' exploration, during which I examined every
individual river that is tributary to the Nile from Abyssinia,
including the Atbara, Settite, Royan, Salaam, Angrab, Rahad,
Dinder, and the Blue Nile. The interest attached to these
portions of Africa differs entirely from that of the White Nile
regions, as the whole of Upper Egypt and Abyssinia is capable of
development, and is inhabited by races either Mohammedan or
Christian; while Central Africa is peopled by a hopeless race of
savages, for whom there is no prospect of civilization.

The exploration of the Nile tributaries of Abyssinia occupied the
first twelve months of my journey towards the Nile sources.
During this time, I had the opportunity of learning Arabic and of
studying the character of the people; both necessary
acquirements, which led to my ultimate success in reaching the
"Albert N'yanza." As the readers of the work of that title are
aware, I was accompanied throughout the entire journey by my
wife, who, with extraordinary hardihood and devotion, shared
every difficulty with which African travel is beset.



CONTENTS.


CHAPTER I.

ABOVE THE CATARACT.

Sterility--Arrival at Korosko--Twenty-six Days from Cairo--The
Nubian Desert--Nature's Pyramids--Volcanic Bombs--The Stony Sea--
The Camel's Grave--The Crows of Moorahd--A delicious
Draught--Rocks of the Desert--The perished Regiment--Arrival at
the Nile--Distance from Korosko--Gazelles of the Desert--Dryness
of the Atmosphere--Arrival at Berber--Halleem Effendi's
Garden--Halleem gives Advice--The Nile rising--Visit of the
Ladies--The Pillars of Sand--The Governor's Friendship--Save me
from my Friends.


CHAPTER II.

The Cairo Dragoman Mahomet--Mahomet forsakes his Pistols--The
Route to the Atbara--The Dry Bed of the River--The Dome
Palm--Preparation of the Fruit--Pools of the Atbara--Collection
of Birds--Charms of the Desert--Suffering of Men and
Beasts--Collodabad--Hippopotamus kills the Arab--Daring Feat of
the Fish-Eagle--Hippopotamus-shooting--Hippopotami
bagged--Delight of the Arabs--Fishing--Catch a Tartar--Lose my
Turtle Soup--Gazelle-shooting--The Speed of the Gazelle--
Preparation of Water-skins--Tanning the Hides--Shoot a
Crocodile--The River comes down--The mighty Stream of the
Atbara--Change in the Season.


CHAPTER III.

WILD ASSES OF THE DESERT.

My First and Last--Appetite for raw Meat--The Bishareen Arabs--
Gozerajup--The First Rain--Limits of the Desert--The Hadendowa
Arabs--The Wells of Soojalup--Antelopes--Antelope Stalking--Arab
Migrations--The Arab's Prayer--The Barren Women--Difficulty in
fording the River Gash--Arrive at Cassala--Hospitality of the
Greek Merchant.


CHAPTER IV.

ROUTE FROM CASSALA TO SOUAKIM.

Facilities of the Port of Souakim--Fortifications of
Cassala--Conquest of Nubia--Cruel Taxation--Extreme Cheapness of
Corn--Cultivation of Cereals--Arab Bread--Military Position of
Cassala--The Base--Prepare to start from Cassala--Mahomet's
Family Tree--Mahomet meets Relations--We cross the
Gash--Stalking the Ariel--Bagged the Game--Descent of
Vultures--Change of Scenery--The Source of the Delta--The Parent
of Egypt.


CHAPTER V.

THE STORM.

Cotton Farm of Malem Georgis--Ferocious Crocodiles--Shoot a
Monster--The Public Enemy--Resistance of a Crocodile's
Scales--Discover Gold--Heavy Action of the Camel--El Baggar
selects a Hygeen--The Easy-goer, suitable for a Lady--Hooked
Thorns of the Mimosa--We charge a Kittar Bush--The Scorpion's
Sting--Sudden Deluge--A Regiment of Scorpions--Valley of the
Atbara--The Migration of Camels--A Milk Diet--The Arab
Exodus--The Desert Patriarch.


CHAPTER VI.

SHEIK ACHMET ABOU SINN.

The Arab Welcome--Abou Sinn's Advice--Arab Tribes of Nubia--A
Hint to Octogenarians--The Arab Pomade--The Arab Lady's
Perfumery--The fatal Mixture--The Coiffure of the World--The Arab
Woman's Head-dress--"The Dust became Lice through all Egypt"--The
Arab Charms--The Rahat or Arab Kilt--Arab Weddings--No Divorce
Court--Anointing with Oil--Nomadic Habits of the
Arabs--Unchanging Customs of the Arabs--The Hand of God--Religion
of the Arabs.


CHAPTER VII.

THE DEPARTURE.

First-class Hygeens--Travelling Arrangements--The Evening
Bivouac--The Junction of the Settite River--Sheik Atalan Wat
Said--Abyssinian Frontier--Ismael Pasha burnt alive--Mek
Nimmur--The Enemy of Egypt--Arrival at Sofi--The
Reception--Position of Sofi--Florian, the German Settler--The
Cattle Fly--Peculiarities of the Seasons--The New Camp--I become
a Householder--Arrangement of our Establishment--My "Baby"--An
African Elysium--No Pipe!--The Elements at Work.


CHAPTER VIII.

THE PLAGUES OF EGYPT.

Go into Half Mourning--"Child of the Fever"--The Arab M.D.--Arab
Fondness for Relics--The Pest Spots of the World--The Dangers of
Holy Shrines--Arrival of the Holy Body--The Faky's Grave--Arab
Doctoring--Delights of Arab Surgery--The Pig and the
Koran--Sword Hunters of the Hamran Arabs--The Arab Shields--Hints
for carrying the Sword--Keenness of the Edge--Arab
Swordsmanship--The Aggageers--Elephant-hunting with the
Sword--Arab disabled by his own Sword--Maria Theresa--Great
Failure--The Baboons and the Crocodile--The drowned
Elephant--Game on the East Bank--Capabilities of the
Soil--Tanning of Leather--Native Baskets and Matting--Bacheet is
too attentive--"Oh Bacheet! you Ignoramus!"--Ferocity of the
Seroot Fly--Cross the Atbara--The Impromptu Raft--Stalking
Giraffes--Within Range--The First Rush of the Herd--The Retreat
of the Giraffes--Death of the Giraffes--Passage of the River--
The Giraffe Sentry--A difficult Stalk--The Seroot Fly takes
possession--Giraffe Steaks--A Hunt for the Tetel--Floating Meat
across a River--Buoy for Men and Cargo--Scare the
Crocodiles--The Lions devour the Giraffe--Arab Music--Arrange to
cross the River.


CHAPTER IX.

FORM A RAFT WITH THE SPONGING BATH.

The Impromptu Ferry--Achmet is tempted by Satan--Mahomet's
Relative absconds--End of the Rainy Season--The Seroot Fly
disappears--The "Till"--Preparations for Fishing--"That was a
Monster!"--The "Bayard"--Masara the Slave--Cross the Peninsula to
Settite--Jungle Cooking--A miserable Night--Shoot badly--Fishing
in the Atbara--A good Run--Another Monster--Bacheet lands
him--The Baboons visit us--The Coor--Wild Vegetables--Death of
Atalan Wat Said--Catch a Baggar--Fish-salting--The Arbour.


CHAPTER X.

A FEW NOTES AT EHETILLA.

Fire the Valley--Arrival of Birds--Seized by a
Crocodile--Audacity of the Buzzard--The Abomination of
Thorns--Boa Constrictor--The Baboons hunt for Berries--Masses of
small Birds--Cunning of the Crocodile--Method of seizing its
Prey--Horse-dealing--Arab Saddles and Bits--Arrive at Sherif el
Ibrahim--Arrival at the Settite--Recall of Mahomet--Sheik Achmet
Wat el Negur--Mansfield Parkyns--Advantages of a "Sweet Name"--
Elephants destroy the Crops--An Invitation to shoot--The Hippo
challenges Bacheet--A good Shot--A Rush at the Carcase--Elephants
at Night--Kill an Elephant.


CHAPTER XI.

THE FORD.

Girls carried away by the Rapids--An amphibious Arab Girl--Search
for the drowned Girl--The Corpse recovered--The Sheik lays down
the Law--"The Fact is simply impossible"--The Sheik's Idea of
Matrimony--The Duties of his Four Wives--The Maimed, the Halt,
and the Blind--The Arab Fakeers or Priests--"All the Same with a
little Difference"--The Cure for Frendeet--Arrival at
Katariff--The Market Day--Scenes at the Fair--Custom of
scarifying the Cheeks--The Galla Slave--Purchase her Freedom
--Singular Misunderstanding--Mahomet's Explanation--Mek Nimmur
invades the Frontier--Mek Nimmur's Tactics--Insecurity of the
Country--Mek Nimmur sends me his Compliments--Roder Sheriff's
withered Arm--The Aggageers--Mixture for Bullets--We make
Arrowroot--Florian's Hunter--Arrive at Geera--Follow a Herd of
Elephants--Track up the Elephants--A tremendous Crash--A
critical Position--The Forehead Shot--The Half-pound Explosive
Shell--Recover my old wounded Elephant--Fraternize with the
Sword Hunters.


CHAPTER XII.

OLD NEPTUNE JOINS THE PARTY.

The Arab Centaurs--Wild Arab Horsemanship--Discipline of the
Gun-bearers--Off goes the Gun, and its Master!--Ombrega (Mother
of the Thorn)--Leopard Springs into the Camp--The Dog carried
off--The Bull Elephant--The Forehead Shot fails--The Mountain
Chain of Abyssinia--A Hunt after a Herd of Baboons--The
Prisoners--A Course after a Tetel--The Cry of Buffaloes--We hunt
and capture--The Baboons take leave--The Valley of the
Settite--The Bull Buffalo--The Island Camp--Mahomet hears the
Lions--Tales of the Base.


CHAPTER XIII.

THE LIONS FIND THE BUFFALO.

We seek an Introduction--The Start of the Sword Hunters--The Bull
Elephant--The "Baby" screams at him--The Fight, Sword in
Hand--Abou Do's Blade tastes Blood--We find the Herd--Jali leads
the Party--The Forehead Shot fairly proved--The Charge of the
Phalanx--My "Baby" kicks viciously--Abou Do slashes the
Sinew--The Boar wounds Richarn--Old Moosa, the Sorcerer--Neptune
and his Trident--The Beauty of the Settite--Borders of the
River--The Hippopotamus Hunter--The Hippo is harpooned--A Cheer
for Old Neptune--Death of the Hippopotamus--Character of
Hippopotami--Habits of the Hippopotamus--Its Activity.


CHAPTER XIV.

A FOREBODING OF EVIL.

Jali's Thigh is broken--Abou Do saves Jali--Extraordinary
Dexterity--Jungle Surgery--We lose our best Man--My Tokrooris
determine to desert--A little Diplomacy is required--The Sick are
dosed--"Embrace him!" cried old Moosa--We become staunch
Friends--Abou Do's Weaknesses--The Baobab--The Crop of Gum
Arabic--The Rhinoceros--Now for a "Tally Ho!"--The Hunt--Close to
their Tails--"A Horse! a Horse! my Kingdom for a Horse!"--The
last Moment--Difficulty of Hunting--Power of Scent--Horns of the
Rhinoceros--Peculiarity of the Rhinoceros--Rhinoceros Snare--
Barrake poisons herself--Attractive Food for Elephants--Florian
killed by a Lion--Gloomy Prediction.


CHAPTER XV.

ANTELOPES ON THE SETTITE.

The Camp at Delladila--Trionis Nilotica--Fish linked to
Reptiles--Scenes on the River's Margin--The Nellut (A.
Strepsiceros)--Swimming Rivers with a Horse--The Lion--The Lion
Hunt--The Escape--The Bull Buffalo--Death of the Bull--The
Arabs' Tit-bit--The Arab Plan for making Fire--The Mehedehet
Antelope--Sauve qui peut!--Nearly caught--Fire clears the
Country--Discretion the better Part of Valour--The Camp in
Danger--Nearly burnt out--Crocodile harpooning--The ugly little
Statue--Harpooning the Hippopotamus--The Harpoon fixed--The Hippo
determines to fight--The Lances are blunted--Hor
Mehetape--Geological Features--Unpleasant Report of the Spies.


CHAPTER XVI.

ABOU DO IS GREEDY.

Departure of the Aggageers--Game returning from the River--A Bull
Rhinoceros--We stalk the Rhinoceros--The Death--The Aggageers
poach upon my Manor--Their Prize dies--Taher Noor faces the
Lion--We start fresh Game--A curious Shot--Bait for the
Lions--Highly exciting--My Tokrooris don't like the Lion--The
dying Lioness--Brought into Camp--Difficulty in tracking the
Lions--The Lion visits our Camp--Vis a vis with a Lion--A
Surprise--Tetel faces the wounded Lion--Wonderful Courage of the
Horse--Lions' Claws worn as a Charm--We commence Soap-boiling--
Savon a la Bete feroce--We bury poor Barrake.


CHAPTER XVII.

WE REACH THE ROYAN.

Hor Mai Gubba--The Francolin Partridge--We watch for Game--Out
with the Aggageers--The Banks of the Royan--We find a Bull
Elephant--Helter- skelter--The Elephant at Bay--Roder with the
withered Arm--The Sword wins the Day--The nimble Base dine
cheaply--The great Whirlpool--The Royan Junction with the
Settite--A Bull Rhinoceros--Bacheet has to run--Visit to Mek
Nimmur--Our Arabs decline to proceed--Obliged to threaten the
Camels--The Troop on a Foray--Narrow Escape--The Rifle bursts--We
march from the Settite--Interesting Route--Mineral Wealth of
Abyssinia--Present to Mek Nimmur--The Abyssinian
Minstrel--Richard Coeur de Lion--I part with my dear Maria
Theresa--The Ghost of the departed Fiddler--The "Lay of the Last
Minstrel"--My Introduction to Mek Nimmur--The Reception--The
poisonous Stream--Unfortunate Contretemps--Nimmur behaves like a
Gentleman--Pharaoh's lean Kine.


CHAPTER XVIII.

A CAMEL FALLS, AND DIES.

Arabs consume the Raw Flesh--Arrival at the Bahr
Salaam--Character of the Torrents--The Junction of the
Angrab--Good Sport--Four lucky Hits--A Fall over a Cliff--We
save the Camel--Narrow Escape--The Hyaena enters the
Tent--Hippotragus Bakerii--The Base of the Abyssinian Alps--
Delightful Country--Follow a Herd of Elephants--Aggahr takes the
Lead--Fall at the Feet of Elephants--Benighted on our Return to
Camp--"All's well that ends well".


CHAPTER XIX.

SEND A PARTY TO RECONNOITRE.

Ahead of the Camels--The Maarif--View from the Peak--The
Rhinoceros attacks the Horse--The Bullet saves him--Arrival of
the Horses--The Rhinoceros Hunt--Ridden to bay--Arrival of Birds
of Prey--Habits of Vultures--The Marabou Stork--Sight, not Scent,
directs the Vulture--Abou Seen--"Last but not least"--Route to
Nahoot Guddabi--Arrive at the Atbara--Last View of the
Atbara--The Atbara Exploration completed.


CHAPTER XX.

ARRIVAL AT METEMMA, OR GALLABAT.

Poisonous Water--The Trade of Abyssinia--We encounter
Missionaries--The theological Blacksmith--The Missionaries'
Medicine-Chest--Jemma, Sheik of the Tokrooris--The Egyptians'
attack upon Gallabat--Settlement of the Tokrooris--Industry of
the Tokrooris--Weapons, Type, and Character--The Colonization by
Tokrooris--Honey Wine of Abyssinia--All drunk last
Night--Distance from an Act of Parliament--We leave Gallabat--A
Row with the Tokrooris--I settle the Tokroori Champion--A real
flat-nosed African Nigger--Death of Aggahr and Gazelle--Forced
March to the Rahad--The River Rahad.


CHAPTER XXI.

FERTILITY OF THE COUNTRY ON THE BANKS OF THE RAHAD.

Journey along the Rahad--Rich Country--We cross over to the
Dinder--Ferocity of Crocodiles in that River--Character of the
Dinder--Activity of the African Elephant--Distinction of
Species--Peculiarity of Form--African and Indian
Elephants--Destruction of Forests--Elephant's Foot a
Luxury--Preservation of Flesh and Fat for the March--Preparation
of Bread for a Journey--The Bos Caffer--The most formidable
Animals--Rifles for wild Countries--Sundry Hints--Bullets for
large Game--Antelopes of Central Africa and Abyssinia.


CHAPTER XXII.

WE LEAVE THE DINDER.

Curious Hunting Party--Character of Abyssinian Rivers--Borassus
AEthiopicus--Rufaar and the Arab Sheik--The Blue Nile--The very
gentlemanly Faky--Regularly "sold"--Arrival at Khartoum--The
British Lion--The Zoological Collection--The Ostriches invite
themselves to Tea--I intercede for Mek Nimmur--King Theodore's
Ultimatum--Climate of the Soudan--The Sageer or
Water-wheel--Uncontrolled Action of the Nile--Suggestions for the
Irrigation of Egypt--Why should not Science create a Delta?--A
Series of Weirs upon the Nile--The Benefits to Egypt and to
Civilization--Ancient Works of Irrigation in Ceylon--Industrious
Population of Egypt--Capabilities for producing Cotton--The Great
Sahara--The Race of Life--Prepare to discover the White Nile
Source.



THE NILE TRIBUTARIES OF ABYSSINIA, AND THE
SWORD HUNTERS OF THE HAMRAN ARABS.


CHAPTER I.

ABOVE THE CATARACT.

WITHOUT troubling the public with a description of that portion
of the Nile to the north of the first cataract, or with a
detailed account of the Egyptian ruins, that have been visited by
a thousand tourists, I will commence by a few extracts from my
journal, written at the close of the boat voyage from Cairo :--

"May 8, 1861.--No air. The thermometer 104 degrees Fahr.; a
stifling heat. Becalmed, we have been lying the entire day below
the ruins of Philae. These are the most imposing monuments of the
Nile, owing to their peculiar situation upon a rocky island that
commands the passage of the river above the cataract. The banks
of the stream are here hemmed in by ranges of hills from 100 to
250 feet high; these are entirely destitute of soil, being
composed of enormous masses of red granite, piled block upon
block, the rude masonry of Nature that has walled in the river.
The hollows between the hills are choked with a yellow sand,
which, drifted by the wind, has, in many instances, completely
filled the narrow valleys. Upon either side of the Nile are
vestiges of ancient forts. The land appears as though it bore the
curse of Heaven; misery, barrenness, and the heat of a furnace
are its features. The glowing rocks, devoid of a trace of
vegetation, reflect the sun with an intensity that must be felt
to be understood. The miserable people who dwell in villages upon
the river's banks snatch every sandbank from the retiring stream,
and immediately plant their scanty garden with melons, gourds,
lentils, &c. this being their only resource for cultivation. Not
an inch of available soil is lost; but day by day, as the river
decreases, fresh rows of vegetables are sown upon the
newly-acquired land. At Assouan, the sandbanks are purely sand
brought down by the cataracts, therefore soil must be added to
enable the people to cultivate. They dig earth from the ruins of
the ancient town; this they boat across the river and spread upon
the sandbank, by which excessive labour they secure sufficient
mould to support their crops.

In the vicinity of Philae the very barrenness of the scenery
possesses a charm. The iron-like sterility of the granite rocks,
naked except in spots where the wind has sheeted them with sand;
the groves of palms springing unexpectedly into view in this
desert wilderness, as a sudden bend of the river discovers a
village; the ever blue and never clouded sky above, and, the only
blessing of this blighted land, the Nile, silently flowing
between its stern walls of rocks towards the distant land of
Lower Egypt, form a total that produces a scene to be met with
nowhere but upon the Nile. In this miserable spot the unfortunate
inhabitants are taxed equally with those of the richer
districts--about fivepence annually for each date palm.

"May 9.--A good breeze, but tremendous heat. Although the floor
and the curtains of the cabin are continually wetted, and the
Venetian blinds are closed, the thermometer, at 4 P.M., stood at
105 degrees in the shade; and upon deck, 137 degrees in the sun.
This day we passed the ruins of several small temples. The
country is generally rocky, with intervals of ten or twelve miles
of desert plains.

"May 10.--Fine breeze, the boat sailing well. Passed several
small temples. The henna grows in considerable quantities on the
left bank of the river. The leaf resembles that of the myrtle;
the blossom has a powerful fragrance; it grows like a feather,
about eighteen inches long, forming a cluster of small yellow
flowers. The day pleasantly cool; thermometer, 95 degrees.

"May 11.--At 5 A.M. we arrived at Korosko; lat. 22 degrees 50
minutes N.; the halting-place for all vessels from Lower Egypt
with merchandise for the Soudan."

At this wretched spot the Nile is dreary beyond description, as
a vast desert, unenlivened by cultivation, forms its borders,
through which the melancholy river rolls towards Lower Egypt in
the cloudless glare of a tropical sun. From whence came this
extraordinary stream that could flow through these burning sandy
deserts, unaided by tributary channels? That was the mysterious
question as we stepped upon the shore now, to commence our land
journey in search of the distant sources. We climbed the steep
sandy bank, and sat down beneath a solitary sycamore.

We had been twenty-six days sailing from Cairo to this point. The
boat returned, and left us on the east bank of the Nile, with the
great Nubian desert before us.

Korosko is not rich in supplies. A few miserable Arab huts, with
the usual fringe of dusty date palms, compose the village; the
muddy river is the frontier on the west, the burning desert on
the east. Thus hemmed in, Korosko is a narrow strip of a few
yards' width on the margin of the Nile, with only one redeeming
feature in its wretchedness--the green shade of the old sycamore
beneath which we sat.

I had a firman from the Viceroy, a cook, and a dragoman. Thus my
impedimenta were not numerous. The firman was an order to all
Egyptian officials for assistance; the cook was dirty and
incapable; and the interpreter was nearly ignorant of English,
although a professed polyglot. With this small beginning, Africa
was before me, and thus I commenced the search for the Nile
sources. Absurd as this may appear, it was a correct
commencement. Ignorant of Arabic, I could not have commanded a
large party, who would have been at the mercy of the interpreter
or dragoman; thus, the first qualification necessary to success
was a knowledge of the language.

After a delay of some days, I obtained sixteen camels from the
sheik. I had taken the precaution to provide water-barrels, in
addition to the usual goat-skins; and, with a trustworthy guide,
we quitted Korosko on the 16th May, 1861, and launched into the
desert.

The route from Korosko across the Nubian desert cuts off the
chord of an arc made by the great westerly bend of the Nile. This
chord is about 230 miles in length. Throughout this barren desert
there is no water, except at the half-way station, Moorahd (from
moorra, bitter); this, although salt and bitter, is relished by
camels. During the hot season in which we unfortunately
travelled, the heat was intense, the thermometer ranging from 106
degrees to 114 degrees Fahr. in the shade. The parching blast of
the simoom was of such exhausting power, that the water rapidly
evaporated from the closed water-skins. It was, therefore,
necessary to save the supply by a forced march of seven days, in
which period we were to accomplish the distance, and to reach
Abou Hammed, on the southern bend of the welcome Nile.

During the cool months, from November until February, the desert
journey is not disagreeable; but the vast area of glowing sand
exposed to the scorching sun of summer, in addition to the
withering breath of the simoom, renders the forced march of 230
miles in seven days, at two and a half miles per hour, the most
fatiguing journey that can be endured.

Farewell to the Nile! We turned our backs upon the life-giving
river, and our caravan commenced the silent desert march.

A few hours from Korosko the misery of the scene surpassed
description. Glowing like a furnace, the vast extent of yellow
sand stretched to the horizon. Rows of broken hills, all of
volcanic origin, broke the flat plain. Conical tumuli of volcanic
slag here and there rose to the height of several hundred feet,
and in the far distance resembled the Pyramids of Lower
Egypt--doubtless they were the models for that ancient and
everlasting architecture; hills of black basalt jutted out from
the barren base of sand, and the molten air quivered on the
overheated surface of the fearful desert. 114 degrees Fahr. in
the shade under the water-skins; 137 degrees in the sun.
Noiselessly the spongy tread of the camels crept along the
sand--the only sound was the rattle of some loosely secured
baggage of their packs. The Arab camel-drivers followed silently
at intervals, and hour by hour we struck deeper into the solitude
of the Nubian desert.

We entered a dead level plain of orange-coloured sand, surrounded
by pyramidical hills: the surface was strewn with objects
resembling cannon shot and grape of all sizes from a 32-pounder
downwards--the spot looked like the old battle-field of some
infernal region; rocks glowing with heat--not a vestige of
vegetation--barren, withering desolation.--The slow rocking step
of the camels was most irksome, and despite the heat, I
dismounted to examine the Satanic bombs and cannon shot. Many of
them were as perfectly round as though cast in a mould, others
were egg-shaped, and all were hollow. With some difficulty I
broke them, and found them to contain a bright red sand: they
were, in fact, volcanic bombs that had been formed by the
ejection of molten lava to a great height from active volcanoes;
these had become globular in falling, and, having cooled before
they reached the earth, they retained their forms as hard
spherical bodies, precisely resembling cannon shot. The exterior
was brown, and appeared to be rich in iron. The smaller specimens
were the more perfect spheres, as they cooled quickly, but many
of the heavier masses had evidently reached the earth when only
half solidified, and had collapsed upon falling. The sandy plain
was covered with such vestiges of volcanic action, and the
infernal bombs lay as imperishable relics of a hail-storm such as
may have destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

Passing through this wretched solitude we entered upon a scene of
surpassing desolation. Far as the eye could reach were waves like
a stormy sea, grey, cold-looking waves in the burning heat; but
no drop of water: it appeared as though a sudden curse had turned
a raging sea to stone. The simoom blew over this horrible
wilderness, and drifted the hot sand into the crevices of the
rocks, and the camels drooped their heads before the suffocating
wind; but still the caravan noiselessly crept along over the
rocky undulations, until the stormy sea was passed: once more we
were upon a boundless plain of sand and pebbles.

Here every now and then we discovered withered melons (Cucumis
colocynthis); the leaves had long since disappeared, and the
shrivelled stalks were brittle as glass. They proved that even
the desert had a season of life, however short; but the desert
fruits were bitter. So intensely bitter was the dry white
interior of these melons, that it exactly resembled quinine in
taste; when rubbed between the fingers, it became a fine white
powder. The Arabs use this medicinally; a small piece placed in
a cup of milk, and allowed to stand for a few hours, renders the
draught a strong aperient. The sun--that relentless persecutor of
the desert traveller--sank behind the western hills, and the long
wished for night arrived; cool, delicious night! the thermometer
78 degrees Fahr. a difference of 36 degrees between the shade of
day.

The guide commanded the caravan,--he was the desert pilot, and no
one dared question his directions; he ordered a halt for TWO
HOURS' rest. This was the usual stage and halting-place by the
side of a perpendicular rock, the base of which was strewn thick
with camel's dung; this excellent fuel soon produced a blazing
fire, the coffee began to boil, and fowls were roasting for a
hasty dinner. A short snatch of sleep upon the sand, and the
voice of the guide again disturbed us. The camels had not been
unloaded, but had lain down to rest with their packs, and had
thus eaten their feed of dhurra (Sorghum vulgare) from a mat. In
a few minutes we started, once more the silent and monotonous
desert march.

In the cool night I preferred walking to the uneasy motion of the
camel; the air was most invigorating after the intense heat of
the day and the prostration caused by the simoom. The desert had
a charm by night, as the horizon of its nakedness was limited;
the rocks assumed fantastic shapes in the bright moonlight, and
the profound stillness produced an effect of the supernatural in
that wild and mysterious solitude; the Arab belief in the genii
and afreet, and all the demon enemies of man, was a natural
consequence of a wandering life in this desert wilderness, where
nature is hostile to all living beings.

In forty-six hours and forty-five minutes' actual marching from
Korosko we reached Moorahd, "the bitter well."

This is a mournful spot, well known to the tired and thirsty
camel, the hope of reaching which has urged him fainting on his
weary way to drink one draught before he dies: this is the
camel's grave. Situated half way between Korosko and Abou Hammed,
the well of Moorahd is in an extinct crater, surrounded upon all
sides but one by precipitous cliffs about 300 feet high. The
bottom is a dead flat, and forms a valley of sand about 250 yards
wide. In this bosom of a crater, salt and bitter water is found
at a depth of only six feet from the surface. To this our tired
camels frantically rushed upon being unloaded.

The valley was a "valley of dry bones." Innumerable skeletons of
camels lay in all directions; the ships of the desert thus
stranded on their voyage. Withered heaps of parched skin and bone
lay here and there, in the distinct forms in which the camels had
gasped their last; the dry desert air had converted the hide into
a coffin. There were no flies here, thus there were no worms to
devour the carcases; but the usual sextons were the crows,
although sometimes too few to perform their office. These were
perched upon the overhanging cliffs; but no sooner had our
overworked camels taken their long draught and lain down
exhausted on the sand, than by common consent they descended from
their high places, and walked round and round each tired beast.

As many wretched animals simply crawl to this spot to die, the
crows, from long experience and constant practice, can form a
pretty correct diagnosis upon the case of a sick camel; they had
evidently paid a professional visit to my caravan, and were
especially attentive in studying the case of one particular camel
that was in a very weakly condition and had stretched itself full
length upon the sand; nor would they leave it until it was driven
forward.

The heat of Moorahd was terrific; there was no shade of any kind,
and the narrow valley surrounded by glowing rocks formed a
natural oven. The intense dryness of the overheated atmosphere
was such, that many of our water-skins that appeared full were
nearly empty; the precious supply had evaporated through the
porous leather, and the skins were simply distended by the
expanded air within. Fortunately I had taken about 108 gallons
from Korosko, and I possessed a grand reserve in my two barrels
which could not waste; these were invaluable as a resource when
the supply in the skins should be exhausted. My Arab camel-men
were supposed to be provided with their own private supply; but,
as they had calculated upon stealing from my stock, in which they
were disappointed, they were on exceedingly short allowance, and
were suffering much from thirst. During our forced march of three
days and a half it had been impossible to perform the usual
toilette, therefore, as water was life, washing had been out of
the question. Moorahd had been looked forward to as the spot of
six hours' rest, where we could indulge in the luxury of a bath
on a limited scale after the heat and fatigue of the journey.
Accordingly, about two quarts of water were measured into a large
Turkish copper basin; the tent, although the heat was
unendurable, was the only dressing-room, and the two quarts of
water, with a due proportion of soap, having washed two people,
was about to be thrown away, when the Arab guide, who had been
waiting his opportunity, snatched the basin from the servant, and
in the agony of thirst drank nearly the whole of its contents,
handing the residue to a brother Arab, with the hearty
ejaculation, "El hambd el Illah!" (Thank God!)

My wife was seriously ill from the fatigue and intense heat, but
there can be no halt in the desert; dead or alive, with the
caravan you must travel, as the party depends upon the supply of
water. A few extracts verbatim from my journal will describe the
journey:--

"May 2O.--Started at 12.30 P.M. and halted at 6.30. Off again at
7.30 P.M. till 2.45 A.M. About four miles from Moorahd, grey
granite takes the place of the volcanic slag and schist that
formed the rocks to that point. The desert is now a vast plain,
bounded by a range of rugged hills on the south. On the north
side of Moorahd, at a distance of above eight miles, slate is met
with; this continues for about three miles of the route, but it
is of impure quality, with the exception of one vein, of a
beautiful blue colour. A few miserable stunted thorny mimosas are
here to be seen scattered irregularly, as though lost in this
horrible desert."

Many years ago, when the Egyptian troops first conquered Nubia,
a regiment was destroyed by thirst in crossing this desert. The
men, being upon a limited allowance of water, suffered from
extreme thirst, and deceived by the appearance of a mirage that
exactly resembled a beautiful lake, they insisted on being taken
to its banks by the Arab guide. It was in vain that the guide
assured them that the lake was unreal, and he refused to lose the
precious time by wandering from his course. Words led to blows,
and he was killed by the soldiers, whose lives depended upon his
guidance. The whole regiment turned from the track and rushed
towards the welcome waters. Thirsty and faint, over the burning
sands they hurried; heavier and heavier their footsteps
became--hotter and hotter their breath, as deeper they pushed
into the desert--farther and farther from the lost track where
the pilot lay in his blood; and still the mocking spirits of the
desert, the afreets of the mirage, led them on, and the lake
glistening in the sunshine tempted them to bathe in its cool
waters, close to their eyes, but never at their lips. At length
the delusion vanished--the fatal lake had turned to burning sand!
Raging thirst and horrible despair! the pathless desert and the
murdered guide! lost! lost! all lost! Not a man ever left the
desert, but they were subsequently discovered, parched and
withered corpses, by the Arabs sent upon the search.

"May 21.--Started at 5.45 A.M. till 8.45; again, at 1.45 P.M.
till 7 P.M.; again, at 9.30 P.M. till 4 A.M. Saw two gazelles,
the first living creatures, except the crows at Moorahd, that we
have seen since we left Korosko; there must be a supply of water
in the mountains known only to these animals. Thermometer, 111
degrees Fahr. in the shade; at night, 78 degrees. The water in
the leather bottle that I repaired is deliciously cool. N.B.--In
sewing leather bottles or skins for holding water, no thread
should be used, but a leathern thong, which should be dry; it
will then swell when wetted, and the seam will be watertight.

"May 22.--Started at 5.30 A.M. till 9.30; again, at 2.15 P.M.
till 7.15 P.M. Rested to dine, and started again at 8.30 P.M.
till 4.25 A.M.; reaching Abou Hammed, thank heaven!

"Yesterday evening we passed through a second chain of rugged
hills of grey granite, about 600 feet high, and descended through
a pass to an extensive plain, in which rose abruptly, like huge
pyramids, four granite hills, at great distances apart. So
exactly do they resemble artificial pyramids at a distance, that
it is difficult to believe they are natural objects. I feel
persuaded that the ancient Egyptians took their designs for
monuments and buildings from the hills themselves, and raised in
the plains of Lower Egypt artificial pyramids in imitation of the
granite hills of this form. Their temples were in form like many
of the granite ranges, and were thoroughly encased with stone.
The extraordinary massiveness of these works suggests that Nature
assisted the design; the stone columns are imitations of the date
palms, and the buildings are copies of the rocky hills--the two
common features of Egyptian scenery.

"Throughout the route from Korosko, the skeletons of camels
number about eight per mile, with the exception of the last march
on either side of the watering-place Moorahd, on which there are
double that number, as the animals have become exhausted as they
approach the well. In the steep pass through the hills, where the
heat is intense, and the sand deep, the mortality is dreadful; in
some places I counted six and eight in a heap; and this difficult
portion of the route is a mass of bones, as every weak animal
gives in at the trying place.

"So dreadful a desert is this between Korosko and Abou Hammed,
that Said Pasha ordered the route to be closed; but it was
re-opened upon the application of foreign consuls, as the most
direct road to the Soudan. Our Bishareen Arabs are first-rate
walkers, as they have performed the entire journey on foot. Their
water and provisions were all exhausted yesterday, but
fortunately I had guarded the key of my two water-casks; thus I
had a supply when every water-skin was empty, and on the last day
I divided my sacred stock amongst the men, and the still more
thirsty camels. In the hot months, a camel cannot march longer
than three days without drinking, unless at the cost of great
suffering.

"Having arrived here (Abou Hammed) at 4.25 this morning, 23d May,
I had the luxury of a bath. The very sight of the Nile was
delightful, after the parched desolation of the last seven days.
The small village is utterly destitute of everything, and the
sterile desert extends to the very margin of the Nile. The
journey having occupied ninety-two hours of actual marching
across the desert, gives 230 miles as the distance from Korosko,
at the loaded-camel rate of two and a half miles per hour. The
average duration of daily march has been upwards of thirteen
hours, including a day's halt at Moorahd. My camels have arrived
in tolerable condition, as their loads did not exceed 400 lbs.
each; the usual load is 500 lbs.

"May 24.--Rested both men and beasts. A caravan of about thirty
camels arrived, having lost three during the route.

"May 25.--Started at 5 A.M. The route is along the margin of the
Nile, to which the desert extends. A fringe of stunted bushes,
and groves of the coarse and inelegant dome palm, mark the banks
of the river by a thicket of about half a mile in width. I saw
many gazelles, and succeeded in stalking a fine buck, and killing
him with a rifle.

"May 26.--Marched ten hours. Saw gazelles, but so wild that it
was impossible to shoot. Thermometer 110 degrees Fahr.

"May 27.--Marched four hours and forty-five minutes, when we were
obliged to halt, as F. is very ill. In the evening I shot two
gazelles, which kept the party in meat.

"May 28.--Marched fifteen hours, to make up for the delay of
yesterday. Shot a buck on the route.

"May 29.--The march of yesterday cut off an angle of the river,
and we made a straight course through the desert, avoiding a bend
of the stream. At 7.30 this morning we met the Nile again; the
same character of country as before, the river full of rocks, and
forming a succession of rapids the entire distance from Abou
Hammed. Navigation at this season is impossible, and is most
dangerous even at flood-time. The simoom is fearful, and the heat
is so intense that it was impossible to draw the gun-cases out of
their leather covers, which it was necessary to cut open. All
woodwork is warped; ivory knife-handles are split; paper breaks
when crunched in the hand, and the very marrow seems to be dried
out of the bones by this horrible simoom. One of our camels fell
down to die. Shot two buck gazelles; I saw many, but they are
very wild.

"May 3O.--The extreme dryness of the air induces an extraordinary
amount of electricity in the hair, and in all woollen materials.
A Scotch plaid laid upon a blanket for a few hours adheres to it,
and upon being roughly withdrawn at night a sheet of flame is
produced, accompanied by tolerably loud reports.

"May 31.--After an early march of three hours and twenty minutes,
we arrived at the town of Berber, on the Nile, at 9.35 A.M. We
have been fifty-seven hours and five minutes actually marching
from Abou Hammed, which, at two and a half miles per hour, equals
143 miles. We have thus marched 373 miles from Korosko to Berber
in fifteen days; the entire route is the monotonous Nubian
desert. Our camels have averaged twenty-five miles per day, with
loads of 400 lbs. at a cost of ninety piastres (about 19s.) each,
for the whole distance. This rate, with the addition of the
guide's expenses, equals about 5s. 6d. per 100 lbs. for carriage
throughout 373 miles of burning desert. Although this frightful
country appears to be cut off from all communication with the
world, the extremely low rate of transport charges affords great
facility for commerce."*

  * Since that date, 31st May, 1861, the epidemic or cattle
    plague carried off an immense number of camels, and the
    charges of transport rose in 1864 and 1865 to a rate that
    completely paralysed the trade of Upper Egypt.

Berber is a large town, and in appearance is similar to the Nile
towns of Lower Egypt, consisting of the usual dusty, unpaved
streets, and flat-roofed houses of sun-baked bricks. It is the
seat of a Governor, or Mudir, and is generally the quarters for
about 1,500 troops. We were very kindly received by Halleem
Effendi, the ex-Governor, who at once gave us permission to pitch
the tents in his garden, close to the Nile, on the southern
outskirt of the town. After fifteen days of desert marching, the
sight of a well-cultivated garden was an Eden in our eyes. About
eight acres of land, on the margin of the river, were thickly
planted with lofty date groves, and shady citron and lemon trees,
beneath which we revelled in luxury on our Persian rugs, and
enjoyed complete rest after the fatigue of our long journey.
Countless birds were chirping and singing in the trees above us;
innumerable ring-doves were cooing in the shady palms; and the
sudden change from the dead sterility of the desert to the scene
of verdure and of life, produced an extraordinary effect upon the
spirits. What caused this curious transition? Why should this
charming oasis, teeming with vegetation and with life, be found
in the yellow, sandy desert? . . . Water had worked this change;
the spirit of the Nile, more potent than any genii of the Arabian
fables, had transformed the desert into a fruitful garden.
Halleem Effendi, the former Governor, had, many years ago,
planted this garden, irrigated by numerous water-wheels; and we
now enjoyed the fruits, and thanked Heaven for its greatest
blessings in that burning land, shade and cool water.

The tents were soon arranged, the camels were paid for and
discharged, and in the cool of the evening we were visited by the
Governor and suite.

The firman having been officially presented by the dragoman upon
our arrival in the morning, the Governor had called with much
civility to inquire into our projects and to offer assistance. We
were shortly seated on carpets outside the tent, and after pipes
and coffee, and the usual preliminary compliments, my dragoman
explained, that the main object of our journey was to search for
the sources of the Nile, or, as he described it, "the head of the
river."

Both the Governor and Halleem Effendi, with many officers who had
accompanied them, were Turks; but, in spite of the gravity and
solidity for which the Turk is renowned, their faces relaxed into
a variety of expressions at this (to them) absurd announcement.
"The head of the Nile!" they exclaimed, "impossible!" "Do they
know where it is?" inquired the Governor, of the dragoman; and
upon an explanation being given, that, as we did not know where
it was, we had proposed to discover it, the Turks merely shook
their heads, sipped their coffee, and took extra whiffs at their
long pipes, until at length the white- haired old Halleem Effendi
spoke. He gave good and parental advice, as follows:--

"Don't go upon so absurd an errand; nobody knows anything about
the Nile, neither will any one discover its source. We do not
even know the source of the Atbara; how should we know the source
of the great Nile. A great portion of the Atbara flows through
the Pasha of Egypt's dominions; the firman in your possession
with his signature, will insure you respect, so long as you
remain within his territory; but if you cross his frontier, you
will be in the hands of savages. The White Nile is the country of
the negroes; wild, ferocious races who have neither knowledge of
God nor respect for the Pasha, and you must travel with a
powerful armed force; the climate is deadly; how could you
penetrate such a region to search for what is useless even should
you attain it? But how would it be possible for a lady, young and
delicate, to endure what would kill the strongest man? Travel
along the Atbara river into the Taka country, there is much to be
seen that is unexplored; but give up the mad scheme of the Nile
source."

There was some sense in old Halleem Effendi's advice; it was the
cool and cautious wisdom of old age, but as I was not so elderly,
I took it "cum grano salis." He was a charming old gentleman, the
perfect beau ideal of the true old style of Turk, but few
specimens of which remain; all that he had said was spoken in
sincerity, and I resolved to collect as much information as
possible from the grey-headed authorities before I should
commence the expedition. I was deeply impressed with one fact,
that until I could dispense with an interpreter it would be
impossible to succeed, therefore I determined to learn Arabic as
speedily as possible.

A week's rest in the garden of Halleem Effendi prepared us for
the journey. I resolved to explore the Atbara river and the
Abyssinian affluents, prior to commencing the White Nile voyage.
The Governor promised me two Turkish soldiers as attendants, and
I arranged to send my heavy baggage by boat to Khartoum, and
secure the advantage of travelling light; a comfort that no one
can appreciate who has not felt the daily delay in loading a long
string of camels. Both my wife and I had suffered from a short
attack of fever brought on by the prostrating effect of the
simoom, which at this season (June) was at its height. The Nile
was slowly rising, although it was still low; occasionally it
fell about eighteen inches in one night, but again rose; this
proved that, although the rains had commenced, they were not
constant, as the steady and rapid increase of the river had not
taken place. The authorities assured me that the Blue Nile was
now rising at Khartoum, which accounted for the increase of the
river at Berber.

The garden of Halleem Effendi was attended by a number of fine
powerful slaves from the White Nile, whose stout frames and
glossy skins were undeniable witnesses of their master's care. A
charmingly pretty slave girl paid us daily visits, with presents
of fruit from her kind master and numerous mistresses, who, with
the usual Turkish compliments as a preliminary message, requested
permission to visit the English lady.

In the cool hour of evening a bevy of ladies approached through
the dark groves of citron trees, so gaily dressed in silks of the
brightest dyes of yellow, blue, and scarlet, that no bouquet of
flowers could have been more gaudy. They were attended by
numerous slaves, and the head servant politely requested me to
withdraw during the interview. Thus turned out of my tent, I was
compelled to patience and solitude beneath a neighbouring date
palm.

The result of the interview with my wife was most satisfactory;
the usual womanish questions had been replied to, and hosts of
compliments exchanged. We were then rich in all kinds of European
trifles that excited their curiosity, and a few little presents
established so great an amount of confidence that they gave the
individual history of each member of the family from childhood,
that would have filled a column of the Times with births, deaths,
and marriages.

Some of these ladies were very young and pretty, and of course
exercised a certain influence over their husbands; thus, on the
following morning, we were inundated with visitors, as the male
members of the family came to thank us for the manner in which
their ladies had been received; and fruit, flowers, and the
general produce of the garden were presented to us in profusion.
However pleasant, there were drawbacks to our garden of Eden;
there was dust in our Paradise; not the dust that we see in
Europe upon unwatered roads, that simply fills the eyes, but
sudden clouds raised by whirlwinds in the desert which fairly
choked the ears and nostrils when thus attacked. June is the
season when these phenomena are most prevalent. At that time the
rains have commenced in the south, and are extending towards the
north; the cold and heavy air of the southern rain-clouds sweeps
down upon the overheated atmosphere of the desert, and produces
sudden violent squalls and whirlwinds when least expected, as at
that time the sky is cloudless.

The effect of these desert whirlwinds is most curious, as their
force is sufficient to raise dense columns of sand and dust
several thousand feet high; these are not the evanescent
creations of a changing wind, but they frequently exist for many
hours, and travel forward, or more usually in circles, resembling
in the distance solid pillars of sand. The Arab superstition
invests these appearances with the supernatural, and the
mysterious sand-column of the desert wandering in its burning
solitude, is an evil spirit, a "Gin" ("genii" plural, of the
Arabian Nights). I have frequently seen many such columns at the
same time in the boundless desert, all travelling or waltzing in
various directions at the wilful choice of each whirlwind: this
vagrancy of character is an undoubted proof to the Arab mind of
their independent and diabolical origin.

The Abyssinian traveller, Bruce, appears to have entertained a
peculiar dread of the dangers of such sand columns, but on this
point his fear was exaggerated. Cases may have occurred where
caravans have been suffocated by whirlwinds of sand, but these
are rare exceptions, and the usual effects of the dust storm are
the unroofing of thatched huts, the destruction of a few date
palms, and the disagreeable amount of sand that not only half
chokes both man and beast, but buries all objects that may be
lying on the ground some inches deep in dust.

The wind at this season (June) was changeable, and strong blasts
from the south were the harbingers of the approaching rainy
season. We had no time to lose, and we accordingly arranged to
start. I discharged my dirty cook, and engaged a man who was
brought by a coffee-house keeper, by whom he was highly
recommended; but, as a precaution against deception, I led him
before the Mudir, or Governor, to be registered before our
departure. To my astonishment, and to his infinite disgust, he
was immediately recognised as an old offender, who had formerly
been imprisoned for theft! The Governor, to prove his friendship,
and his interest in my welfare, immediately sent the police to
capture the coffee-house keeper who had recommended the cook. No
sooner was the unlucky surety brought to the Divan than he was
condemned to receive 200 lashes for having given a false
character. The sentence was literally carried out, in spite of my
remonstrance, and the police were ordered to make the case public
to prevent a recurrence. The Governor assured me, that as I held
a firman from the Viceroy he could not do otherwise, and that I
must believe him to be my truest friend. "Save me from my
friends," was an adage quickly proved. I could not procure a
cook, neither any other attendants, as every one was afraid to
guarantee a character, lest he might come in for his share of the
200 lashes!

The Governor came to my rescue, and sent immediately the promised
Turkish soldiers, who were to act in the double capacity of
escort and servants. They were men of totally opposite
characters. Hadji Achmet was a hardy, powerful,
dare-devil-looking Turk, while Hadji Velli was the perfection of
politeness, and as gentle as a lamb. My new allies procured me
three donkeys in addition to the necessary baggage camels, and we
started from the pleasant garden of Halleem Effendi on the
evening of the 10th of June for the junction of the Atbara river
with the Nile.


CHAPTER II.

"'Mongst them were several Englishmen of pith,
Sixteen named Thompson, and nineteen named Smith."
DON JUAN.

MAHOMET, Achmet, and Ali are equivalent to Smith, Brown, and
Thompson. Accordingly, of my few attendants, my dragoman was
Mahomet, and my principal guide was Achmet; and subsequently I
had a number of Alis. Mahomet was a regular Cairo dragoman, a
native of Dongola, almost black, but exceedingly tenacious
regarding his shade of colour, which he declared to be light
brown. He spoke very bad English, was excessively conceited, and
irascible to a degree. No pasha was so bumptious or overbearing
to his inferiors, but to me and to his mistress while in Cairo he
had the gentleness of the dove, and I had engaged him at 5l. per
month to accompany me to the White Nile. Men change with
circumstances; climate affects the health and temper; the sleek
and well-fed dog is amiable, but he would be vicious when thin
and hungry; the man in luxury and the man in need are not equally
angelic. Now Mahomet was one of those dragomen who are accustomed
to the civilized expeditions of the British tourist to the first
or second cataract, in a Nile boat replete with conveniences and
luxuries, upon which the dragoman is monarch supreme, a whale
among the minnows, who rules the vessel, purchases daily a host
of unnecessary supplies, upon which he clears his profit, until
he returns to Cairo with his pockets filled sufficiently to
support him until the following Nile season. The short three
months' harvest, from November until February, fills his granary
for the year. Under such circumstances the temper should be
angelic. But times had changed: the luxurious Mahomet had left
the comfortable Nile boat at Korosko, and he had crossed the
burning desert upon a jolting camel; he had left the well-known
route where the dragoman was supreme, and he found himself among
people who treated him in the light of a common servant. "A
change came o'er the spirit of his dream;" Mahomet was no longer
a great man, and his temper changed with circumstances; in fact,
Mahomet became unbearable, and still he was absolutely necessary,
as he was the tongue of the expedition until we should accomplish
Arabic. To him the very idea of exploration was an absurdity; he
had never believed in it from the first, and he now became
impressed with the fact that he was positively committed to an
undertaking that would end most likely in his death, if not in
terrible difficulties; he determined, under the circumstances, to
make himself as disagreeable as possible to all parties. With
this amiable resolution Mahomet adopted a physical infirmity in
the shape of deafness; in reality, no one was more acute in
hearing, but as there are no bells where there are no houses, he
of course could not answer such a summons, and he was compelled
to attend to the call of his own name--"Mahomet! Mahomet!" No
reply, although the individual was sitting within a few feet,
apparently absorbed in the contemplation of his own boots.
"Mahomet!" with an additional emphasis upon the second syllable.
Again no response. "Mahomet, you rascal, why don't you answer?"
This energetic address would effect a change in his position; the
mild and lamb-like dragoman of Cairo would suddenly start from
the ground, tear his own hair from his head in handfuls, and
shout, "Mahomet! Mahomet! Mahomet! always Mahomet! D--n Mahomet!
I wish he were dead, or back in Cairo, this brute Mahomet!" The
irascible dragoman would then beat his own head unmercifully with
his fists, in a paroxysm of rage.

To comfort him I could only exclaim, "Well done, Mahomet! thrash
him; pommel him well; punch his head; you know him best; he
deserves it; don't spare him!" This advice, acting upon the
natural perversity of his disposition, generally soothed him, and
he ceased punching his head. This man was entirely out of his
place, if not out of his mind, at certain moments, and having
upon one occasion smashed a basin by throwing it in the face of
the cook, and upon another occasion narrowly escaped homicide, by
throwing an axe at a man's head, which missed by an inch, he
became a notorious character in the little expedition.

We left Berber in the evening at sunset; we were mounted upon
donkeys, while our Turkish attendants rode upon excellent
dromedaries that belonged to their regiment of irregular cavalry.
As usual, when ready to start, Mahomet was the last; he had piled
a huge mass of bags and various luggage upon his donkey, that
almost obscured the animal, and he sat mounted upon this pinnacle
dressed in gorgeous clothes, with a brace of handsome pistols in
his belt, and his gun slung across his shoulders. Upon my
remonstrating with him upon the cruelty of thus overloading the
donkey, he flew into a fit of rage, and dismounting immediately,
he drew his pistols from his belt and dashed them upon the
ground; his gun shared the same fate, and heaving his weapons
upon the sand, he sullenly walked behind his donkey, which he
drove forward with the caravan.

We pushed forward at the usual rapid amble of the donkeys; and,
accompanied by Hadji Achmet upon his dromedary, with the
coffee-pot, &c. and a large Persian rug slung behind the saddle,
we quickly distanced the slower caravan under the charge of Hadji
Velli and the sullen Mahomet.

There was no difficulty in the route, as the sterile desert of
sand and pebbles was bounded by a fringe of bush amid mimosa that
marked the course of the Nile, to which our way lay parallel.
There was no object to attract particular attention, and no sound
but that of the bleating goats driven homeward by the Arab boys,
and the sharp cry of the desert sand grouse as they arrived in
flocks to drink in the welcome river. The flight of these birds
is extremely rapid, and is more like that of the pigeon than the
grouse; they inhabit the desert, but they travel great distances
both night and morning to water, as they invariably drink twice
a day. As they approach the river they utter the cry "Chuckow,
chuckow," in a loud clear note, and immediately after drinking
they return upon their long flight to the desert. There are
several varieties of the sand grouse. I have met with three, but
they are dry, tough, and worthless as game.

We slept in the desert about five miles from Berber, and on the
following day, after a scorching march of about twenty miles, we
arrived at the junction of the Atbara river with the Nile.
Throughout the route the barren sand stretched to the horizon on
the left, while on the right, within a mile of the Nile, the soil
was sufficiently rich to support a certain amount of
vegetation--chiefly dwarf mimosas and the Asclepias gigantea. The
latter I had frequently seen in Ceylon, where it is used
medicinally by the native doctors; but here it was ignored,
except for the produce of a beautiful silky down which is used
for stuffing cushions and pillows. This vegetable silk is
contained in a soft pod or bladder about the size of an orange.
Both the leaves and the stem of this plant emit a highly
poisonous milk, that exudes from the bark when cut or bruised;
the least drop of this will cause total blindness, if in contact
with the eye. I have seen several instances of acute ophthalmia
that have terminated in loss of sight from the accidental rubbing
of the eye with the hand when engaged in cutting firewood from
the asclepias. The wood is extremely light, and is frequently
tied into fagots and used by the Arabs as a support while
swimming, in lieu of cork. Although the poisonous qualities of
the plant cause it to be shunned by all other animals, it is
nevertheless greedily devoured by goats, who eat it unharmed.

It was about two hours after sunset when we arrived at the steep
bank of the Atbara river. Pushing through the fringe of young
dome palms that formed a thick covert upon the margin, we
cautiously descended the bank for about twenty-five feet, as the
bright glare of the river's bed deceived me by the resemblance to
water. We found a broad surface of white sand, which at that
season formed the dry bed of the river. Crossing this arid bottom
of about 400 yards in width, we unsaddled on the opposite side,
by a bed of water melons planted near a small pool of water. A
few of these we chopped in pieces for our tired donkeys, and we
shared in the cool and welcome luxury ourselves that was most
refreshing after the fatigue of the day's journey. Long before
our camels arrived, we had drunk our coffee and were sound asleep
upon the sandy bed of the Atbara.

At daybreak on the following morning, while the camels were being
loaded, I strolled to a small pool in the sand, tempted by a
couple of wild geese; these were sufficiently unsophisticated as
to allow me to approach within shot, and I bagged them both, and
secured our breakfast; they were the common Egyptian geese, which
are not very delicate eating. The donkeys being saddled, we at
once started with our attendant, Hadji Achmet, at about five
miles per hour, in advance of our slower caravan. The route was
upon the river's margin, due east, through a sandy copse of
thorny mimosas which fringed the river's course for about a
quarter of a mile on either side; beyond this all was desert.

The Atbara had a curious appearance; in no part was it less than
400 yards in width, while in many places this breadth was much
exceeded. The banks were from twenty-five to thirty feet deep:
these had evidently been over-flowed during floods, bnt at the
present time the river was dead; not only partially dry, but so
glaring was the sandy bed, that the reflection of the sun was
almost unbearable.

Great numbers of the dome palm (Hyphoene Thebaica, Mart.) grew
upon the banks; these trees are of great service to the Arab
tribes, who at this season of drought forsake the deserts and
flock upon the margin of the Atbara. The leaves of the dome
supply them with excellent material for mats and ropes, while the
fruit is used both for man and beast. The dome palm resembles the
palmyra in the form and texture of its fan-shaped leaves, but
there is a distinguishing peculiarity in the growth: instead of
the straight single stem of the palmyra, the dome palm spreads
into branches, each of which invariably represents the letter Y.
The fruit grows in dense clusters, numbering several hundred, of
the size of a small orange, but of an irregular oval shape; these
are of a rich brown colour, and bear a natural polish as though
varnished. So hard is the fruit and uninviting to the teeth, that
a deal board would be equally practicable for mastication; the
Arabs pound them between stones, by which rough process they
detach the edible portion in the form of a resinous powder. The
rind of the nut which produces this powder is about a quarter of
an inch thick; this coating covers a strong shell which contains
a nut of vegetable ivory, a little larger than a full-sized
walnut. When the resinous powder is detached, it is either eaten
raw, or it is boiled into a delicious porridge, with milk; this
has a strong flavour of gingerbread.

The vegetable ivory nuts are then soaked in water for about
twenty-four hours, after which they are heaped in large piles
upon a fire until nearly dry, and thoroughly steamed; this
process renders them sufficiently tractable to be reduced by
pounding in a heavy mortar. Thus, broken into small pieces they
somewhat resemble half-roasted chestnuts, and in this state they
form excellent food for cattle. The useful dome palm is the chief
support of the desert Arabs when in times of drought and scarcity
the supply of corn has failed. At this season (June) there was
not a blade of even the withered grass of the desert oases. Our
donkeys lived exclusively upon the dhurra (Sorghum Egyptiaca)
that we carried with us, and the camels required a daily supply
of corn in addition to the dry twigs and bushes that formed their
dusty food. The margin of the river was miserable and uninviting;
the trees and bushes were entirely leafless from the intense
heat, as are the trees in England during winter. The only shade
was afforded by the evergreen dome palms; nevertheless, the Arabs
occupied the banks at intervals of three or four miles, wherever
a pool of water in some deep bend of the dried river's bed
offered an attraction; in such places were Arab villages or
camps, of the usual mat tents formed of the dome palm leaves.

Many pools were of considerable size and of great depth. In
flood-time a tremendous torrent sweeps down the course of the
Atbara, and the sudden bends of the river are hollowed out by the
force of the stream to a depth of twenty or thirty feet below the
level of the bed. Accordingly these holes become reservoirs of
water when the river is otherwise exhausted. In such asylums all
the usual inhabitants of this large river are crowded together in
a comparatively narrow space. Although these pools vary in size,
from only a few hundred yards to a mile in length, they are
positively full of life; huge fish, crocodiles of immense size,
turtles, and occasionally hippopotami, consort together in close
and unwished-for proximity.

The animals of the desert--gazelles, hyaenas, and wild asses--are
compelled to resort to these crowded drinking-places, occupied by
the flocks of the Arabs equally with the timid beasts of the
chase. The birds that during the cooler months would wander free
throughout the country, are now collected in vast numbers along
the margin of the exhausted river; innumerable doves, varying in
species, throng the trees and seek the shade of the dome palms;
thousands of desert grouse arrive morning and evening to drink
and to depart; while birds in multitudes, of lovely plumage,
escape from the burning desert, and colonize the poor but welcome
bushes that fringe the Atbara river.

The heat was intense. As we travelled along the margin of the
Atbara, and felt with the suffering animals the exhaustion of the
clinmate, I acknowledged the grandeur of the Nile that could
overcome the absorption of such thirsty sands, and the
evaporation caused by the burning atmosphere of Nubia. For nearly
1,200 miles from the junction of the Atbara with the parent
stream to the Mediterranean, not one streamlet joined the
mysterious river, neither one drop of rain ruffled its waters,
unless a rare thunder-shower, as a curious phenomenon, startled
the Arabs as they travelled along the desert. Nevertheless the
Nile overcame its enemies, while the Atbara shrank to a skeleton,
bare and exhausted, reduced to a few pools that lay like blotches
along the broad surface of glowing sand.

Notwithstanding the overpowering sun, there were certain
advantages to the traveller at this season; it was unnecessary to
carry a large supply of water, as it could be obtained at
intervals of a few miles. There was an indescribable delight in
the cool night, when, in the perfect certainty of fine weather,
we could rest in the open air with the clear bright starlit sky
above us. There were no mosquitoes, neither were there any of the
insect plagues of the tropics; the air was too dry for the gnat
tribe, and the moment of sunset was the signal for perfect
enjoyment, free from the usual drawbacks of African travel. As
the river pools were the only drinking-places for birds and game,
the gun supplied not only my own party, but I had much to give
away to the Arabs in exchange for goat's milk, the meal of the
dome nuts, &c. Gazelles were exceedingly numerous, but shy, and
so difficult to approach that they required most careful
stalking. At this season of intense heat they drank twice a
day--at about an hour after sunrise, and half an hour before
sunset.

The great comfort of travelling along the bank of the river in a
desert country is the perfect freedom, as a continual supply of
water enables the explorer to rest at his leisure in any
attractive spot where game is plentiful, or where the natural
features of the country invite investigation. We accordingly
halted, after some days' journey, at a spot named Collodabad,
where an angle of the river had left a deep pool of about a mile
in length: this was the largest sheet of water that we had seen
throughout the course of the Atbara. A number of Arabs had
congregated at this spot with their flocks and herds; the total
absence of verdure had reduced the animals to extreme leanness,
as the goats gathered their scanty sustenance from the seed-pods
of the mimosas, which were shaken down to the expectant flocks by
the Arab boys, with long hooked poles. These seeds were extremely
oily, and resembled linseed, but the rank flavour was
disagreeable and acrid.

This spot was seven days' march from the Nile junction, or about
160 miles. The journey had been extremely monotonous, as there
had been no change in the scenery; it was the interminable
desert, with the solitary streak of vegetation in the belt of
mimosas and dome palms, about a mile and a half in width, that
marked the course of the river. I had daily shot gazelles, geese,
pigeons, desert grouse, &c. but no larger game. I was informed
that at this spot, Collodabad, I should be introduced for the
first time to the hippopotamus.

Owing to the total absence of nourishing food, the cattle
produced a scanty supply of milk; thus the Arabs, who depended
chiefly upon their flocks for their subsistence, were in great
distress, and men and beasts mutually suffered extreme hardship.
The Arabs that occupy the desert north of the Atbara are the
Bishareens; it was among a large concourse of these people that
we pitched our tents on the banks of the river at Collodabad.

This being the principal watering-place along the deserted bed of
the Atbara, the neighbourhood literally swarmed with doves, sand
grouse, and other birds, in addition to many geese and pelicans.

Early in the morning I procured an Arab guide to search for the
reported hippopotami. My tents were among a grove of dome palms
on the margin of the river; thus I had a clear view of the bed
for a distance of about half a mile on either side. This portion
of the Atbara was about 500 yards in width, the banks were about
thirty feet perpendicular depth; and the bend of the river had
caused the formation of the deep hollow on the opposite side
which now formed the pool, while every other part was dry. This
pool occupied about one-third the breadth of the river, bounded
by the sand upon one side, and by a perpendicular cliff upon the
other, upon which grew a fringe of green bushes similar to
willows. These were the only succulent leaves that I had seen
since I left Berber.

We descended the steep sandy bank in a spot that the Arabs had
broken down to reach the water, and after trudging across about
400 yards of deep sand, we reached the extreme and narrowest end
of the pool; here for the first time I saw the peculiar four-toed
print of the hippopotamus's foot. A bed of melons had been
planted here by the Arabs in the moist sand near the water, but
the fruit had been entirely robbed by the hippopotami. A melon is
exactly adapted for the mouth of this animal, as he could crunch
the largest at one squeeze, and revel in the juice. Not contented
with the simple fruits of the garden, a large bull hippopotamus
had recently killed the proprietor. The Arab wished to drive it
from his plantation, but was immediately attacked by the hippo,
who caught him in its mouth and killed him by one crunch. This
little incident had rendered the hippo exceedingly daring, and it
had upon several occasions charged out of the water, when the
people had driven their goats to drink; therefore it would be the
more satisfactory to obtain a shot, and to supply the hungry
Arabs with meat at the expense of their enemy.

At this early hour, 6 A.M., no one had descended to the pool,
thus all the tracks upon the margin were fresh and undisturbed:
there were the huge marks of crocodiles that had recently
returned to the water, while many of great size were still lying
upon the sand in the distance: these slowly crept into the pool
as we approached. The Arabs had dug small holes in the sand
within a few yards of the water: these were the artificial
drinking-places for their goats and sheep, that would have been
snapped up by the crocodiles had they ventured to drink in the
pool of crowded monsters. I walked for about a mile and a half
along the sand without seeing a sign of hippopotami, except their
numerous tracks upon the margin. There was no wind, and the
surface of the water was unruffled; thus I could see every
creature that rose in the pool either to breathe or to bask in
the morning sunshine. The number and size of the fish, turtles,
and crocodiles were extraordinary; many beautiful gazelles
approached from all sides for their morning draught: wild geese,
generally in pairs, disturbed the wary crocodiles by their cry of
alarm as we drew near, and the desert grouse in flocks of many
thousands had gathered together, and were circling in a rapid
flight above the water, wishing, but afraid, to descend and
drink. Having a shot gun with me, I fired and killed six at one
discharge, but one of the wounded birds having fallen into the
water at a distance of about 120 yards, it was immediately seized
by a white-throated fish-eagle, which perched upon a tree,
swooped down upon the bird, utterly disregarding the report of
the gun. The Bishareen Arabs have no fire-arms, thus the sound of
a gun was unknown to the game of the desert.

I had killed several wild geese for breakfast in the absence of
the hippopotami, when I suddenly heard the peculiar loud snorting
neigh of these animals in my rear; we had passed them
unperceived, as they had been beneath the surface. After a quick
walk of about half a mile, during which time the cry of the
hippos had been several times repeated, I observed six of these
curious animals standing in the water about shoulder-deep. There
was no cover, therefore I could only advance upon the sand
without a chance of stalking them; this caused them to retreat to
deeper water, but upon my arrival within about eighty yards, they
raised their heads well up, and snorted an impudent challenge. I
had my old Ceylon No. 10 double rifle, and, taking a steady aim
at the temple of one that appeared to be the largest, the ball
cracked loudly upon the skull. Never had there been such a
commotion in the pool as now! At the report of the rifle, five
heads sank and disappeared like stones, but the sixth hippo
leaped half out of the water, and, falling backwards, commenced
a series of violent struggles: now upon his back; then upon one
side, with all four legs frantically paddling, and raising a
cloud of spray and foam; then waltzing round and round with its
huge jaws wide open, raising a swell in the hitherto calm surface
of the water. A quick shot with the left-hand barrel produced no
effect, as the movements of the animal were too rapid to allow a
steady aim at the forehead; I accordingly took my trmisty little
Fletcher* double rifle No. 24, and, running knee-deep into the
water to obtain a close shot, I fired exactly between the eyes,
near the crown of the head. At the report of the little Fletcher
the hippo disappeared; the tiny waves raised by the commotion
broke upon the sand, but the game was gone.

   * This excellent and handy rifle was made by Thomas Fletcher,
     of Gloucester, and accompanied me like a faithful dog
     throughout my journey of nearly five years to the Albert
     N'yanza, and returned with me to England as good as new.

This being my first vis-a-vis with a hippo, I was not certain
whether I could claim the victory; he was gone, but where?
However, while I was speculating upon the case, I heard a
tremendous rush of water, and I saw five hippopotami tearing
along in full trot through a portion of the pool that was not
deep enough to cover them above the shoulder: this was the affair
of about half a minute, as they quickly reached deep water, and
disappeared at about a hundred and fifty yards' distance.

The fact of five hippos in retreat after I had counted six in the
onset was conclusive that my waltzing friend was either dead or
disabled; I accordingly lost no time in following the direction
of the herd. Hardly had I arrived at the spot where they had
disappeared, when first one and then another head popped up and
again sank, until one more hardy than the rest ventured to appear
within fifty yards, and to bellow as before. Once more the No. 10
crashed through his head, and again the waltzing and struggling
commenced like the paddling of a steamer: this time, however, the
stunned hippo in its convulsive efforts came so close to the
shore that I killed it directly in shallow water, by a forehead
shot with the little Fletcher. I concluded from this result that
my first hippo must also be lying dead in deep water.

The Arabs, having heard the shots fired, had begun to gather
towards the spot, and, upon my men shouting that a hippo was
killed, crowds came running to the place with their knives and
ropes, while others returned to their encampment to fetch camels
and mat bags to convey the flesh. In half an hour at least three
hundred Arabs were on the spot; the hippo had been hauled to
shore by ropes, and, by the united efforts of the crowd, the
heavy carcase had been rolled to the edge of the water. Here the
attack commenced; no pack of hungry hyaenas could have been more
savage. I gave them permission to take the flesh, and in an
instant a hundred knives were at work: they fought over the spoil
like wolves. No sooner was the carcase flayed than the struggle
commenced for the meat; the people were a mass of blood, as some
stood thigh-deep in the reeking intestines wrestling for the fat,
while many hacked at each other's hands for coveted portions that
were striven for as a bonne bouche. I left the savage crowd in
their ferocious enjoyment of flesh and blood, and I returned to
camp for breakfast, my Turk, Hadji Achmet, carrying some
hippopotamus steaks.

That morning my wife and I breakfasted upon our first hippo, an
animal that was destined to be our general food throughout our
journey among the Abyssinian tributaries of the Nile. After
breakfast we strolled down to the pool to search for the
hippopotamus No. 1. This we at once found, dead, as it had risen
to the surface, and was floating like the back of a turtle a few
inches above the water. The Arabs had been so intent upon the
division of their spoil that they had not observed their new
prize; accordingly, upon the signal being given, a general rush
took place, and in half an hour a similar scene was enacted to
that of hippo No. 2.

The entire Arab camp was in commotion and full of joy at this
unlooked-for arrival of flesh. Camels laden with meat and hide
toiled along the sandy bed of the river; the women raised their
long and shrill cry of delight; and we were looked upon as
general benefactors for having brought them a supply of good food
in this season of distress. In the afternoon I arranged my
tackle, and strolled down to the pool to fish. There was a
difficulty in procuring bait; a worm was never heard of in the
burning deserts of Nubia, neither had I a net to catch small
fish; I was therefore obliged to bait with pieces of
hippopotamnus. Fishing in such a pool as that of the Atbara was
sufficiently exciting, as it was impossible to speculate upon
what creature might accept the invitation; but the Arabs who
accompanied me were particular in guarding me against the
position I had taken under a willow-bush close to the water, as
they explained, that most probably a crocodile would take me
instead of the bait; they declared that accidents had frequently
happened when people had sat upon the bank either to drink with
their hands, or even while watching their goats. I accordingly
fished at a few feet distant from the margin, and presently I had
a bite; I landed a species of perch about two pounds' weight;
this was the "boulti," one of the best Nile fish mentioned by the
traveller Bruce. In a short time I had caught a respectable dish
of fish, but hitherto no monster had paid me the slightest
attention; accordingly I changed my bait, and upon a powerful
hook, fitted upon treble-twisted wire, I fastened an enticing
strip of a boulti. The bait was about four ounces, and glistened
like silver; the water was tolerably clear, but not too bright,
and with such an attraction I expected something heavy. My float
was a large-sized pike-float for live bait, and this civilized
sign had been only a few minutes in the wild waters of the
Atbara, when, bob! and away it went! I had a very large reel,
with nearly three hundred yards of line that had been specially
made for monsters; down went the top of my rod, as though a
grindstone was suspended on it, and, as I recovered its position,
away went the line, and the reel revolved, not with the sudden
dash of a spirited fish, but with the steady determined pull of
a trotting horse. What on earth have I got hold of? In a few
minutes about a hundred yards of line were out, and as the
creature was steadily but slowly travelling down the centre of
the channel, I determined to cry "halt!" if possible, as my
tackle was extremely strong, and my rod was a single bamboo.
Accordingly, I put on a powerful strain, which was replied to by
a sullen tug, a shake, and again my rod was pulled suddenly down
to the water's edge. At length, after the roughest handling, I
began to reel in slack line, as my unknown friend had doubled in
upon me; and upon once more putting severe pressure upon him or
her, as it might be, I perceived a great swirl in the water,
about twenty yards from the rod. The tackle would bear anything,
and I strained so heavily upon my adversary, that I soon reduced
our distance; but the water was exceedingly deep, the bank
precipitous, and he was still invisible. At length, after much
tugging and counter-tugging, he began to show; eagerly I gazed
into the water to examine my new acquaintance, when I made out
something below, in shape between a coach-wheel and a
sponging-bath; in a few moments more I brought to the surface an
enormous turtle, well hooked. I felt like the old lady who won an
elephant in a lottery: that I had him was certain, but what was
I to do with my prize? It was at the least a hundred pounds'
weight, and the bank was steep and covered with bushes; thus it
was impossible to land the monster, that now tugged and dived
with the determination of the grindstone that his first pull had
suggested. Once I attempted the gaff but the trusty weapon that
had landed many a fish in Scotland broke in the hard shell of the
turtle, and I was helpless. My Arab now came to my assistance,
and at once terminated the struggle. Seizing the line with both
hands, utterly regardless of all remonstrance (which, being in
English, he did not understand), he quickly hauled our turtle to
the surface, and held it, struggling and gnashing its jaws, close
to the steep bank. In a few moments the line slackened, and the
turtle disappeared. The fight was over! The sharp horny jaws had
bitten through treble-twisted brass wire as clean as though cut
by shears. My visions of turtle soup had faded.

The heavy fish were not in the humour to take; I therefore shot
one with a rifle as it came to the surface to blow, and, the
water in this spot being shallow, we brought it to shore; it was
a species of carp, between thirty and forty pounds; the scales
were rather larger than a crown piece, and so hard that they
would have been difficult to pierce with a harpoon. It proved to
be useless for the table, being of an oily nature that was only
acceptable to the Arabs.

In the evening I went out stalking in the desert, and returned
with five fine buck gazelles. These beautiful creatures so
exactly resemble the colour of the sandy deserts which they
inhabit, that they are most difficult to distinguish, and their
extreme shyness renders stalking upon foot very uncertain. I
accordingly employed an Arab to lead a camel, under cover of
which I could generally manage to approach within a hundred
yards. A buck gazelle weighs from sixty to seventy pounds, and is
the perfection of muscular development. No person who has seen
the gazelles in confinement in a temperate climate can form an
idea of the beauty of the animal in its native desert. Born in
the scorching sun, nursed on the burning sand of the treeless and
shadowless wilderness, the gazelle is among the antelope tribe as
the Arab horse is among its brethren, the high-bred and
superlative beauty of the race. The skin is as sleek as satin, of
a colour difficult to describe, as it varies between the lightest
mauve and yellowish brown; the belly is snow-white; the legs,
from the knee downwards, are also white, and are as fine as
though carved from ivory; the hoof is beautifully shaped, and
tapers to a sharp point; the head of the buck is ornamented by
gracefully-curved annulated horns, perfectly black, and generally
from nine to twelve inches long in the bend; the eye is the
well-known perfection--the full, large, soft, and jet-black eye
of the gazelle. Although the desert appears incapable of
supporting animmial life, there are in the undulating surface
numerous shallow sandy ravines, in which are tufts of a herbage
so coarse that, as a source of nourishment, it would be valueless
to a domestic animal: nevertheless, upon this dry and wiry
substance the delicate gazelles subsist; and, although they never
fatten, they are exceedingly fleshy and in excellent condition.
Entirely free from fat, and nevertheless a mass of muscle and
sinew, the gazelle is the fastest of the antelope tribe. Proud of
its strength, and confident in its agility, it will generally
bound perpendicularly four or five feet from the ground several
times before it starts at full speed, as though to test the
quality of its sinews before the race. The Arabs course them with
greyhounds, and sometimes they are caught by running several dogs
at the same time; but this result is from the folly of the
gazelle, who at first distances his pursuers like the wind; but,
secure in its speed, it halts and faces the dogs, exhausting
itself by bounding exultingly in the air; in the meantime the
greyhounds are closing up, and diminishing the chance of escape.
As a rule, notwithstanding this absurdity of the gazelle, it has
the best of the race, and the greyhounds return crestfallen and
beaten. Altogether it is the most beautiful specimen of game that
exists, far too lovely and harmless to be hunted and killed for
the mere love of sport. But when dinner depends upon the rifle,
beauty is no protection; accordingly, throughout our desert march
we lived upon gazelles, and I am sorry to confess that I became
very expert at stalking these wary little animals. The flesh,
although tolerably good, has a slight flavour of musk; this is
not peculiar to the gazelle, as the odour is common to most of
the small varieties of antelopes.

Having a good supply of meat, all hands were busily engaged in
cutting it into strips and drying it for future use; the bushes
were covered with festoons of flesh of gazelles and hippopotami,
and the skins of the former were prepared for making girbas, or
water-sacks. The flaying process for this purpose is a delicate
operation, as the knife must be so dexterously used that no false
cut should injure the hide. The animal is hung up by the hind
legs; an incision is then made along the inside of both thighs to
the tail, and with some trouble the skin is drawn off the body
towards the head, precisely as a stocking might be drawn from the
leg; by this operation the skin forms a seamless bag, open at
both ends. To form a girba, the skin must be buried in the earth
for about twenty hours: it is then washed in water, and the hair
is easily detached. Thus rendered clean, it is tanned by soaking
for several days in a mixture of the bark of a mimosa and water;
from this it is daily withdrawn, and stretched out with pegs upon
the ground; it is then well scrubbed with a rough stone, and
fresh mimosa bark well bruised, with water, is rubbed in by the
friction. About four days are sufficient to tan the thin skin of
a gazelle, which is much valued for its toughness and durability;
the aperture at the hind quarters is sewn together, and the
opening of the neck is closed, when required, by tying. A good
water-skin should be porous, to allow the water to exude
sufficiently to moisten the exterior: thus the action of the air
upon the exposed surface causes evaporation, and imparts to the
water within the skin a delicious coolness. The Arabs usually
prepare their tanned skins with an empyreumatical oil made from
a variety of substances, the best of which is that from the
sesame grain; this has a powerful smell, and renders the water so
disagreeable that few Europeans could drink it. This oil is
black, and much resembles tar in appearance; it has the effect of
preserving the leather, and of rendering it perfectly
water-tight. In desert travelling each person should have his own
private water-skin slung upon his dromedary; for this purpose
none are so good as a small-sized gazelle skin that will contain
about two gallons.

On the 23d June we were nearly suffocated by a whirlwind that
buried everything within the tents several inches in dust; the
heat was intense; as usual the sky was spotless, but the simoom
was more overpowering than I had yet experienced. I accordingly
took my rifle and went down to the pool, as any movement, even in
the burning sun, was preferable to inaction in that sultry heat
and dust. The crocodiles had dragged the skeletons of the
hippopotami into the water; several huge heads appeared and then
vanished from the surface, and the ribs of the carcase that
projected, trembled and jerked as the jaws of the crocodiles were
at work beneath. I shot one of very large size through the head,
but it sank to the bottom; I expected to find it on the following
morning floating upon the surface when the gas should have
distended the body.

I also shot a large single bull hippopotamus late in the evening,
which was alone at the extremity of the pool; he sank at the
forehead shot, and, as he never rose again, I concluded that he
was dead, and that I should find him on the morrow with the
crocodile. Tired with the heat, I trudged homeward over the hot
and fatiguing sand of the river's bed.

The cool night arrived, and at about half-past eight I was lying
half asleep upon my bed by the margin of the river, when I
fancied that I heard a rumbling like distant thunder: I had not
heard such a sound for months, but a low uninterrupted roll
appeared to increase in volume, although far distant. Hardly had
I raised my head to listen more attentively when a confusion of
voices arose from the Arabs' camp, with a sound of many feet, and
in a few minutes they rushed into my camp, shouting to my men in
the darkness, "El Bahr! El Bahr!" (the river! the river!)

We were up in an instant, and my interpreter, Mahomet, in a state
of intense confusion, explained that the river was coming down,
and that the supposed distant thunder was the roar of approaching
water.

Many of the people were asleep on the clean sand on the river's
bed; these were quickly awakened by the Arabs, who rushed down
the steep bank to save the skulls of my two hippopotami that were
exposed to dry. Hardly had they descended, when the sound of the
river in the darkness beneath told us that the water had arrived,
and the men, dripping with wet, had just sufficient time to drag
their heavy burdens up the bank.

All was darkness and confusion; everybody was talking and no one
listening; but the great event had occurred the river had arrived
"like a thief in the night." On the morning of the 24th June, I
stood on the banks of the noble Atbara river, at the break of
day. The wonder of the desert!--yesterday there was a barren
sheet of glaring sand, with a fringe of withered bush and trees
upon its borders, that cut the yellow expanse of desert. For days
we had journeyed along the exhausted bed: all Nature, even in
Nature's poverty, was most poor: no bush could boast a leaf: no
tree could throw a shade: crisp gums crackled upon the stems of
the mimosas, the sap dried upon the burst bark, sprung with the
withering heat of the simoom. In one night there was a mysterious
change--wonders of the mighty Nile!--an army of water was
hastening to the wasted river: there was no drop of rain, no
thunder-cloud on the horizon to give hope, all had been dry and
sultry; dust and desolation yesterday, to-day a magnificent
stream, some 500 yards in width and from fifteen to twenty feet
in depth, flowed through the dreary desert! Bamboos and reeds,
with trash of all kinds, were hurried along the muddy waters.
Where were all the crowded inhabitants of the pool? The prison
doors were broken, the prisoners were released, and rejoiced in
the mighty stream of the Atbara.

The 24th June, 1861, was a memorable day. Although this was
actually the beginning of my work, I felt that by the experience
of this night I had obtained a clue to one portion of the Nile
mystery, and that, as "coming events cast their shadows before
them," this sudden creation of a river was but the shadow of the
great cause.

The rains were pouring in Abyssinia! these were sources of the
Nile!

One of my Turks, Hadji Achmet, was ill; therefore, although I
longed to travel, it was necessary to wait. I extract verbatim
from my journal, 26th June:--"The river has still risen; the
weather is cooler, and the withered trees and bushes are giving
signs of bursting into leaf. This season may be termed the spring
of this country. The frightful simoom of April, May, and June,
burns everything as though parched by fire, and not even a
withered leaf hangs to a bough, but the trees wear a wintry
appearance in the midst of intense heat. The wild geese have
paired, the birds are building their nests, and, although not
even a drop of dew has fallen, all Nature seems to be aware of an
approaching change, as the south wind blowing cool from the wet
quarter is the harbinger of rain. Already some of the mimosas
begin to afford a shade, under which the gazelles may be surely
found at mid-day; the does are now in fawn, and the young will be
dropped when this now withered land shall be green with herbage.

"Busy, packing for a start to-morrow; I send Hadji Velli back to
Berber in charge of the two hippos' heads to the care of the good
old Halleem Effendi. No time for shooting to-day. I took out all
the hippos' teeth, of which he possesses 40, 10--10,
                                             ------
                                             10--10
six tusks and fourteen molars in each jaw. The bones of the
hippopotamus, like those of the elephant, are solid, and without
marrow."


CHAPTER III.

WILD ASSES OF THE DESERT.

THE journey along the margin of the Atbara was similar to the
entire route from Berber, a vast desert, with the narrow band of
trees that marked the course of the river; the only change was
the magical growth of the leaves, which burst hourly from the
swollen buds of the mimosas: this could be accounted for by the
sudden arrival of the river, as the water percolated rapidly
through the sand and nourished the famishing roots.

The tracks of wild asses had been frequent, but hitherto I had
not seen the animals, as their drinking-hour was at night, after
which they travelled far into the desert: however, on the morning
of the 29th June, shortly after the start at about 6 A.M., we
perceived three of these beautiful creatures on our left--an ass,
a female, and a foal. They were about half a mile distant when
first observed, and upon our approach to within half that
distance they halted and faced about; they were evidently on
their return to the desert from the river. Those who have seen
donkeys in their civilized state have no conception of the beauty
of the wild and original animal. Far from the passive and subdued
appearance of the English ass, the animal in its native desert is
the perfection of activity and courage; there is a high-bred tone
in the deportment, a high-actioned step when it trots freely over
the rocks and sand, with the speed of a horse when it gallops
over the boundless desert. No animal is more difficult of
approach; and, although they are frequently captured by the
Arabs, those taken are invariably the foals, which are ridden
down by fast dromedaries, while the mothers escape. The colour of
the wild ass is a reddish cream tinged with the shade most
prevalent of the ground that it inhabits; thus it much resembles
the sand of the desert. I wished to obtain a specimen, and
accordingly I exerted my utmost knowledge of stalking to obtain
a shot at the male. After at least an hour and a half I succeeded
in obtaining a long shot with a single rifle, which passed
through the shoulder, and I secured my first and last donkey. It
was with extreme regret that I saw my beautiful prize in the last
gasp, and I resolved never to fire another shot at one of its
race. This fine specimen was in excellent condition, although the
miserable pasturage of the desert is confined to the wiry herbage
already mentioned; of this the stomach was full, chewed into
morsels like chopped reeds. The height of this male ass was about
13.3 or 14 hands; the shoulder was far more sloping than that of
the domestic ass, the hoofs were remarkable for their size; they
were wide, firm, and as broad as those of a horse of 15 hands.
I skinned this animal carefully, and the Arabs divided the flesh
among them, while Hadji Achmet selected a choice piece for our
own dinner. At the close of our march that evening, the morsel of
wild ass was cooked in the form of "rissoles:" the flavour
resembled beef but it was extremely tough.

On the following day, 30th June, we reached Gozerajup, a large
permanent village on the south bank of the river. By dead
reckoning we had marched 246 miles from Berber. This spot was
therefore about 220 miles from the junction of the Atbara with
the Nile. Here we remained for a few days to rest the donkeys and
to engage fresh camels. An extract from my journal will give a
general idea of this miserable country:--

"July 3.--I went out early to get something for breakfast, and
shot a hare and seven pigeons. On my return to camp, an Arab
immediately skinned the hare, and pulling out the liver, lungs,
and kidneys, he ate them raw and bloody. The Arabs invariably eat
the lungs, liver, kidneys, and the thorax of sheep, gazelles, &c.
while they are engaged in skinning the beasts, after which they
crack the leg bones between stones, and suck out the raw marrow."

A Bishareen Arab wears his hair in hundreds of minute plaits
which hang down to his shoulders, surmounted by a circular bushy
topknot upon the crown, about the size of a large breakfast-cup,
from the base of which the plaits descend. When in full dress,
the plaits are carefully combed out with an ivory skewer about
eighteen inches in length; after this operation, the head appears
like a huge black mop surmounted by a fellow mop of a small size.
Through this mass of hair he carries his skewer, which is
generally ornamented, and which answers the double purpose of
comb and general scratcher.

The men have remarkably fine features, but the women are not
generally pretty. The Bishareen is the largest Arab tribe of
Nubia. Like all the Arabs of Upper Egypt, they pay taxes to the
Viceroy; these are gathered by parties of soldiers, who take the
opportunity of visiting them during the drought, at which time
they can be certainly found near the river; but at any other
season it would be as easy to collect tribute from the gazelles
of the desert as from the wandering Bishareens. The appearance of
Turkish soldiers is anything but agreeable to the Arabs;
therefore my escort of Turks was generally received with the
"cold shoulder" upon our arrival at an Arab camp, and no supplies
were forthcoming in the shape of milk, &c. until the long
coorbatch (hippopotamus whip) of Hadji Achmet had cracked several
times across the shoulders of the village headman. At first this
appeared to me extremely brutal, but I was given to understand
that I was utterly ignorant of the Arab character, and that he
knew best. I found by experience that Hadji Achmet was correct;
even where milk was abundant, the Arabs invariably declared that
they had not a drop, that the goats were dry, or had strayed
away; and some paltry excuses were offered until the temper of
the Turk became exhausted, and the coorbatch assisted in the
argument. A magician's rod could not have produced a greater
miracle than the hippopotamus whip. The goats were no longer dry,
and in a few minutes large gourds of milk were brought, and
liberally paid for, while I was ridiculed by the Turk, Hadji
Achmet, for so foolishly throwing away money to the "Arab dogs."

Our route was to change. We had hitherto followed the course of
the Atbara, but we were now to leave that river on our right,
while we should travel S.E. about ninety miles to Cassala, the
capital of the Taka country, on the confines of Abyssinia, the
great depot upon that frontier for Egyptian troops, military
stores, &c.

Having procured fresh camels, we started on 5th July. This
portion of the desert was rich in agates and numerous specimens
of bloodstone. Exactly opposite the village of Gozerajup are
curious natural landmarks,--four pyramidical hills of granite
that can be seen for many miles' distance in this perfectly level
country. One of these hills is about 500 feet high, and is
composed entirely of flaked blocks of grey granite piled one upon
the other; some of these stand perpendicularly in single masses
from 30 to 50 feet high, and from a distance might be taken for
giants climbing the hill-side. The pinnacle has a peculiar
conical cap, which appears to have been placed there by design,
but upon closer inspection it is found to be natural, as no stone
of such immense size could have been placed in such a position.

For the first two hours' march from this landmark, the country
was covered with scrubby bush abounding in gazelles and
guinea-fowl. Here, for the first time, I saw the secretary bird,
known to the Arabs as the "Devil's horse." A pair of these
magnificent birds were actively employed in their useful
avocation of hunting reptiles, which they chased with wonderful
speed. Great numbers of wild asses passed us during the march
towards evening; they were on their way from the desert to the
Atbara river, some miles distant upon the west. Veritable thunder
we now heard for the first time in Africa, and a cloud rose with
great rapidity from the horizon. A cloud was a wonder that we had
not enjoyed for months, but as this increased both in size and
density, accompanied by a gust of cool wind, we were led to
expect a still greater wonder--RAIN! Hardly had we halted for the
night, when down it came in torrents, accompanied by a heavy
thunderstorm. On the following morning, we experienced the
disadvantage of rain; the ground was so slippery that the camels
could not march, and we were obliged to defer our start until the
sun had dried the surface.

We had now arrived at the most interesting point to an explorer.
From Cairo to within a few miles south of Gozerajup stretched the
unbroken desert through which we had toiled from Korosko, and
which had so firmly impressed its dreariness upon the mind that
nothing but desert had been expected: we had learned to be
content in a world of hot sand, rocks, and pebbles; but we had
arrived upon the limit; the curious landmark of Gozerajup was an
everlasting beacon that marked the frontier of the Nubian desert;
it was a giant warder, that seemed to guard the living south from
the dreadful skeleton of nature on the north; the desert had
ceased!

It was a curious and happy coincidence that onr arrival upon the
limits of the desert should have been celebrated by the first
shower of rain: we no longer travelled upon sand and stones, but
we stood upon a fertile loam, rendered soapy and adhesive by the
recent shower. The country was utterly barren at that season, as
the extreme heat of the sun and simoom destroys all vegetation so
thoroughly that it becomes as crisp as glass; the dried grass
breaks in the wind, and is carried away in dust, leaving the
earth so utterly naked and bare that it is rendered a complete
desert.

In the rainy season, the whole of this country, from the south to
Gozerajup, is covered with excellent pasturage, and, far from
resembling a desert, it becomes a mass of bright green herbage.
The Arabs and their flocks are driven from the south by the flies
and by the heavy rains, and Gozerajup offers a paradise to both
men and beasts; thousands of camels with their young, hundreds of
thousands of goats, sheep, and cattle, are accompanied by the
Arabs and their families, who encamp on the happy pastures during
the season of plenty.

We had now passed the hunts occupied by the Bishareens, and we
had entered upon the country of the Hadendowa Arabs. These are an
exceedingly bad tribe, and, together with their neighbours, the
Hallonga Arabs, they fought determinedly against the Egyptians,
until finally conquered during the reign of the famous Mehemet
Ala Pasha, when the provinces of Nubia submitted unconditionally,
and became a portion of Upper Egypt.

Upon arrival at Soojalup we came upon the principal encampment of
the Hadendowa during the dry season. Within a few miles of this
spot the scene had changed: instead of the bare earth denuded of
vegetation, the country was covered with jungle, already nearly
green, while the vast plains of grass, enlivened by beautiful
herds of antelopes, proved not only the fertility of the soil,
but the presence of moisture. Although there was no stream, nor
any appearance of a river's bed, Soojalup was well supplied with
water throughout the hottest season by numerous wells. This spot
is about forty miles distant from Gozerajup, and is the first
watering-place upon the route to Cassala. As we approached the
wells, we passed several large villages surrounded by fenced
gardens of cotton, and tobacco, both of which throve exceedingly.
Every village possessed a series of wells, with a simple
contrivance for watering their cattle:--Adjoining the mouth of
each well was a basin formed of clay, raised sufficiently high
above the level of the ground to prevent the animals from
treading it while drinking. With a rope and a leathern bag
distended by pieces of stick, the water was raised from the wells
and emptied into the clay basins; the latter were circular, about
nine feet in diameter, and two feet deep. I measured the depth of
some of the wells, and found a uniformity of forty feet. We
halted at Soojalup for the night: here for the first time I saw
the beautiful antelope known by the Arabs as the Ariel (Gazelle
Dama). This is a species of gazelle, being similar in form and in
shape of the horns, but as large as a fallow deer: the colour
also nearly resembles that of the gazelle, with the exception of
the rump, which is milk-white.

These animals had no water nearer than the Atbara river, unless
they could obtain a stealthy supply from the cattle basins of the
Arabs during the night; they were so wild, from being constantly
disturbed and hunted by the Arab dogs, that I found it impossible
to stalk them upon the evening of our arrival. The jungles
literally swarmed with guinea-fowl--I shot nine in a few minutes,
and returned to camp with dinner for my whole party. The only
species of guinea-fowl that I have seen in Africa is that with
the blue comb and wattles. These birds are a blessing to the
traveller, as not only are they generally to be met with from the
desert frontier throughout the fertile portions of the south, but
they are extremely good eating, and far superior to the domestic
guinea-fowl of Europe. In this spot, Soojalup, I could have
killed any number, had I wished to expend my shot: but this most
necessary ammunition required much nursing during a long
exploration. I had a good supply, four hundredweight of the most
useful sizes, No. 6 for general shooting, and B B. for geese,
&c.; also a bag of No. 10, for firing into dense flocks of small
birds. On the following morning we left Soojalup; for several
miles on our route were Arab camps and wells, with immense herds
of goats, sheep, and cattle. Antelopes were very numerous, and it
was exceedingly interesting to observe the new varieties as we
increased our distance from the north. I shot two from my camel
(G. Dorcas); they were about the size of a fine roebuck;--the
horns were like those of the gazelle, but the animals were larger
and darker in colour, with a distinguishing mark in a jet black
stripe longitudinally dividing the white of the belly from the
reddish colour of the flank. These antelopes were exceedingly
wild, and without the aid of a camel it would have been
impossible to approach them. I had exchanged my donkey for Hadji
Achmet's dromedary; thus mounted, I could generally succeed in
stalking to within ninety or a hundred yards, by allowing the
animal to feed upon the various bushes, as though I had mounted
it for the purpose of leading it to graze. This deceived the
antelopes, and by carefully ascertaining the correct wind, I
obtained several shots, some of which failed, owing to the
unsteadiness of my steed, which had a strong objection to the
rifle.

The entire country from Gozerajup to Cassala is a dead flat, upon
which there is not one tree sufficiently large to shade a
full-sized tent: there is no real timber in the country, but the
vast level extent of soil is a series of open plains and low bush
of thorny mimosa: there is no drainage upon this perfect level;
thus, during the rainy season, the soakage actually melts the
soil, and forms deep holes throughout the country, which then
becomes an impracticable slough, bearing grass and jungle. Upon
this fertile tract of land, cotton might be cultivated to a large
extent, and sent to Berber, via Atbara, from Gozerajup, during
the season of flood. At the present time, the growth is
restricted to the supply required by the Arabs for the
manufacture of their cloths. These are woven by themselves, the
weaver sitting in a hole excavated in the ground before his rude
loom, shaded by a rough thatch about ten feet square, supported
upon poles. There is a uniformity in dress throughout all the
Nubian tribes of Arabs, the simple toga of the Romans this is
worn in many ways, as occasion may suggest, very similar to the
Scotch plaid. The quality of cotton produced is the same as that
of Lower Egypt, and the cloths manufactured by the Arabs,
although coarse, are remarkably soft. The toga or tope is
generally ornamented with a few red stripes at either extremity,
and is terminated by a fringe.

As we approached within about twenty-five miles o Cassala, I
remarked that the country on our left was in many places flooded;
the Arabs, who had hitherto been encamped in this neighbourhood
during the dry season, were migrating to other localities in the
neighbourhood of Soojalup and Gozerajup, with their vast herds of
camels and goats. As rain had not fallen in sufficient quantity
to account for the flood, I was informed that it was due to the
river Gash, or Mareb, which, flowing from Abyssinia, passed
beneath the walls of Cassala, and then divided into innumerable
ramifications; it was eventually lost, and disappeared in the
porous soil, after having flooded a large extent of country. This
cause accounted for the never-failing wells of Soojalup--doubtless
a substratum of clay prevented the total escape of the water,
which remained at a depth of forty feet from the surface. The
large tract of country thus annually flooded by the river Gash
is rendered extremely fruitful, and is the resort of both the
Hadendowa and the Hallonga Arabs during the dry season, who
cultivate large quantities of dhurra, and other grain.
Unfortunately, in these climates, fertility of soil is
generally combined with unhealthiness, and the commencement of
the rainy season is the signal for fevers and other maladies. No
sooner had we arrived in the flooded country than my wife was
seized with a sudden and severe attack, which necessitated a halt
upon the march, as she could no longer sit upon her camel. In the
evening, several hundreds of Arabs arrived, and encamped around
our fire. It was shortly after sunset, and it was interesting to
watch the extreme rapidity with which these swarthy sons of the
desert pitched their camp--a hundred fires were quickly blazing;
the women prepared the food, children sat in clusters round the
blaze, as all were wet from paddling through the puddled ground,
from which they were retreating.

No sooner was the bustle of arrangement completed, than a grey
old man stepped forward, and, responding to his call, every man
of the hundreds present formed in line, three or four deep. At
once there was total silence, disturbed only by the crackling of
the fires, or by the cry of a child; and with faces turned to the
east, in attitudes of profound devotion, the wild but fervent
followers of Mahomet repeated their evening prayer.

The flickering red light of the fires illumined the bronze faces
of the congregation, and as I stood before the front line of
devotees, I took off my cap in respect for their faith, and at
the close of their prayer I made my salaam to their venerable
Faky (priest); he returned the salutation with the cold dignity
of an Arab. In this part the coorbatch of the Turk was
unnecessary, and we shortly obtained supplies of milk. I ordered
the dragoman Mahomet to inform the Faky that I was a doctor, and
that I had the best medicines at the service of the sick, with
advice gratis. In a short time I had many applicants, to whom I
served out a quantity of Holloway's pills. These are most useful
to an explorer, as, possessing unmistakeable purgative
properties, they create an undeniable effect upon the patient,
which satisfies him of their value. They are also extremely
convenient, as they may be carried by the pound in a tin box, and
served out in infinitesimal doses from one to ten at a time,
according to the age of the patients. I had a large medicine
chest, with all necessary drugs, but I was sorely troubled by the
Arab women, many of whom were barren, who insisted upon my
supplying them with some medicine that would remove this stigma
and render them fruitful. It was in vain to deny them; I
therefore gave them usually a small dose of ipecacuanha, with the
comforting word to an Arab, "Inshallah," "if it please God." At
the same time I explained that the medicine was of little value.

On the following morning, during the march, my wife had a renewal
of fever. We had already passed a large village named Abre, and
the country was a forest of small trees, which, being in leaf,
threw a delicious shade. Under a tree, upon a comfortable bed of
dry sand, we wer obliged to lay her for several hours, until the
paroxysm passed, and she could remount her dromedary. This she
did with extreme difficulty, and we hurried toward Cassala, from
which town we were only a few miles distant.

For the last fifty or sixty miles we had seen the Cassala
mountain--at first a blue speck above the horizon. It now rose in
all the beauty of a smooth and bare block of granite, about 3,500
feet above the level of the country with the town of Cassala at
the base, and the roaring torrent Gash flowing at our feet. When
we reached the end of the day's march, it was between 5 and 6
P.M. The walled town was almost washed by the river, which was at
least 500 yards wide. However, our guides assured us that it was
fordable, although dangerous on account of the strength of the
current. Camels are most stupid and nervous animals in water;
that ridden by my wife was fortunately better than the
generality. I sent two Arabs with poles, ahead of my camel, and
carefully led the way. After considerable difficulty, we forded
the river safely; the water was nowhere above four feet deep,
and, in most places, it did not exceed three; but the great
rapidity of the stream would have rendered it impossible for the
me to cross without the assistance of poles. One of our camels
lost its footing, and was carried helplessly down the river for
some hundred yards, until it stranded upon a bank.

The sun had sunk when we entered Cassala. It is a walled town,
surrounded by a ditch and flanking towers, and containing about
8,000 inhabitants, exclusive of troops. The houses and walls were
of unburnt brick, smeared with clay and cow-dung. As we rode
through the dusty streets, I sent off Mahomet with my firman to
the Mudir; and, not finding a suitable place inside the town, I
returned outside the walls, where I ordered the tents to be
pitched in a convenient spot among some wild fig-trees. Hardly
were the tents pitched than Mahomet returned, accompanied by an
officer and ten soldiers as a guard, with a polite message from
the Mudir or governor, who had, as usual, kissed the potent
firman, and raised it to his forehead, with the declaration that
he was "my servant, and that all that I required should be
immediately attended to." Shortly after, we were called upon by
several Greeks, one of whom was the army doctor, Signor Georgis,
who, with great kindness, offered to supply all our wants. My
wife was dreadfully weak and exhausted, therefore an undisturbed
night's rest was all that was required, with the independence of
our own tent.

Cassala is rich in hyaenas, and the night was passed in the
discordant howling of these disgusting but useful animals: they
are the scavengers of the country, devouring every species of
filth, and clearing all carrion from the earth. Without the
hyaenas and vultures, the neighbourhood of a Nubian village would
be unbearable; it is the idle custom of the people to leave
unburied all animals that die. Thus, among the numerous flocks
and herds, the casualties would create a pestilence were it not
for the birds and beasts of prey.

On the following morning the fever had yielded to quinine, and we
were enabled to receive a round of visits--the governor and
suite, Elias Bey, the doctor and a friend, and, lastly, Malem
Georgis, an elderly Greek merchant, who, with great hospitality,
insisted upon our quitting the sultry tent and sharing his own
roof. We therefore became his guests in a most comfortable house
for some days. Our Turk, Hadji Achmet, returned on his way to
Berber; we discharged our camels, and prepared - to start afresh
from this point for the Nile tributaries of Abyssinia.


CHAPTER IV.

ROUTE FROM CASSALA TO SOUAKIM.

BY dead reckoning, Cassala is ninety-three miles S.S.E. of
Gozerajup, or about 340 miles from Berber. We had ridden about
710 miles from Korosko, 630 miles of which had been through
scorching deserts during the hottest season. We were, therefore,
thankful to exchange the intense heat of the tent for a solid
roof, and to rest for a short time in the picturesque country of
Taka.

The direct route to Cassala, the capital of Taka, should be from
Suez to Souakim, on the Red Sea, and from thence in sixteen days,
by camel. Thus, were there a line from Suez to Souakim by
steamers, similar to that already established to Jedda, Cassala
would be only twenty-two days' journey from Cairo. At present,
the arrival of steamers at Souakim is entirely uncertain;
therefore the trade of the country is paralysed by the apathy of
the Egyptian Government. The Abdul Azziz Company run their
steamers regularly from Suez to Jedda; and, although they
advertise Souakim as a port of call, there is no dependence to be
placed upon the announcement; therefore, all merchants are afraid
not only of delay, but of high warehouse charges at Souakim. The
latter port is only four days' steaming from Suez, and, being the
most central depot for all merchandise both to and from Upper
Egypt, it would become a point of great importance were regular
means of transport established.

Cotton of excellent quality may be grown to an unlimited amount
in the provinces of Upper Egypt, and could be delivered at
Souakim at a trifling cost of transport. A large quantity of gum
arabic is collected throughout this country, which sells in
Cassala at 20 piastres (4s. 2d.) the cantar of 100 lbs. There are
three varieties, produced from various mimosas; the finest
quality is gathered in the province of Kordofan, but I
subsequently met with large quantities of this species in the
Base country. Senna grows wild in the deserts, but the low price
hardly pays for the cost of collection. There are several
varieties; that with extremely narrow and sharp-pointed leaves is
preferred. It grows in sandy situations where few plants would
exist. The bush seldom exceeds three feet in height, and is
generally below that standard; but it is exceedingly thick, and
rich in a pale green foliage, which is a strong temptation to the
hungry camel. Curiously, this purgative plant is the animal's
bonne bouche, and is considered most nourishing as fodder.

The exports of the Soudan are limited to gum arabic, ivory,
hides, senna, and bees'-wax; the latter is the produce of
Abyssinia. These articles are generally collected by travelling
native traders, who sell to the larger merchants resident in
Cassala and Khartoum, the two principal towns of the Soudan. The
bazaar in Cassala was poor, as the principal articles were those
of low price, adapted to the wants of the Arabs, who flock to the
capital as a small London, to make their purchases of cloths,
perfumery for the women, copper cooking pots, &c.

The fortifications of the town, although useless against cannon,
are considered by the Arabs as impregnable. The walls are of
solid mud and sun-baked bricks, carefully loopholed for musketry,
while a deep fosse, by which it is surrounded, is a safeguard
against a sudden surprise.

These engineering precautions were rendered necessary by the
ferocity of the Arabs, who fought the Egyptians with great
determination for some years before they were finally subdued.
Although the weapons of all the Arab tribes are the simple sword
and lance, they defended their country against the regular troops
of Egypt until they were completely defeated by a scarcity of
water, against which there could be no resistance. The Egyptians
turned the course of the river Gash, and entirely shut off the
supply from one portion of the country, while they inundated
another. This was effected by an immense dam, formed of the stems
of the dome palms, as a double row of piles, while the interior
was rendered water-tight by a lining of matting filled up with
sand.

Cassala was built about twenty years before I visited the
country, after Taka had been conquered and annexed to Egypt. The
general annexation of the Soudan and the submission of the
numerous Arab tribes to the Viceroy have been the first steps
necessary to the improvement of the country. Although the
Egyptians are hard masters, and do not trouble themselves about
the future well-being of the conquered races, it must be
remembered that, prior to the annexation, all the tribes were at
war among themselves. There was neither government nor law; thus
the whole country was closed to Europeans. At present, there is
no more danger in travelling in Upper Egypt than in crossing Hyde
Park after dark, provided the traveller be just and courteous. At
the time of my visit to Cassala in 1861, the Arab tribes were
separately governed by their own chiefs or sheiks, who were
responsible to the Egyptian authorities for the taxes due from
their people: since that period, the entire tribes of all
denominations have been placed under the authority of that grand
old Arab patriarch Achmet Abou Sinn, to be hereafter mentioned.
The Sheik Moosa, of the Hadendowa tribe, was in prison during our
stay in that country, for some breach of discipline in his
dealings with the Egyptian Government. The iron hand of despotism
has produced a marvellous change among the Arabs, who are
rendered utterly powerless by the system of government adopted by
the Egyptians; unfortunately, this harsh system has the effect of
paralysing all industry.

The principal object of Turks and Egyptians in annexation, is to
increase their power of taxation by gaining an additional number
of subjects. Thus, although many advantages have accrued to the
Arab provinces of Nubia through Egyptian rule, there exists an
amount of mistrust between the governed and the governing. Not
only are the camels, cattle, and sheep subjected to a tax, but
every attempt at cultivation is thwarted by the authorities, who
impose a fine or tax upon the superficia1 area of the cultivated
land. Thus, no one will cultivate more than is absolutely
necessary, as he dreads the difficulties that the broad acres of
waving crops would entail upon his family. The bona fide tax is
a bagatelle to the amounts squeezed from him by the extortionate
soldiery, who are the agents employed by the sheik; these must
have their share of the plunder, in excess of the amount to be
delivered to their employer; he, also, must have his plunder
before he parts with the bags of dollars to the governor of the
province. Thus the unfortunate cultivator is ground down; should
he refuse to pay the necessary "baksheesh" or present to the
tax-collectors, some false charge is trumped up against him, and
he is thrown into prison. As a green field is an attraction to a
flight of locusts in their desolating voyage, so is a luxuriant
farm in the Soudan a point for the tax-collectors of Upper Egypt.
I have frequently ridden several days' journey through a
succession of empty villages, deserted by the inhabitants upon
the report of the soldiers' approach; the women and children,
goats and cattle, camels and asses, have all been removed into
the wilderness for refuge, while their crops of corn have been
left standing for the plunderers, who would be too idle to reap
and thrash the grain.

Notwithstanding the misrule that fetters the steps of
improvement, Nature has bestowed such great capabilities of
production in the fertile soil of this country, that the yield of
a small surface is more than sufficient for the requirements of
the population, and actual poverty is unknown. The average price
of dhurra is fifteen piastres per "rachel," or about 3s. 2d. for
500 lbs. upon the spot where it is grown. The dhurra (Sorghum
andropogon) is the grain most commonly used throughout the
Soudan; there are great varieties of this plant, of which the
most common are the white and the red. The land is not only
favoured by Nature by its fertility, but the intense heat of the
summer is the labourer's great assistant. As before described,
all vegetation entirely disappears in the glaring Sun, or becomes
so dry that it is swept off by fire; thus the soil is perfectly
clean and fit for immediate cultivation upon the arrival of the
rains. The tool generally used is similar to the Dutch hoe. With
this simple implement the surface is scratched to the depth of
about two inches, and the seeds of the dhurra are dibbled in
about three feet apart, in rows from four to five feet in width.
Two seeds are dropped into each hole. A few days after the first
shower they rise above the ground, and when about six inches
high, the whole population turn out of their villages at break of
day to weed the dhurra fields. Sown in July, it is harvested in
February and March. Eight months are thus required for the
cultivation of this cereal in the intense heat of Nubia. For the
first three months the growth is extremely rapid, and the stem
attains a height of six or seven feet. When at perfection on the
rich soil of the Taka country, the plant averages a height of ten
feet, the circumference of the stem being about four inches. The
crown is a feather very similar to that of the sugar cane; the
blossom falls, and the feather becomes a head of dhurra, weighing
about two pounds. Each grain is about the size of hemp-seed.
I took the trouble of counting the corns contained in an
average-sized head, the result being 4,848. The process of
harvesting and thrashing are remarkably simple, as the heads are
simply detached from the straw and beaten out in piles. The dried
straw is a substitute for sticks in forming the walls of the
village huts; these are plastered with clay and cow-dung, which
form the Arab's lath and plaster.

The millers' work is exclusively the province of the women. There
are no circular hand-mills, as among Oriental nations; but the
corn is ground upon a simple flat stone, of either gneiss or
granite, about two feet in length by fourteen inches in width.
The face of this is roughened by beating with a sharp-pointed
piece of harder stone, such as quartz, or hornblende, and the
grain is reduced to flour by great labour and repeated grinding
or rubbing with a stone rolling-pin. The flour is mixed with
water and allowed to ferment; it is then made into thin pancakes
upon an earthenware flat portable hearth. This species of
leavened bread is known to the Arabs as the kisra. It is not very
palatable, but it is extremely well suited to Arab cookery, as it
can be rolled up like a pancake and dipped in the general dish of
meat and gravy very conveniently, in the absence of spoons and
forks. No man will condescend to grind the corn, and even the
Arab women have such an objection to this labour, that one of the
conditions of matrimony enforced upon the husband, if possible,
provides the wife with a slave woman to prepare the flour.

Hitherto we had a large stock of biscuits, but as our dragoman
Mahomet had, in a curious fit of amiability, dispensed them among
the camel-drivers, we were now reduced to the Arab kisras.
Although not as palatable as wheaten bread, the flour of dhurra
is exceedingly nourishing, containing, according to Professor
Johnston's analysis, eleven and a half per cent. of gluten, or
one and a half per cent. more than English wheaten flour. Thus
men and beasts thrive, especially horses, which acquire an
excellent condition.

The neighbourhood of Cassala is well adapted for the presence of
a large town and military station, as the fertile soil produces
the necessary supplies, while the river Gash affords excellent
water. In the rainy season this should be filtered, as it brings
down many impurities from the torrents of Abyssinia, but in the
heat of summer the river is entirely dry, and clear and wholesome
water is procured from wells in the sandy bed. The south and
south-east of Cassala is wild and mountainous, affording
excellent localities for hill stations during the unhealthy rainy
season; but such sanitary arrangements for the preservation of
troops are about as much heeded by the Egyptian Government as by
our own, and regiments are left in unwholesome climates to take
their chance, although the means of safety are at hand.

The Taka country being the extreme frontier of Egypt, constant
raids are made by the Egyptians upon their neighbours--the
hostile Base, through which country the river Gash or Mareb
descends. I was anxious to procure all the information possible
concerning the Base, as it would be necessary to traverse the
greater portion in exploring the Settite river, which is the
principal tributary of the Atbara, and which is in fact the main
and parent stream, although bearing a different name. I heard but
one opinion of the Base--it was a wild and independent country,
inhabited by a ferocious race, whose hand was against every man,
and who in return were the enemies of all by whom they were
surrounded--Egyptians, Abyssinians, Arabs, and Mek Nimmur;
nevertheless, secure in their mountainous stronghold, they defied
all adversaries. The Base is a portion of Abyssinia, but the
origin of the tribe that occupies this ineradicable hornet's nest
is unknown. Whether they are the remnant of the original
Ethiopians, who possessed the country prior to the conquests of
the Abyssinians, or whether they are descended from the
woolly-haired tribes of the south banks of the Blue Nile, is
equally a mystery; all we know is that they are of the same type
as the inhabitants of Fazogle, of the upper portion of the Blue
River; they are exceedingly black, with woolly hair, resembling
in that respect the negro, but without the flat nose or
prognathous jaw. No quarter is given on either side, should the
Base meet the Arabs, with whom war is to the knife. In spite of
the overwhelming superiority of their adversaries, the Base
cannot be positively subdued; armed with the lance as their only
weapon, but depending upon extreme agility and the natural
difficulties of their mountain passes, the attack of the Base is
always by stealth; their spies are ever prowling about unseen
like the leopard, and their onset is invariably a surprise;
success or defeat are alike followed by a rapid retreat to their
mountains.

As there is nothing to be obtained by the plunder of the Base but
women and children as slaves, the country is generally avoided,
unless visited for the express purpose of a slave razzia.
Cultivation being extremely limited, the greater portion of the
country is perfectly wild, and is never visited even by the Base
themselves unless for the purpose of hunting. Several beautiful
rivers descend from the mountain ranges, which ultimately flow
into the Atbara; these, unlike the latter river, are never dry:
thus, with a constant supply of water, in a country of forest and
herbage, the Base abounds in elephants, rhinoceroses,
hippopotami, giraffes, buffaloes, lions, leopards, and great
numbers of the antelope tribe.

Cassala, thus situated on the confines of the Taka country, is an
important military point in the event of war between Egypt and
Abyssinia, as the Base would be invaluable as allies to the
Egyptians; their country commands the very heart of Abyssinia,
and their knowledge of the roads would be an incalculable
advantage to an invading force. On the 14th July I had concluded
my arrangements for the start; there had been some difficulty in
procuring camels, but the all-powerful firman was a never-failing
talisman, and, as the Arabs had declined to let their animals for
hire, the Governor despatched a number of soldiers and seized the
required number, including their owners. I engaged two wild young
Arabs of eighteen and twenty years of age, named Bacheet and Wat
Gamma: the latter being interpreted signifies "Son of the Moon."
This in no way suggests lunacy, but the young Arab had happened
to enter this world on the day of the new moon, which was
considered to be a particularly fortunate and brilliant omen at
his birth. Whether the climax of his good fortune had arrived at
the moment he entered my service I know not, but, if so, there
was a cloud over his happiness in his subjection to Mahomet the
dragoman, who rejoiced in the opportunity of bullying the two
inferiors. Wat Gamma was a quiet, steady, well-conducted lad, who
bore oppression mildly; but the younger, Bacheet, was a fiery,
wild young Arab, who, although an excellent boy in his peculiar
way, was almost incapable of being tamed and domesticated. I at
once perceived that Mahomet would have a determined rebel to
control, which I confess I did not regret. Wages were not high in
this part of the world,--the lads were engaged at one and a half
dollar per month and their keep. Mahomet, who was a great man,
suffered from the same complaint to which great men are (in those
countries) particularly subject: wherever he went, he was
attacked with claimants of relationship; he was overwhelmed with
professions of friendship from people who claimed to be
connexions of some of his family; in fact, if all the
ramifications of his race were correctly represented by the
claimants of relationship, Mahomet's family tree would have
shaded the Nubian desert.

We all have our foibles: the strongest fort has its feeble point,
as the chain snaps at its weakest link;--family pride was
Mahomet's weak link. This was his tender point; and Mahomet, the
great and the imperious, yielded to the gentle scratching of his
ear if a stranger claimed connexion with his ancient lineage. Of
course he had no family, with the exception of his wife and two
children, whom he had left in Cairo. The lady whom he had
honoured by an admission to the domestic circle of the Mahomets
was suffering from a broken arm when we started from Egypt, as
she had cooked the dinner badly, and the "gaddah," or large
wooden bowl, had been thrown at her by the naturally indignant
husband, precisely as he had thrown the axe at one man and the
basin at another, while in our service: these were little
contretemps that could hardly disturb the dignity of so great a
man. Mahomet met several relations at Cassala: one borrowed money
of him; another stole his pipe; the third, who declared that
nothing should separate them now that "by the blessing of God"
they had met, determined to accompany him through all the
difficulties of our expedition, provided that Mahomet would only
permit him to serve for love, without wages. I gave Mahomet some
little advice upon this point, reminding him that, although the
clothes of the party were only worth a few piastres, the spoons
and forks were silver, therefore I should hold him responsible
for the honesty of his friend. This reflection upon the family
gave great offence, and he assured me that Achmet, our quondam
acquaintance, was so near a relation that he was--I assisted him
in the genealogical distinction: "Mother's brother's cousin's
sister's mother's son? Eh, Mahomet?" "Yes, sar, that's it!" "Very
well, Mahomet; mind he don't steal the spoons, and thrash him if
he doesn't do his work!" "Yes, sar," replied Mahomet; "he all
same like one brother, he one good man will do his business
quietly; if not, master lick him." The new relation not
understanding English, was perfectly satisfied with the success
of his introduction, and from that moment he became one of the
party. One more addition, and our arrangements were completed:--
the Governor of Cassala was determined that we should not
start without a representative of the Government, in the shape of
a soldier guide; he accordingly gave us a black man, a corporal
in one of the Nubian regiments, who was so renowned as a
sportsman that he went by the name of "El Baggar" (the cow), on
account of his having killed several of the oryx antelope, known
as "El Baggar et Wahash" (the cow of the desert).

The rains had fairly commenced, as a heavy thunder-shower
generally fell at about 2 P.M. On the 15th, the entire day was
passed in transporting our baggage across the river Gash to the
point from which we had started upon our arrival at Cassala: this
we accomplished with much difficulty, with the assistance of
about a hundred men supplied by the Governor, from whom we had
received much attention and politeness. We camped for the night
upon the margin of the river, and marched on the following
morning at daybreak due west towards the Atbara.

The country was a great improvement upon that we had hitherto
passed; the trees were larger, and vast plains of young grass,
interspersed with green bush, stretched to the horizon. The soil
was an exceedingly rich loam, most tenacious when wetted: far as
the eye could reach to the north and west of Cassala was the dead
level plain, while to the south and east arose a broken chain of
mountains.

We had not proceeded many miles, when the numerous tracks of
antelopes upon the soil, moistened by the shower of yesterday,
proved that we had arrived in a sporting country; shortly after,
we saw a herd of about fifty ariels (Gazelle Dama). To stalk
these wary antelopes I was obliged to separate from my party, who
continued on their direct route. Riding upon my camel, I tried
every conceivable dodge without success. I could not approach
them nearer than about 300 yards. They did not gallop off at
once, but made a rush for a few hundred paces, and then faced
about to gaze at the approaching camel. After having exhausted my
patience to no purpose, I tried another plan: instead of
advancing against the wind as before, I made a great circuit and
gave them the wind. No sooner was I in good cover behind a mimosa
bush than I dismounted from my camel, and, leading it until
within view of the shy herd, I tied it to a tree, keeping behind
the animal so as to be well concealed. I succeeded in retreating
through the bushes unobserved, leaving the camel as a gazing
point to attract their attention. Running at my best speed to the
same point from which I had commenced my circuit, and keeping
under cover of the scattered bushes, I thus obtained the correct
wind, and stalked up from bush to bush behind the herd, who were
curiously watching the tied camel, that was quietly gazing on a
mimosa. In this way I had succeeded in getting within 150 yards
of the beautiful herd, when a sudden fright seized them, and they
rushed off in an opposite direction to the camel, so as to pass
about 120 yards on my left; as they came by in full speed, I
singled out a superb animal, and tried the first barrel of the
little Fletcher rifle. I heard the crack of the ball, and almost
immediately afterwards the herd passed on, leaving one lagging
behind at a slow canter; this was my wounded ariel, who shortly
halted, and laid down in an open glade. Having no dog, I took the
greatest precaution in stalking, as a wounded antelope is almost
certain to escape if once disturbed when it has lain down. There
was a small withered stem of a tree not thicker than a man's
thigh; this grew within thirty yards of the antelope; my only
chance of approach was to take a line direct for this slight
object of cover. The wind was favourable, and I crept along the
ground. I had succeeded in arriving within a few yards of the
tree when up jumped the antelope, and bounded off as though
unhurt; but there was no chance for it at this distance, and I
rolled it over with a shot through the spine.

Having done the needful with my beautiful prize, and extracted
the interior, I returned for my camel that had well assisted in
the stalk. Hardly had I led the animal to the body of the ariel,
when I heard a rushing sound like a strong wind, and down came a
vulture with its wings collapsed, falling from an immense height
direct to its prey, in its eagerness to be the first in the race.
By the time that I had fastened the ariel across the back of the
camel, many vultures were sitting upon the ground at a few yards'
distance, while others were arriving every minute: before I had
shot the ariel, not a vulture had been in sight; the instant that
I retreated from the spot a flock of ravenous beaks were tearing
at the offal.

In the constant doubling necessary during the stalk I had quite
lost my way. The level plain to the horizon, covered with
scattered mimosas, offered no object as a guide. I was
exceedingly thirsty, as the heat was intense, and I had been
taking rapid exercise; unfortunately my water-skin was slung upon
my wife's camel. However unpleasant the situation, my pocket
compass would give me the direction, as we had been steering due
west; therefore, as I had turned to my left when I left my party,
a course N.W. should bring me across their tracks, if they had
continued on their route. The position of the Cassala mountain
agreed with this course; therefore, remounting my dromedary, with
the ariel slung behind the saddle, I hastened to rejoin our
caravan. After about half an hour I heard a shot fired not far in
advance, and I shortly joined the party, who had fired a gun to
give me the direction. A long and deep pull at the water-skin was
the first salutation.

We halted that night near a small pond formed by the recent heavy
rain. Fortunately the sky was clear; there was abundance of fuel,
and pots were shortly boiling an excellent stew of ariel venison
and burnt onions. The latter delicious bulbs are the blessing of
Upper Egypt: I have lived for days upon nothing but raw onions
and sun-dried rusks. Nothing is so good a substitute for meat as
an onion; but if raw, it should be cut into thin slices, and
allowed to soak for half an hour in water, which should be poured
off: the onion thus loses its pungency, and becomes mild and
agreeable; with the accompaniment of a little oil and vinegar it
forms an excellent salad.

The following day's march led us through the same dead level of
grassy plains and mimosas, enlivened with numerous herds of
ariels and large black-striped gazelles (Dorcas), one of which I
succeeded in shooting for my people. After nine hours' journey we
arrived at the, valley of the Atbara, in all sixteen hours'
actual marching from Cassala.

There was an extraordinary change in the appearance of the river
between Gozerajup and this spot. There was no longer the vast
sandy desert with the river flowing through its sterile course on
a level with the surface of the country, but after traversing an
apparently perfect flat of forty-five miles of rich alluvial
soil, we had suddenly arrived upon the edge of a deep valley,
between five and six miles wide, at the bottom of which, about
200 feet below the general level of the country, flowed the river
Atbara. On the opposite side of the valley, the same vast table
lands continued to the western horizon.

We commenced the descent towards the river; the valley was a
succession of gullies and ravines, of landslips and watercourses;
the entire hollow, of miles in width, had evidently been the work
of the river. How many ages had the rains and the stream been at
work to scoop out from the flat table land this deep and broad
valley? Here was the giant labourer that had shovelled the rich
loam upon the delta of Lower Egypt! Upon these vast flats of
fertile soil there can be no drainage except through soakage. The
deep valley is therefore the receptacle not only for the water
that oozes from its sides, but subterranean channels, bursting as
land-springs from all parts of the walls of the valley, wash down
the more soluble portions of earth, and continually waste away
the soil. Landslips occur daily during the rainy season; streams
of rich mud pour down the valley's slopes, and as the river flows
beneath in a swollen torrent, the friable banks topple down into
the stream and dissolve. The Atbara becomes the thickness of
pea-soup, as its muddy waters steadily perform the duty they have
fulfilled from age to age. Thus was the great river at work upon
our arrival on its bank at the bottom of the valley. The Arab
name, "Bahr el Aswat" (black river) was well bestowed; it was the
black mother of Egypt, still carrying to her offspring the
nourishment that had first formed the Delta.

At this point of interest, the journey had commenced; the deserts
were passed, all was fertility and life: wherever the sources of
the Nile might be, the Atbara was the parent of Egypt! This was
my first impression, to be proved hereafter.


CHAPTER V.

THE STORM.

A VIOLENT thunderstorm, with a deluge of rain, broke upon our
camp upon the banks of the Atbara, fortunately just after the
tents were pitched. We thus had an example of the extraordinary
effects of the heavy rain in tearing away the soil of the valley.
Trifling watercourses were swollen to torrents; banks of earth
became loosened and fell in, and the rush of mud and water upon
all sides swept forward into the river with a rapidity which
threatened the destruction of the country, could such a tempest
endure for a few days. In a couple of hours all was over. The
river was narrower than in its passage through the desert, but
was proportionately deeper. The name of the village on the
opposite bank was Goorashee, with which a means of communication
had been established by a ferry-boat belonging to our friend and
late host, Malem Georgis, the Greek merchant of Cassala. He had
much trouble in obtaining permission from the authorities to
introduce this novelty, which was looked upon as an innovation,
as such a convenience had never before existed. The enterprising
proprietor had likewise established a cotton farm at Goorashee,
which appeared to succeed admirably, and was an undeniable
example of what could be produced in this fertile country were
the spirit of improvement awakened. Notwithstanding the advantage
of the ferry-boat, many of the Arabs preferred to swim their
camels across the river to paying a trifle to the ferryman. A
camel either cannot or will not swim unless it is supported by
inflated skins: thus the passage of the broad river Atbara (at
this spot about 300 yards wide) is an affair of great difficulty.
Two water-skins are inflated, and attached to the camel by a band
passed like a girth beneath the belly. Thus arranged, a man sits
upon its back, while one or two swim by the side as guides. The
current of the Atbara runs at a rapid rate; thus the camel is
generally carried at least half a mile down the river before it
can gain the opposite bank. A few days before our arrival, a man
had been snatched from the back of his camel while crossing, and
was carried off by a crocodile. Another man had been taken during
the last week while swimming the river upon a log. It was
supposed that these accidents were due to the same crocodile, who
was accustomed to bask upon a mud bank at the foot of the cotton
plantation. On the day following our arrival at the Atbara, we
found that our camel-drivers had absconded during the night with
their camels; these were the men who had been forced to serve by
the Governor of Cassala. There was no possibility of proceeding
for some days, therefore I sent El Baggar across the river to
endeavour to engage camels, while I devoted myself to a search
for the crocodile. I shortly discovered that it was unfair in the
extreme to charge one particular animal with the death of the two
Arabs, as several large crocodiles were lying upon the mud in
various places. A smaller one was lying asleep high and dry upon
the bank; the wind was blowing strong, so that, by carefully
approaching, I secured a good shot within thirty yards, and
killed it on the spot by a bullet through the head, placed about
an inch above the eyes.

After some time, the large crocodiles, who had taken to the water
at the report of the gun, again appeared, and crawled slowly out
of the muddy river to their basking-places upon the bank. A
crocodile usually sleeps with its mouth wide open; I therefore
waited until the immense jaws of the nearest were well expanded,
showing a grand row of glittering teeth, when I crept carefully
towards it through the garden of thickly-planted cotton. Bacheet
and Wat Gamma followed in great eagerness. In a short time I
arrived within about forty yards of the beast, as it lay upon a
flat mud bank formed by one of the numerous torrents that had
carried down the soil during the storm of yesterday. The cover
ceased, and it was impossible to approach nearer without alarming
the crocodile; it was a fine specimen, apparently nineteen or
twenty feet in length, and I took a steady shot with the little
Fletcher rifle at the temple, exactly in front of the point of
union of the head with the spine. The jaws clashed together, and
a convulsive start followed by a twitching of the tail led me to
suppose that sudden death had succeeded the shot; but, knowing
the peculiar tenacity of life possessed by the crocodile, I fired
another shot at the shoulder, as the huge body lay so close to
the river's edge that the slightest struggle would cause it to
disappear. To my surprise, this shot, far from producing a
quietus, gave rise to a series of extraordinary convulsive
struggles. One moment it rolled upon its back, lashed out right
and left with its tail, and ended by toppling over into the
river.

This was too much for the excitable Bacheet, who, followed by his
friend, Wat Gamma, with more courage than discretion, rushed into
the river, and endeavoured to catch the crocodile by the tail.
Before I had time to call them back, these two Arab water-dogs
were up to their necks in the river, screaming out directions to
each other while they were feeling for the body of the monster
with their feet. At length I succeeded in calling them to shore,
and we almost immediately saw the body of the crocodile appear
belly upwards, about fifty yards down the stream; the forepaws
were above the water, but, after rolling round several times, it
once more disappeared, rapidly carried away by the muddy torrent.
This was quite enough for the Arabs, who had been watching the
event from the opposite bank of the river, and the report quickly
spread that two crocodiles were killed, one of which they
declared to be the public enemy that had taken the men at the
ferry, but upon what evidence I cannot understand. Although my
Arabs looked forward to a dinner of crocodile flesh, I was
obliged to search for something of rather milder flavour for
ourselves. I waited for about an hour while the first crocodile
was being divided, when I took a shot gun and succeeded in
killing three geese and a species of antelope no larger than a
hare, known by the Arabs as the Dik-dik (Nanotragus
Hemprichianus). This little creature inhabits thick bush. Since
my return to England, I have seen a good specimen in the
Zoological Gardens of the Regent's Park.

Upon my arrival at the tents, I found the camp redolent of musk
from the flesh of the crocodile, and the people were quarrelling
for the musk glands, which they had extracted, and which are much
prized by the Arab women, who wear them strung like beads upon a
necklace.

A crocodile possesses four of such glands; they vary in size
according to the age of the reptile, but they are generally about
as large as a hazel-nut, when dried. Two glands are situated in
the groin, and two in the throat, a little in advance of the
fore-legs. I have noticed two species of crocodiles throughout
all the rivers of Abyssinia, and in the White Nile. One of these
is of a dark brown colour, and much shorter and thicker in
proportion than the other, which grows to an immense length, an
is generally of a pale greenish yellow. Throughout the Atbara,
crocodiles are extremely mischievous and bold; this can be
accounted for by the constant presence of Arabs and their flocks,
which the crocodiles have ceased to fear, as they exact a heavy
tribute in their frequent passages of the river. The Arabs assert
that the dark-coloured, thick-bodied species is more to be
dreaded than the other.

The common belief that the scales of the crocodile will stop a
bullet is very erroneous. If a rifle is loaded with the moderate
charge of two and a half drachms it will throw an ounce ball
through the scales of the hardest portion of the back; but were
the scales struck obliquely, the bullet might possibly glance
from the surface, as in like manner it would ricochet from the
surface of water. The crocodile is so difficult to kill outright,
that people are apt to imagine that the scales have resisted
their bullets. The only shots that will produce instant death are
those that strike the brain or the spine through the neck. A shot
through the shoulder is fatal; but as the body immediately sinks,
and does not reappear upon the surface until the gases have
distended the carcase, the game is generally carried away by the
stream before it has had time to float. The body of a crocodile
requires from twelve to eighteen hours before it will rise to the
surface, while that of the hippopotamus will never remain longer
than two hours beneath the water, and will generally rise in an
hour and a half after death. This difference in time depends upon
the depth and temperature; in deep holes of the river of from
thirty to fifty feet, the water is much cooler near the bottom,
thus the gas is not generated in the body so quickly as in
shallow and warmer water. The crocodile is not a grass-feeder,
therefore the stomach is comparatively small, and the contents do
not generate the amount of gas that so quickly distends the huge
stomach of the hippopotamus; thus the body of the former requires
a longer period before it will rise to the surface.

In the evening we crossed with our baggage and people to the
opposite side of the river, and pitched our tents at the village
of Goorashee. A small watercourse had brought down a large
quantity of black sand. Thinking it probable that gold might
exist in the same locality, I washed some earth in a copper
basin, and quickly discovered a few specks of the precious metal.
Gold is found in small quantities in the sand of the Atbara; at
Fazogle, on the Blue Nile, there are mines of this metal worked
by the Egyptian Govermnent. From my subsequent experience I have
no doubt that valuable minerals exist in large quantities
throughout the lofty chain of Abyssinian mountains from which
these rivers derive their sources.

The camels arrived, and once more we were ready to start. Our
factotum, El Baggar, had collected a number of both
baggage-camels and riding dromedaries or "hygeens;" the latter he
had brought for approval, as we had suffered much from the
extreme roughness of our late camels. There is the same
difference between a good hygeen or dromedary and a baggage-camel
as between the thoroughbred and the cart-horse; and it appears
absurd in the eyes of the Arabs that a man of any position should
ride a baggage-camel. Apart from all ideas of etiquette, the
motion of the latter animal is quite sufficient warning. Of all
species of fatigue, the back-breaking monotonous swing of a heavy
camel is the worst; and, should the rider lose patience, and
administer a sharp cut with the coorbatch that induces the
creature to break into a trot, the torture of the rack is a
pleasant tickling compared to the sensation of having your spine
driven by a sledge-hammer from below, half a foot deeper into the
skull. The human frame may be inured to almost anything; thus the
Arabs, who have always been accustomed to this kind of exercise,
hardly feel the motion, and the portion of the body most subject
to pain in riding a rough camel upon two bare pieces of wood for
a saddle, becomes naturally adapted for such rough service, as
monkeys become hardened from constantly sitting upon rough
substances. The children commence almost as soon as they are
born, as they must accompany their mothers in their annual
migrations; and no sooner can the young Arab sit astride and hold
on, than he is placed behind his father's saddle, to which he
clings, while he bumps upon the bare back of the jolting camel.
Nature quickly arranges a horny protection to the nerves, by the
thickening of the skin; thus, an Arab's opinion of the action of
a riding hygeen should never be accepted without a personal
trial. What appears delightful to him may be torture to you, as
a strong breeze and a rough sea may be charming to a sailor, but
worse than death to a landsman.

I was determined not to accept the camels now offered as hygeens
until I had seen them tried; I accordingly ordered our black
soldier El Baggar to saddle the most easy-actioned animal for my
wife, but I wished to see him put it through a variety of paces
before she should accept it. The delighted El Baggar, who from
long practice was as hard as the heel of a boot, disdained
a	saddle; the animal knelt, was mounted, and off he started at
full trot, performing a circle of about fifty yards' diameter as
though in a circus. I never saw such an exhibition! "Warranted
quiet to ride, of easy action, and fit for a lady!" This had been
the character received with the rampant brute, who now, with head
and tail erect, went tearing round the circle, screaming and
roaring like a wild beast, throwing his fore-legs forward, and
stepping at least three feet high in his trot. Where was El
Baggar? A disjointed-looking black figure was sometimes on the
back of this easy-going camel, sometimes a foot high in the air;
arms, head, legs, hands appeared like a confused mass of
dislocations; the woolly hair of this unearthly individual, that
had been carefully trained in long stiff narrow curls, precisely
similar to the tobacco known as "negro-head," alternately started
upright en masse, as though under the influence of electricity,
and then fell as suddenly upon his shoulders: had the dark
individual been a "black dose," he or it could not have been more
thoroughly shaken. This object, so thoroughly disguised by
rapidity of movement, was El Baggar; happy, delighted El Baggar!
As he came rapidly round towards us flourishing his coorbatch, I
called to him, "Is that a nice hygeen for the Sit (lady), El
Baggar? is it VERY easy?" He was almost incapable of a reply.
"V-e-r-y e-e-a-a-s-y," replied the trustworthy authority,
"j-j-j-just the thin-n-n-g for the S-i-i-i-t-t-t." "All right,
that will do," I answered, and the jockey pulled up his steed.
"Are the other camels better or worse than that?" I asked. "Much
worse," replied El Baggar; "the others are rather rough, but this
is an easy-goer, and will suit the lady well."

It was impossible to hire a good hygeen; an Arab prizes his
riding animal too much, and invariably refuses to let it to a
stranger, but generally imposes upon him by substituting some
lightly-built camel, that he thinks will pass muster. I
accordingly chose for my wife a steady-going animal from among
the baggage-camels, trusting to be able to obtain a hygeen from
the great sheik Abou Sinn, who was encamped upon the road we were
about to take along the valley of the Atbara; we arranged to
leave Goorashee on the following day.

Upon arriving at the highest point of the valley, we found
ourselves on the vast table land that stretches from the Atbara
to the Nile. At this season the entire surface had a faint tint
of green, as the young shoots of grass had replied to the late
showers of rain; so perfect a level was this great tract of
fertile country, that within a mile of the valley of the Atbara
there was neither furrow nor watercourse, but the escape of the
rainfall was by simple soakage. As usual, the land was dotted
with mimosas, all of which were now bursting into leaf. The
thorns of the different varieties of these trees are an
extraordinary freak of Nature, as she appears to have exhausted
all her art in producing an apparently useless arrangement of
defence. The mimosas that are most common in the Soudan provinces
are mere bushes, seldom exceeding six feet in height; these
spread out towards the top like mushrooms, but the branches
commence within two feet of the ground; they are armed with
thorns in the shape of fish-hooks, which they resemble in
sharpness and strength. A thick jungle composed of such bushes is
perfectly impenetrable to any animals but elephants,
rhinoceroses, and buffaloes; and should the clothes of a man
become entangled in such thorns, either they must give way, or he
must remain a prisoner. The mimosa that is known among the Arabs
as the Kittar is one of the worst species, and is probably
similar to that which caught Absalom by the hair; this differs
from the well-known "Wait-a-bit" of South Africa, as no milder
nickname could be applied than "Dead-stop." Were the clothes of
strong material, it would be perfectly impossible to break
through a kittar-bush.

A magnificent specimen of a kittar, with a wide-spreading head in
the young glory of green leaf, tempted my hungry camel during our
march; it was determined to procure a mouthful, and I was equally
determined that it should keep to the straight path, and avoid
the attraction of the green food. After some strong remonstrance
upon my part, the perverse beast shook its ugly head, gave a
roar, and started off in full trot straight at the thorny bush.
I had not the slightest control over the animal, and in a few
seconds it charged the bush with the mad intention of rushing
either through or beneath it. To my disgust I perceived that the
wide-spreading branches were only just sufficiently high to
permit the back of the camel to pass underneath. There was no
time for further consideration; we charged the bush; I held my
head doubled up between my arms, and the next moment I was on my
back, half stunned by the fall. The camel-saddle lay upon the
ground; my rifle, that had been slung behind, my coffee-pot, the
water-skin burst, and a host of other impedimenta, lay around me
in all directions; worst of all, my beautiful gold repeater lay
at some distance from me, rendered entirely useless. I was as
nearly naked as I could be; a few rags held together, but my
shirt was gone, with the exception of some shreds that adhered to
my arms. I was, of course, streaming with blood, and looked much
more as though I had been clawed by a leopard than as having
simply charged a bush. The camel had fallen down with the shock
after I had been swept off by the thorny branches. To this day I
have the marks of the scratching.

Unless a riding-camel is perfectly trained, it is the most
tiresome animal to ride after the first green leaves appear;
every bush tempts it from the path, and it is a perpetual fight
between the rider and his beast throughout the journey.

We shortly halted for the night, as I had noticed unmistakeable
signs of an approaching storm. We quickly pitched the tents,
grubbed up the root and stem of a decayed mimosa, and lighted a
fire, by the side of which our people sat in a circle. Hardly had
the pile begun to blaze, when a cry from Mahomet's new relative,
Achmet, informed us that he had been bitten by a scorpion.
Mahomet appeared to think this highly entertaining, until
suddenly he screamed out likewise, and springing from the ground,
he began to stamp and wring his hands in great agony: he had
himself been bitten, and we found that a whole nest of scorpions
were in the rotten wood lately thrown upon the fire; in their
flight from the heat they stung all whom they met. There was no
time to prepare food; the thunder already roared above us, and in
a few minutes the sky, lately so clear, was as black as ink. I
had already prepared for the storm, and the baggage was piled
within the tent; the ropes of the tents had been left slack to
allow for the contraction, and we were ready for the rain. It was
fortunate that we were in order; a rain descended, with an
accompaniment of thunder and lightning, of a volume unknown to
the inhabitants of cooler climates; for several hours there was
almost an uninterrupted roar of the most deafening peals, with
lightning so vivid that our tent was completely lighted up in the
darkness of the night, and its misery displayed. Not only was the
rain pouring through the roof so that we were wet through as we
crouched upon our angareps (stretchers), but the legs of our
bedstead stood in more than six inches of water. Being as wet as
I could be, I resolved to enjoy the scene outside the tent; it
was curious in the extreme. Flash after flash of sharp forked
lightning played upon the surface of a boundless lake; there was
not a foot of land visible, but the numerous dark bushes
projecting from the surface of the water destroyed the illusion
of depth that the scene would otherwise have suggested. The rain
ceased, but the entire country was flooded several inches deep;
and when the more distant lightning flashed as the storm rolled
away, I saw the camels lying like statues built into the lake. On
the following morning the whole of this great mass of water had
been absorbed by the soil, which had become so adhesive and
slippery that it was impossible for the camels to move; we
therefore waited for some hours, until the intense heat of the
sun had dried the surface sufficiently to allow the animals to
proceed.

Upon striking the tent, we found beneath the valance between the
crown and the walls a regiment of scorpions; the flood had
doubtless destroyed great numbers within their holes, but these,
having been disturbed by the deluge, had found an asylum by
crawling up the tent walls: with great difficulty we lighted a
fire, and committed them all to the flames. Mahomet made a great
fuss about his hand, which was certainly much swollen, but not
worse than that of Achmet, who did not complain, although during
the night he had been again bitten on the leg by one of these
venomous insects, that had crawled from the water upon his
clothes. During our journey that morning parallel with the valley
of the Atbara, I had an excellent opportunity of watching the
effect of the storm. We rode along the abrupt margin of the table
land, where it broke suddenly into the deep valley; from the
sides of this the water was oozing in all directions, creating
little avalanches of earth, which fell as they lost their
solidity from too much moisture. This wonderfully rich soil was
rolling gradually towards Lower Egypt. From the heights above the
river we had a beautiful view of the stream, which at this
distance, reflecting the bright sunlight, did not appear like the
thick liquid mud that we knew it to be. The valley was of the
same general character that we had remarked at Goorashee, but
more abrupt--a mass of landslips, deep ravines, shaded by
mimosas, while the immediate neighbour hood of the Atbara was
clothed with the brightest green foliage. In this part, the
valley was about three miles in width, and two hundred feet deep.

The commencement of the rainy season was a warning to all the
Arabs of this country, who were preparing for their annual
migration to the sandy and firm desert on the west bank of the
river, at Gozerajup; that region, so barren and desolate during
the hot season, would shortly be covered with a delicate grass
about eighteen inches high. At that favoured spot the rains fell
with less violence, and it formed a nucleus for the general
gathering of the people with their flocks.

We were travelling south at the very season when the natives were
migrating north. I saw plainly that it would be impossible for us
to continue our journey during the wet season, as the camels had
the greatest difficulty in carrying their loads even now, at the
commencement: their feet sank deep into the soil; this formed
adhesive clods upon their spongy toes, that almost disabled them.
The farther we travelled south, the more violent would the rains
become, and a long tropical experience warned me that the rainy
season was the signal for fevers. All the camels of the Arabs
were being driven from the country; we had already met many herds
travelling northward, but this day's march was through crowds of
these animals, principally females with their young, many
thousands of which were on the road. Some of the young foals were
so small that they could not endure the march; these were slung
in nets upon the backs of camels, while the mother followed
behind. We revelled in milk, as we had not been able to procure
it since we left Cassala. Some persons dislike the milk of the
camel; I think it is excellent to drink pure, but it does not
answer in general use for mixing with coffee, with which it
immediately curdles; it is extremely rich, and is considered by
the Arabs to be more nourishing than that of the cow. To persons
of delicate health I should invariably recommend boiled milk in
preference to plain; and should the digestion be so extremely
weak that liquid milk disagrees with the stomach, they should
allow it to become thick, similar to curds and whey: this should
be then beaten together, with the admixture of a little salt and
cayenne pepper; it then assumes the thickness of cream, and is
very palatable. The Arabs generally prepare it in this manner; it
is not only considered to be more wholesome, but in its thickened
state it is easier to carry upon a journey. With an apology to
European medical men, I would suggest that they should try the
Arab system whenever they prescribe a milk diet for a delicate
patient. The first operation of curdling, which is a severe trial
to a weak stomach, is performed in hot climates by the
atmosphere, as in temperate climates by the admixture of rennet,
&c.; thus the most difficult work of the stomach is effected by
a foreign agency, and it is spared the first act of its
performance. I have witnessed almost marvellous results from a
milk diet given as now advised.

Milk, if drunk warm from the animal in hot climates will affect
many persons in the same manner as a powerful dose of senna and
salts. Our party appeared to be proof against such an accident,
as they drank enough to have stocked a moderate-sized dairy. This
was most good-naturedly supplied gratis by the Arabs.

It was the season of rejoicing; everybody appeared in good
humour; the distended udders of thousands of camels were an
assurance of plenty. The burning sun that for nine months had
scorched the earth was veiled by passing clouds; the cattle that
had panted for water, and whose food was withered straw, were
filled with juicy fodder: the camels that had subsisted upon the
dried and leafless twigs and branches, now feasted upon the
succulent tops of the mimosas. Throngs of women and children
mounted upon camels, protected by the peculiar gaudy saddle hood,
ornamented with cowrie-shells, accompanied the march; thousands
of sheep and goats, driven by Arab boys, were straggling in all
directions; baggage-camels, heavily laden with the quaint
household goods, blocked up the way; the fine bronzed figures of
Arabs, with sword and shield, and white topes, or plaids, guided
their milk-white dromedaries through the confused throng with the
usual placid dignity of their race, simply passing by with the
usual greeting, "Salaam aleikum," "Peace be with you."

It was the Exodus; all were hurrying towards the promised
land--"the land flowing with milk and honey," where men and
beasts would be secure, not only from the fevers of the south,
but from that deadly enemy to camels and cattle, the fly; this
terrible insect drove all before it.

If all were right in migrating to the north, it was a logical
conclusion that we were wrong in going to the south during the
rainy season; however, we now heard from the Arabs that we were
within a couple of hours' march from the camp of the great Sheik
Achmet Abou Sinn, to whom I had a letter of introduction. At the
expiration of about that time we halted, and pitched the tents
among some shady mimosas, while I sent Mahomet to Abou Sinn with
the letter, and my firman.

I was busily engaged in making sundry necessary arrangements in
the tent, when Mahomet returned, and announced the arrival of the
great sheik in person. He was attended by several of his
principal people, and as he approached through the bright green
mimosas, mounted upon a beautiful snow-white hygeen, I was
exceedingly struck with his venerable and dignified appearance.
Upon near arrival I went forward to meet him, and to assist him
from his camel; but his animal knelt immediately at his command,
and he dismounted with the ease and agility of a man of twenty.

He was the most magnificent specimen of an Arab that I have ever
seen. Although upwards of eighty years of age, he was as erect as
a lance, and did not appear more than between fifty and sixty; he
was of Herculean stature, about six feet three inches high, with
immensely broad shoulders and chest; a remarkably arched nose;
eyes like an eagle, beneath large, shaggy, but perfectly white
eyebrows; a snow-white beard of great thickness descended below
the middle of his breast. He wore a large white turban, and a
white cashmere abbai, or long robe, from the throat to the
ankles. As a desert patriarch he was superb, the very perfection
of all that the imagination could paint, if we would personify
Abraham at the head of his people. This grand old Arab with the
greatest politeness insisted upon our immediately accompanying
him to his camp, as he could not allow us to remain in his
country as strangers. He would hear of no excuses, but he at once
gave orders to Mahomet to have the baggage repacked and the tents
removed, while we were requested to mount two superb white
hygeens, with saddle-cloths of blue Persian sheep-skins, that he
had immediately accoutred when he heard from Mahomet of our
miserable camels. The tent was struck, and we joined our
venerable host with a line of wild and splendidly-mounted
attendants, who followed us towards the sheik's encampment.


CHAPTER VI.

SHEIK ACHMET ABOU SINN.

AMONG the retinue of the aged sheik, whom we now accompanied,
were ten of his sons, some of whom appeared to be quite as old as
their father. We had ridden about two miles, when we were
suddenly met by a crowd of mounted men, armed with the usual
swords and shields; many were on horses, others upon hygeens, and
all drew up in lines parallel with our approach. These were Abou
Sinn's people, who had assembled to give us the honorary welcome
as guests of their chief; this etiquette of the Arabs consists in
galloping singly at full speed across the line of advance, the
rider flourishing the sword over his head, and at the same moment
reining up his horse upon its haunches so as to bring it to a
sudden halt. This having been performed by about a hundred riders
upon both horses and hygeens, they fell into line behind our
party, and, thus escorted, we shortly arrived at the Arab
encampment. In all countries the warmth of a public welcome
appears to be exhibited by noise--the whole neighbourhood had
congregated to meet us; crowds of women raised the wild shrill
cry that is sounded alike for joy or sorrow; drums were beat; men
dashed about with drawn swords and engaged in mimic fight, and in
the midst of din and confusion we halted and dismounted. With
peculiar grace of manner the old sheik assisted my wife to
dismount, and led her to an open shed arranged with angareps
(stretchers) covered with Persian carpets and cushions, so as to
form a divan. Sherbet, pipes, and coffee were shortly handed to
us, and Mahomet, as dragoman, translated the customary
interchange of compliments; the sheik assured us that our
unexpected arrival among them was "like the blessing of a new
moon," the depth of which expression no one can understand who
has not experienced life in the desert, where the first faint
crescent is greeted with such enthusiasm. After a long
conversation we were led to an excellent mat tent that had been
vacated by one of his sons, and shortly afterwards an admirable
dinner of several dishes was sent to us, while with extreme good
taste we were left undisturbed by visitors until the following
morning. Our men had been regaled with a fat sheep, presented by
the sheik, and all slept contentedly.

At sunrise we were visited by Abou Sinn. It appeared that, after
our conversation of the preceding evening, he had inquired of
Mahomet concerning my future plans and intentions; he now came
specially to implore us not to proceed south at this season of
the year, as it would be perfectly impossible to travel; he
described the country as a mass of mud, rendered so deep by the
rains that no animal could move; that the fly called the "seroot"
had appeared, and that no domestic animal except a goat could
survive its attack; he declared that to continue our route would
be mere insanity: and he concluded by giving us a most hospitable
invitation to join his people on their road to the healthy
country at Gozerajup, and to become his guests for three or four
months, until travelling would be feasible in the south, at which
time he promised to assist me in my explorations by an escort of
his own people, who were celebrated elephant hunters, and knew
the entire country before us. This was an alluring programme; but
after thanking him for his kindness, I explained how much I
disliked to retrace my steps, which I should do by returning to
Gozerajup; and that as I had heard of a German who was living at
the village of Sofi, on the Atbara, I should prefer to pass the
season of the rains at that place, where I could gather
information, and be ready on the spot to start for the
neighbouring Base country when the change of season should
permit. After some hesitation he consented to this plan, and
promised not only to mount us on our journey, but to send with us
an escort commanded by one of his grandsons. Sofi was about
seventy-eight miles distant.

Abou Sinn had arranged to move northwards on the following day;
we therefore agreed to pass one day in his camp, and to leave for
Sofi the next morning. The ground upon which the Arab encampment
was situated was a tolerably flat surface, like a shelf, upon the
slope of the Atbara valley, about thirty or forty feet below the
rich table lands; the surface of this was perfectly firm, as by
the constant rains it had been entirely denuded of the loam that
had formed the upper stratum. This formed a charming place for
the encampment of a large party, as the ground was perfectly
clean, a mixture of quartz pebbles upon a hard white sandstone.
Numerous mimosas afforded a shade, beneath which the Arabs sat in
groups, and at the bottom of the valley flowed the Atbara.

This tribe, which was peculiarly that of Abou Sinn, and from
which he had sprung, was the Shookeriyah, one of the most
powerful among the numerous tribes of Upper Egypt.

From Korosko to this point we had already passed the Bedouins,
Bishareens, Hadendowas, Hallongas, until we had entered the
Shookeriyahs. On the west of our present position were the
Jalyns, and to the south near Sofi were the Dabainas. Many of the
tribes claim a right to the title of Bedouins, as descended from
that race. The customs of all the Arabs are nearly similar, and
the distinction in appearance is confined to a peculiarity in
dressing the hair; this is a matter of great importance among
both men and women. It would be tedious to describe the minutiae
of the various coiffures, but the great desire with all tribes,
except the Jalyn, is to have a vast quantity of hair arranged in
their own peculiar fashion, and not only smeared, but covered
with as much fat as can be made to adhere. Thus, should a man
wish to get himself up as a great dandy, he would put at least
half a pound of butter or other fat upon his head; this would be
worked up with his coarse locks by a friend, until it somewhat
resembled a cauliflower. He would then arrange his tope or plaid
of thick cotton cloth, and throw one end over his left shoulder,
while slung from the same shoulder his circular shield would hang
upon his back; suspended by a strap over the right shoulder would
hang his long two-edged broadsword.

Fat is the great desideratum of an Arab; his head, as I have
described, should be a mass of grease; he rubs his body with oil
or other ointment; his clothes, i.e. his one garment or tope, is
covered with grease, and internally he swallows as much as he can
procure.

The great Sheik Abou Sinn, who is upwards of eighty, as upright
as a dart, a perfect Hercules, and whose children and
grandchildren are like the sand of the sea-shore, has always
consumed daily throughout his life two rottolis (pounds) of
melted butter. A short time before I left the country he married
a new young wife about fourteen years of age. This may be a hint
to octogenarians.

The fat most esteemed for dressing the hair is that of the sheep.
This undergoes a curious preparation, which renders it similar in
appearance to cold cream; upon the raw fat being taken from the
animal it is chewed in the mouth by an Arab for about two hours,
being frequently taken out for examination during that time,
until it has assumed the desired consistency. To prepare
sufficient to enable a man to appear in full dress, several
persons must be employed in masticating fat at the same time.
This species of pomade, when properly made, is perfectly white,
and exceedingly light and frothy. It may be imagined that when
exposed to a burning sun, the beauty of the head-dress quickly
disappears, but the oil then runs down the neck and back, which
is considered quite correct, especially when the tope becomes
thoroughly greased; the man is then perfectly anointed. We had
seen an amusing exanmple of this when on the march from Berber to
Gozerajup. The Turk, Hadji Achmet, had pressed into our service,
as a guide for a few miles, a dandy who had just been arranged as
a cauliflower, with at least half a pound of white fat upon his
head. As we were travelling upwards of four miles an hour in an
intense heat, during which he was obliged to run, the fat ran
quicker than he did, and at the end of a couple of hours both the
dandy and his pomade were exhausted; the poor fellow had to
return to his friends with the total loss of personal appearance
and half a pound of butter.

Not only are the Arabs particular in their pomade, but great
attention is bestowed upon perfumery, especially by the women.
Various perfumes are brought from Cairo by the travelling native
merchants; among which those most in demand are oil of roses, oil
of sandalwood, an essence from the blossom of a species of
mimosa, essence of musk, and the oil of cloves. The women have a
peculiar method of scenting their bodies and clothes by an
operation that is considered to be one of the necessaries of
life, and which is repeated at regular intervals. In the floor of
the tent, or hut, as it may chance to be, a small hole is
excavated sufficiently large to contain a common-sized champagne
bottle: a fire of charcoal, or of simply glowing enmbers, is made
within the hole, into which the woman about to be scented throws
a handful of various drugs; she then takes off the cloth or tope
which forms her dress, and crouches naked over the fumes, while
she arranges her robe to fall as a mantle from her neck to the
ground like a tent. When this arrangement is concluded she is
perfectly happy, as none of the precious fumes can escape, all
being retained beneath the robe, precisely as if she wore a
crinoline with an incense-burner beneath it, which would be a far
more simple way of performing the operation. She now begins to
perspire freely in the hot-air bath, and the pores of the skin
being thus opened and moist, the volatile oil from the smoke of
the burning perfumes is immediately absorbed.

By the time that the fire has expired, the scenting process is
completed, and both her person and robe are redolent of incense,
with which they are so thoroughly impregnated that I have
frequently smelt a party of women strongly at full a hundred
yards' distance, when the wind has been blowing from their
direction. Of course this kind of perfumery is only adapted for
those who live in tents and in the open air, but it is considered
by the ladies to have a peculiar attraction for the other sex, as
valerian is said to ensnare the genus felis. As the men are said
to be allured by this particular combination of sweet smells, and
to fall victims to the delicacy of their nasal organs, it will be
necessary to give the receipt for the fatal mixture, to be made
up in proportions according to taste :--Ginger, cloves, cinnamon,
frankincense, sandal-wood, myrrh, a species of sea-weed that is
brought from the Red Sea, and lastly, what I mistook for shells,
but which I subsequently discovered to be the horny disc that
closes the aperture when a shell-fish withdraws itself within its
shell; these are also brought from the Red Sea, in which they
abound throughout the shores of Nubia and Abyssinia. In addition
to the charm of sweet perfumes, the women who can afford the
luxury, suspend from their necks a few pieces of the dried glands
of the musk cat, which is a native of the country; such an
addition completes the toilet, when the coiffure has been
carefully arranged.

Hair-dressing in all parts of the world, both civilized and
savage, is a branch of science; savage negro tribes are
distinguished by the various arrangements of their woolly heads.
Arabs are marked by similar peculiarities, that have never
changed for thousands of years, and may be yet seen depicted upon
the walls of Egyptian temples in the precise forms as worn at
present, while in modern times the perfection of art has been in
the wig of a Lord Chancellor. Although this latter example of the
result of science is not the actual hair of the wearer, it adds
an imposing glow of wisdom to the general appearance, and may
have originated as a necessity where a deficiency of sagacity had
existed, and where the absence of years required the fictitious
crown of grey old age. A barrister in his wig, and the same
amount of learning without the wig, is a very different affair;
he is an imperfect shadow of himself. Nevertheless, among
civilized nations, the men do not generally bestow much anxiety
upon the fashion of their hair; the labour in this branch of art
is generally performed by the women, who in all countries and
climes, and in every stage of civilization, bestow the greatest
pains upon the perfection of the coiffure, the various
arrangements of which might, I should imagine, be estimated by
the million. In some countries they are not even contented with
the natural colour of the hair, either if black or blonde, but
they use a pigment that turns it red. I only noticed this among
the Somauli tribe; and that of the Nuehr, some of the wildest
savages of the White Nile, until I returned to England, where I
found the custom was becoming general among the civilized, and
that ladies were adopting the lovely tint of the British fox. The
Arab women do not indulge in fashions; strictly conservative in
their manners and customs, they never imitate, but they simply
vie with each other in the superlativeness of their own style;
thus the dressing of the hair is a most elaborate affair, which
occupies a considerable portion of their time. It is quite
impossible for an Arab woman to arrange her own hair; she
therefore employs an assistant, who, if clever in the art, will
generally occupy about three days before it is satisfactorily
concluded. First, the hair must be combed with a long skewer-like
pin; then, when well divided, it becomes possible to use an
exceedingly coarse wooden comb. When the hair is reduced to
reasonable order by the latter process, a vigorous hunt takes
place, which occupies about an hour, according to the amount of
game preserved; the sport concluded, the hair is rubbed with a
mixture of oil of roses, myrrh, and sandal-wood dust mixed with
a powder of cloves and cassia. When well greased and rendered
somewhat stiff by the solids thus introduced, it is plaited into
at least two hundred fine plaits; each of these plaits is then
smeared with a mixture of sandal-wood dust and either gum water
or paste of dhurra flour. On the last day of the operation, each
tiny plait is carefully opened by the long hair-pin or skewer,
and the head is ravissante. Scented and frizzled in this manner,
with a well-greased tope or robe, the Arab lady's toilet is
complete, her head is then a little larger than the largest sized
English mop, and her perfume is something between the aroma of a
perfumer's shop and the monkey-house at the Zoological Gardens.
This is considered "very killing," and I have been quite of that
opinion when a crowd of women have visited my wife in our tent,
with the thermometer at 95 degrees, and they have kindly
consented to allow me to remain as one of the party. It is hardly
necessary to add, that the operation of hair-dressing is not
often performed, but that the effect is permanent for about a
week, during which time the game become so excessively lively,
that the creatures require stirring up with the long hair-pin or
skewer whenever too unruly; this appears to be constantly
necessary from the vigorous employment of the ruling sceptre
during conversation. A levee of Arab women in the tent was
therefore a disagreeable invasion, as we dreaded the fugitives;
fortunately, they appeared to cling to the followers of Mahomet
in preference to Christians.

The plague of lice brought upon the Egyptians by Moses has
certainly adhered to the country ever since, if "lice" is the
proper translation of the Hebrew word in the Old Testament: it is
my own opinion that the insects thus inflicted upon the
population were not lice, but ticks. Exod. viii. 16, "The dust
became lice throughout all Egypt;" again, Exod. viii. 17, "Smote
dust . . . it became lice in man and beast." Now the louse that
infects the human body and hair has no connexion whatever with
"dust," and if subject to a few hours' exposure to the dry heat
of the burning sand, it would shrivel and die; but the tick is an
inhabitant of the dust, a dry horny insect without any apparent
moisture in its composition; it lives in hot sand and dust, where
it cannot possibly obtain nourishment, until some wretched animal
should lie down upon the spot, and become covered with these
horrible vermin. I have frequently seen desert places so infested
with ticks, that the ground was perfectly alive with them, and it
would have been impossible to have rested on the earth; in such
spots, the passage in Exodus has frequently occurred to me as
bearing reference to these vermin, which are the greatest enemies
to man and beast. It is well known that, from the size of a grain
of sand in their natural state, they will distend to the size of
a hazel-nut after having preyed for some days upon the blood of
an animal. The Arabs are invariably infested with lice, not only
in their hair, but upon their bodies and clothes; even the small
charms or spells worn upon the arm in neatly-sewn leathern
packets are full of these vermin. Such spells are generally
verses copied from the Koran by the Faky, or priest, who receives
some small gratuity in exchange; the men wear several of such
talismans upon the arm above the elbow, but the women wear a
large bunch of charms, as a sort of chatelaine, suspended beneath
their clothes round the waist. Although the tope or robe, loosely
but gracefully arranged around the body, appears to be the whole
of the costume, the women wear beneath this garment a thin blue
cotton cloth tightly bound round the loins, which descends to a
little above the knee; beneath this, next to the skin, is the
last garment, the rahat--the latter is the only clothing of young
girls, and may be either perfectly simple or adorned with beads
and cowrie shells according to the fancy of the wearer; it is
perfectly effective as a dress, and admirably adapted to the
climate.

The rahat is a fringe of fine dark brown or reddish twine,
fastened to a belt, and worn round the waist. On either side are
two long tassels, that are generally ornamented with beads or
cowries, and dangle nearly to the ankles, while the rahat itself
should descend to a little above the knee, rather shorter than a
Highland kilt. Nothing can be prettier or more simple than this
dress, which, although short, is of such thickly hanging fringe,
that it perfectly answers the purpose for which it is intended.
Many of the Arab girls are remarkably good-looking, with fine
figures until they become mothers. They generally marry at the
age of thirteen or fourteen, but frequently at twelve, or even
earlier. Until married, the rahat is their sole garment.
Throughout the Arab tribes of Upper Egypt, chastity is a
necessity, as an operation is performed at the early age of from
three to five years that thoroughly protects all females, and
which renders them physically proof against incontinency.

There is but little love-making among the Arabs. The affair of
matrimony usually commences by a present to the father of the
girl, which, if accepted, is followed by a similar advance to the
girl herself, and the arrangement is completed. All the friends
of both parties are called together for the wedding; pistols and
guns are fired off, if possessed. There is much feasting, and the
unfortunate bridegroom undergoes the ordeal of whipping by the
relations of his bride, in order to test his courage. Sometimes
this punishment is exceedingly severe, being inflicted with the
coorbatch or whip of hippopotamus hide, which is cracked
vigorously about his ribs and back. If the happy husband wishes
to be considered a man worth having, he must receive the
chastisement with an expression of enjoyment; in which case the
crowds of women again raise their thrilling cry in admiration.
After the rejoicings of the day are over, the bride is led in the
evening to the residence of her husband, while a beating of drums
and strumming of guitars (rhababas) are kept up for some hours
during the night, with the usual discordant idea of singing.

There is no divorce court among the Arabs. They are not
sufficiently advanced in civilization to accept a pecuniary fine
as the price of a wife's dishonour; but a stroke of the husband's
sword, or a stab with the knife, is generally the ready remedy
for infidelity. Although strictly Mahometans, the women are never
veiled; neither do they adopt the excessive reserve assumed by
the Turks and Egyptians. The Arab women are generally idle; and
one of the conditions of accepting a suitor is, that a female
slave is to be provided for the special use of the wife. No Arab
woman will engage herself as a domestic servant; thus, so long as
their present customs shall remain unchanged, slaves are
creatures of necessity. Although the law of Mahomet limits the
number of wives for each man to four at one time, the Arab women
do not appear to restrict their husbands to this allowance, and
the slaves of the establishment occupy the position of concubines.

The customs of the Arabs in almost every detail have remained
unchanged. Thus, in dress, in their nomadic habits, food, the
anointing with oil (Eccles. ix. 8, "Let thy garments be always
white, and let thy head lack no ointment"), they retain the
habits and formalities of the distant past, and the present is
but the exact picture of those periods which are historically
recorded in the Old Testament. The perfumery of the women already
described, bears a resemblance to that prepared by Moses for the
altar, which was forbidden to be used by the people. "Take thou
also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred
shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and
fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty
shekels, and of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of
the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin: and thou shalt make it an
oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the
apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil."--Exod. xxx. 23-25.

The manner of anointing by the ancients is exhibited by the Arabs
at the present day, who, as I have already described, make use of
so large a quantity of grease at one application that, when
melted, it runs down over their persons and clothes. In
Ps. cxxxiii. 2, "It is like the precious ointment upon the head,
that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard, that went down
to the skirts of his garments."

In all hot climates, oil or other fat is necessary to the skin as
a protection from the sun, where the body is either naked or very
thinly clad. I have frequently seen both Arabs and the negro
tribes of Africa suffer great discomfort when for some days the
supply of grease has been exhausted; the skin has become coarse,
rough, almost scaly, and peculiarly unsightly, until the
much-loved fat has been obtained, and the general appearance of
smoothness has been at once restored by an active smearing. The
expression in Ps. civ. 15, "And oil to make his face to shine,"
describes the effect that was then considered beautifying, as it
is at the present time.

The Arabs generally adhere strictly to their ancient customs,
independently of the comparatively recent laws established by
Mahomet. Thus, concubinage is not considered a breach of
morality; neither is it regarded by the legitimate wives with
jealousy. They attach great importance to the laws of Moses, and
to the customs of their forefathers; neither can they understand
the reason for a change of habit in any respect where necessity
has not suggested the reform. The Arabs are creatures of
necessity; their nomadic life is compulsory, as the existence of
their flocks and herds depends upon the pasturage. Thus, with the
change of seasons they must change their localities, according to
the presence of fodder for their cattle. Driven to and fro by the
accidents of climate, the Arab has been compelled to become a
wanderer; and precisely as the wild beasts of the country are
driven from place to place either by the arrival of the fly, the
lack of pasturage, or by the want of water, even so must the
flocks of the Arab obey the law of necessity, in a country where
the burning sun and total absence of rain for nine months of the
year convert the green pastures into a sandy desert. The Arabs
and their herds must follow the example of the wild beasts, and
live as wild and wandering a life. In the absence of a fixed
home, without a city, or even a village that is permanent, there
can be no change of custom. There is no stimulus to competition
in the style of architecture that is to endure only for a few
months; no municipal laws suggest deficiencies that originate
improvements. The Arab cannot halt in one spot longer than the
pasturage will support his flocks; therefore his necessity is
food for his beasts. The object of his life being fodder, he must
wander in search of the ever-changing supply. His wants must be
few, as the constant changes of encampment necessitate the
transport of all his household goods; thus he reduces to a
minimum the domestic furniture and utensils. No desires for
strange and fresh objects excite his mind to improvement, or
alter his original habits; he must limit his impedimenta, not
increase them. Thus with a few necessary articles he is
contented. Mats for his tent, ropes manufactured with the hair of
his goats and camels, pots for carrying fat; water-jars and
earthenware pots or gourd-shells for containing milk; leather
water-skins for the desert, and sheep-skin bags for his
clothes,--these are the requirements of the Arabs. Their patterns
have never changed, but the water-jar of to-day is of the same
form that was carried to the well by the women of thousands of
years ago. The conversation of the Arabs is in the exact style of
the Old Testament. The name of God is coupled with every trifling
incident in life, and they believe in the continual action of
Divine special interference. Should a famine afflict the country,
it is expressed in the stern language of the Bible--"The Lord has
sent a grievous famine upon the land;" or, "The Lord called for
a famine, and it came upon the land." Should their cattle fall
sick, it is considered to be an affliction by Divine command; or
should the flocks prosper and multiply particularly during one
season, the prosperity is attributed to special interference.
Nothing can happen in the usual routine of daily life without a
direct connexion with the hand of God, according to the Arab's
belief.

This striking similarity to the descriptions of the Old Testament
is exceedingly interesting to a traveller when residing among
these curious and original people. With the Bible in one hand,
and these unchanged tribes before the eyes, there is a thrilling
illustration of the sacred record; the past becomes the present;
the veil of three thousand years is raised, and the living
picture is a witness to the exactness of the historical
description. At the same time, there is a light thrown upon many
obscure passages in the Old Testament by the experience of the
present customs and figures of speech of the Arabs which are
precisely those that were practised at the periods described. I
do not attempt to enter upon a theological treatise, therefore it
is unnecessary to allude specially to these particular points.
The sudden and desolating arrival of a flight of locusts, the
plague, or any other unforeseen calamity, is attributed to the
anger of God, and is believed to be an infliction of punishment
upon the people thus visited, precisely as the plagues of Egypt
were specially inflicted upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians.

Should the present history of the country be written by an Arab
scribe, the style of the description would be purely that of the
Old Testament; and the various calamities or the good fortunes
that have in the course of nature befallen both the tribes and
individuals, would be recounted either as special visitations of
Divine wrath, or blessings for good deeds performed. If in a
dream a particular course of action is suggested, the Arab
believes that God has spoken and directed him. The Arab scribe or
historian would describe the event as the "voice of the Lord"
("kallam el Allah"), having spoken unto the person; or, that God
appeared to him in a dream and "said," &c. Thus much allowance
would be necessary on the part of a European reader for the
figurative ideas and expressions of the people. As the Arabs are
unchanged, the theological opinions which they now hold are the
same as those which prevailed in remote ages, with the simple
addition of their belief in Mahomet as the Prophet.

There is a fascination in the unchangeable features of the Nile
regions. There are the vast Pyramids that have defied time; the
river upon which Moses was cradled in infancy; the same sandy
deserts through which he led his people; and the watering-places
where their flocks were led to drink. The wild and wandering
tribes of Arabs who thousands of years ago dug out the wells in
the wilderness, are represented by their descendants unchanged,
who now draw water from the deep wells of their forefathers with
the skins that have never altered their fashion. The Arabs,
gathering with their goats and sheep around the wells to-day,
recall the recollection of that distant time when "Jacob went on
his journey, and came into the land of the people of the east.
And he looked, and behold a well in the field; and, lo, there
were three flocks of sheep lying by it, for out of that well they
watered the flocks; and a great stone was upon the well's mouth.
And thither were all the flocks gathered; and they rolled the
stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the
stone again upon the well's mouth in his place." The picture of
that scene would be an illustration of Arab daily life in the
Nubian deserts, where the present is the mirror of the past.


CHAPTER VII

THE DEPARTURE.

ON the morning of the 25th July, 1861, Abou Sinn arrived at our
tent with a number of his followers, in their whitest apparel,
accompanied by one of his grandsons, Sheik Ali, who was to
command our escort and to accompany us to the frontier of the
Dabaina tribe, at which spot we were to be handed over to the
care of the sheik of those Arabs, Atalan Wat Said, who would
conduct us to Sofi. There were two superb hygeens duly equipped
for my wife and myself: they were snow-white, without speck or
blemish, and as clean and silk-like as good grooming could
accomplish. One of these beautiful creatures I subsequently
measured,--seven feet three and a half inches to the top of the
hump; this was much above the average. The baggage-camels were
left to the charge of the servants, and we were requested to
mount immediately, as the Sheik Abou Sinn was determined to
accompany us for some distance as a mark of courtesy, although he
was himself to march with his people on that day in the opposite
direction towards Gozerajup. Escorted by our grand old host, with
a great number of mounted attendants, we left the hospitable
camp, and followed the margin of the Atbara valley towards the
south, until, at the distance of about two miles, Abou Sinn took
leave, and returned with his people.

We now enjoyed the contrast between the light active step of
first-class hygeens, and the heavy swinging action of the camels
we had hitherto ridden. Travelling was for the first time a
pleasure; there was a delightful movement in the elasticity of
the hygeens, who ambled at about five miles and a half an hour,
as their natural pace; this they can continue for nine or ten
hours without fatigue. Having no care for the luggage, and the
coffee-pot being slung upon the saddle of an attendant, who also
carried our carpet, we were perfectly independent, as we were
prepared with the usual luxuries upon halting,--the carpet to
recline upon beneath a shady tree, and a cup of good Turkish
coffee. Thus we could afford to travel at a rapid rate, and await
the arrival of the baggage-camels at the end of the day's
journey. In this manner the march should be arranged in these
wild countries, where there is no resting-place upon the path
beyond the first inviting shade that suggests a halt. The day's
journey should be about twenty-four miles. A loaded camel seldom
exceeds two miles and a half per hour; at this rate nearly ten
hours would be consumed upon the road daily, during which time
the traveller would be exposed to the intense heat of the sun,
and to the fatigue inseparable from a long and slow march. A
servant mounted upon a good hygeen should accompany him with the
coffee apparatus and a cold roast fowl and biscuits; the ever
necessary carpet should form the cover to his saddle, to be ready
when required; he then rides far in advance of the caravan. This
simple arrangement insures comfort, and lessens the ennui of the
journey; the baggage-camels are left in charge of responsible
servants, to be brought forward at their usual pace, until they
shall arrive at the place selected for the halt by the traveller.
The usual hour of starting is about 5.30 A.M. The entire day's
journey can be accomplished in something under five hours upon
hygeens, instead of the ten hours dreary pace of the caravan;
thus, the final halt would be made at about 10.30 A.M. at which
time the traveller would be ready for breakfast. The carpet would
be spread under a shady tree; upon a branch of this his
water-skin should be suspended, and the day's work over, he can
write up his journal and enjoy his pipe while coffee is being
prepared. After breakfast he can take his gun or rifle and
explore the neighbourhood, until the baggage-camels shall arrive
in the evening, by which time, if he is a sportsman, he will have
procured something for the dinner of the entire party. The
servants will have collected firewood, and all will be ready for
the arrival of the caravan, without the confusion and bustle of
a general scramble, inseparable from the work to be suddenly
performed, when camels must be unloaded, fuel collected, fires
lighted, the meals prepared, beds made, &c. &c. all at the same
moment, with the chance of little to eat. Nothing keeps the
camel-drivers and attendants in such good humour as a successful
rifle. While they are on their long and slow march, they
speculate upon the good luck that may attend the master's gun,
and upon arrival at the general bivouac in the evening they are
always on the alert to skin and divide the antelopes, pluck the
guinea-fowls, &c. &c. We now travelled in this delightful manner;
there were great numbers of guinea-fowl throughout the country,
which was the same everlasting flat and rich table land,
extending for several hundred miles to the south, and dotted with
green mimosas; while upon our left was the broken valley of the
Atbara.

The only drawback to the journey was the rain. At about 2 P.M.
daily we were subjected to a violent storm, which generally
lasted until the evening; and although our guides invariably
hurried forward on the march to the neighbourhood of some
deserted huts, whose occupants had migrated north, our baggage
and servants upon the road were exposed to the storm, and arrived
late in the evening, wet and miserable. There could be no doubt
that the season for travelling was past. Every day's journey
south had proved by the increased vegetation that we were
invading the rainy zone, and that, although the northern deserts
possessed their horrors of sandy desolation, they at the same
time afforded that great advantage to the traveller, a dry
climate.

In a few rapid marches we arrived at Tomat, the commencement of
the Dabainas and the principal head-quarters of the sheik of that
tribe, Atalan Wat Said. This was a lovely spot, where the country
appeared like green velvet, as the delicate young grass was about
two inches above the ground. The Arab camp was situated upon a
series of knolls about a hundred and fifty feet above the Atbara,
upon the hard ground denuded by the rains, as this formed a
portion of the valley. At this spot, the valley on the west bank
of the river was about two miles broad, and exhibited the usual
features of innumerable knolls, ravines, and landslips, in
succession, like broken terraces from the high level table land,
sloping down irregularly to the water's edge. On the opposite
side of the river was the most important feature of the country;
the land on the east bank was considerably higher than upon the
west, and a long tongue formed a bluff cliff that divided the
Atbara valley from the sister valley of the Settite, which,
corresponding exactly in character and apparent dimensions,
joined that of the Atbara from the S.E., forming an angle like
the letter V, in a sudden bend of the river. Through the valley
of the eastern bank flowed the grand river Settite, which here
formed a junction with the Atbara.

Looking down upon the beautifully wooded banks of the two rivers
at this interesting point, we rode leisurely across a ravine, and
ascended a steep incline of bright green grass, upon the summit
of which was a fine level space of several acres that formed the
Arab head-quarters. This surface was nearly covered with the
usual mat tents, and in a few moments our camels knelt before
that of the sheik, at which we dismounted. A crowd of inquisitive
Arabs surrounded us upon seeing so large a party of hygeens, and
the firman having been delivered by our guide, Sheik Ali, we were
almost immediately visited by Sheik Atalan Wat Said. He was a man
in the prime of life, of an intelligent countenance, and he
received us with much politeness, immediately ordering a fat
sheep to be brought and slaughtered for our acceptance.

The usual welcome upon the arrival of a traveller, who is well
received in an Arab camp, is the sacrifice of a fat sheep, that
should be slaughtered at the door of his hut or tent, so that the
blood flows to the threshold. This custom has evidently some
connexion with the ancient rites of sacrifice. Should an
important expedition be undertaken, a calf is slaughtered at the
entrance of the camp, and every individual steps over the body as
the party starts upon the enterprise.

Upon learning my plans, he begged us to remain through the rainy
season at Tomat, as it was the head-quarters of a party of
Egyptian irregular troops, who would assist me in every way. This
was no great temptation, as they were the people whom I most
wished to avoid; I therefore explained that I was bound to Sofi
by the advice of Abou Sinn, from whence I could easily return if
I thought proper, but I wished to proceed on the following
morning. He promised to act as our guide, and that hygeens should
be waiting at the tent-door at sunrise. After our interview, I
strolled down to the river's side and shot some guinea-fowl.

The Settite is the river par excellence, as it is the principal
stream of Abyssinia, in which country it bears the name of
"Tacazzy." Above the junction, the Atbara does not exceed two
hundred yards in width. Both rivers have scooped out deep and
broad valleys throughout their course; this fact confirmed my
first impression of the supply of soil having been brought down
by the Atbara to the Nile. The country on the opposite or eastern
bank of the Atbara is contested ground; in reality it forms the
western frontier of Abyssinia, of which the Atbara river is the
boundary, but since the annexation of the Nubian provinces to
Egypt there has been no safety for life or property upon the line
of frontier; thus a large tract of country actually forming a
portion of Abyssinia is uninhabited.

Upon my return to the camp, I was informed by the Sheik Wat Said
that a detachment of troops was stationed at Tomat expressly to
protect the Egyptian frontier from the raids of Mek Nimmur, who
was in the habit of crossing the Atbara and pillaging the Arab
villages during the dry season, when the river was fordable. This
Mek Nimmur was a son of the celebrated Mek Nimmur, the chief of
Shendy, a district upon the west bank of the Nile between Berber
and Khartoum. When the Egyptian forces, under the command of
Ismael Pasha, the son of the Viceroy Mehemet Ali Pasha, arrived
at Shendy, at the time of the conquest of Nubia, he called the
great Sheik Mek (from Melek, signifying king) Nimmur before him,
and demanded the following supplies for his army, as tribute for
the Pasha:--1,000 young girls as slaves; 1,000 oxen; and of
camels, goats, sheep, each 1,000; also camel-loads of corn and
straw each 1,000, with a variety of other demands expressed by
the same figure. It is said that Mek Nimmur replied to these
demands with much courtesy, "Your arithmetic exhibits a charming
simplicity, as the only figure appears to be 1,000." In a short
time the supplies began to arrive, strings of camels, laden with
corn, assembled at Shendy in the Egyptian camp; cattle, goats,
sheep, came in from all sides; fodder for the Egyptian cavalry,
to the amount of 1,000 camel-loads, was brought to head-quarters,
and piled in a huge wall that encircled the tent of the General
Ismael Pasha. In the dead of night, while he slept, the crackling
of fire was heard, and flames burst out upon all sides of the dry
and combustible fodder; the Arabs had fired the straw in all
directions, and a roar of flame in a fatal ring surrounded the
Pasha's tent, which caught the fire. There was no escape! In the
confusion, the Arabs fell upon the troops, and massacred a
considerable number. After this success, Mek Nimmur succeeded in
retiring with his people and herds to Sofi, on the Atbara, to
which place we were bound; this was about twelve miles from
Tomat. The body of Ismael Pasha was found beneath those of some
of his women, all of whom that were within the inclosure having
perished.

After this calamity the Egyptians recovered Shendy, and in
revenge they collected a number of the inhabitants of all ages
and both sexes. These were penned together like cattle in a
zareeba or kraal, and were surrounded with dhurra-straw, which
was fired in a similar manner to that which destroyed the Pasha.
Thus were these unfortunate creatures destroyed en masse, while
the remaining portion of the population fled to the new
settlement of their chief at Sofi.

Within the last few years preceding my arrival, the Egyptians had
attacked and utterly destroyed the old town of Sofi. Mek Nimmur
had retired across the Atbara, and had taken refuge in Abyssinia,
where he had been welcomed by the king of that country as the
enemy of the Turks, and had been presented with a considerable
territory at the western base of the high mountain range. When I
arrived on the Atbara in 1861, the original Mek Nimnmur was dead,
and his son, who also was called Mek Nimmur, reigned in his
stead. "Nimmur" signifies in Arabic "leopard:" thus "Mek Nimmur"
is the "Leopard King."

This man was constantly at war with the Egyptians, and such Arabs
who were friendly to Egypt. His principal head-quarters were
about seventy miles from Tomat, at a village named Mai Gubba,
from which country he made successful razzias upon the Egyptian
territory, which compelled a vigilant look-out during the dry
season. During the rains there was no danger, as the river was
immensely deep, and impassable from the total absence of boats.

The uninhabited country exactly opposite Tomat was said to abound
with large game, such as elephants, giraffes, &c. as there were
no enemies to disturb them.

At break of day, 29th July, the grandson of Abou Sinn, Sheik Ali,
who had been our guide, paid us his parting visit, and returned
with his people, while at the same time Atalan Wat Said arrived
with a large retinue of his own Arabs and Egyptian soldiers to
escort us to Sofi. Two splendid hygeens were already saddled for
us, one of which was specially intended for my wife; this was the
most thorough-bred looking animal I have ever seen; both were
milk-white, but there was a delicacy in the latter that was
unequalled. This was rather small, and although the ribs were so
well covered that the animal appeared rather fleshy, it was in
the hardiest condition, and was shaped in the depth of brisket
and width of loins like a greyhound; the legs were remarkably
fine, and as clean as ivory. The Sheik Atalan was charmed at our
admiration of his much-prized hygeen, and to prove its speed and
easy action we were no sooner mounted than he led the way at
about ten miles an hour, down the steep slopes, across the rough
watercourses, and up the hill-sides, assuring my wife that she
might sip a cup of coffee on the back of the animal she rode,
without spilling a drop: although an exaggeration, this is the
usual figure of speech by which an Arab describes the easy action
of a first-rate hygeen. It was a beautiful sight to watch the
extraordinary ease with which the hygeen glided along over the
numerous inequalities of the ground without the slightest
discomfort to the rider; the numerous escort became a long and
irregular line of stragglers, until at length they were lost in
the distance, with the exception of three or four, who, well
mounted, were proud of keeping their position. Emerging from the
uneven valley of the Atbara, we arrived upon the high and level
table land above; here the speed increased, and in the
exhilaration of the pace in the cool morning air, with all nature
glowing in the fresh green of a Nubian spring, we only regretted
the shortness of the journey to Sofi, which we reached before the
heat of the day had commenced. We were met by the sheik of the
village, and by a German who had been a resident of Sofi for some
years; he was delighted to see Europeans, especially those who
were conversant with his own language, and he very politely
insisted that we should dismount at his house. Accordingly our
camels knelt at the door of a little circular stone building
about twelve feet in diameter, with a roof thatched according to
Arab fashion. This dwelling was the model of an Arab hut, but the
walls were of masonry instead of mud and sticks, and two small
windows formed an innovation upon the Arab style, which had much
astonished the natives, who are contented with the light afforded
by the doorway.

We were shortly sitting in the only stone building in the
country, among a crowd of Arabs, who, according to their annoying
custom, had thronged to the hut upon our arrival, and not only
had filled the room, but were sitting in a mob at the doorway,
while masses of mop-like heads were peering over the shoulders of
the front rank, excluding both light and air; even the windows
were blocked with highly frizzled heads, while all were talking
at the same time.

Coffee having been handed to the principal people while our tents
were being pitched outside the village, we at length silenced the
crowd; our new acquaintance explained in Arabic the object of our
arrival, and our intention of passing the rainy season at Sofi,
and of exploring the various rivers of Abyssinia at the earliest
opportunity. Atalan Wat Said promised every assistance when the
time should arrive; he described the country as abounding with
large game of all kinds, and he agreed to furnish me with guides
and hunters at the commencement of the hunting season; in the
meantime he ordered the sheik of the village, Hassan bel Kader,
to pay us every attention.

After the departure of Atalan and his people, and the usual
yelling of the women, we had time to examine Sofi, and
accompanied by the German, Florian, we strolled through the
village. At this position the slope of the valley towards the
river was exceedingly gradual upon the west bank, until within a
hundred and fifty yards of the Atbara, when the ground rapidly
fell, and terminated in an abrupt cliff of white sandstone.

The miserable little village of modern Sofi comprised about
thirty straw huts, but the situation was worthy of a more
important settlement. A plateau of hard sandy soil of about
twenty acres was bordered upon either side by two deep ravines
that formed a natural protection, while below the steep cliff,
within two hundred paces in front of the village, flowed the
river Atbara; for mounted men there was only one approach, that
which we had taken from the main land. There could not have been
a more inviting spot adopted for a resting-place during the
rains. Although the soil was thoroughly denuded of loam, and
nothing remained but the original substratum of sandstone and
pebbles, the grass was at this season about three inches high
throughout the entire valley of the Atbara, the trees were in
full leaf, and the vivid green, contrasting with the snow-white
sandstone rocks, produced the effect of an ornamental park. My
tents were pitched upon a level piece of ground, outside the
village, about a hundred paces from the river, where the grass
had been so closely nibbled by the goats that it formed a natural
lawn, and was perfection for a camp; drains were dug around the
tent walls, and everything was arranged for a permanency. I
agreed with the sheik for the erection of a comfortabie hut for
ourselves, a kitchen adjoining, and a hut for the servants, as
the heavy storms were too severe for a life under canvas; in the
meantime we sat in our tent, and had a quiet chat with Florian,
the German.

He was a sallow, sickly-looking man, who with a large bony frame
had been reduced from constant hard work and frequent sickness to
little but skin and sinew; he was a mason, who had left Germany
with the Austrian Mission to Khartoum, but finding the work too
laborious in such a climate, he and a friend, who was a
carpenter, had declared for independence, and they had left the
Mission.

They were both enterprising fellows, and sportsmen; therefore
they had purchased rifles and ammunition, and had commenced life
as hunters; at the same time they employed their leisure hours in
earning money by the work of their hands in various ways.
Florian, being a stonemason, had of course built his hut of
stone; he was a fair blacksmith and carpenter, and was well
provided with tools; but his principal occupation was whipmaking,
from the hides of hippopotami. As coorbatches were required
throughout the country there was an extensive demand for his
camel-whips, which were far superior to those of native
manufacture; these he sold to the Arabs at about two shillings
each. He had lately met with a serious accident by the bursting
of one of the wretched guns that formed his sporting battery;
this had blown away his thumb from the wrist joint, and had so
shattered his hand that it would most likely have suffered
amputation had he enjoyed the advantage of European surgical
assistance; but with the simple aid of his young black lad,
Richarn, who cut off the dangling thumb and flesh with his knife,
he had preserved his hand, minus one portion.

Florian had had considerable experience in some parts of the
country that I was about to visit, and he gave me much valuable
information that was of great assistance in directing my first
operations. The close of the rainy season would be about the
middle of September, but travelling would be impossible until
November, as the fly would not quit the country until the grass
should become dry; therefore the Arabs would not return with
their camels until that period.

It appeared that this peculiar fly, which tortured all domestic
animals, invaded the country shortly after the commencement of
the rains, when the grass was about two feet high; a few had
already been seen, but Sofi was a favoured spot that was
generally exempt from this plague, which clung more particularly
to the flat and rich table lands, where the quality of grass was
totally different to that produced upon the pebbly and denuded
soil of the sandstone slopes of the valley. The grass of the
slopes was exceedingly fine, and would not exceed a height of
about two feet, while that of the table lands would exceed nine
feet, and become impassable, until sufficiently dry to be cleared
by fire. In November, the entire country would become a vast
prairie of dried straw, the burning of which would then render
travelling and hunting possible.

Florian had hunted for some distance along the Settite river with
his companions, and had killed fifty-three hippopotami during the
last season. I therefore agreed that he should accompany me until
I should have sufficiently explored that river, after which I
proposed to examine the rivers Salaam and Angrab, of which great
tributaries of the Atbara nothing definite was known, except that
they joined that river about fifty miles south of Sofi.

Florian described the country as very healthy during the dry
season, but extremely dangerous during the rains, especially in
the month of October, when, on the cessation of rain, the sun
evaporated the moisture from the sodden ground and rank
vegetation. I accordingly determined to arrange our winter
quarters as comfortably as possible at Sofi for three months,
during which holiday I should have ample time for gaining
information and completing my arrangements for the future.
Violent storms were now of daily occurrence; they had first
commenced at about 2 P.M., but they had gradually altered the
hour of their arrival to between 3 and 4. This night, 29th July,
we were visited at about 11 P.M. with the most tremendous tempest
that we had yet experienced, which lasted until the morning.
Fortunately the tent was well secured with four powerful
storm-ropes fastened from the top of the pole, and pinned about
twenty-five yards from the base to iron bars driven deep into the
hard ground; but the night was passed in the discomforts of a
deluge that, driven by the hurricane, swept through the tent,
which threatened every minute to desert us in shreds. On the
following morning the storm had passed away, and the small tent
had done likewise, having been blown down and carried many yards
from the spot where it had been pitched. Mahomet, who was the
occupant, had found himself suddenly enveloped in wet canvas,
from which he had emerged like a frog in the storm. There was no
time to be lost in completing my permanent camp; I therefore sent
for the sheik of the village, and proceeded to purchase a house.
I accompanied him through the narrow lanes of Sofi, and was
quickly shown a remarkably neat house, which I succeeded in
purchasing from the owner for the sum of ten piastres (two
shillings). This did not seem an extravagant outlay for a neat
dwelling with a sound roof; neither were there any legal expenses
in the form of conveyance, as in that happy and practical land
the simple form of conveyance is the transportation of the house
(the roof) upon the shoulders of about thirty men, and thus it is
conveyed to any spot that the purchaser may consider desirable.
Accordingly, our mansion was at once seized by a crowd of Arabs,
and carried off in triumph, while the sticks that formed the wall
were quickly arranged upon the site I had chosen for our camp. In
the short space of about three hours I found myself the
proprietor of an eligible freehold residence, situated upon an
eminence in park-like grounds, commanding extensive and romantic
views of the beautifully-wooded valley of the Atbara, within a
minute's walk of the neighbouring village of Sofi, perfect
immunity from all poor-rates, tithes, taxes, and other public
burthens, not more than 2,000 miles from a church, with the
advantage of a post-town at the easy distance of seventy leagues.
The manor comprised the right of shooting throughout the parishes
of Ahyssinia and Soudan, plentifully stocked with elephants,
lions, rhinoceroses, giraffes, buffaloes, hippopotami, leopards,
and a great variety of antelopes; while the right of fishing
extended throughout the Atbara and neighbouring rivers, that were
well stocked with fish ranging from five to a hundred and fifty
pounds; also with turtles and crocodiles.

The mansion comprised entrance-hall, dining-room, drawing-roomn,
lady's boudoir, library, breakfast-room, bed-room and
dressing-room (with the great advantage of their combination in
one circular room fourteen feet in diameter). The architecture
was of an ancient style, from the original design of a pill-box
surmounted by a candle extinguisher.

Thus might my estate have been described by an English estate
agent and auctioneer, with a better foundation of fact than many
newspaper advertisements.

I purchased two additional huts, one of which was erected at the
back (if a circle has a back) of our mansion, as the kitchen,
while the other at a greater distance formed the "servants'
hall." We all worked hard for several days in beautifying our
house and grounds. In the lovely short grass that resembled green
velvet, we cut walks to the edge of a declivity, and surrounded
the house with a path of snow-white sand, resembling coarsely
pounded sugar; this we obtained from some decomposed sandstone
rock which crumbled upon the slightest pressure. We collected
curiously-shaped blocks of rock, and masses of fossil wood that
were imbedded in the sandstone; these we formed into borders for
our walks, and opposite to our front door (there was no back
door) we arranged a half-circle or "carriage-drive," of white
sand, to the extreme edge of the declivity, which we bordered
with large rocks; one of which I believe may remain to this day,
as I carried it to the spot to form a seat, and my vanity was
touched by the fact that it required two Arabs to raise it from
the ground. I made a rustic table of split bamboos, and two
garden seats opposite the entrance of the house, and we collected
a number of wild plants and bulbs which we planted in little
beds; we also sowed the seeds of different gourds that were to
climb up on our roof.

In the course of a week we had formed as pretty a camp as
Robinson Crusoe himself could have coveted; but he, poor
unfortunate, had only his man Friday to assist him, while in our
arrangements there were many charms and indescribable little
comforts that could only be effected by a lady's hand. Not only
were our walks covered with snow-white sand and the borders
ornamented with beautiful agates that we had collected in the
neighbourhood, but the interior of our house was the perfection
of neatness: the floor was covered with white sand beaten firmly
together to the depth of about six inches; the surface was swept
and replaced with fresh material daily; the travelling bedsteads,
with their bright green mosquito curtains, stood by either side,
affording a clear space in the centre of the circle, while
exactly opposite the door stood the gun-rack, with as goodly an
array of weapons as the heart of a sportsman could desire:--

My little Fletcher double rifle, No. 24.

One double rifle, No. 10, by Tatham.

Two double rifles, No. 10, by Reilly.

One double rifle, No. 10, by Beattie (one of my old Ceylon
tools).

One double gun, No. 10, by Beattie.

One double gun, No. 10, by Purdey, belonging to Mr. Oswell, of
South African celebrity.

One single rifle, No. 8, by Manton.

One single rifle, No. 14, by Beattie.

One single rifle that carried a half-pouud explosive shell, by
Holland of Bond Street; this was nicknamed by the Arabs "Jenna el
Mootfah" (child of a cannon), and for the sake of brevity I
called it the "Baby."

My revolver and a brace of double-barrelled pistols hung upon the
wall, which, although the exterior of the house was straw, we had
lined with the bright coloured canvas of the tent. Suspended by
loops were little ornamental baskets worked by the Arabs, that
contained a host of useful articles, such as needles, thread, &c.
&c., and the remaining surface was hung with hunting knives,
fishing lines, and a variety of instruments belonging to the
chase. A travelling table, with maps and a few books, stood
against the wall, and one more article completed our
furniture,--an exceedingly neat toilet table, the base of which
was a flat-topped portmanteau, concealed by a cunning device of
chintz and muslin; this, covered with the usual arrangement of
brushes, mirror, scent-bottles, &c. threw an air of civilization
over the establishment, which was increased by the presence of an
immense sponging-bath, that, being flat and circular, could be
fitted underneath a bed. In the draught of air next the door
stood our filter in a wooden frame, beneath which was a porous
jar that received and cooled the clear water as it fell.

Our camp was a perfect model; we had a view of about five miles
in extent along the valley of the Atbara, and it was my daily
amusement to scan with my telescope the uninhabited country upon
the opposite side of the river, and watch the wild animals as
they grazed in perfect security. I regret that at that time I did
not smoke; in the cool of the evening we used to sit by the
bamboo table outside the door of our house, and drink our coffee
in perfect contentment amidst the beautiful scene of a tropical
sunset and the deep shadows in the valley; but a pipe! --the long
"chibbook" of the Turk would have made our home a Paradise!
Nevertheless we were thoroughly happy at Sofi;--there was a
delightful calm, and a sense of rest; a total estrangement from
the cares of the world, and an enchanting contrast in the soft
green verdure of the landscape before us to the many hundred
weary miles of burning desert through which we had toiled from
Lower Egypt. In those barren tracts, the eye had become so
accustomed to sterility and yellow sand, that it had appeared
impossible to change the scene, and Africa afforded no prospect
beyond the blank hitherto shown upon the chart of the interior;
we were now in a land of rich pastures, and apparently in another
world, after the toil of a hard life;--it was the haven of a
pilgrim, rest!

While we were enjoying a few months' repose, the elements were
hard at work. Every day, without exception, and generally for
several hours of the night, the lightning flashed and thunder
roared with little intermission, while the rain poured in such
torrents that the entire country became perfectly impassable,
with the exception of the hard ground of the Atbara valley. The
rich loam of the table land had risen like leavened dough, and
was knee-deep in adhesive mud; the grass upon this surface grew
with such rapidity that in a few weeks it reached a height of
nine or ten feet. The mud rushed in torrents down the countless
watercourses, which were now in their greatest activity in
hurrying away the fertile soil of Egypt; and the glorious Atbara
was at its maximum.


CHAPTER VIII.

THE PLAGUES OF EGYPT.

TIME glided away smoothly at our camp amidst the storms of the
rainy season. The Arabs had nothing to do, and suffered much from
the absence of their herds, as there was a great scarcity of
milk. The only animals that had not been sent to the north were
a few goats; these were so teased by the flies that they produced
but a small supply. Fever had appeared at the same time with the
flies, and every one was suffering more or less, especially
Florian, who was seriously ill. I was in full practice as
physician, and we congratulated ourselves upon the healthiness of
our little isolated camp, when suddenly my wife was prostrated by
a severe attack of gastric fever, which for nine days rendered
her recovery almost hopeless. At length the fever gave way to
careful attendance, and my Arab patients and Florian were also in
a fair way towards recovery. The plagues of Egypt were upon us;
the common house-flies were in billions, in addition to the
cattle-tormentor. Our donkeys would not graze, but stood day and
night in the dense smoke of fires, made of sticks and green
grass, for protection.

The plague of boils broke out, and every one was attacked more or
less severely. Then came a plague of which Moses must have been
ignorant, or he would surely have inflicted it upon Pharaoh. This
was a species of itch, which affected all ages and both sexes
equally; it attacked all parts of the body, but principally the
extremities. The irritation was beyond description; small
vesicles rose above the skin, containing a watery fluid, which,
upon bursting, appeared to spread the disease. The Arabs had no
control over this malady, which they called "coorash," and the
whole country was scratching. The popular belief attributed the
disease to the water of the Atbara at this particular season:
although a horrible plague, I do not believe it to have any
connexion with the well-known itch or "scabies" of Europe.

I adopted a remedy that I had found a specific for mange in dogs,
and this treatment became equally successful in cases of coorash.
Gunpowder, with the addition of one-fourth of sulphur, made into
a soft paste with water, and then formed into an ointment with
fat: this should be rubbed over the whole body. The effect upon
a black man is that of a well-cleaned boot--upon a white man it
is still more striking; but it quickly cures the malady. I went
into half mourning by this process, and I should have adopted
deep mourning had it been necessary; I was only attacked from the
feet to a little above the knees. Florian was in a dreadful
state, and the vigorous and peculiar action of his arms at once
explained the origin of the term "Scotch fiddle," the musical
instrument commonly attributed to the north of Great Britain.

The Arabs are wretchedly ignorant of the healing art, and they
suffer accordingly. At least fifty per cent. of the population in
Sofi had a permanent enlargement of the spleen, which could be
felt with a slight pressure of the hand, frequently as large as
an orange; this was called "Jenna el Wirde" (child of the fever),
and was the result of constant attacks of fever in successive
rainy seasons.

Faith is the drug that is supposed to cure the Arab; whatever his
complaint may be, he applies to his Faky or priest. This minister
is not troubled with a confusion of book-learning, neither are
the shelves of his library bending beneath weighty treatises upon
the various maladies of human nature; but he possesses the key to
all learning, the talisman that will apply to all cases, in that
one holy book the Koran. This is his complete pharmacopoeia: his
medicine chest, combining purgatives, blisters, sudorifics,
styptics, narcotics, emetics, and all that the most profound M.D.
could prescribe. With this "multum in parvo" stock-in-trade the
Faky receives his patients. No. 1 arrives, a barren woman who
requests some medicine that will promote the blessing of
childbirth. No. 2, a man who was strong in his youth, but from
excessive dissipation has become useless. No. 3, a man deformed
from his birth, who wishes to become straight as other men. No.
4, a blind child. No. 5, a dying old woman, carried on a litter;
and sundry other impossible cases, with others of a more simple
character.

The Faky produces his book, the holy Koran, and with a pen formed
of a reed he proceeds to write a prescription; not to be made up
by an apothecary, as such dangerous people do not exist, but the
prescription itself is to be SWALLOWED! Upon a smooth board, like
a slate, he rubs sufficient lime to produce a perfectly white
surface; upon this he writes in large characters, with thick
glutinous ink, a verse or verses from the Koran that he considers
applicable to the case; this completed, he washes off the holy
quotation, and converts it into a potation by the addition of a
little water; this is swallowed in perfect faith by the patient,
who in return pays a fee according to the demand of the Faky. Of
course it cannot be supposed that this effects a cure, or that it
is in any way superior to the prescriptions of a thorough-bred
English doctor; the only advantage possessed by the system is
complete innocence, in which it may perhaps claim superiority. If
no good result is attained by the first holy dose, the patient
returns with undiminished confidence, and the prescription is
repeated as "the draught as before," well known to the
physic-drinkers of England, and in like manner attended with the
bill. The fakeers make a considerable amount by this simple
practice, and they add to their small earnings by the sale of
verses of the Koran as talismans.

As few people can read or write, there is an air of mystery in
the art of writing which much enhances the value of a scrap of
paper upon which is written a verse from the Koran. A few
piastres are willingly expended in the purchase of such
talismans, which are carefully and very neatly sewn into small
envelopes of leather, and are worn by all people, being handed
down from father to son.

The Arabs are especially fond of relics; thus, upon the return
from a pilgrimage to Mecca, the "hadji," or pilgrim, is certain
to have purchased from some religious Faky of the sacred shrine
either a few square inches of cloth, or some such trifle, that
belonged to the prophet Mahomet. This is exhibited to his friends
and strangers as a wonderful spell against some particular
malady, and it is handed about and received with extreme
reverence by the assembled crowd. I once formed one of a circle
when a pilgrim returned to his native village: we sat in a
considerable number upon the ground, while he drew from his bosom
a leather envelope, suspended from his neck, from which he
produced a piece of extremely greasy woollen cloth, about three
inches square, the original colour of which it would have been
impossible to guess. This was a piece of Mahomet's garment, but
what portion he could not say. The pilgrim had paid largely for
this blessed relic, and it was passed round our circle from hand
to hand, after having first been kissed by the proprietor, who
raised it to the crown of his head, which he touched with the
cloth, and then wiped both his eyes. Each person who received it
went through a similar performance, and as ophthalmia and other
diseases of the eyes were extremely prevalent, several of the
party had eyes that had not the brightness of the gazelle's;
nevertheless, these were supposed to become brighter after having
been wiped by the holy cloth. How many eyes this same piece of
cloth had wiped it would be impossible to say, but such facts are
sufficient to prove the danger of holy relics, that are
inoculators of all manner of contagious diseases.

I believe in holy shrines as the pest spots of the world. We
generally have experienced in Western Europe that all violent
epidemics arrive from the East. The great breadth of the Atlantic
boundary would naturally protect us from the West, but infectious
disorders, such as plague, cholera, small-pox, &c. may be
generally tracked throughout their gradations from their original
nests; those nests are in the East, where the heat of the climate
acting upon the filth of semi-savage communities engenders
pestilence.

The holy places of both Christians and Mahometans are the
receptacles for the masses of people of all nations and classes
who have arrived from all points of the compass; the greater
number of such people are of poor estate; many, who have toiled
on foot from immense distances, suffering from hunger and
fatigue, and bringing with them not only the diseases of their
own remote countries, but arriving in that weak state that courts
the attack of any epidemic. Thus crowded together, with a
scarcity of provisions, a want of water, and no possibility of
cleanliness, with clothes that have been unwashed for weeks or
months, in a camp of dirty pilgrims, without any attempt at
drainage, an accumulation of filth takes place that generates
either cholera or typhus; the latter, in its most malignant form,
appears as the dreaded "plague." Should such an epidemic attack
the mass of pilgrims debilitated by the want of nourishing food,
and exhausted by their fatiguing march, it runs riot like a fire
among combustibles, and the loss of life is terrific. The
survivors radiate from this common centre, upon their return to
their respective homes, to which they carry the seeds of the
pestilence to germinate upon new soils in different countries.
Doubtless the clothes of the dead furnish materials for
innumerable holy relics as vestiges of the wardrobe of the
Prophet; these are disseminated by the pilgrims throughout all
countries, pregnant with disease; and, being brought into
personal contact with hosts of true believers, Pandora's box
could not be more fatal.

Not only are relics upon a pocket scale conveyed by pilgrims, and
reverenced by the Arabs, but the body of any Faky, who in
lifetime was considered extra holy, is brought from a great
distance to be interred in some particular spot. In countries
where a tree is a rarity, a plank for a coffin is unknown; thus
the reverend Faky, who may have died of typhus, is wrapped in
cloths and packed in a mat. In this form he is transported,
perhaps, some hundred miles, slung upon a camel, with the
thermometer above 130 degrees Fahr. in the sun, and he is
conveyed to the village that is so fortunate as to be honoured
with his remains. It may be readily imagined that with a
favourable wind, the inhabitants are warned of his approach some
time before his arrival. Happily, long before we arrived at Sofi,
the village had been blessed by the death of a celebrated Faky,
a holy man who would have been described as a second Isaiah were
the annals of the country duly chronicled. This great "man of
God," as he was termed, had departed this life at a village on
the borders of the Nile, about eight days' hard camel-journey
from Sofi; but from some assumed right, mingled no doubt with
jobbery, the inhabitants of Sofi had laid claim to his body, and
he had arrived upon a camel horizontally, and had been buried
about fifty yards from our present camp. His grave was beneath a
clump of mimosas that shaded the spot, and formed the most
prominent object in the foreground of our landscape. Thither
every Friday the women of the village congregated, with offerings
of a few handfuls of dhurra in small gourd-shells, which they
laid upon the grave, while they ATE THE HOLY EARTH in small
pinches, which they scraped like rabbits, from a hole they had
burrowed towards the venerated corpse; this hole was about two
feet deep from continual scratching, and must have been very near
the Faky.

Although bamboos did not grow in Sofi, great numbers were brought
down by the river during the rains; these were eagerly collected
by the Arabs, and the grave of the Faky was ornamented with
selected specimens, upon which were hung small pieces of rag-like
banners. The people could not explain why they were thus
ornamented, but I imagine the custom had originated from the
necessity of scaring the wild animals that might have exhumed the
body.

Although the grave of this revered Faky was considered a sacred
spot, the women had a curious custom that we should not consider
an honour to the sanctity of the place: they met in parties
beneath the shade of the mimosas that covered the grave, for the
express purpose of freeing each other's heads from vermin; the
creatures thus caught, instead of being killed, were turned loose
upon the Faky.

Although the Arabs in places remote from the immediate action of
the Egyptian authorities are generally lawless, they are
extremely obedient to their own sheiks, and especially to the
fakeers: thus it is important to secure such heads of the people
as friends. My success	as a physician had gained me many friends,
as I studiously avoided the acceptance of any present in return
for my services, which I wished them to receive as simple acts of
kindness; thus I had placed the Sheik Hassan bel Kader under an
obligation, by curing him of a fever; and as he chanced to
combine in his own person the titles of both sheik and faky, I
had acquired a great ascendency in the village, as my medicines
had proved more efficacious than the talismans. "Physician, cure
thyself," applied to the Faky, who found three grains of my
tartar emetic more powerful than a whole chapter of the Koran.

We frequently had medical discussions, and the contents of my
large medicine-chest were examined with wonder by a curious
crowd; the simple effect of mixing a seidlitz powder was a source
of astonishment; but a few drops of sulphuric acid upon a piece
of strong cotton cloth which it destroyed immediately, was a
miracle that invested the medicine-chest with a specific
character for all diseases. The Arab style of doctoring is rather
rough. If a horse or other animal has inflammation, they hobble
the legs and throw it upon the ground, after which operation a
number of men kick it in the belly until it is relieved--(by
death). Should a man be attacked with fever, his friends
prescribe a system of diet, in addition to the Koran of the Faky:
he is made to drink, as hot as he can swallow it, about a quart
of melted sheep's fat or butter. Young dogs, as a cure for
distemper, are thrown from the roof of a house to the ground--a
height of about ten feet. One night we were sitting at dinner,
when we suddenly heard a great noise, and the air was illumined
by the blaze of a hut on fire. In the midst of the tumult I heard
the unmistakeable cries of dogs, and thinking that they were
unable to escape from the fire, I ran towards the spot. As I
approached, first one and then another dog ran screaming from the
flames, until a regular pack of about twenty scorched animals
appeared in quick succession, all half mad with fright and fire.
I was informed that hydrophobia was very prevalent in the
country, and that the certain preventive from that frightful
malady was to make all the dogs of the village pass through the
fire. Accordingly an old hut had been filled with straw and
fired; after which, each dog was brought by its owner and thrown
into the flames. Upon another occasion I heard a great yelling
and commotion, and I found Mahomet's "mother's brother's cousin's
sister's mother's son," Achmet, struggling on the ground, and
nearly overpowered by a number of Arabs, who were determined to
operate upon a large boil in his groin, which they had condemned
to be squeezed, although it was not in a state that admitted of
such treatment. The patient was biting and kicking liberally on
all sides in self-defence, and his obstinate surgeons could
hardly be persuaded to desist.

Syphilis is common throughout the country, and there are several
varieties of food that are supposed to effect a cure. A sheep is
killed, and the entire flesh is cooked with the fat, being cut
into small pieces and baked in a pot; several pounds of butter or
other grease are then boiled, and in that state are poured into
the jars containing the baked meat; the patient is then shut up
by himself in a hut with this large quantity of fat food, with
which he is to gorge himself until the whole is consumed. Another
supposed cure for the same disease is a pig dressed in a similar
manner, which meat, although forbidden by the Koran, may be taken
medicinally. The flesh of the crocodile is eaten greedily, being
supposed to promote desire. There are few animals that the Arabs
of the Nubian provinces will refuse; the wild boar is invariably
eaten by the Arab hunters, although in direct opposition to the
rules of the Koran. I once asked them what their Faky would say
if he were aware of such a transgression. "Oh !" they replied,
"we have already asked his permission, as we are sometimes
severely pressed for food in the jungles; he says, 'If you have
the KORAN in your hand and NO PIG, you are forbidden to eat pork;
but if you have the PIG in your hand and NO KORAN, you had better
eat what God has given you.'"

This is a charming example of simplicity in theological
discussion that might perhaps be followed with advantage in
graver questions; we might cease to strain at the gnats and
swallow our pigs.

I had an audience of a party of hunters whom I had long wished to
meet. Before my arrival at Sofi I had heard of a particular tribe
of Arabs that inhabited the country south of Cassala, between
that town and the Base country; these were the Hamrans, who were
described as the most extraordinary Nimrods, who hunted and kiled
all wild animals, from the antelope to the elephant, with no
other weapon than the sword; the lion and the rhinoceros fell
alike before the invincible sabres of these mighty hunters, to
whom as an old elephant-hunter I wished to make my salaam, and
humbly confess my inferiority.

From the manner in which their exploits had been hitherto
explained to me, I could not understand how it could be possible
to kill an elephant with the sword, unless the animal should be
mobbed by a crowd of men and hacked to death, but I was assured
that the most savage elephant had no chance upon good riding
ground, against four aggageers (as the hunters with the sword are
designated). I had determined to engage a party of these hunters
to accompany me throughout my exploration of the Abyssinian
rivers at the proper season, when I should have an excellent
opportunity of combining sport with an examination of the
country. My intentions had become known, and the visit of the
hunters was the consequence.

The Hamran Arabs are distinguished from the other tribes by an
extra length of hair, worn parted down the centre, and arranged
in long curls; otherwise there is no perceptible difference in
their appearance from other Arabs. They are armed, as are all
others, with swords and shields; the latter are circular, and are
generally formed of rhinoceros hide. There are two forms of
shields used by the various tribes of Arabs: one is a narrow
oval, about four feet in length, of either bull's or buffalo's
hide, stiffened by a strong stick which passes down the centre;
the other is circular, about two feet in diameter, with a
projection in the centre as a protection for the hand. When laid
flat upon the ground, the shield somewhat resembles an immensely
broad-brimmed hat, with a low crown terminating in a point. In
the inside of the crown is a strong bar of leather as a grip for
the hand, while the outside is generally guarded by a strip of
the scaly hide of a crocodile.

The skins most prized for shields are those of the giraffe and
the rhinoceros; those of the buffalo and elephant are likewise in
genera] use, but they are considered inferior to the former,
while the hide of the hippopotamus is too thick and heavy.

The hide of the giraffe is wonderfully tough, and combines the
great advantage of extreme lightness with strength. The Arabs
never ornament their shields; they are made for rough and actual
service, and the gashes upon many are proofs of the necessity of
such a protection for the owner.

Although there are two patterns of shields among the Arabs, there
is no difference in the form of their swords, which simply vary
in size according to the strength of the wearer. The blade is
long and straight, two-edged, with a simple cross handle, having
no other guard for the hand than the plain bar, which at right
angles with the hilt forms the cross. I believe this form was
adopted after the Crusades, when the long, straight,
cross-handled blades of the Christian knights left an impression
behind them that established the fashion. All these blades are
manufactured at Sollingen, and are exported to Egypt for the
trade of the interior. Of course they differ in quality and
price, but they are of excellent temper. The Arabs are extremely
proud of a good sword, and a blade of great value is carefully
handed down through many generations. The sheiks and principal
people wear silver-hilted swords. The scabbards are usually
formed of two thin strips of elastic but soft wood, covered with
leather. No Arab would accept a metal scabbard, as it would
destroy the keen edge of his weapon. The greatest care is taken
in sharpening the swords. While on the march, the Arab carries
his weapon slung on the pommel of his saddle, from which it
passes beneath his thigh. There are two projecting pieces of
leather, about twelve inches apart, upon the scabbard, between
which the thigh of the horseman fits, and thus prevents the sword
from slipping from its place. Carried in this position at full
speed, there is an absence of that absurd dangling and jumping of
the sword that is exhibited in our British cavalry, and the
weapon seems to form a portion of the rider. The first action of
an Arab when he dismounts at a halt upon the march, and sits
beneath a tree, is to draw his sword; and after trying both edges
with his thumb, he carefully strops the blade to and fro upon his
shield until a satisfactory proof of the edge is made by shaving
the hair off his arm, after which it is returned to the sheath.
I have measured these swords; that of a fair average size is
three feet in the length of blade, and one inch and seven-eighths
in breadth; the hilt, from the top of the guard to the extremity,
five and a half inches. Thus the sword complete would be about
three feet five or six inches. Such a weapon possesses immense
power, as the edge is nearly as sharp as a razor. But the Arabs
have not the slightest knowledge of swordsmanship; they never
parry with the blade, but trust entirely to the shield, and
content themselves with slashing either at their adversary or at
the animal that he rides; one good cut delivered by a powerful
arm would sever a man at the waist like a carrot. The Arabs are
not very powerful men; they are extremely light and active, and
generally average about five feet eight inches in height. But
their swords are far too heavy for their strength; and although
they can deliver a severe cut, they cannot recover the sword
sufficiently quick to parry, therefore they are contented with
the shield as their only guard. If opposed to a good swordsman
they would be perfectly at his mercy, as a feint at the head
causes them to raise the shield; this prevents them from seeing
the point, that would immediately pass through the body.

Notwithstanding their deficiency in the art of the sword, they
are wonderful fellows to cut and slash; and when the sharp edge
of the heavy weapon touches an enemy, the effect is terrible.

The elephant-hunters, or aggageers, exhibited their swords, which
differed in no respect from those usually worn; but they were
bound with cord very closely from the guard for about nine inches
along the blade, to enable them to be grasped by the right hand,
while the hilt was held by the left; the weapon was thus
converted into a two-handed sword. The scabbards were
strengthened by an extra covering, formed of the skin of the
elephant's ear.

In a long conversation with these men, I found a corroboration of
all that I had previously heard of their exploits, and they
described the various methods of killing the elephant with the
sword. Those hunters who could not afford to purchase horses
hunted on foot, in parties not exceeding two persons. Their
method was to follow the tracks of an elephant, so as to arrive
at their game between the hours of 10 A.M. and noon, at which
time the animal is either asleep, or extremely listless, and easy
to approach. Should they discover the animal asleep, one of the
hunters would creep stealthily towards the head, and with one
blow sever the trunk while stretched upon the ground; in which
case the elephant would start upon his feet, while the hunters
escaped in the confusion of the moment. The trunk severed would
cause an haemorrhage sufficient to insure the death of the
elephant within about an hour. On time other hand, should the
animal be awake upon their arrival, it would be impossible to
approach the trunk; in such a case, they would creep up from
behind, and give a tremendous cut at the back sinew of the hind
leg, about a foot above the heel. Such a blow would disable the
elephant at once, and would render comparatively easy a second
cut to the remaining leg; the arteries being divided, the animal
would quickly bleed to death. These were the methods adopted by
poor hunters, until, by the sale of ivory, they could purchase
horses for the higher branch of the art. Provided with horses,
the party of hunters should not exceed four. They start before
daybreak, and ride slowly throughout the country in search of
elephants, generally keeping along the course of a river until
they come upon the tracks where a herd or a single elephant may
have drunk during the night. When once upon the tracks, they
follow fast towards the retreating game. The elephants may be
twenty miles distant; but it matters little to the aggageers. At
length they discover them, and the hunt begins. The first step is
to single out the bull with the largest tusks; this is the
commencement of the fight. After a short hunt, the elephant turns
upon his pursuers, who scatter and fly from his headlong charge
until he gives up the pursuit; he at length turns to bay when
again pressed by the hunters. It is the duty of one man in
particular to ride up close to the head of the elephant, and thus
to absorb its attention upon himself. This insures a desperate
charge. The greatest coolness and dexterity are then required by
the hunter, who now, the HUNTED, must so adapt the speed of his
horse to the pace of the elephant, that the enraged beast gains
in the race until it almost reaches the tail of the horse. In
this manner the race continues. In the meantime, two hunters
gallop up behind the elephant, unseen by the animal, whose
attention is completely directed to the horse almost within his
grasp. With extreme agility, when close to the heels of the
elephant, one of the hunters, while at full speed, springs to the
ground with his drawn sword, as his companion seizes the bridle,
and with one dexterous two-handed blow he severs the back sinew.
He immediately jumps out of the way and remounts his horse; but
if the blow is successful, the elephant becomes disabled by the
first pressure of its foot upon the ground; the enormous weight
of the animal dislocates the joint, and it is rendered helpless.
The hunter who has hitherto led the elephant immediately turns,
and riding to within a few feet of the trunk, he induces the
animal to attempt another charge. This, clumsily made, affords an
easy opportunity for the aggageers behind to slash the sinew of
the remaining leg, and the immense brute is reduced to a
standstill; it dies of loss of blood in a short time, THUS
POSITIVELY KILLED BY ONE MAN WITH TWO STROKES OF THE SWORD!

This extraordinary hunting is attended with superlative danger,
and the hunters frequently fall victims to their intrepidity. I
felt inclined to take off my cap and make a low bow to the
gallant and swarthy fellows who sat before me, when I knew the
toughness of their hearts and the activity of their limbs. One of
them was disabled for life by a cut from his own sword, that had
severed the knee-cap and bitten deep into the joint, leaving a
scar that appeared as though the leg had been nearly off; he had
missed his blow at the elephant, owing to the high and tough
dried grass that had partially stopped the sword, and in
springing upon one side, to avoid the animal that had turned upon
him, he fell over his own sharp blade, which cut through the
bone, and he lay helpless; he was saved by one of his comrades,
who immediately rushed in from behind, and with a desperate cut
severed the back sinew of the elephant. As I listened to these
fine fellows, who in a modest and unassuming manner recounted
their adventures as matters of course, I felt exceedingly small.
My whole life had been passed in wild sports from early manhood,
and I had imagined that I understood as much as most people of
this subject; but here were men who, without the aid of the best
rifles and deadly projectiles, went straight at their game, and
faced the lion in his den with shield and sabre. There is a
freemasonry among hunters, and my heart was drawn towards these
aggageers. We fraternised upon the spot, and I looked forward
with intense pleasure to the day when we might become allies in
action.

I have been rewarded by this alliance in being now able to speak
of the deeds of others that far excel my own, and of bearing
testimony to the wonderful courage and dexterity of these
Nimrods, instead of continually relating anecdotes of dangers in
the first person, which cannot be more disagreeable to the reader
than to the narrator.

Without inflicting a description of five months passed in Sofi,
it will be necessary to make a few extracts from my journal, to
convey an idea of the manner in which the time was occupied.

"August 7, 1861.--There is plenty of game on the other side of
the river, but nothing upon this; there are no means of crossing,
as the stream is exceedingly strong, and about two hundred yards
in width. We felled a tree for a canoe, but there is nothing
worthy of the name of timber, and the wood is extremely heavy.

"There are several varieties of wild spinach, and a plant that
makes a good salad, known by the Arabs as 'Regly;' also wild
onions as large as a man's fist, but uneatable.

"Angust 8.--I counted seventy-six giraffes on the opposite side
of the river. This magnificent sight is most tantalizing. The
sheik made his appearance to-day with a present of butter and
honey, and some small money in exchange for dollars that I had
given him. The Austrian dollar of Maria Theresa is the only large
coin current in this country; the effigy of the empress, with a
very low dress and a profusion of bust, is, I believe, the charm
that suits the Arab taste. So particular are these people, that
they reject the coin after careful examination, unless they can
distinctly count seven dots that form the star upon the coronet.
No clean money will pass current in this country; all coins must
be dirty and gummy, otherwise they are rejected: this may be
accounted for, as the Arabs have no method of detecting false
money; thus they are afraid to accept any new coin.

"Auqust 16.--Great failure! We launched the canoe, but although
it was carefully hollowed out, the wood was so heavy that it
would only carry one person, and even then it threatened to
become a bathing-machine; thus nine days' hard work are lost.
Florian is in despair, but 'Nil desperandum!' I shall set to work
instanter, and make a raft. Counted twenty-eight giraffes on the
opposite side of the river.

"August 17.--I set to work at daybreak to make a raft of bamboo
and inflated skins. There is a wood called ambatch (Anemone
mirabilis) that is brought down by the river from the upper
country; this is lighter than cork, and I have obtained four
large pieces for my raft. Mahomet has been very saucy to-day; he
has been offensively impertinent for a long time, so this morning
I punched his head.

"August 18.--Launched the raft; it carries four persons safely;
but the current is too strong, and it is therefore unmanageable.
In the afternoon I shot a large crocodile on the other side of
the river (about two hundred yards) with the little Fletcher
rifle, and after struggling for some time upon the steep bank it
rolled into the water.

"The large tamarind trees on the opposite bank are generally full
of the dog-faced baboons (Cynocephalus) in the evening, at their
drinking-hour. I watched a large crocodile creep slyly out of the
water, and lie in waiting among the rocks at the usual
drinking-place before they arrived, but the baboons were too wide
awake to be taken in so easily. A young fellow was the first to
discover the enemy; he had accompanied several wise and
experienced old hands, to the extremity of the bough that at a
considerable height overhung the river; from this post they had
a bird's-eye view, and reconnoitred before one of the numerous
party descended to drink. The sharp eyes of the young one at once
detected the crocodile, who matched in colour so well with the
rocks, that most probably a man would not have noticed it until
too late. At once the young one commenced shaking the bough and
screaming with all his might to attract the attention of the
crocodile, and to induce it to move. In this he was immediately
joined by the whole party, who yelled in chorus, while the large
old males bellowed defiance, and descended to the lowest branches
within eight or ten feet of the crocodile. It was of no use--the
pretender never stirred, and I watched it until dark; it remained
still inn the same place, waiting for some unfortunate baboon
whose thirst might provoke his fate; but not one was sufficiently
foolish, although the perpendicular banks prevented them from
drinking except at that particular spot.

"The birds in this country moult twice during the year, and those
of the most brilliant colours exchange their gaudy hues for a
sober grey or brown. Several varieties sing beautifully; the
swallow also sings, although in Europe I have never heard it
attempt more than its well-known twitter.

"One of the mimosas yields an excellent fibre for rope-making, in
which my people are busily engaged; the bark is as tough as
leather, and forms an admirable material for the manufacture of
sacks. This business is carried to a considerable extent by the
Arabs, as there is a large demand for sacks of sufficient size to
contain two hundred and fifty or three hundred pounds of gum
arabic (half a camel load). Thus one sack slung upon each side
can be packed easily to the animal.

"August 19.--A dead elephant floated down the river to-day: this
is the second that has passed within the last few days; they have
been most probably drowned in attempting to cross some powerful
torrent tributary to the Atbara. As usual, upon the fact becoming
known, the entire village rushed out, and, despite the
crocodiles, a crowd of men plunged into the river about a quarter
of a mile below Sofi, and swimming out they intercepted the
swollen carcase, which was quickly covered with people; they were
carried several miles down the river before they could tow the
body to shore, by ropes fastened to the swimmers. Afterwards,
there was a general quarrel over the division of the spoil: the
skin, in sections, and the tusks, were brought home in triumph.

"The country being now bright green, the antelopes are distinctly
visible on the opposite side. Three tetel (Antelopus Bubalis)
graze regularly together in the same place daily. This antelope
is a variety of the hartebeest of South Africa; it is a
reddish-chestnut colour, and is about the size of an Alderney
cow.

"One of the mimosas (Acacia Arabica) produces a fruit in
appearance resembling a tamarind: this is a powerful astringent
and a valuable medicine in cases of fever and diarrhoea; it is
generally used by the Arabs for preparing hides; when dry and
broken it is rich in a hard gum, which appears to be almost pure
tannin.

"August 20.--Close, hot, and damp weather; violent rain about
sixteen hours out of the twenty-four. When the hot season sets
in, the country will almost boil. This morning I counted 154
giraffes in one herd on the other side of the river; there were
many more, but they passed each other so rapidly that I could not
reckon the entire troop.

"August 21.--I counted 103 giraffes. There is literally no game
upon this side (west) of the Atbara, as the country for twelve
hours' journey from Sofi is thronged with Arabs during the dry
season.

"All my people are more or less ill; I am not very well myself;
but I have staved off an attack of fever by preventive measures.

"August 25.--Such a magnificent sunset I have never seen! From
all quarters were gathering storms of the blackest description,
each cloud emitting lightning without intermission, and as the
sun touched the horizon upon the only clear point, it illumined
like a fire the pitch-black clouds, producing the most
extraordinary effect of vivid colouring, combined with lightning,
and a rainbow.

"Rain in torrents throughout the night. It is now impossible to
walk on the flat table land, as the soil is so saturated that it
clings to the feet like birdlime, in masses that will pull the
shoes off unless they fit tight. All this immense tract of rich
land would grow any amount of cotton, or wheat, as in this
country the rain falls with great regularity--this might be sent
to Berber by boats during the season of flood.

"August 27.--My antelope skins are just completed and are
thoroughly tanned. Each skin required a double handful of the
'garra,' or fruit of the Acacia Arabica. The process is simple:
the skin being thoroughly wetted, the garra is pounded into a
paste; this is rubbed into the hide with a rough piece of
sandstone, until it becomes perfectly clean, and free from
impurities; it is then wrapped up with a quantity of the paste,
and is deposited in a trough and kept in the shade for
twenty-four hours. It should undergo a similar rubbing daily, and
be kept in the trough to soak in the garra for four or five days.
After this process it should be well rubbed with fat, if required
to keep soft and pliable when wetted. If soaked in milk after
tanning, the leather will become waterproof. The large tanned
ox-hides used by the Arabs as coverlets are perfectly waterproof,
and are simply prepared with milk. These are made in Abyssinia,
and can be purchased at from ten piastres to a dollar each. The
Arabs thoroughly appreciate the value of leather, as they are
entirely dependent upon such material for coverlets, watersacks,
travelling bags, &c. &c. The sac de voyage is a simple skin of
either goat or sheep drawn off the animal as a stocking is drawn
from the leg; this is very neatly ornamented, and arranged with
loops which close the mouth, secured by a padlock. Very large
sacks, capable of containing three hundred pounds of corn, are
made in the same manner by drawing off entire the skins of the
larger antelopes--that of the tetel is considered the most
valuable for this purpose. The hide of the wild ass is the finest
of all leather, and is so close in the grain that before tanning,
when dry and hardened in the sun, it resembles horn in
transparency. I have made excellent mocassins with this skin,
which are admirable if kept wetted.

"August 28.--Sofi being upon the frontier, the laws are merely
nominal; accordingly there is an interesting mixture in the
society. Should any man commit a crime in Abyssinia, he takes
refuge over the border; thus criminals of the blackest character
are at large. One fellow who has paid us daily visits killed his
brother with a knife a few months since. I have excluded this
gentleman from the select circle of our acquaintance.

"The Arab women are very clever in basket-work and matting--they
carry their milk in baskets that are so closely fitted as to be
completely water-tight; these are made of the leaves of the dome
palm, shred into fine strips. In addition to the coarse matting
required for their tents, they manufacture very fine sleeping
mats, curiously arranged in various coloured patterns; these are
to cover the angareps, or native bedsteads, which are simple
frameworks upon legs, covered with a network of raw hide worked
in a soft state, after which it hardens to the tightness of a
drum when thoroughly dry. No bed is more comfortable for a warm
climate than a native angarep with a simple mat covering; it is
beautifully elastic, and is always cool, as free ventilation is
permitted from below. I have employed the Arab women to make me
a hunting-cap of the basket-work of dome palm, to my old pattern.

"August 28.--I have been busily employed in putting new soles to
my shoes, having cut up the leather cover of a gun-case for
material. No person can walk barefooted in this country, as the
grass is armed with thorns. A peculiar species, that resembles a
vetch, bears a circular pod as large as a horse-bean; the
exterior of the pod is armed with long and sharp spikes like the
head of an ancient mace; these pods when ripe are exceedingly
hard, and falling to the ground in great numbers, the spikes will
pierce the sole of any shoe unless of a stout substance.

"August 29.--Florian is very ill with fever. The mosquitoes are
so troublesome that the Arabs cannot sleep in their huts, but are
forced to arrange platforms about six feet high, upon which the
whole family rest until they are awakened by a sudden
thunderstorm, and are compelled to rush into their huts;--this
has been the case nightly for some time past.

"I find that the whole village has been trying on my new
hunting-cap, that an Arab woman has just completed; this was
brought to me to-day, thick with butter and dirt from their
greasy pates. This is a trifle: yesterday Florian was ill and
required some tea; his servant tried the degree of heat by
plunging his dirty black finger to the bottom.

"Shortly after our wild Arab lad, Bacheet, was engaged, we
drilled him as table servant. The flies were very troublesome,
and continually committed suicide by drowning themselves in the
tea. One morning during breakfast there were many cases of felo
de se, or 'temporary insanity,' and my wife's tea-cup was full of
victims; Bacheet, wishing to be attentive, picked out the bodies
with his finger and thumb!--'Now, my good fellow, Bacheet,' I
exclaimed, 'you really must not put your dirty fingers in the
tea: you should take them out with the tea-spoon. Look here,' and
I performed the operation, and safely landed several flies that
were still kicking. 'But mind, Bacheet,' I continued, 'that you
wipe the tea-spoon first, to be sure that it is clean!' On the
following morning at breakfast we covered up the cups with
saucers to prevent accidents; but to our astonishment Bacheet,
who was in waiting, suddenly took a tea-spoon from the table,
wiped it carefully with a corner of the table-cloth, and stooping
down beneath the bed, most carefully saved from drowning, with
the tea-spoon, several flies that were in the last extremity
within a vessel by no means adapted for a spoon. Perfectly
satisfied with the result, he carefully rewiped the tea-spoon
upon the table-cloth, and replaced it in its proper position. 'Oh
Bacheet! Bacheet! you ignoramus, you extraordinary and impossible
animal!' However, there was no help for it--the boy thought he
was doing the right thing exactly.

"September 1.--The animals are worried almost to death by the
countless flies, especially by that species that drives the
camels from the country. This peculiar fly is about the size of
a wasp, with an orange-coloured body, with black and white rings;
the proboscis is terrific; it is double, and appears to be
disproportioned, being two-thirds the length of the entire
insect. When this fly attacks an animal, or man, it pierces the
skin instantaneously, like the prick of a red-hot needle driven
deep into the flesh, at the same time the insect exerts every
muscle of its body by buzzing with its wings as it buries the
instrument to its greatest depth. The blood starts from the wound
immediately, and continues to flow for a considerable time; this
is an attraction to other flies in great numbers, many of which
would lay their eggs upon the wound.

"I much prefer the intense heat of summer to the damp of the
rainy season, which breeds all kinds of vermin. During the hot
season the nights are cool and delightful, there is not one drop
of dew, and we live entirely in the open air beneath the shade of
a tree in the day, and under a roof of glittering stars at night.
The guns never rust, although lying upon the ground, and we are
as independent as the antelopes of the desert, any bush affording
a home within its limit of shadow. During the rainy season
hunting and travelling would be equally impossible; the rifles
would constantly miss fire. The mud is in most places knee-deep,
and a malignant fever would shortly settle the hunter. The rains
cease early in September, after which we are to expect a complete
vapour-bath until the end of October, by which time the fiery sun
will have evaporated the moisture from the sodden earth; that
interval will be the most unhealthy season.

"As this fertile country can depend upon three months' periodical
rain, from the middle of June until September there is no reason
for unproductiveness; it would produce a large revenue if in
industrious hands.

"September 2.--For many days past we have seen large herds of
giraffes and many antelopes on the opposite side of the river,
about two miles distant, on the borders of the Atbara, into which
valley the giraffes apparently dared not descend but remained on
the table land, although the antelopes appearmed to prefer the
harder soil of the valley slopes. This day a herd of twenty-eight
giraffes tantalized me by descending a short distance below the
level flats, and I was tempted at all hazards across the river.
Accordingly preparations were immediately made for a start. The
sheik of the village and several of the Arabs were hippopotami
hunters by profession; these fellows could swim like otters, and,
despite the crocodiles, they seemed as much at home in the water
as on land. We prepared an impromptu raft. My angarep (bedstead)
was quickly inverted; six water-skins were inflated, and lashed,
three on either side. A shallow packing-case, lined with tin,
containing my gun, was fastened in the centre of the angarep, and
two tow-lines were attached to the front part of the raft, by
which swimmers were to draw it across the river. Two men were to
hang on behind, and, if possible, keep it straight in the rapid
current.

"The Arabs were full of mettle, as their minds were fixed upon
giraffe venison. A number of people, including my wife, climbed
upon the mosquito platforms, to obtain a good view of the
projected hunt, and we quickly carried our raft to the edge of
the river. There was not much delay in the launch. I stepped
carefully into my coffin-shaped case, and squatted down, with a
rifle on either side, and my ammunition at the bottom of the
tin-lined water-proof case; thus, in case of an upset, I was
ready for a swim. Off we went! The current, running at nearly
five miles an hour, carried us away at a great pace, and the
whirlpools caused us much trouble, as we several times waltzed
round when we should have preferred a straight course, but the
towing swimmers being well mounted upon logs of light
ambatch-wood, swam across in fine style, and after some
difficulty we arrived at the opposite bank, and scrambled through
thick bushes, upon our hands and knees, to the summit.

"For about two miles' breadth on this side of the river the
valley is rough broken ground, full of gullies and ravines sixty
or seventy feet deep, beds of torrents, bare sandstone rocks,
bushy crags, fine grassy knolls, and long strips of mimosa
covert, forming a most perfect locality for shooting.

"I had observed by the telescope that the giraffes were standing
as usual upon an elevated position, from whence they could keep
a good look-out. I knew it would be useless to ascend the slope
direct, as their long necks give these animals an advantage
similar to that of the man at the mast-head; therefore, although
we had the wind in our favour, we should have been observed. I
therefore determined to make a great circuit of about five miles,
and thus to approach them from above, with the advantage of the
broken ground for stalking. It was the perfection of uneven
country: by clambering broken cliff, wading shoulder-deep through
muddy gullies, sliding down the steep ravines, and winding
through narrow bottoms of high grass and mimosas for about two
hours, during which we disturbed many superb nellut (Ant.
strepsiceros) and tetel (Ant. Bubalis), we at length arrived at
the point of the high table land upon the verge of which I had
first noticed the giraffes with the telescope. Almost immediately
I distinguished the tall neck of one of these splendid animals
about half a mile distant upon my left, a little below the table
land; it was feeding on the bushes, and I quickly discovered
several others near the leader of the herd. I was not far enough
advanced in the circuit that I had intended to bring me exactly
above them, therefore I turned sharp to my right, intending to
make a short half circle, and to arrive on the leeward side of
the herd, as I was now to windward: this I fortunately completed,
but I had marked a thick bush as my point of cover, and upon
arrival I found that the herd had fed down wind, and that I was
within two hundred yards of the great bull sentinel that, having
moved from his former position, was now standing directly before
me. I lay down quietly behind the bush with my two followers, and
anxiously watched the great leader, momentarily expecting that it
would get my wind. It was shortly joined by two others, and I
perceived the heads of several giraffes lower down the incline,
that were now feeding on their way to the higher ground. The
seroot fly was teasing them, and I remarked that several birds
were fluttering about their heads, sometimes perching upon their
noses and catching the fly that attacked their nostrils, while
the giraffes appeared relieved by their attentions: these were a
peculiar species of bird that attacks the domestic animals, and
not only relieves them of vermin, but eats into the flesh, and
establishes dangerous sores. A puff of wind now gently fanned the
back of my neck; it was cool and delightful, but no sooner did I
feel the refreshing breeze than I knew it would convey our scent
direct to the giraffes. A few seconds afterwards, the three grand
obelisks threw their heads still higher in the air, and fixing
their great black eyes upon the spot from which the danger came,
they remained as motionless as though carved from stone. From
their great height they could see over the bush behind which we
were lying at some paces distant, and although I do not think
they could distinguish us to be men, they could see enough to
convince them of hidden enemies.

"The attitude of fixed attention and surprise of the three
giraffes was sufficient warning for the rest of the herd, who
immediately filed up from the lower ground, and joined their
comrades. All now halted, and gazed steadfastly in our direction,
forming a superb tableau; their beautiful mottled skins glancing
like the summer coat of a thoroughbred horse, the orange-coloured
statues standing out in high relief from a background of
dark-green mimosas.

"This beautiful picture soon changed; I knew that my chance of a
close shot was hopeless, as they would presently make a rush, and
be off; thus I determined to get the first start. I had
previously studied the ground, and I concluded that they would
push forward at right angles with my position, as they had thus
ascended the hill, and that, on reaching the higher ground, they
would turn to the right, in order to reach an immense tract of
high grass, as level as a billiard-table, from which no danger
could approach them unobserved.

"I accordingly with a gentle movement of my hand directed my
people to follow me, and I made a sudden rush forward at full
speed. Off went the herd; shambling along at a tremendous pace,
whisking their long tails above their hind quarters, and taking
exactly the direction I had anticipated, they offered me a
shoulder shot at a little within two hundred yards' distance.
Unfortunately, I fell into a deep hole concealed by the high
grass, and by the time that I resumed the hunt they had increased
their distance, but I observed the leader turned sharp to the
right, through some low mimosa bush, to make direct for the open
table land. I made a short cut oblquely at my best speed, and
only halted when I saw that I should lose ground by altering my
position. Stopping short, I was exactiy opposite the herd as they
filed by me at right angles in full speed, within about a hundred
and eighty yards. I had my old Ceylon No. 10 double rifle, and I
took a steady shot at a large dark-coloured bull: the
satisfactory sound of the ball upon his hide was followed almost
immediately by his blundering forward for about twenty yards, and
falling heavily in the low bush. I heard the crack of the ball of
my left-hand barrel upon another fine beast, but no effects
followed. Bacheet quickly gave me the single 2-ounce Manton
rifle, and I singled out a fine dark-coloured bull, who fell on
his knees to the shot, but recovering, hobbled off disabled,
apart from the herd, with a foreleg broken just below the
shoulder. Reloading immediately, I ran up to the spot, where I
found my first giraffe lying dead, with the ball clean through
both shoulders: the second was standing about one hundred paces
distant; upon my approach he attempted to move, but immediately
fell, and was despatched by my eager Arabs. I followed the herd
for about a mile to no purpose, through deep clammy ground and
high grass, and I returned to our game.

"These were my first giraffes, and I admired them as they lay
before me with a hunter's pride and satisfaction, but mingled
with a feeling of pity for such beautiful and utterly helpless
creatures. The giraffe, although from sixteen to twenty feet in
height, is perfectly defenceless, and can only trust to the
swiftness of its pace, and the extraordinary power of vision, for
its means of protection. The eye of this animal is the most
beautiful exaggeration of that of the gazelle, while the colour
of the reddish-orange hide, mottled with darker spots, changes
the tints of the skin with the differing rays of light, according
to the muscular movenment of the body. No one who has merely seen
the giraffe in a cold climate can form the least idea of its
beauty in its native land. By the time that we had skinned one of
the aninmals, it was nearly six o'clock, and it was necessary to
hurry forward to reach the river before night; we therefore
arranged some thorny boughs over the bodies, to which we intended
to return on the following morning.

"When about half-way to the river, as we were passing through
grass about four feet high, three tetel bounded from a ravine,
and, passing directly before us, gave me a splendid shot at about
sixty yards. The Ceylon No. 10 struck the foremost through the
shoulder, and it fell dead after running a few yards. This was
also my first tetel (Antelopus Bubalis); it was in splendid
condition, the red coat was like satin, and the animal would
weigh about five hundred pounds live weight.

"I had made very successful shots, having bagged three out of
four large game; this perfectly delighted the Arabs, and was very
satisfactory to myself, as I was quite aware that my men would be
only too willing to accompany me upon future excursions.

"It was quite dark before we reached the river; we had been much
delayed by repeated falls into deep holes, and over hidden
stones; thus I was well satisfied to find myself once more at
home after having crossed the river, in pitchy darkness, in a
similar manner as before. Every person in the village had had a
good view of the stalk; therefore, as two giraffes had been seen
to fall, the Arabs were waiting on the bank in expectation of
meat.

"September 3.--This morning I crossed the river with about twenty
men, some swimming with inflated skins, and others supported by
logs of ambatch. A number of swimmers were holding on to a pole
to which four inflated girbas were attached; this is an excellent
plan for assisting soldiers to cross a river, as they can land
together in parties, instead of singly, with their guns dry,
should the opposite bank be occupied by an enemy. I sat in my
gun-case, with the two rifles that I used yesterday, in addition
to the little Fletcher; heaps of clothes and sandals belonging to
the swimmers formed my cargo; while, in case of accident, I had
taken off my belt and shoes, and tied my ammunition within an
inflated skin. Neptune in his car drawn by dolphins was not more
completely at home than I in my gun-case, towed by my fish-like
hippopotami hunters. After pirouetting in several strong
whirlpools, during which time a crowd of women on the Sofi side
of the river were screaming to Allah and the Prophet to protect
us from crocodiles, we at length arrived.

"We took a direct course towards the animals I had shot on the
previous evening, meeting with no game except a large troop of
dog-faced baboons (Cynocephali), until we reached the body of the
tetel (Antelopus Bubalis), which lay undisturbed; leaving people
to flay it carefully, so that the skin should serve as a water or
corn sack, we continued our path towards the dead giraffes.

"I had not proceeded far, before I saw, at about a mile distant,
a motionless figure, as though carved from red granite; this I
felt sure was a giraffe acting as sentry for another party that
was not yet in view; I therefore sent my men on towards the dead
giraffes, while, accompanied by Florian's black servant Richarn,*
who was a good sportsman, and a couple of additional men, I
endeavoured to stalk the giraffe. It was impossible to obtain a
favourable wind, without exposing ourselves upon flat ground,
where we should have been immediately perceived; I therefore
arranged that my men should make a long circuit and drive the
giraffe, while I would endeavour to intercept it. This plan
failed; but shortly after the attempt, I observed a herd of about
a hundred of these splendid creatures, browsing on the mimosas
about half a mile distant. For upwards of three hours I employed
every artifice to obtain a shot, but to no purpose, as upon my
approach to within a quarter of a mile, they invariably chose
open ground, leaving a sentry posted behind the herd, while two
or three kept a look-out well in advance. No animal is so
difficult to approach as the giraffe; however, by great patience
and caution, I succeeded in reaching a long and deep ravine, by
which I hoped to arrive within a close shot, as many of the herd
were standing upon the level table-ground, from which this
natural trench suddenly descended. I believe I should have
arrived within fifty yards of the herd by this admirable
approach, had it not been for the unlucky chance that brought me
vis-a-vis with two tetel, that by galloping off attracted the
attention of the giraffes. To add to my misfortune, after a long
and tedious crawl on hands and knees up the narrow amid steep
extremity of the gully, just as I raised my head above the edge
of the table land, expecting to see the giraffes within fifty
paces, I found three gazelles feeding within ten yards of me,
while three magnificent giraffes were standing about a hundred
and fifty yards distant.

  * This faithful black, a native of the White Nile regions,
    subsequently became my servant, and, for four years
    accompanied us honestly and courageously through all
    our difficulties to the Albert N'yanza.

"Off bounded the gazelles the instant that we were perceived;
they of course gave the alarm immediately, and away went the
giraffes; but I took a quick shot at the great leader as he
turned to the right, and he staggered a few paces and fell
headlong into the bush. Hurrah for the Ceylon No. 10!--however,
neither the second barrel, nor a shot with the Manton 2-ounce,
produced any effect. It was a glorious sight to see the herd of
upwards of a hundred of these superb animals close up at the
alarm of the shots, and pelt away in a dense body through the
dark green mimosa bush that hardly reached to their shoulders;
but pursuit was useless. My giraffe was not quite dead, and, the
throat having been cut by the Arabs and Richarn, we attempted to
flay our game; this was simply impossible. The seroot fly was in
swarms about the carcase, thousands were buzzing about our ears
and biting like bull-dogs: the blood was streaming from our
necks, and, as I wore no sleeves, my naked arms suffered
terribly. I never saw such an extraordinary sight; although we
had killed our giraffe, we could not take possession; it was no
wonder that camels and all domestic animals were killed by this
horrible plague, the only wonder was the possibility of wild
animals resisting the attack. The long tails of the giraffes are
admirable fly-whippers, but they would be of little service
against such a determined and blood-thirsty enemy as the seroot.
They were now like a swarm of bees, and we immediately made war
upon the scourge, by lighting several fires within a few feet to
windward of the giraffe; when the sticks blazed briskly, we piled
green grass upon the tops, and quickly produced a smoke that
vanquished the enemy.

"It was now about 3 P.M. and intensely hot; I had been in
constant exercise since 6 A.M., therefore I determined upon
luncheon under the shade of a welcome mimosa upon which I had
already hung my water-skin to cool. We cut sonne long thin strips
of flesh from the giraffe, and lighted a fire of dry babanoose
wood expressly for cooking. This species of wood is exceedingly
inflammable, and burns like a torch; it is intensely hard, and in
colour and grain it is similar to lignum vitae. The festoons of
giraffe flesh were hung upon forked sticks, driven into the
ground to leeward of the fire, while others were simply thrown
upon the embers by my men, who, while the food was roasting,
employed themselves in skinning the animal, and in eating the
flesh raw. The meat was quickly roasted, and was the best I have
ever tasted, fully corroborating the praises I had frequently
heard of giraffe meat from the Arab hunters. It would be natural
to suppose that the long legs of this animal would furnish the
perfection of marrow bones, but these are a disappointment, as
the bones of the giraffe are solid, like those of the elephant
and hippopotamus; the long tendons of the legs are exceedingly
prized by the Arabs in lieu of thread for sewing leather, also
for guitar strings.

"After luncheon, I took my little Fletcher rifle, and strolled
down to the spot from whence I had fired the shot, as I wished to
measure the distance, but no sooner had I arrived at the place
than I observed at about a quarter of a mile below me, in the
valley, a fine tetel; it was standing on the summit of one of the
numerous knolls, evidently driven fronm the high grass by the
flies. I stalked it very carefully until I arrived within about
a hundred yards, and just as I reached the stem of a tree that I
had resolved upon as my covering-point, the tetel got my wind,
and immediately bounded off, receiving the bullet in the right
hip at the same moment. After a few bounds it fell, and I ran
forward to secure it, but it suddenly sprang to its feet, and
went off at a surprising rate upon three legs. I believed I
missed it, as I fired a quick shot just as it disappeared in the
thick bushes. Whistling for my people, I was now joined by
Bacheet and Richarn, my other men remaining with the giraffe. For
about four miles we followed on the track through the broken
valley of the Atbara, during which we several times disturbed the
tetel, but could not obtain a good shot, on account of the high
grass and thick bushes. Several times I tried a snap shot, as for
a moment I caught sight of its red hide galloping through the
bush, but as it ran down wind I had no chance of getting close to
my game. At length, after following rapidly down a grassy ravine,
I presently heard it pelting through the bushes; the ravine made
a bend to the right, therefore, by taking a short cut, I arrived
just in time to catch sight of the tetel as it passed over an
open space below me; this time the little Fletcher bagged him. On
examination I found that I had struck it four times. I had fired
five shots, but as three of those had been fired almost at
random, when the animal was in full speed through the bushes, one
had missed, and the others were badly placed.

"Fortunately this long hunt had been in the direction of Sofi, to
which we were near; still more fortunately, after we had marked
the spot, we shortly met my first party of Arabs returning
towards the village, heavily laden with giraffe's flesh, and the
hide of one that I had killed yesterday. It appeared that during
the night, lions and hyaenas had completely devoured one of the
giraffes, not even leaving a vestige of skin or bone, but the
immediate neighbourhood of the spot where it lay had been
trampled into mud by the savage crowd who had left their
footprints as witnesses to the robbery; the hide and bones had
evidently been dragged away piecemeal.

"On arrival at the river we were all busy in preparing for the
passage with so large a quantity of meat. The water-skins for the
raft were quickly inflated, and I learnt from the Arabs an
excellent contrivance for carrying a quantity of flesh across a
river, without its becoming sodden. The skin of the tetel was
nearly as capacious as that of an Alderney cow; this had been
drawn off in the usual manner, so as to form a sack. The Arabs
immediately proceeded to tie up the neck like the mouth of a bag,
and to secure the apertures at the knees in like manner; when
this operation was concluded, the skin became an immense sack,
the mouth being at the aperture left at the hind-quarters. The
No. 10 bullet had gone completely through the shoulders of the
tetel, thus the two holes in the hide required stopping; this was
dexterously performed by inserting a stone into either hole, of
a size so much larger than the aperture, that it was impossible
to squeeze them through. These stones were inserted from the
inside of the sack; they were then grasped by the hand from the
outside, and pulled forward, while a tight ligature was made
behind each stone, which effectually stopped the holes. The skin
of the tetel was thus converted into a waterproof bag, into which
was packed a quantity of flesh sufficient to fill two-thirds of
its capacity; the edges of the mouth were then carefully drawn
together, and secured by tying. Thus carefully packed, one of the
foreleg ligatures was untied, and the whole skin was inflated by
blowing through the tube formed by the skin of the limb; the
inflation completed, this was suddenly twisted round and tied.
The skin thus filled looked like an exaggerated water-skin; the
power of flotation was so great, that about a dozen men hung on
to the legs of the tetel, and to each other's shoulders, when we
launched it in the river. This plan is well worthy of the
attention of military men; troops, when on service, are seldom
without bullocks; in the absence of boats or rafts, not only can
the men be thus safely conveyed across the river, but the
ammunition can be packed within the skins, wrapped up in straw,
and will be kept perfectly dry.

"The Arabs were much afraid of crocodiles this night, as it was
perfectly dark when we had completed our preparations, and they
feared that the snmell of so large a quantity of raw flesh, more
especially the hide of the giraffe, which must be towed, would
attract these beasts to the party; accordingly I fired several
shots to alarm them, and the men plunged into the river, amidst
the usual yelling of the women on the opposite side. Fires had
been lighted to direct us, and all passed safely across.

"The sport upon the Abyssinian side of the river had been most
satisfactory, and I resolved upon the first opportunity to change
my quarters, and to form an encampment upon that bank of the
Atbara until the proper season should arrive for travelling. I
had killed three giraffes and two tetel in only two excursions.
Florian, who was ill, had not been able to accompany me; although
he had been shooting in this neighbourhood for two years he had
never killed a giraffe. This want of success was owing to the
inferiority of his weapons, that were not adapted to correct
shooting at a range exceeding a hundred yards.

"On the following morning about fifty Arabs crossed the river
with the intention of bringing the flesh of the giraffe, but they
returned crestfallen in the evening, as again the lions and
hyaenas had been before them, and nothing was left. I therefore
resolved not to shoot again until I should be settled in my new
camp on the other side of the river, as it was a wasteful
expenditure of these beautiful animals unless the flesh could be
preserved.

"The rainy season was drawing to a close, and I longed to quit
the dulness of Sofi.

"September 12.--The river has fallen nearly eighteen feet, as the
amount of rain has much decreased during the last week. Immense
crocodiles are now to be seen daily, basking upon the muddy
banks. One monster in particular, who is well known to the Arabs
as having devoured a woman a few months ago, invariably sleeps
upon a small island up the river.

"This evening I counted seven elephants on the east side of the
river on the table lands.

"To-day the Arabs kept one of their holy feasts; accordingly, a
sheep was slaughtered as a sacrifice, with an accompaniment of
music and singing, i.e. howling to several guitars.

"The Arab system of an offering is peculiar. Should a friend be
dangerously ill, or rain be demanded, or should any calamity
befall them, they slaughter an ox if they possess it, or a sheep
or goat in the absence of a larger animal, but the owner of the
beast SELLS the meat in small portions to the assembled party,
and the whole affair of sacrifice resolves itself into a feast;
thus having filled thenmselves with good meat, they feel
satisfied that they have made a religious sacrifice, and they
expect the beneficial results. The guitar music and singing that
attend the occasion are simply abominable. Music, although
beloved like dancing by both the savage and civilized, varies in
character according to the civilization of the race; that which
is agreeable to the uneducated ear is discord to the refined
nerves of the educated. The uutuned ear of the savage can no more
enjoy the tones of civilized music than his palate would relish
the elaborate dishes of a French chef de cuisine. As the stomach
of the Arab prefers the raw meat and reeking liver taken hot from
the animal, so does his ear prefer his equally coarse and
discordant music to all other. The guitar most common is made of
either the shell of a large gourd, or that of a turtle; over this
is stretched an untanned skin, that of a large fish being
preferred; through this two sticks are fixed about two feet three
inches in length; the ends of these are fastened to a cross piece
upon which are secured the strings; these are stretched over a
bridge similar to those of a violin, and are either tightened or
relaxed by rings of waxed rag fastened upon the cross
piece--these rings are turned by the hand, and retain their
position in spite of the strain upon the strings. Nothing
delights an Arab more than to sit idly in his hut and strum this
wretched instrument from morning until night."

I was thoroughly tired of Sofi, and I determined to move my party
across the river to camp on the uninhabited side; the rains had
almost ceased, therefore we should be able to live in the tent at
night, and to form a shady nook beneath some mimosas by day;
accordingly we busily prepared for a move.


CHAPTER IX.

FORM A RAFT WITH THE SPONGING BATH.

ON the 15th September the entire male population of Sofi turned
out to assist us in crossing the river, as I had promised them a
certain sum should the move be effected without the loss or
destruction of baggage. I had arranged a very superior raft to
that I had formerly used, as I now had eight inflated skins
attached to the bedstead, upon which I lashed our large circular
sponging bath, which, being three feet eight inches in diameter,
and of the best description, would be perfectly safe for my wife,
and dry and commodious for the luggage. In a very short time the
whole of our effects were carried to the water's edge, and the
passage of the river commenced. The rifles were the first to
cross with Bacheet, while the water-tight iron box that contained
the gunpowder was towed like a pinnace behind the raft. Four
hippopotami hunters were harnessed as tug steamers, while a
change of swimmers waited to relieve them every alternate voyage.
The raft answered admirably, and would easily support about three
hundred pounds. The power of flotation of the sponging bath alone
I had proved would support a hundred and ninety pounds, thus the
only danger in crossing was the chance of a crocodile making a
dash either at the inflated skins in mistake for the body of a
man, or at the swimmers themselves. All the usual necessaries
were safely transported, with the tents and personal baggage,
before I crossed myself, with a number of Arabs. We quickly
cleared the grass from the hard pebbly soil of a beautiful
plateau on the summit of a craggy sandstone cliff, about eighty
feet above the river; here we pitched the tents, close to some
mimosas of dense foliage, and all being in order, I went down to
the river to receive the next arrival. My wife now came across
the ferry, and so perfectly had this means of transport
succeeded, that by the evening, the whole of our stores and
baggage had been delivered without the slightest damage, with the
exception of a very heavy load of corn, that had caused the
sponging bath to ship a sea during a strong squall of wind. The
only person who had shown the least nervousness in trusting his
precious body to my ferry-boat was Mahomet the dragoman, who,
having been simply accustomed to the grand vessels of the Nile,
was not prepared to risk himself in a voyage across the Atbara in
a sponging bath. He put off the desperate attempt until the last
moment, when every other person of my party had crossed; I
believe he hoped that a wreck would take place before his turn
should arrive, and thus spare him the painful necessity, but when
at length the awful moment arrived, he was assisted carefully
imito the bath by his servant Achmet and a number of Arabs, all
of whom were delighted at his imbecility. Perched nervously in
the centre of the bath, and holding on tight by either side, he
was towed across with his travelling bag of clothes, while Achmet
remained in charge of his best clothes and sundry other personal
effects, that were to form the last cargo across the ferry. It
appeared that Achmet, the dearly beloved and affectionate
relative of Mahomet, who had engaged to serve him for simple love
instead of money, was suddenly tempted by Satan, and seeing that
Mahomet and the entire party were divided from him and the
property in his charge, by a river two hundred yards wide, about
forty feet deep, with a powerful current, he made up his mind to
bolt with the valuables; therefore while Mahomet, in a nervous
state in the ferry-bath, was being towed towards the east, Achmet
turned in another direction and fled towards the west. Mahomet
having been much frightened by the nautical effort he had been
forced to make, was in an exceedingly bad temper upon the arrival
on the opposite bank, and having at length succeeded in climbing
up the steep ascent, in shoes that were about four sizes too
large for him, he arrived on the lofty plateau of our camp, and
doubtless would like ourselves have been charmed with the view of
the noble river rushing between the cliffs of white sandstone,
had he only seen Achmet his fond relative with his effects on the
opposite bank. Mahomet strained his eyes, but the blank was no
optical delusion; neither Achmet nor his effects were there. The
Arabs, who hated the unfortunate Mahomet for his general
overbearing conduct, now comforted him with the suggestion that
Achmet had run away, and that his only chance was to re-cross the
river and give chase. Mahomet would not have ventured upon
another voyage to the other side and back again, for the world,
and as to giving chase in boots (highlows) four sizes too big,
and without strings, that would have been as absurd as to employ
a donkey to catch a horse. Mahomet could do nothing but rush
frantically to the very edge of the cliff, and scream and
gesticulate to a crowd of Arab women who had passed the day
beneath the shady trees by the Faky's grave, watching our passage
of the Atbara. Beating his own head and tearing his hair were
always the safety valves of Mahomet's rage, but as hair is not of
that mushroom growth that reappears in a night, he had patches
upon his cranium as bald as a pumpkin shell, from the constant
plucking, attendant upon losses of temper; he now not only tore
a few extra locks from his head, but he shouted out a tirade of
abuse towards the far-distant Achmet, calling him a "son of a
dog," cursing his father, and paying a few compliments to the
memory of his mother, which if only half were founded upon fact
were sad blots upon the morality of the family to which Mahomet
himself belonged, through his close relationship to Achmet, whom
he had declared to be his mother's brother's cousin's sister's
mother's son.

A heavy shower of rain fell shortly after our camp was completed,
when fortunately the baggage was under cover; this proved to be
the last rain of the season, and from that moment the burning sun
ruled the sodden country, and rapidly dried up not only the soil
but all vegetation. The grass within a few days of the cessation
of the rain assumed a tinge of yellow, and by the end of October
there was not a green spot to relieve the eye from the golden
blaze of the landscape, except the patches of grass and reeds
that sprang from the mud banks of the retiring river. The climate
was exceedingly unhealthy, but we were fortunately exceptions to
the general rule, and although the inhabitants of Sofi were all
sufferers, our camp had no invalids, with the exception of
Mahomet, who had upon one occasion so gorged himself with
half-putrid fish, that he nearly died in consequence. It would be
impossible to commence our explorations in the Base until the
grass should be sufficiently dry to burn; there were two
varieties: that upon the slopes and hollows of the stony soil of
the Atbara valley had been a pest ever since it had ripened; as
the head formed three barbed darts, these detached themselves
from the plant with such facility, that the slightest touch was
sufficient to dislodge them; they immediately pierced the
clothes, from which they could not be withdrawn, as the barbed
heads broke off and remained. It was simply impossible to walk in
this grass as it became ripe, without special protection; I
accordingly tanned some gazelle skins, with which my wife
constructed stocking gaiters, to be drawn over the foot and tied
above and below the knee; thus fortified I could defy the grass,
and indulge in shooting and exploring the neighbourhood until the
season should arrive for firing the country. The high grass upon
the table lands, although yellow, would not be sufficiently
inflammable until the end of November.

The numerous watercourses that drained the table lands during the
rainy season were now dry. No sooner had the grass turned yellow,
than the pest of the country, the seroot fly, disappeared; thus
the presence of this insect may be dated from about 10th July to
10th October. As the fly vanished, the giraffes also left the
neighbourhood. By a few days' exploration, I found that the point
of land from the junction of the Settite river with the Atbara,
formed a narrow peninsula which was no wider than eight miles
across from our encampment: thus the herds of game retreating
from the south before the attacks of the seroot, found themselves
driven into a cut-de-sac upon the strip of land between the broad
and deep rivers the Settite and Atbara, which in the rainy season
they dared not cross. All this country being uninhabited, there
were several varieties of game at all seasons, but the three
rainy months insure a good supply of elephants and giraffes;
these retreat about thirty miles farther south, when permitted by
the cessation of the flies to return to their favourite haunts.

My camp was in a very commanding position, as it was protected in
front by the Atbara, and on the left by a perpendicular ravine
about eighty feet deep, at the bottom of which flowed the rivulet
called by the Arabs the "Till;" this joined the river immediately
below our plateau. On our right was a steep and rugged incline
covered with rocks of the whitest sandstone, through which ran
veins of rich iron ore from four to five feet in width. I found
a considerable quantity of fossil wood in the sandstone, and I
had previously discovered on the Sofi side of the river, the
fossil stem of a tree about twelve feet long; the grain appeared
to be exceedingly close, but I could not determine the class to
which the tree had belonged.

As the Atbara had fallen to the level of the small tributary, the
Till, that stream was nearly exhausted, and the fish that
inhabited its deep and shady waters during the rainy season were
now fast retiring to the parent river. At the mouth of the stream
were a number of rocks, that, as the water of the Atbara
retreated, daily increased in size; these were evidently blocks
that had been detached from the cliffs that walled in the Till.
As we were now entirely dependent upon the rod and the rifle for
the support of our party, I determined to try for a fish, as I
felt quite certain that some big fellows in the main river would
be waiting to receive the small fry that were hurrying away from
the exhausted waters of the Till.

I had a good supply of tackle, and I chose a beautifully straight
and tapering bamboo that had been brought down by the river
floods. I cut off the large brass ring from a game-bag, which I
lashed to the end of my rod; and having well secured my largest
winch, that carried upwards of 200 yards of the strongest line,
I arranged to fish with a live bait upon a set of treble hooks.
In one of the rocks at the water's edge was a circular hole about
three feet in diameter and five or six feet deep; this appeared
like an artificial well, but it was simply the effect of natural
boring by the joint exertions of the strong current conmbined
with hard sand and gravel. This had perhaps years ago settled in
some slight hollow in the rock, and had gradually worked out a
deep well by perpetual revolutions. I emptied this natural bait
box of its contents of sand and rounded pebbles, and having
thoroughly cleaned and supplied it with fresh water, I caught a
large number of excellent baits by emptying a hole in the Till;
these I consigned to my aquarium. The baits were of various
kinds: some were small "boulti" (a species of perch), but the
greater number were young fish of the Silurus species; these were
excellent, as they were exceedingly tough in the skin, and so
hardy in constitution, that they rather enjoyed the fun of
fishing. I chose a little fellow about four inches in length to
begin with, and I delicately inserted the hook under the back
fin. Gently dropping my alluring and lively little friend in a
deep channel between the rocks and the mouth of the Till, I
watched my large float with great interest, as, carried by the
stream, it swept past the corner of a large rock into the open
river; that corner was the very place where, if I had been a big
fish, I should have concealed myself for a sudden rush upon an
unwary youngster. The large green float sailed leisurely along,
simply indicating, by its uneasy movement, that the bait was
playing; and now it passed the point of the rock and hurried
round the corner in the sharper current towards the open river.
Off it went!--Down dipped the tip of the rod, with a rush so
sudden that the line caught somewhere, I don't know where, and
broke!

"Well, that was a monster!" I exclaimed, as I recovered my
inglorious line; fortunately the float was not lost, as the hooks
had been carried away at the fastening to the main line; a few
yards of this I cut off, as it had partially lost its strength
from frequent immersion.

I replaced the lost hooks by a still larger set, with the
stoutest gimp and swivels, and once more I tried my fortune with
a bait exactly resembling the first. In a short time I had a
brisk run, and quickly landed a fish of about twelve pounds: this
was a species known by the Arabs as the "bayard;" it has a
blackish green back, the brightest silver sides and belly, with
very peculiar back fins, that nearest to the tail being a simple
piece of flesh free from rays. This fish has four long barbules
in the upper jaw, and two in the lower: the air-bladder, when
dried, forms a superior quality of isinglass, and the flesh of
this fish is excellent. I have frequently seen the bayard sixty
or seventy pounds' weight, therefore I was not proud of my catch,
and I recommenced fishing. Nothing large could be tempted, and I
only succeeded in landing two others of the same kind, one of
about nine pounds, the smaller about six. I resolved upon my next
trial to use a much larger bait, and I returned to camp with my
fish for dinner.

The life at our new camp was charmingly independent; we were upon
Abyssinian territory; but, as the country was uninhabited, we
considered it as our own. I had previously arranged with the
sheik of Sofi that, whenever the rifle should be successful and
I could spare meat, I would hoist the English flag upon my
flagstaff; thus I could at any time summon a crowd of hungry
visitors, who were ever ready to swim the river and defy the
crocodiles in the hope of obtaining flesh. We were exceedingly
comfortable, having a large stock of supplies; in addition to our
servants we had acquired a treasure in a nice old slave woman,
whom we had hired from the sheik at a dollar per month to grind
the corn. Masara (Sarah) was a dear old creature, the most
willing and obliging specimen of a good slave; and she was one of
those bright exceptions of the negro race that would have driven
Exeter Hall frantic with enthusiasm. Poor old Masara! she had now
fallen into the hands of a kind mistress, and as we were
improving in Arabic, my wife used to converse with her upon the
past and present; future had never been suggested to her simple
mind. Masara had a weighty care; her daily bread was provided;
money she had none, neither did she require it; husband she could
not have had, as a slave has none, but is the common property of
all who purchase her: but poor Masara had a daughter, a charming
pretty girl of about seventeen, the offspring of one of the old
woman's Arab masters. Sometimes this girl came to see her mother,
and we arranged the bath on the inflated skins, and had her towed
across for a few days. This was Masara's greatest happiness, but
her constant apprehension; the nightmare of her life was the
possibility that her daughter should be sold and parted from her.
The girl was her only and all absorbing thought, the sole object
of her affection: she was the moon in her mother's long night of
slavery; without her, all was dark and hopeless. The hearts of
slaves are crushed and hardened by the constant pressure of the
yoke; nevertheless some have still those holy feelings of
affection that nature has implanted in the human mind: it is the
tearing asunder of those tender chains that renders slavery the
horrible curse that it really is; human beings are reduced to the
position of animals, without the blessings enjoyed by the brute
creation--short memories and obtuse feelings.

Masara, Mahomet, Wat Gamma, and Bacheet, formed the establishment
of Ehetilla, which was the Arab name of our locality. Bacheet was
an inveterate sportsman and was my constant and sole attendant
when shooting; his great desire was to accompany me in
elephant-hunting, when he promised to carry one of my spare
rifles as a trusty gun-bearer, and he vowed that no animal should
ever frighten him.

A few extracts from my journal written at that time will convey
a tolerable idea of the place and our employments.

"September 23.--Started for the Settite river. In about four
hours' good marching N.N.E. through a country of grass and mimosa
bush that forms the high land between that river and the Atbara,
I reached the Settite about a mile from the junction. The river
is about 250 yards wide, and flows through a broken valley of
innumerable hillocks and deep ravines of about five miles in
width, precisely similar in character to that of the Atbara; the
soil having been denuded by the rains, and carried away by the
floods of the river towards the Nile. The heat was intense; there
was no air stirring; a cloudless sky and a sun like a
burning-glass. We saw several nellut (Taurotragus strepsiceros),
but these superb antelopes were too wild to allow a close
approach. The evening drew near, and we had nothing to eat, when
fortunately I espied a fine black-striped gazelle (Gazella
Dorcas), and with the greatest caution I stalked it to within
about a hundred paces, and made a successful shot with the
Fletcher rifle, and secured our dinner. Thus provided, we
selected a steep sugarloaf-shaped hill, upon the peak of which we
intended to pass the night. We therefore cleared away the grass,
spread boughs upon the ground, lighted fires, and prepared for a
bivouac. Having a gridiron, and pepper and salt, I made a grand
dinner of liver and kidneys, while my men ate a great portion of
the gazelle raw, and cooked the remainder in their usual careless
manner by simply laying it upon the fire for a few seconds until
warmed half through. There is nothing like a good gridiron for
rough cooking; a frying-pan is good if you have fat, but without
it, the pan is utterly useless. With a gridiron and a couple of
iron skewers a man is independent:--the liver cut in strips and
grilled with pepper and salt is excellent, but kabobs are
sublime, if simply arranged upon the skewer in alternate pieces
of liver and kidney cut as small as walnuts, and rubbed with
chopped garlic, onions, cayenne, black pepper, and salt. The
skewers thus arranged should be laid either upon the glowing
embers, or across the gridiron.

"Not a man closed his eyes that night--not that the dinner
disagreed with them--but the mosquitoes! Lying on the ground, the
smoke of the fires did not protect us; we were beneath it, as
were the mosquitoes likewise; in fact the fires added to our
misery, as they brought new plagues in thousands of flying bugs;
with beetles of all sizes and kinds: these, becoming stupified in
the smoke, tumbled clumsily upon me, entangling themselves in my
long beard and whiskers, crawling over my body, down my neck, and
up my sleeping-drawers, until I was swarming with them; the bugs
upon being handled squashed like lumps of butter, and emitted a
perfume that was unbearable. The night seemed endless; it was
passed in alternately walking to and fro, flapping right and left
with a towel, covering my head with a pillow-case, and gasping
for air through the button-hole, in an atmosphere insufferably
sultry.

"At length morning dawned, thank Heaven! I made a cup of strong
coffee, ate a morsel of dhurra bread, and started along the high
ground parallel with the course of the Settite river up stream.

"After walking for upwards of four hours over ground covered with
tracks of giraffes, elephants, and antelopes about a fortnight
old, I saw four tetel (Antelopus Bubalis), but I was unfortunate
in my shot at a long range in high grass. We had been marching
south-east, and as I intended to return to camp, we now turned
sharp to the west. The country was beautiful, composed of
alternate glades, copses, and low mimosa forest. At length I
espied the towering head of a giraffe about half a mile distant;
he was in the mimosa forest, and was already speculating upon our
party, which he had quickly observed. Leaving my men in this spot
to fix his attention, I succeeded in making a good stalk to
within one hundred and twenty yards of him. He was exactly facing
me, and I waited for him to turn and expose the flank, but he
suddenly turned so quickly that I lost the opportunity, and he
received the bullet in his back as he started at full speed; for
the moment he reeled crippled among the mimosas, but, recovering,
he made off. I could not fire the left-hand barrel on account of
the numerous trees and bushes. I called my men, and followed for
a few hundred yards upon his track, but as this was directly in
an opposite direction to that of my camp I was forced to give up
the hunt.*

  * We found the remains of the Giraffe a few days later.

"About an hour later I hit a tetel with both barrels of the
little Fletcher, at full gallop; but although we followed the
blood-track for sonme distance, we did not recover it. At this
season the grass is in most places from seven to ten feet high,
and being trodden by numerous old tracks of animals, it is
difficult to find a wounded beast without the assistance of a
dog. The luck was against me to-day; I could only shoot well
enough to hit everything, but to bag nothing, owing to a
sleepless night. I killed a guinea-fowl to secure dinner upon my
return, and we at length reached the welcome Atbara within two
miles of my head-quarters. My men made a rush to the river, and
threw themselves into the water, as all were more or less
exhausted by the intense heat of the long day's work after a
restless night. I took a good drink through my gazelle
shank-bone, which I wear suspended from my neck for that purpose,
and I went on alone, leaving my bathing party to refresh
themselves. I reached the tent a little after 4 P.M. after more
than ten hours' continual walking in the burning sun. I felt
almost red hot, but my bath and clean linen being ready, thanks
to the careful preparation of my wife, I was quickly refreshed,
and sat down with a lion's appetite to good curry and rice, and
a cup of black coffee.

"September 25.--Having nothing to eat, I took my fishing-rod and
strolled down to the river, and chose from my aquarium a fish of
about half a pound for a live bait; I dropped this in the river
about twenty yards beyond the mouth of the Till, and allowed it
to swim naturally down the stream so as to pass across the Till
junction, and descend the deep channel between the rocks. For
about ten minutes I had no run; I had twice tried the same water
without success, nothing would admire my charming bait; when,
just as it had reached the favourite turning-point at the
extremity of a rock, away dashed the line, with the tremendous
rush that follows the attack of a heavy fish. Trusting to the
soundness of my tackle, I struck hard and fixed my new
acquaintance thoroughly, but off he dashed down the stream for
about fifty yards at one rush, making for a narrow channel
between two rocks, through which the stream ran like a mill-race.
Should he pass this channel, I knew he would cut the line across
the rock; therefore, giving him the butt, I held him by main
force, and by the great swirl in the water I saw that I was
bringing him to the surface; but just as I expected to see him,
my float having already appeared, away he darted in another
direction, taking sixty or seventy yards of line without a check.
I at once observed that he must pass a shallow sandbank
favourable for landing a heavy fish; I therefore checked him as
he reached this spot, and I followed him down the bank, reeling
up line as I ran parallel with his course. Now came the tug of
war! I knew my hooks were good and the line sound, therefore I
was determined not to let him escape beyond the favourable
ground; and I put a strain upon him, that after much struggling
brought to the surface a great shovel-head, followed by a pair of
broad silvery sides, as I led him gradualhy into shallow water.
Bacheet now cleverly secured him by the gills, and dragged him in
triumph to the shore. This was a splendid bayard, at least forty
pounds' weight.

"I laid my prize upon some green reeds, and covered it carefully
with the same cool material. I then replaced my bait by a lively
fish, and once more tried the river. In a very short time I had
another run, and landed a small fish of about nine pounds of the
same species. Not wishing to catch fish of that size, I put on a
large bait, and threw it about forty yards into the river, well
up the stream, and allowed the float to sweep the water in a half
circle, thus taking the chance of different distances from the
shore. For about half an hour nothing moved; I was just preparing
to alter my position, when out rushed my line, and striking hard,
I believed I fixed the old gentleman himself, for I had no
control over him whatever; holding him was out of the question;
the line flew through my hands, cutting them till the blood
flowed, and I was obliged to let the fish take his own way: this
he did for about eighty yards, when he suddenly stopped. This
unexpected halt was a great calamity, for the reel overran
itself, having no check-wheel, and the slack bends of the line
caught the handle just as he again rushed forward, and with a
jerk that nearly pulled the rod from my hands he was gone! I
found one of my large hooks broken short off; the confounded
reel! The fish was a monster!

"After this bad luck I had no run until the evening, when putting
on a large bait, and fishing at the tail of a rock between the
stream and still water, I once more had a grand rush, and hooked
a big one. There were no rocks down stream, all was fair play and
clear water, and away he went at racing pace straight for the
middle of the river. To check the pace, I grasped the line with
the stuff of my loose trousers, and pressed it between my fingers
so as to act as a break, and compel him to labour for every yard;
but he pulled like a horse, and nearly cut through the thick
cotton cloth, making straight running for at least a hundred
yards without a halt. I now put so severe a strain upon him, that
my strong bamboo bent nearly double, and the fish presently so
far yielded to the pressure, that I could enforce his running in
half circles instead of straight away. I kept gaining line, until
I at length led him into a shallow bay, and after a great fight,
Bacheet embraced him by falling upon him, and clutching the
monster with hands and knees; he then tugged to the shore a
magnificent fish of upwards of sixty pounds. For about twenty
minutes he had fought against such a strain as I had never before
used upon a fish, but I had now adopted hooks of such a large
size and thickness that it was hardly possible for them to break,
unless snapped by a crocodile. My reel was so loosened from the
rod, that had the struggle lasted a few minutes longer I must
have been vanquished. This fish measured three feet eight inches
to the root of the tail, and two feet three inches in girth of
shoulders; the head measured one foot ten inches in
circumference--it was the same species as those I had already
caught.

"This closed the sport for the day. We called all hands to carry
the fish to camp, and hoisted the flag, which was quickly
followed by the arrival of a number of men from Sofi, to receive
all that we could spare. The largest fish we cut into thin
strips,--these we salted and dried; the head made delicious soup,
with a teaspoonful of curry-powder.

"September 26.--The weather is now intensely hot, and the short
spear grass is drying so rapidly that in some stony places it can
be fired. The birds appear to build their nests at various
seasons. Many that built three months ago are again at work;
among others is a species of black Mina, that takes entire
possession of a tree, which it completely covers with nests
coarsely constructed of sticks. A few days ago I found several
trees converted into colonies of many hundred dwellings.

"I never allow either the monkeys or baboons to be disturbed:
thus they have no fear of our party, but with perfect confidence
they approach within thirty or forty yards of the tents, sitting
upon the rocks and trees, and curiously watching all that takes
place in the camp. I have only seen one species of monkey in this
neighbourhood--a handsome dark grey animal with white whiskers.
The baboons are also of one species, the great dog-faced ape
(Cynocephalus); these grow to a very large size, and old Masara
fully expects to be carried off and become the wife of an old
baboon, if they are allowed to become so bold.

"This afternoon I took a stroll with the rifle, but saw nothing
except a young crocodile about six feet long; this was on the dry
summit of a hill, far from water. I shot it and took the skin. I
can only conclude that the small stream in which he had wandered
from the river-bed had become dry, and the creature had lost its
way in searching for other water.

"September 27.--I started from the tent at 6 A.M. and made a
circuit of about eighteen miles, seeing nothing but tetel and
gazelles, but I had no luck. Hot and disgusted, I returned home,
and took the rod, hoping for better luck in the river. I hooked,
but lost, a small fish, and I began to think that the fates were
against me by land and water, when I suddenly had a tremendous
run, and about a hundred and fifty yards rushed off the reel
without the possibility of stopping the fish. The river was very
low; thus I followed along the bank, holding hard, and after
about half an hour of difference of opinion, the fish began to
show itself, and I coaxed it into the shallows; here it was
cleverly managed by Bacheet, who lugged it out by the tail. It
was an ugly monster, of about fifty pounds, a species of silurus,
known by the Arabs as the 'coor;' it differed from the silurus of
Europe by haviimg a dorsal fin, like a fringe, that extended
along the back to the tail. This fish had lungs resembling
delicate branches of red coral, and, if kept moist, it would
exist upon the land for many hours like an eel. It smelt strongly
of musk, but it was gladly accepted by the Sheik of Sofi, who
immediately answered to the flag.

"While shooting this morning I came suddenly upon a small species
of leopard that had just killed a snake about five feet in
length; the head was neatly bitten off and lay upon the ground
near the body; the animal was commencing a meal off the snake
when it was disturbed, and I lost sight of it immediately in the
high grass.

"September 28.--The heat is most oppressive: even the nights are
hot, until about 2 A.M., at which hour a cool breeze springs up.
The wind now blows from the south until about 1 P.M., when it
changes suddenly to the north, and then varies between these two
points during the rest of the day; this leads me to hope that the
north wind will shortly set in. September, as in England, is the
autumn of this land; the wild fruits are ripe, some of which are
not unpleasant, but they are generally too sweet,--they lack the
acidity that would be agreeable in this burning climate. There is
an orange-coloured berry that has a pleasant flavour, but it is
extremely oily; this has a peculiarly disagreeable effect upon
the system, if eaten in any quantity. Several varieties of
excellent wild vegetables grow in great abundance throughout this
country: beans, three kinds of spinach; the juicy, brittle plant
cultivated in Lower Egypt, and known as the 'regle;' and lastly,
that main-stay of Arab cookery, 'waker,' well known in Ceylon and
India under the names of 'Barmian' and 'Bandikai.' This grows to
the height of thirteen or fourteen feet in the rich soil of the
table lands: the Arabs gather the pods and cut them into thin
slices; these are dried in the sun, and then packed in large
sacks for market. The harvest of waker is most important, as no
Arab dish would be perfect without the admixture of this
agreeable vegetable. The dried waker is ground into powder
between two stones; this, if boiled with a little gravy, produces
a gelatinous and highly-flavoured soup.

"September 29.--We have just heard that Atalan Wat Said, by whom
we were so well received, is dead! The Arabs have a disagreeable
custom of paying honours to a guest by keeping the anniversary of
the death of any relatives whose decease should be known to them;
thus, when Atalan Wat Said paid a visit to Sheik Achmet Abou
Sinn, the latter celebrated with much pomp the anniversary of his
(Atalan's) late father's death. The unfortunate guest, who
happened to arrive in Abou Sinn's camp upon the exact day upon
which his father had died in the precedimig year, was met by a
mourning crowd, with the beating of drums, the howling of women,
and the loud weeping and sorrowful condoling of the men. This
scene affected Atalan Wat Said to such a degree, that, being
rather unwell, he immediately sickened with fever, and died in
three days. In this country any grief of mind will insure an
attack of fever, when all are more or less predisposed during the
unhealthy season, from the commencement of July until the end of
October.

"This afternoon I took the rod, and having caught a beautiful
silver-sided fish of about a pound weight, I placed it upon a
large single hook fastened under the back fin. In about an hour
I had a run, but upon striking, I pulled the bait out of the
fish's mouth, as the point of the hook had not touched the jaw.
I had wound up slowly for about thirty yards, hoping that the big
fellow would follow his lost prize, as I knew him to be a large
fish by his attack upon a bait of a pound weight. I found my bait
was killed, but having readjusted the hook, I again cast it in
the same direction, and slowly played it towards me. I had him!
He took it immediately, and I determined to allow him to swallow
it before I should strike. Without a halt, about a hundred yards
of line were taken at the first rush towards the middle of the
river; he then stopped, and I waited for about a minute, and then
fixed him with a jerk that bent my bamboo like a fly-rod. To this
he replied by a splendid challenge; in one jump he flew about six
feet above the water, and showed himself to be one of the most
beautiful fish I had ever seen; not one of those nondescript
antediluvian brutes that you expect to catch in these
extraordinary rivers, but in colour he appeared like a clean run
salmon. He gave tremendous play, several times leaping out of the
water, and shaking his head furiously to free himself from the
hook; then darting away with eighty or a hundred yards of fresh
line, until he at last was forced to yield to the strong and
elastic bamboo, and his deep body stranded upon the fatal
shallows.

"Bacheet was a charming lad to land a fish: he was always quiet
and thoughtful, and never got in the way of the line; this time
he closely approached him from behind, slipped both his hands
along his side, and hooked his fingers into the broad gills; thus
he dragged him, splashing through the shallows, to the sandbank.
What a beauty! What was he? The colour was that of a salmon, and
the scales were not larger in proportion: he was about fifty
pounds' weight. The back fin resembled that of a perch, with
seven rays; the second, dorsal fin towards the tail had fourteen
rays; the head was well shaped, and small in proportion; the eyes
were bright red, and shone like rubies; and the teeth were very
small. I cut away my line, as the hook was deeply swallowed; and
after having washed this beautiful fish, I assisted Bacheet to
carry it to the camp, where it was laid upon a clean mat at the
tent-door for admiration. This species of fish is considered by
the Arabs to be the best in the river; it is therefore called 'El
Baggar' (the cow). It is a species of perch, and we found it
excellent--quite equal to a fine trout. I made an exact sketch of
it on the spot, after which the greater portion was cut up and
salted; it was then smoked for about four hours. The latter
process is necessary to prevent the flies from blowing it, before
it becomes sufficiently dry to resist their attacks.

"For several days I passed my time in fishing, with the varying
success that must attend all fishermen. Upon the extreme verge of
the river's bank were dense bushes of the nabbuk, about fifteen
feet high, but so thickly massed with green foliage that I cut
out a tunnel with my hunting-knife, and completed a capacious
arbour, thoroughly protected from the sun. In this it was far
more agreeable to pass the day than at the camp; accordingly we
arranged the ground with mats and carpets, and my wife converted
the thorny bower into an African drawing-room, where she could
sit with her work and enjoy the view of the river at her feet,
and moreover watch the fishing."


CHAPTER X.

A FEW NOTES AT EHETILLA.

I WILL not follow the dates of the journal consecutively, but
merely pounce from time to time upon such passages as will
complete the description of our life at Ehetilla.

"October 4.--I went out fishing in the usual place, where the
Till joins the Atbara; the little stream has disappeared, and the
bed is now perfectly dry, but there are many large rocks and
sandbanks in the river, which are excellent places for heavy
fish. I had only three runs, but I landed them all. The first was
a beautiful baggar about forty pounds, from which time a long
interval elapsed before I had another. I placed a bait of about
a pound upon my treble hook, and this being a fine lively fellow,
was likely to entice a monster. I was kept waiting for a
considerable time, but at last he came with the usual tremendous
rush. I gave him about fifty yards of line before I fixed him,
and the struggle then commenced, as usual with the baggar, by his
springing out of the water, and showing his superb form and size.
This was a magnificent fish, and his strength was so great, that
in his violent rushes he would take sixty or seventy yards of
line without my permission. I could not check him, as the line
burnt and cut my fingers to such a degree that I was forced to
let it go, and my only way of working him was to project the butt
of the rod in the usual manner; this was a very feeble break upon
the rush of such a fish. At last, after about half an hour of
alternate bullying and coaxing, I got him into the shallows, and
Bacheet attempted to manage him; this time he required the
assistance of Wat Gamma, who quickly ran down from the camp, and
after much struggling, an enormous baggar of between seventy and
eighty pounds was hauled to the shore by the two delighted Arabs.

"I never enjoyed the landing of a fish more than on the present
occasion, and I immediately had the flag hoisted for a signal,
and sent the largest that I had just caught as a present to
Florian and his people. The two fish as they lay upon the green
reeds, glittering in silvery scales, were a sight to gladden the
eyes of a fisherman, as their joint weight was above one hundred
and twenty pounds. I caught another fish in the evening something
over twenty pounds, an ugly and useful creature, the coor, that
I despised, although it is a determined enemy while in play.

"October 10.--Set fire to the low spear grass of the valley. The
river is now very low, exposing in many places large beds of
shingle, and rocks hitherto concealed. The water level is now
about thirty feet below the dried sedges and trash left by the
high floods upon the overhanging boughs. The bed of the Atbara,
and that of the Settite, are composed of rounded pebbles of all
sizes, and masses of iron ore. Large oysters (Etheria),
resembling the pearl oysters of Ceylon, are very numerous, and,
from their internal appearance, with large protuberances of pearl
matter, I should imagine they would most probably yield pearls.

"The wild animals have now deserted this immediate neighbourhood;
the only creatures that are to be seen in numbers are the apes
and monkeys: these throng the sides of the river, eating the
tamarinds from the few large trees, and collecting gum from the
mimosas. These hungry animals gather the tamarinds before they
ripen, and I fear they will not leave a handful for us; nothing
is more agreeable in this hot climate than the acidity of
tamarind water. I remarked a few days ago, when walking along the
dry sandy bed of the Till about five miles from the river, that
the monkeys had been digging wells in the sand for water.

"Many changes are now taking place in the arrival and departure
of various birds according to their migrations; immense numbers
of buzzards and hawks have arrived, and keep my fowls in
perpetual alarm. Ducks fly in large flocks up stream invariably,
every day; storks of different kinds are arriving. Among the new
comers is a beautiful little bird, in size and shape like a
canary, but of a deep bluish black, with an ivory white bill and
yellow lips. The beasts of prey are hungry, as the game has
become scarce:--there is no safety for tame animals, and our
goats will not feed, as they are constantly on the look-out for
danger, starting at the least sound in the bushes, and running to
the tents for security: thus their supply of milk is much
reduced.

"The Sheik of Sofi, Hassan bel Kader, swam across the river with
a present of fowls; these he had tied upon his head to prevent
them from drowning. This man is a celebrated hippopotamus hunter,
and I look forward to accompanying him upon a harpooning
expedition, when the river is lower. His father was killed by a
bull hippo that he had harpooned; the infuriated animal caught
the unfortunate hunter in his jaws, and with one nip
disembowelled him before his son's eyes. Accidents are constantly
occurring in this dangerous sport, as the hunters are so
continually in the water that they are exposed, like baits, to
the attacks of crocodiles. During the last season one of the
sheik's party was killed; several men were swimming the river,
supported by inflated skins, when one was suddenly seized by a
crocodile. Retaining his hold upon the support, his comrades had
time to clutch him by the hair, and beneath the arms; thus the
crocodile could not drag the buoyant skins beneath the surface.
Once he was dragged from their grasp, but holding to his inflated
skin, he regained the surface, and was again supported by his
friends, who clung to him, while he implored them to hold him
tight, as the crocodile still held him by the leg. In this way
the hunters assisted him; at the same time they struck downwards
with their spears at the determined brute, until they at last
drove it from its hold. Upon gaining the shore, they found that
the flesh of the leg from the knee downwards had been stripped
from the bone, and the poor fellow shortly died.

"October 11.--The Arabs have murdered one of the Egyptian
soldiers, about five miles from Sofi. All my people are more or
less ill, but we, thank Heaven, are in excellent health; in fact,
I have never been better than in this country, although I am
constantly in hard exercise in the burning sun.

"October 15.--A fine breeze, therefore I set fire to the grass in
all directions, which spread into a blaze over many miles of
country. The fire immediately attracts great numbers of
fly-catchers and buzzards; these hover in the smoke to catch the
locusts and other insects that escape from the heat. Buzzards are
so exceedingly bold, that it is one person's special duty to
protect the strips of flesh when an animal is being cut up, at
which time many scores collect, and swoop down upon their prey
clutching a piece of meat with their claws, if left unguarded for
a moment. Upon one occasion, the cook had just cleaned a fish of
about a pound and a half weight, which he laid upon the ground
while he stooped to blow the fire; in an instant a large buzzard
darted upon it, and carried it off.

"Africa may have some charms, but it certainly is rather a trying
country; in the rainy weather we have the impenetrable high
grass, the flies, and the mud; when those entertainments are
over, and the grass has ripened, every variety of herb and bush
is more or less armed with lances, swords, daggers, bayonets,
knives, spikes, needles, pins, fish-hooks, hay-forks, harpoons,
and every abomination in the shape of points which render a
leather suit indispensable to a sportsman, even in this hot
climate. My knickerbockers are made of the coarse but strong Arab
cotton cloth, that I have dyed brown with the fruit of the Acacia
Arabica; but after a walk of a few minutes, I am one mass of
horrible points from the spear grass, for about a foot from the
upper part of my gaiters; the barbed points having penetrated,
break off, and my trousers are as comfortable as a hedgehog's
skin turned inside out, with the 'woolly side in.'

"I long for the time when the entire country will be dry enough
to burn, when fire will make a clean sweep of these nuisances.

"October 17.--The sheik and several Arabs went to the Settite to
sow tobacco; they simply cast the seed upon the sandy loam left
by the receding river, without even scratching the soil; it is
thus left to take its chance. I accompanied him to the Settite,
and came upon the tracks of a herd of about fifty elephants that
had crossed the river a few days previous. As we were walking
through the high grass we came upon a fine boa-constrictor
(python), and not wishing to fire, as I thought I might disturb
elephants in the neighbourhood, I made a cut at it with my heavy
hunting-knife, nearly severing about four feet from the tail, but
it escaped in the high grass.

"October 18.--A lion paid us a visit last night, roaring close to
the tent at intervals, frightening Mahomet out of his wits.

"The seroot fly has entirely disappeared, and immense dragon
flies are now arrived, and are greedily attacking all other
flying insects.

"October 19.--Troops of baboons are now exceedingly numerous, as
the country being entirely dried up, they are forced to the river
for water, and the shady banks covered with berry-bearing shrubs
induce them to remain. It is very amusing to watch these great
male baboons stalking majestically along, followed by a large
herd of all ages, the mothers carrying their little ones upon
their backs, the latter with a regular jockey-seat riding most
comfortably, while at other times they relieve the monotony of
the position by sprawling at full length and holding on by their
mother's back hair. Suddenly a sharp-eyed young ape discovers a
bush well covered with berries, and his greedy munching being
quickly observed, a general rush of youngsters takes place, and
much squabbling for the best places ensues among the boys; this
ends in great uproar when down comes a great male, who cuffs one,
pulls another by the hair, bites another on the hind quarters
just as he thinks he has escaped, drags back a would-be deserter
by his tail and shakes him thoroughly, and thus he shortly
restores order, preventing all further disputes by sitting under
the bush and quietly enjoying the berries by himself. These
baboons have a great variety of expressions that may perhaps
represent their vocabulary: a few of these I begin to understand,
such as their notes of alarm, and the cry to attract attention;
thus, when I am sitting alone beneath the shade of a tree to
watch their habits, they are at first not quite certain what kind
of a creature I may be, and they give a peculiar cry to induce me
to move and show myself more distinctly.

"October 20.--A lion was roaring throughout the night not far
from the tent on his way towards the river to drink; at every
roar he was answered by the deep angry cry of the baboons, who
challenged him immediately from their secure positions on the
high rocks and trees. I found the tracks of his large feet upon
the bank of the river, but there is no possibility of finding
these animals in the daytime, as they retire to the high grass
upon the table lands.

"The banks of the Atbara are now swarming with small birds that
throng the bushes (a species of willow), growing by the water's
edge; the weight of a large flock bends down the slender boughs
until they touch the water: this is their opportunity for
drinking, as their beaks for an instant kiss the stream. These
unfortunate little birds get no rest, the large fish and the
crocodiles grab at them when they attempt to drink, while the
falcons and hawks pursue them at all times and in every
direction. Nothing is fat, as nothing can obtain rest, the
innumerable birds and beasts of prey give no peace to the weaker
kinds; the fattest alderman of the city of London would become a
skeleton, if hunted for two hours daily by a hyaena.

"October 23.--This evening I took a walk, accompanied by my wife,
and Bacheet with a spare gun, to try for a shot at guinea-fowl.
We were strolling along the margin of the river, when we heard a
great shrieking of women on the opposite side, in the spot from
which the people of Sofi fetch their water. About a dozen women
had been filling their water-skins, when suddenly they were
attacked by a large crocodile, who attempted to seize a woman,
but she, springing back, avoided it, and the animal swallowed her
girba (water-skin), that, being full of water and of a brown
exterior, resembled the body of a woman. The women rushed out of
the river, when the crocodile made a second dash at them, and
seized another water-skin that a woman had dropped in her flight.
They believe this to be the same monster that took a woman a few
months ago. Few creatures are so sly and wary as the crocodile.
I watch them continually as they attack the dense flocks of small
birds that throng the bushes at the water's edge. These birds are
perfectly aware of the danger, and they fly from the attack, if
possible. The crocodile then quietly and innocently lies upon the
surface, as though it had appeared quite by an accident; it thus
attracts the attention of the birds, and it slowly sails away to
a considerable distance, exposed to their view. The birds, thus
beguiled by the deceiver, believe that the danger is removed, and
they again flock to the bush, and once more dip their thirsty
beaks into the stream. Thus absorbed in slaking their thirst,
they do not observe that their enemy is no longer on the surface.
A sudden splash, followed by a huge pair of jaws beneath the bush
that engulfs some dozens of victims, is the signal unexpectedly
given of the crocodile's return, who has thus slyly dived, and
hastened under cover of water to his victims. I have seen the
crocodiles repeat this manoeuvre constantly; they deceive by a
feigned retreat, and then attack from below.

"In like manner the crocodile perceives, while it is floating on
the surface in mid-stream, or from the opposite side of the
river, a woman filling her girba, or an animal drinking, &c. &c.
Sinking immediately, it swims perhaps a hundred yards nearer, and
again appearing for an instant upon the surface, it assures
itself of the position of its prey by a stealthy look; once more
it sinks, and reaches the exact spot above which the person or
animal may be. Seeing distinctly through the water, it generally
makes its fatal rush from beneath--sometimes seizing with its
jaws, and at other times striking the object into the water with
its tail, after which it is seized and carried off.

"The crocodile does not attempt to swallow a large prey at once,
but generally carries it away and keeps it for a considerable
time in its jaws in some deep hole beneath a rock, or the root of
a tree, where it eats it at leisure. The tongue of the crocodile
is so unlike that of any other creature that it can hardly be
called by the same name; no portion throughout the entire length
is detached from the flesh of the lower jaw--it is more like a
thickened membrane from the gullet to about half way along the
length of jaw.

"October 4.--Having burnt off a large surface of high grass, I
discovered a quantity of gourds and wild cucumbers--the latter
are bright crimson, covered with long fleshy prickles, with black
horny tips; these are eaten by the baboons, but not by the Arabs.
The gourds are only serviceable for cups and ladles manufactured
from their shells.

"I find a good pair of Highland shooting shoes of great value;
the soles were exceedingly thick, and they have resisted, until
now, the intensely hard and coarse-grained sandstone which grinds
through all leather. My soles are at length worn out, and I have
repaired them with the tanned hide of giraffe. Much of the
sandstone is white and soft and friable; but this appears to have
been decomposed by time and exposure, as the generality is hard
and would make excellent grindstones.

"October 25.--Three elephant-hunters arrived to-day with horses
for sale. I purchased three--a bay and two greys. They are all of
Abyssinian breed, and are handsome animals, although none exceed
fourteen hands and a half. The prices were high for this part of
the world where dollars are scarce; but to me, they appeared to
be absurdly cheap. The bay horse was a regular strong-built cob;
for him I paid nineteen dollars--about 4l. including a native
saddle and bridle; for the greys, I paid fifteen and thirteen
dollars, saddles and bridles also included. The bay I named Tetel
(hartebeest), the greys Aggahr* and Gazelle. Tetel was a trained
hunter, as was Aggahr likewise. Gazelle was quite inexperienced,
but remarkably handsome. None of these horses had ever been shod,
but their hoofs were beautifully shaped, and as hard as ivory.
The saddles had no stuffing on the seats, but were simple wooden
frames, with high backs and pommels, the various pieces being
sewn together with raw hide, and the front and back covered with
crocodile skin. The stirrups were simple iron rings, sufficiently
large to admit the great toe of the rider, according to Arab
fashion in these parts. The bits were dreadfully severe; but
perhaps not unnecessarily, as the sword allows only one
bridle-hand to a pulling horse. Each horse was furnished with a
leathern nose-bag, and a long leathern thong as a picket strap.
All these horses and saddlery I had purchased for forty-seven
dollars, or 9l. 1Os. Fortunately, both my wife and I were well
provided with the best English saddles, bridles, &c. or the 'big
toe' stirrup would have been an awkward necessity.

  * Aggahr is the designation of a hunter with the sword.

"October 26.--We left our camp this morning for a few days'
reconnaissance of the country, accompanied by Florian, prior to
commencing our regular expedition. Nine miles S.E. of Ehetilla we
passed through a village called Wat el Negur, after which we
continued along a great tract of table land, on the eastern side
of the Atbara valley, bounded by a mimosa forest about four miles
on the east. Very large quantities of dhurra (Sorghum vulgare)
are grown upon this fertile soil; it is now higher than a man's
head when mounted upon a camel. Far as the eye can reach, the
great table lands extend on either side the broad valley of the
Atbara. The cotton that was planted many years ago by the
inhabitants who have vanished, still flourishes, although choked
with grass six or seven feet high. At 4 P.M. we reached a large
village, Sherif el Ibrahim, twenty-eight miles S.E. from Sofi by
the route upon the east bank of the Atbara, which cuts off a bend
in the river. A species of dhurra, as sweet as the sugar-cane,
grows here in abundance, being regularly sown and cultivated; it
is called ankoleep. This is generally chewed in the mouth as a
cane; but it is also peeled by the women, and, when dried, it is
boiled with milk to give it sweetness. A grain called dochan, a
species of millet, is likewise cultivated to a considerable
extent; when ripe, it somewhat resembles the head of the bulrush.
The whole of this country would grow cotton and sugar to
perfection.

"October 28.--Having slept at the village, we went to the river,
and Florian shot a hippopotamus. The natives, having skinned it,
rushed at the carcase with knives and axes, and fought over it
like a pack of wolves; neither did they leave the spot until they
had severed each bone, and walked off with every morsel, of this
immense beast.

"October 31.--Having passed a couple of days at Sherif el
Ibrahim, we started for the Settite. When about half way, we
arrived at a curious plateau of granite rock, with a pool of
water in the centre. Formerly a large village occupied this
position, named Gerrarat; but it was destroyed in a raid by the
Egyptians, as being one of Mek Nimmur's strongholds. The rock is
a flat surface of about five acres, covered with large detached
fragments of granite; near this are several pools of water, which
form the source of the rivulet, the Till, that bounds our camp at
Ehetilla. A large homera-tree (Adansonia digitata) grows among
the blocks of granite by the pool; in the shade of its enormous
boughs we breakfasted, and again started at 4 P.M. reaching the
Settite river at 7.3O, at a spot named Geera. In the dark we had
some difficulty in finding our way down the rugged slopes of the
valley to the river. We had not taken beds, as these incumbrances
were unnecessary when in light marching order. We therefore made
separate bivouacs, Florian and his people about a hundred yards
distant, while a rug laid upon the ground was sufficient for my
wife. I made myself comfortable in a similar manner. Lions were
roaring all night.

"On the following morning we took a long stroll along the wild
and rugged valley of the Settite, that was precisely similar to
that of the Atbara. The river, although low, was a noble stream,
and the water was at this season beautifully clear as it ran over
a bed of clean pebbles. The pass between the cliffs of Geera was
exceedingly lovely. At that point the river did not exceed 200
yards in width, and it flowed through abrupt cliffs of beautiful
rose-coloured limestone; so fine and pure was the surface of the
stone, that in places it resembled artificially-smoothed marble;
in other places, the cliffs, equally abrupt, were of milk-white
limestone of similar quality. This was the first spot in which I
had found limestone since I had left Lower Egypt. The name
'Geera,' in Arabic, signifies lime. Formerly this was an
important village belonging to Mek Nimmur, but it had been
destroyed by the Egyptians, and the renowned Mek Nimmur was
obliged to fall back to the strongholds of the mountains.

"I started off a man to recall Mahomet and my entire camp fronm
Ehetilla to Wat el Negur, as that village was only seven hours'
march from Geera; the three points, Sherif el Ibrahim, Geera, and
Wat el Negur formed almost an equilateral triangle. We reached
the latter village on the following day, and found that Mahomet
and a string of camels from Sofi had already arrived. The country
was now thickly populated on the west bank of the Atbara, as the
Arabs and their flocks had returned after the disappearance of
the seroot fly. Mahomet had had an accident, having fallen from
his camel and broken no bones, but he had smashed the stock of my
single-barrel rifle; this was in two pieces; I mended it, and it
become stronger than ever. The wood had broken short off in the
neck of the stock, I therefore bored a hole about three inches
deep up the centre of either piece, so that it was hollowed like
a marrow-bone; in one of them I inserted a piece of an iron
ramrod, red-hot, I then drew the other piece over the iron in a
similar manner, and gently tapped the shoulder-plate until I had
driven the broken joint firmly together. I then took off from a
couple of old boxes two strong brass hasps; these I let neatly
into the wood on each side of the broken stock, and secured them
by screws, filing off all projections, so that they fitted
exactly. I finished the work by stretching a piece of well-soaked
crocodile's skin over the joint, which, when drawn tight, I sewed
strongly together. When this dried it became as hard as horn, and
very much stronger; the extreme contraction held the work
together like a vice, and my rifle was perfectly restored. A
traveller in wild countries should always preserve sundry
treasures that will become invaluable, such as strips of
crocodile skin, the hide of the iguana, &c. which should be kept
in the tool-box for cases of need. The tool-box should not exceed
two feet six inches in length, and one foot in depth, but it
should contain the very best implements that can be made, with an
extra supply of gimlets, awls, centre-bits, and borers of every
description, also tools for boring iron; at least two dozen files
of different sorts should be included."

Wat el Negur was governed by a most excellent and polite sheik of
the Jalyn tribe. Sheik Achmet Wat el Negur was his name and
title; being of the same race as Mek Nimmur, he dared to occupy
the east bank of the Atbara. Sheik Achmet was a wise man; he was
a friend of the Egyptian authorities, to whom he paid tribute as
though it were his greatest pleasure; he also paid tribute to Mek
Nimmur, with whom he was upon the best of terms; therefore, in
the constant fights that took place upon the borders, the cattle
and people of Sheik Achmet were respected by the contending
parties, while those of all others were sufferers. This was
exactly the spot for my head-quarters, as, like Sheik Achmet, I
wished to be on good terms with everybody, and through him I
should be able to obtain an introduction to Mek Nimmur, whom I
particularly wished to visit, as I had heard that there never was
such a brigand. Accordingly, I pitched the tents and formed a
camp upon the bank of the river, about two hundred yards below
the village of Wat el Negur, and in a short time Sheik Achmet and
I became the greatest friends.

There is nothing more delightful when travelling in a strange
country, a thousand miles away from the track of the wildest
tourist, than to come upon the footprint of a countryman; not the
actual mark of his sole upon the sand, which the dust quickly
obscures, but to find imprinted deeply upon the minds and
recollections of the people, the good character of a former
traveller, that insures you a favourable introduction. Many years
before I visited Wat el Negur, Mr. Mansfield Parkyns, who has
certainly written the best book on Abyssinia that I have ever
read, passed through this country, having visited Mek Nimmur, the
father of the present Mek. He was, I believe, the only European
that had ever been in Mek Nimmur's territory, neither had his
footsteps been followed until my arrival. Mr. Parkyns had left
behind him what the Arabs call a "sweet name;" and as I happened
to have his book, "Life in Abyssinia," with me, I showed it to
the sheik as his production, and explained the illustrations,
&c.; at the same time I told him that Mr. Parkyns had described
his visit to Mek Nimmur, of whom he had spoken very highly, and
that I wished to have an opportunity of telling the great chief
in person how much his good reception had been appreciated. The
good Sheik Achmet immediately promised to present me to Mek
Nimmur, and wished particularly to know whether I intended to
write a book like Mr. Parkyns upon my return. Should I do so, he
requested me to mention HIS name. I promised at once to do this
trifling favour; thus I have the greatest pleasure in certifying
that Sheik Achmet Wat el Negur is one of the best and most
agreeable fellows that I have ever met in Africa; he does not
keep an hotel, or I would strongly recommend it to all
travellers, but his welcome is given gratis, with the warmest
hospitality.

The country for several miles upon the table land above Wat el
Negur was highly cultivated, and several thousand acres were
planted with dhurra, that was at this season in full grain, and
nearly ripe. Much sesame was grown for the manufacture of oil;
cotton was also cultivated, and the neighbourhood was a fair
example of the wonderful capabilities of the entire country that
was allowed to lie in idleness. There was little rest for the
inhabitants at this time, as the nights were spent in watching
their extensive plantations, and endeavouring to scare away the
elephants. These animals, with extreme cunning, invaded the
dhurra crops at different positions every night, and retreated
before morning to great distances in the thick thorny jungles of
the Settite.

Our arrival was welcomed with general enthusiasm, as the Arabs
were unprovided with fire-arms, and the celebrated aggageers or
sword-hunters were useless, as the elephants only appeared at
night, and were far too cunning to give them a chance. There was
a particular range of almost impenetrable thorny covert in the
neighbourhood of Geera, well known as the asylum for these
animals, to which they retreated, after having satiated
themselves by a few hours' feeding upon the crops of corn. I
promised to assist in protecting the plantations, although the
Arabs assured me that, in spite of our rifles, the elephants
would return every night.

Wishing to judge personally of the damage, I rode up to the
dhurra-fields, and for a few hours I examined the crops, through
which I could ride with ease, as the plants were arranged like
hops.

Many acres were absolutely destroyed, as the elephants had not
only carefully stripped off the heavy heads of corn, but had
trampled down and wilfully broken much more than they had
consumed. The Arabs knew nothing about guns, or their effect upon
elephants, and I felt quite sure that a few nights with the heavy
rifles would very soon scare them from the fields.

I return to my journal.

"November 7.--In the middle of last night I was disturbed by the
Arabs, who begged me to get up and shoot the elephants that were
already in the plantations. This I refused to do, as I will not
fire a shot until they call in their watchers, and leave the
fields quiet. A few nights ago there was a perfect uproar from a
score of watchers, that prevented the elephants from coming at
the very time that the people had induced me to pass the whole
night in the fields. I have arranged that the sheik shall call in
all these watchers, and that they shall accompany me to-morrow
night. I will then post myself in the centre of the plantations,
dividing the men into many parties at all points, to return
quietly to me and report the position that the elephants may have
taken.

"This morning I purchased a kid for two piastres (five pence).
The sheik is exceedingly civil, and insists upon sending me daily
supplies of milk and vegetables.

"This afternoon, accompanied by my wife, I accepted an invitation
to shoot a savage old bull hippopotamus that had been
sufficiently impertinent to chase several of the natives. He
lived in a deep and broad portion of the river, about two miles
distant. We accordingly rode to the spot, and found the old hippo
at home. The river was about 250 yards wide at this place, in an
acute bend that had formed a deep pool. In the centre of this was
a mud bank, just below the surface; upon this shallow bed the
hippo was reposing. Upon perceiving us he was exceedingly saucy,
snorting at my party, and behaving himself in a most absurd
manner, by shaking his head and leaping half-way out of the
water. This plunging demonstration was intended to frighten us.
I had previously given Bacheet a pistol, and had ordered him to
follow on the opposite bank from the ford at Wat el Negur. I now
hallooed to him to fire several shots at the hippo, in order to
drive him, if possible, towards me, as I lay in ambush behind a
rock in the bed of the river. Bacheet descended the almost
perpendicular bank to the water's edge, and after having chaffed
the hippo considerably, he fired a shot with the pistol, which
was far more dangerous to us on the opposite side than to the
animal. The hippo, who was a wicked solitary old bull, accustomed
to have his own way, returned the insult by charging towards
Bacheet with a tremendous snorting, that sent him scrambling up
the steep bank in a panic, amidst a roar of laughter from the
people on my side concealed in the bushes. In this peal of
merriment I thought I could distinguish a voice closely
resembling that of my wife. However, Bacheet, who had always
longed to be brought face to face with some foe worthy of his
steel, had bolted, and he now stood safe in his elevated position
on the top of the bank, thirty feet above the river, and fired
the second barrel in bold defiance at the hippopotamus.

"As the hippo had gained confidence, I showed myself above the
rock, and called to him, according to Arab custom, 'Hasinth!
Hasinth!'* He, thinking no doubt that he might as well hunt me
away, gave a loud snort, sank, and quickly reappeared about a
hundred yards from me; but nearer than this he positively refused
to approach. I therefore called to Bacheet to shout from the
other side to attract his attention, and as he turned his head,
I took a steady shot behind the ear with the little Fletcher
rifle. This happened to be one of those fortunate shots that
consoles you for many misses, and the saucy old hippo turned upon
his back and rolled about in tremendous struggles, lashing the
still and deep pool into waves, until he at length disappeared.
We knew that he was settled; thus my people started off towards
the village, and in a marvellousiy short time a frantic crowd of
Arabs arrived with camels, ropes, axes, knives, and everything
necessary for an onslaught upon the hippo, who, up to this time,
had not appeared upon the surface. In about an hour and a half
from the time he received the bullet, we discovered his carcase
floating about two hundred yards lower down the river. Several
heads of large crocodiles appeared and vanished suddenly within
a few feet of the floating carcase, therefore the Arabs
considered it prudent to wait until the stream should strand the
body upon the pebbly shallows about half a mile below the pool.
Upon arrival at that point, there was a general rush, and the
excited crowd secured the hippo by many ropes, and hauled it to
the shore. It was a very fine bull, as the skin without the head
measured twelve feet three inches. I had two haunches kept for
the sheik, and a large quantity of fat, which is highly and
deservedly prized by the Arabs, as it is the most delicate of any
animal. Those portions secured, with a reserve of meat for
ourselves, the usual disgusting scene of violence commenced, the
crowd falling upon the carcase like maddened hyaenas.

  * Hasinth is the Arabic for hippopotamus.

"In the evening I resolved to watch the dhurra fields for
elephants. At about 9 P.M. I arrived in the plantations, with
three men carrying spare guns, among whom was Bacheet, who had at
length an opportunity for which he had long yearned. I entrusted
to him the 'Baby,' which he promised to put into my hands the
very moment that I should fire my second barrel. I carried my own
Ceylon No. 10, made by Beattie. We had not been half an hour in
the dhurra fields before we met a couple of Arab watchers, who
informed us that a herd of elephants was already in the
plantation; we accordingly followed our guides. In about a
quarter of an hour we distinctly heard the cracking of the dhurra
stems, as the elephants browsed, and trampled them beneath their
feet.

"Taking the proper position of the wind, I led our party
cautiously in the direction of the sound, and in about five
minutes I came in view of the slate-coloured and dusky forms of
the herd. The moon was bright, and I counted nine elephants; they
had trampled a space of about fifty yards square into a barren
level, and they were now slowly moving forward, feeding as they
went. One elephant, unfortunately, was separated from the herd,
and was about forty yards in the rear; this fellow I was afraid
would render our approach difficult. Cautioning my men,
especially Bacheet, to keep close to me with the spare rifles, I
crept along the alleys formed by the tall rows of dhurra, and
after carefully stalking against the wind, I felt sure that it
would be necessary to kill the single elephant before I should be
able to attack the herd. Accordingly, I crept nearer and nearer,
well concealed in the favourable crop of high and sheltering
stems, until I was within fifteen yards of the hindmost animal.
As I had never shot one of the African species, I was determined
to follow the Ceylon plan, and get as near as possible; therefore
I continued to creep from row to row of dhurra, until I at length
stood at the very tail of the elephant in the next row. I could
easily have touched it with my rifle, but just at this moment, it
either obtained my wind, or it heard the rustle of the men. It
quickly turned its head half round towards me; in the same
instant I took the temple shot, and, by the flash of the rifle,
I saw that it fell. Jumping forward past the huge body, I fired
the left-hand barrel at an elephant that had advanced from the
herd; it fell immediately! Now came the moment for a grand rush,
as they stumbled in confusion over the last fallen elephant, and
jammed together in a dense mass with their immense ears
outspread, forming a picture of intense astonishment! Where were
my spare guns? Here was a grand opportunity to run in and floor
them right and left!

"Not a man was in sight, everybody had bolted! and I stood in
advance of the dead elephant calling for my guns in vain. At
length one of my fellows came up, but it was too late, the fallen
elephant in the herd had risen from the ground, and they had all
hustled off at a great pace, and were gone; I had only bagged one
elephant. Where was the valiant Bacheet? the would-be Nimrod, who
for the last three months had been fretting in inactivity, and
longing for the moment of action, when he had promised to be my
trusty gun-bearer! He was the last man to appear, and he only
ventured from his hiding-place in the high dhurra when assured of
the elephants' retreat. I was obliged to admonish the whole party
by a little physical treatment, and the gallant Bacheet returned
with us to the village, crestfallen and completely subdued. On
the following day not a vestige remained of the elephant, except
the offal: the Arabs had not only cut off the flesh, but they had
hacked the skull and the bones in pieces, and carried them off to
boil down for soup."


CHAPTER XI.

THE FORD.

Two months had elapsed since the last drop of rain had closed the
wet season. It was 15th November, and the river had fallen to so
low an ebb that the stream was reduced to a breadth of about
eighty yards of bright and clear water, rushing in places with
great rapidity through the centre of its broad and stony bed,
while in sudden bends of the channel it widened into still, and
exceedingly deep pools. We were encamped exactly upon the verge
of a perpendicular cliff, from which there was a rugged path to
the dry channel some thirty feet below, which shelved rapidly
towards the centre occupied by the stream. In this spot were
powerful rapids, above which to our left was a ford, at this time
about waist-deep, upon a bed of rock that divided the lower
rapids from a broad and silent pool above: across this ford the
women of the village daily passed to collect their faggots of
wood from the bushes on the opposite side. I had shot a
crocodile, and a marabou stork, and I was carefully plucking the
plume of beautiful feathers from the tail of the bird, surrounded
by a number of Arabs, when I observed a throng of women, each
laden with a bundle of wood, crossing the ford in single file
from the opposite bank. Among them were two young girls of about
fifteen, and I remarked that these, instead of marching in a line
with the women, were wading hand-in-hand in dangerous proximity
to the head of the rapids. A few seconds later, I noticed that
they were inclining their bodies up stream, and were evidently
struggling with the current. Hardly had I pointed out the danger
to the men around me, when the girls clung to each other, and
striving against their fate they tottered down the stream towards
the rapids, which rushed with such violence that the waves were
about two feet high. With praiseworthy speed the Arabs started to
their feet, and dashed down the deep descent towards the river,
but before they had reached half way, the girls uttered a shriek,
lost their footing, and in another instant they threw their arms
wildly above their heads, and were hurried away in the foam of
the rapids. One disappeared immediately; the other was visible,
as her long black hair floated on the surface; she also sank.
Presently, about twenty yards below the spot, a pair of naked
arms protruded high above the surface, with ivory bracelets upon
the wrists, and twice the hands clapped together as though
imploring help; again she disappeared. The water was by this time
full of men, who had rushed to the rescue; but they had foolishly
jumped in at the spot where they had first seen the girls, who
were of course by this time carried far away by the torrent. Once
more, farther down the river, the hands and bracelets appeared;
again they wildly clapped together, and in the clear water we
could plainly see the dark hair beneath. Still, she sank again;
but almost immediately she rose head and shoulders above the
surface, and thrice she again clapped her hands for aid.

This was her last effort; she disappeared. By the time several
men had wisely run along the bank below the tail of the rapids,
and having formed a line across a very narrow portion of the
stream, one of them suddenly clutched an object beneath the water
and in another moment he held the body of the girl in his arms.
Of course she was dead? or a fit subject for the Royal Humane
Society?--So I supposed; when to our intense astonishment, she no
sooner was brought to the shore than she gave herself a shake,
threw back her long hair, wrung out and arranged her dripping
rahat, and walked leisurely back to the ford, which she crossed
with the assistance of the Arab who had saved her.

What she was composed of I cannot say; whether she was the
offspring of a cross between mermaid and hippopotamus, or hatched
from the egg of a crocodile, I know not, but a more wonderfully
amphibious being I have rarely seen.

During this painful scene, in which one girl had been entirely
lost, the mother of her who was saved had rushed to meet her
child as she landed from the ford; but instead of clasping her to
her heart, as we had expected, she gave her a maternal welcome by
beating her most unmercifully with her fists, bestowing such
lusty blows upon her back that we could distinctly hear them at
a distance of fifty yards; this punishment, we were given to
understand, served her perfectly right, for having been foolish
enough to venture near the rapids. The melancholy death-howl was
now raised by all the women in the village, while the men
explored the river in search of the missing body. On the
following morning the sheik appeared at my tent, with a number of
Arabs who had been unsuccessful, and he begged me, if possible,
to suggest some means for the discovery of the girl, as her
remains should be properly interred.

I proposed that they should procure a log of heavy wood, as near
as possible the size of the girl, and that this should be thrown
into the rapids, in the exact spot where she had disappeared;
this, being nearly the same weight, would be equally acted upon
by the stream, and would form a guide which they should follow
until it should lead them to some deep eddy, or whirlpool formed
by a backwater; should the pilot log remain in such a spot, they
would most probably find the body in the same place. The men
immediately procured a log, and set off with the sheik himself to
carry out the experiment. In the afternoon, we heard a terrible
howling and crying, and a crowd of men and women returned to the
village, some of whom paid us a visit; they had found the body.
The log had guided them about two miles distant, and had remained
stationary in a backwater near where I had shot the bull
hippopotamus; in this still pool, close to the bank, they almost
immediately discovered the girl floating slightly beneath the
surface. No crocodile had injured the body, but the fish had
destroyed a portion of the face; it was already so far advanced
in decomposition, that it was necessary to bury it upon the
margin of the river, at the spot where it was discovered. The
people came to thank me for having originated the idea, and the
very agreeable sheik spent the evening with us with a number of
his people; this was his greatest delight, and we had become
thoroughly accustomed to his daily visits. At such times we sat
upon an angarep, while he sat upon a mat stretched upon the
ground, with a number of his men, who formed a half-circle around
him; he then invariably requested that we would tell him stories
about England. Of these he never tired, and with the assistance
of Mahomet we established a regular entertainment; the great
amusement of the Arabs being the mistakes that they readily
perceived were made by Mahomet as interpreter. We knew sufficient
Arabic to check and to explain his errors.

The death of the girl gave rise to a conversation upon drowning:
this turned upon the subject of the girl herself and ended in a
discussion upon the value of women; the question originating in
a lament on the part of the sheik that a nice young girl had been
drowned instead of a useless old woman. The sheik laid down the
law with great force, "that a woman was of no use when she ceased
to be young, unless she was a good strong person who could grind
corn, and carry water from the river;" in this assertion he was
seconded, and supported unanimously by the crowd of Arabs
present.

Now it was always a common practice among the Arab women, when
they called upon my wife, to request her to show her hands; they
would then feel the soft palms and exclaim in astonishment, "Ah!
she has never ground corn!" that being the duty of a wife unless
she is rich enough to possess slaves. Sheik Achmet requested me
to give him some account of our domestic arrangements in England;
I did this as briefly as possible, explaining how ladies received
our devoted attentions, extolling their beauty and virtue, and in
fact giving him an idea that England was paradise, and that the
ladies were angels. I described the variety of colours; that
instead of all being dark, some were exceedingly fair; that
others had red hair; that we had many bright black eyes, and some
irresistible dark blue; and at the close of my descriptions I
believe the sheik and his party felt disposed to emigrate
immediately to the chilly shores of Great Britain; they asked,
"How far off is your country?" "Well," said the sheik, with a
sigh, "that must be a very charming country; how could you
possibly come away from all your beautiful wives? True, you have
brought one with you: she is, of course, the youngest and most
lovely; perhaps those you have left at home are the OLD ONES!" I
was obliged to explain, that we are contented with one wife, and
that even were people disposed to marry two, or more, they would
be punished with imprisonment. This announcement was received
with a general expression of indignation; the sheik and his
party, who a few minutes ago were disposed to emigrate, and
settle upon our shores, would now at the most have ventured upon
a return ticket. After some murmurs of disapprobation, there was
a decided expression of disbelief in my last statement. "Why,"
said the sheik, "the fact is simply IMPOSSIBLE! How CAN a man be
contented with one wife? It is ridiculous, absurd! What is he to
do when she becomes old? When she is young, if very lovely,
perhaps, he might be satisfied with her, but even the young must
some day grow old, and the beauty must fade. The man does not
fade like the woman; therefore, as he remains the same for many
years, but she changes in a few years, Nature has arranged that
the man shall have young wives to replace the old; does not the
Prophet allow it? Had not our forefathers many wives? and shall
we have but one? Look at yourself. Your wife is young, and" (here
the sheik indulged in compliments), "but in ten years she will
not be the same as now; will you not then let her have a nice
house all to herself, when she grows old, while you take a fresh
young wife?"

I was obliged to explain to the sheik that, first, our ladies
never looked old; secondly, they improved with age; and thirdly,
that we were supposed to love our wives with greater ardour as
they advanced in years. This was received with an ominous shake
of the head, coupled with the exclamation, "Mashallah!" repeated
by the whole party. This was the moment for a few remarks on
polygamy: I continued, "You men are selfish; you expect from the
woman that which you will not give in return, 'constancy and
love;' if your wife demanded a multiplicity of husbands, would it
not be impossible to love her? how can she love you if you insist
upon other wives ?" "Ah!" he replied, "our women are different to
yours, they would not love anybody; look at your wife, she has
travelled with you far away from her own country, and her heart
is stronger than a man's; she is afraid of nothing, because you
are with her; but our women prefer to be far away from their
husbands, and are only happy when they have nothing whatever to
do. You don't understand our women, they are ignorant creatures,
and when their youth is past are good for nothing but to work.
You have explained your customs; your women are adored by the
men, and you are satisfied with one wife, either young or old;
now I will explain our customs. I have four wives; as one has
become old, I have replaced her with a young one; here they all
are" (he now marked four strokes upon the sand with his stick).
"This one carries water; that grinds the corn; this makes the
bread; the last does not do much, as she is the youngest, and my
favourite; and if they neglect their work, they get a taste of
this!" (shaking a long and, tolerably thick stick). "Now, that's
the difference between our establishments; yours is well adapted
for your country, and ours is the best plan for our own."

I would not contradict the sheik; the English greatcoat was not
the garment for the scorching Soudan, and English ideas were
equally unsuited to the climate and requirements of the people.
The girls were utterly ignorant, and the Arabs had never heard of
a woman who could read and write; they were generally pretty when
young, but they rapidly grew old after childbirth. Numbers of
young girls and women were accustomed to bathe perfectly naked in
the river just before our tent; I employed them to catch small
fish for baits and for hours they would amuse themselves in this
way, screaming with excitement and fun, and chasing the small fry
with their long clothes in lieu of nets; their figures were
generally well shaped, but both men and women fell off in the
development of the legs. Very few had well-shaped calves, but
remarkably thin and cleanly formed ankles, with very delicately
shaped feet. The men were constantly bathing in the clear waters
of the Atbara, and were perfectly naked, although close to the
women; we soon became accustomed to this daily scene, as we do at
Brighton and other English bathing-towns.

Our life at Wat el Negur was anything but disagreeable; we had
acquired great fame in several ways: the game that I shot I
divided among the people; they also took an interest in the
fishing, as they generally had a large share of all that I
caught; my wife was very kind to all the children, and to the
women, who came from great distances to see her; and my character
as a physician having been spread far and wide, we became very
celebrated people. Of course I was besieged daily by the maimed,
the halt, and the blind, and the poor people, with much
gratitude, would insist upon bringing fowls and milk in return
for our attention to their wants. These I would never accept, but
on many occasions, upon my refusal, the women would untie the
legs of a bundle of chickens, and allow them to escape in our
camp, rather than be compelled to return with their offering.
Even the fakeers (priests) were our great friends, although we
were Christians, and in my broken Arabic, with the assistance of
Mahomet, I used to touch upon theological subjects. At first they
expressed surprise that such clever people as the English should
worship idols made of wood, or other substances, by the hands of
man. I explained to them their error, as we were Protestants in
England, who had protested against the practice of bowing down
before the figure of Christ or any other form; that we simply
worshipped God through Christ, believing Him to be both Saviour
and Mediator. I recalled to their recollection that Mahomet and
they themselves believed in Christ, as the greatest of all the
prophets, therefore in reality there was not so very wide a gulf
between their creed and our own; both acknowledging the same God;
both believing in Christ, although differing in the degree of
that belief. I allowed that Mahomet was a most wonderful man, and
that, if a cause is to be valued by its effect, he was as much
entitled to the name of prophet as Moses, the first law-giver.
Our arguments never became overheated, as these simple yet
steadfast Arabs, who held the faith of their forefathers
untarnished and uncorrupted by schisms, spoke more with reverence
to the great spirit of religion, than with the acrimony of
debate. "My brothers," I would reply, "we are all God's
creatures, believing in the one great Spirit who created us and
all things, who made this atom of dust that we call our world, a
tiny star amongst the hosts of heaven; and we, differing in
colours and in races, are striving through our short but weary
pilgrimage to the same high point; to the same mountain-top,
where we trust to meet when the journey shall be accomplished.
That mountain is steep, the country is desert; is there but one
path, or are there many? Your path and mine are different, but
with God's help they will lead us to the top. Shall we quarrel
over the well upon the thirsty way? or shall we drink together,
and be thankful for the cool waters, and strive to reach the end?
Drink from my water-skin when upon the desert we thirst together,
scorched by the same sun, exhausted by the same simoom, cooled by
the same night, until we sleep at the journey's end, and together
thank God, Christian and Mahometan, that we have reached our
home."

The good fakeers rejoiced in such simple explanations, and they
came to the conclusion that we were "all the same with a little
difference," thus we were the best of friends with all the
people. If not exactly a cure of their Mahometan souls, they
acknowledged that I held the key to their bowels, which were
entirely dependent upon my will, when the crowd of applicants
daily thronged my medicine chest, and I dispensed jalap, calomel,
opium, and tartar emetic. Upon one occasion a woman brought me a
child of about fifteen months old, with a broken thigh; she had
fallen asleep upon her camel, and had allowed the child to fall
from her arms. I set the thigh, and secured it with gum bandages,
as the mimosas afforded the requisite material. About twenty
yards of old linen in bandages three inches broad, soaked in
thick gum-water, will form the best of splints when it becomes
dry and hard, which in that climate it will do in about an hour.
There was one complaint that I was obliged to leave entirely in
the hands of the Arabs, this was called "frendeet;" it was almost
the certain effect of drinking the water that in the rainy season
is accumulated in pools upon the surface of the rich table lands,
especially between the Atbara and Katariff; the latter is a
market-town about sixty miles from Wat el Negur, on the west bank
of the river. Frendeet commences with a swelling of one of the
limbs, generally accompanied with intense pain; this is caused by
a worm of several feet in length, but no thicker than
pack-thread. The Arab cure is to plaster the limb with cow-dung,
which is their common application for almost all complaints. They
then proceed to make what they term "doors," through which the
worm will be able to escape; but, should it not be able to find
one exit, they make a great number by the pleasant and simple
operation of pricking the skin in many places with a red-hot
lance. In about a week after these means of escape are provided,
one of the wounds will inflame, and assume the character of a
small boil, from which the head of the worm will issue. This is
then seized, and fastened either to a small reed or piece of
wood, which is daily and most gently wound round, until, in the
course of about a week, the entire worm will be extracted, unless
broken during the operation, in which case severe inflammation
will ensue.

It was the 22d November, and the time was approaching when the
grass throughout the entire country would be sufficiently dry to
be fired; we accordingly prepared for our expedition, and it was
necessary to go to Katariff to engage men, and to procure a slave
in the place of old Masara, whose owner would not trust her in
the wild countries we were about to visit. We therefore mounted
our horses, and in two days we reached Katariff, rather less than
sixty miles distant. The journey was exceedingly uninteresting,
as the route lay across the monotonous flats of rich table land,
without a single object to attract the attention, except the long
line of villages which at intervals of about six miles lined the
way. During the dry weather (the present season) there was not a
drop of water in this country, except in wells far apart. Thus
the cattle within twenty miles of the Atbara were driven every
alternate day that great distance to the river, as the wells
would not supply the large herds of the Arabs; although the
animals could support life by drinking every alternate day, the
cows were dry upon the day of fasting; this proved a certain
amount of suffering.

Upon arrival at Katariff we were hospitably received by a Greek
merchant, Michel Georgis, a nephew of the good old man from whom
we had received much attention while at Cassala. The town was a
miserable place, composed simply of the usual straw huts of the
Arabs; the market, or "Soog," was bi-weekly. Katariff was also
known by the name of "Soog Abou Sinn."

I extract an entry from my journal.--"The bazaar held here is
most original. Long rows of thatched open sheds, about six feet
high, form a street; in these sheds the dealers squat with their
various wares exposed on the ground before them. In one, are
Manchester goods, the calicoes are printed in England, with the
name of the Greek merchant to whom they are consigned; in
another, is a curious collection of small wares, as though
samples of larger quantities, but in reality they are the
dealer's whole stock of sundries, which he deals out to numerous
purchasers in minute lots, for paras and half piastres, ginger,
cloves, chills, cardamoms, pepper, turmeric, orris root, saffron,
sandal-wood, musk, a species of moss that smells like patchouli,
antimony for colouring the eyes and lips, henna, glass beads,
cowrie shells, steels for striking fire, &c. &c. Other stalls
contain sword-blades, files, razors, and other hardware, all of
German manufacture, and of the most rubbishing kind. Mingled with
these, in the same stall, are looking-glasses, three inches
square, framed in coloured paper; slippers, sandals, &c. Other
sheds contain camel ropes and bells, saddlery of all descriptions
that are in general use, shoes, &c.; but the most numerous stalls
are those devoted to red pepper, beads, and perfumery."

Beyond the main street of straw booths are vendors of
miscellaneous goods, squatting under temporary fan-shaped straw
screens, which are rented at the rate of five paras per day
(about a farthing); beneath these may be seen vendors of butter
and other grease, contained in a large jar by their side, while
upon a stone before them are arranged balls of fat which are sold
at five paras a lump. Each morsel is about the size of a
cricket-ball: this is supposed to be the smallest quantity
required for one dressing of the hair. Other screens are occupied
by dealers in ropes, mats, leathern bags, girbas or water-skins,
gum sacks, beans, waker, salt, sugar, coffee, &c. &c. Itinerant
snmiths are at work, making knife-blades, repairing spears, &c.
with small boys working the bellows, formed of simple leathern
bags that open and close by the pressure of two sticks. The
object that draws a crowd around him is a professional
story-teller, wonderfully witty, no doubt, as, being mounted upon
a camel from which he addresses his audience, he provokes roars
of merriment; his small eyes, overhanging brow, large mouth, with
thin and tightly compressed lips and deeply dimpled cheeks,
combined with an unlimited amount of brass, completed a picture
of professional shrewdness.

Camels, cattle, and donkeys are also exposed for sale. The
average price for a baggage camel is twelve dollars; a hygeen,
from thirty to sixty dollars; a fat ox, from six to ten dollars
(the dollar at four shillings).

Katariff is on the direct merchants' route from Cassala to
Khartoum. The charge for transport is accordingly low; a camel
loaded with six cantars (600 lbs.) from this spot to Cassala, can
be hired for one dollar, and from thence to Souakim, on the Red
Sea, for five dollars; thus all produce is delivered from
Katariff to the shipping port, at a charge of four shillings per
hundred pounds. Cotton might be grown to any extent on this
magnificent soil, and would pay the planter a large profit, were
regular steam communication established at a reasonable rate
between Souakimn and Suez.

There is a fine grey limestone in the neighbourhood of Katariff.
The collection of people is exceedingly interesting upon a market
day, as Arabs of all tribes, Tokrooris, and some few Abyssinians,
concentrate from distant points. Many of the Arab women would be
exceedingly pretty were their beauty not destroyed by their
custom of gashing the cheeks in three wounds upon either side;
this is inflicted during infancy. Scars are considered
ornamental, and some of the women are much disfigured by such
marks upon their arms and backs; even the men, without exception,
are scarified upon their cheeks. The inhabitants of Kordofan and
Darfur, who are generally prized as slaves, are invariably
marked, not only with simple scars, but by cicatrices raised high
above the natural surface by means of salt rubbed into the
wounds; these unsightly deformities are considered to be great
personal attractions. The Arab women are full of absurd
superstitions; should a woman be in an interesting condition, she
will creep under the body of a strong camel, believing that the
act of passing between the fore and hind legs will endue her
child with the strength of the animal. Young infants are scored
with a razor longitudinally down the back and abdomen, to improve
their constitutions.

I engaged six strong Tokrooris--natives of Darfur--who agreed to
accompany me for five months. These people are a tribe of
Mahometan negroes, of whom I shall speak more hereafter; they are
generally very powerful and courageous, and I preferred a few men
of this race to a party entirely composed of Arabs. Our great
difficulty was to procure a slave woman to grind the corn and to
make the bread for the people. No proprietor would let his slave
on hire to go upon such a journey, and it was impossible to start
without one; the only resource was to purchase the freedom of
some woman, and to engage her as a servant for the trip. Even
this was difficult, as slaves were scarce and in great demand:
however, at last I heard of a man who had a Galla slave who was
clever at making bread, as it had been her duty to make cakes for
sale in the bazaar upon market days. After some delays I
succeeded in obtaining an interview with both the master and
slave at the same time; the former was an Arab, hard at dealing,
but, as I did not wish to drive a bargain, I agreed to the price,
thirty-five dollars, 7l. The name of the woman was Barrake; she
was about twenty-two years of age, brown in complexion, fat, and
strong; rather tall, and altogether she was a fine
powerful-looking woman, but decidedly not pretty; her hair was
elaborately dressed in hundreds of long narrow curls, so thickly
smeared with castor oil that the grease had covered her naked
shoulders; in addition to this, as she had been recently under
the hands of the hairdresser, there was an amount of fat and
other nastiness upon her head that gave her the appearance of
being nearly grey.

I now counted out thirty-five dollars, which I placed in two
piles upon the table, and through the medium of Mahomet I
explained to her that she was no longer a slave, as that sum had
purchased her freedom; at the same time, as it was a large amount
that I had paid, I expected she would remain with us as a servant
until our journey should be over, at which time she should
receive a certain sum in money, as wages at the usual rate.
Mahomet did not agree with this style of address to a slave,
therefore he slightly altered it in the translation, which I at
once detected. The woman looked frightened and uneasy at the
conclusion; I immediately asked Mahomet what he had told her.
"Same like master tell to me!" replied the indignant Mahomet.
"Then have the kindness to repeat to me in English what you said
to her;" I replied. "I tell that slave woman same like master's
word; I tell her master one very good master, she Barrake one
very bad woman; all that good dollars master pay, too much money
for such a bad woman. Now she's master's slave; she belong to
master like a dog; if she not make plenty of good bread, work
hard all day, early morning, late in night, master take a big
stick, break her head."

This was the substance of a translation of my address tinged with
Mahomet's colouring, as being more adapted for the ears of a
slave!I My wife was present, and being much annoyed, we both
assured the woman that Mahomet was wrong, and I insisted upon his
explaining to her literally that "no Englishman could hold a
slave; that the money I had paid rendered her entirely free; that
she would not even be compelled to remain with us, but she could
do as she thought proper; that both her mistress and I should be
exceedingly kind to her, and we would subsequently find her a
good situation in Cairo; in the meantime she would receive good
clothes and wages."

This, Mahomet, much against his will, was obliged to translate
literally. The effect was magical; the woman, who had looked
frightened and unhappy, suddenly beamed with smiles, and without
any warning she ran towards me, and in an instant I found myself
embraced in her loving arms; she pressed me to her bosom, and
smothered me with castor oily kisses, while her greasy ringlets
hung upon my face and neck. How long this entertainment would
have lasted I cannot tell, but I was obliged to cry "Caffa!
Caffa!" (enough! enough!) as it looked improper, and the
perfumery was too rich; fortunately my wife was present, but she
did not appear to enjoy it more than I did; my snow-white blouse
was soiled and greasy, and for the rest of the day I was a
disagreeable compound of smells, castor oil, tallow, musk,
sandal-wood, burnt shells, and Barrake.

Mahomet and Barrake herself, I believe, were the only people who
really enjoyed this little event. "Ha!" Mahomet exclaimed, "this
is your own fault! You insisted upon speaking kindly, and telling
her that she is not a slave, now she thinks that she is one of
your WIVES!" This was the real fact; the unfortunate Barrake had
deceived herself; never having been free, she could not
understand the use of freedom unless she was to be a wife. She
had understood my little address as a proposal, and of course she
was disappointed; but, as an action for breach of promise cannot
be pressed in the Soudan, poor Barrake, although free, had not
the happy rights of a free-born Englishwoman, who can heal her
broken heart with a pecuniary plaster, and console herself with
damages for the loss of a lover.

We were ready to start, having our party of servants complete,
six Tokrooris--Moosa, Abdoolahi, Abderachman, Hassan, Adow, and
Hadji Ali, with Mahomet, Wat Gamma, Bacheet, Mahomet secundus (a
groom), and Barrake; total eleven men and the cook.

When half way to Wat el Negur, we found the whole country in
alarm, Mek Nimmur having suddenly made a foray. He had crossed
the Atbara, and plundered the district, and driven off large
numbers of cattle and camels, after having killed a considerable
number of people. No doubt the reports were somewhat exaggerated,
but the inhabitants of the district were flying from their
villages, with their herds, and were flocking to Katariff. We
arrived at Wat el Negur on the 3d of December, and we now felt
the advantage of our friendship with the good Sheik Achmet, who,
being a friend of Mek Nimmur, had saved our effects during our
absence; these would otherwise have been plundered, as the
robbers had paid him a visit;--he had removed our tents and
baggage to his own house for protection. Not only had he thus
protected our effects, but he had taken the opportunity of
delivering the polite message to Mek Nimmur that I had entrusted
to his charge--expressing a wish to pay him a visit as a
countryman and friend of Mr. Mansfield Parkyns, who had formerly
been so well received by his father.

In a few days the whole country was up. Troops of the Dabaina
Arabs, under the command of Mahmoud Wat Said (who had now assumed
the chieftainship of the tribe after the death of his brother
Atalan), gathered on the frontier, while about 2,000 Egyptian
regulars marched against Gellabat, and attacked the Abyssinians
and Tokrooris, who had united. Several hundreds of the Tokrooris
were killed, and the Abyssinians retreated to the mountains.
Large bodies of Egyptian irregulars threatened Mek Nimmur's
country, but the wily Mek was too much for them. The Jalyn Arabs
were his friends; and, although they paid tribute to the Egyptian
Government from their frontier villages, they acted as spies, and
kept Mek Nimmur au courant of the enemy's movements. The Hamran
Arabs, those mighty hunters with the sword, were thorough
Ishmaelites, and although nominally subject to Egypt, they were
well known as secret friends to Mek Nimmur; and it was believed
that they conveyed information of the localities where the
Dabaina and Shookeryha Arabs had collected their herds. Upon
these Mek Nimmur had a knack of pouncing unexpectedly, when he
was supposed to be a hundred miles in an opposite direction.

The dry weather had introduced a season of anarchy along the
whole frontier. The Atbara was fordable in many places, and it no
longer formed the impassable barrier that necessitated peace. Mek
Nimmur (the Leopard King) showed the cunning and ability of his
namesake by pouncing upon his prey without a moment's warning,
and retreating with equal dexterity. This frontier warfare,
skilfully conducted by Mek Nimmur, was most advantageous to
Theodorus, the King of Abyssinia, as the defence of the boundary
was maintained against Egypt by a constant guerilla warfare. Upon
several occasions, expeditions on a large scale had been
organized against Mek Nimmur by the Governor-General of the
Soudan; but they had invariably failed, as he retreated to the
inaccessible mountains, where he had beaten them with loss, and
they had simply wreaked their vengeance by burning the deserted
villages of straw huts in the low lands, that a few dollars would
quickly rebuild. Mek Nimmur was a most unpleasant neighbour to
the Egyptian Government, and accordingly he was a great friend of
the King Theodorus; he was, in fact, a shield that protected the
heart of Abyssinia.

As I have already described, the Base were always at war with
everybody; and as Mek Nimmur and the Abyssinians were constantly
fighting with the Egyptians, the passage of the Atbara to the
east bank was the commencement of a territory where the sword and
lance represented the only law. The Hamran Arabs dared not
venture with their flocks farther east than Geera, on the
Settite, about twenty-five miles from Wat el Negur. From the
point of junction of the Settite with the Atbara opposite Tomat
to Geera, they were now encamped with their herds upon the
borders of the river for the dry season. I sent a messenger to
their sheik, Owat, accompanied by Mahomet, with the firman of the
Viceroy, and I requested him to supply me with elephant-hunters
(aggageers) and guides to accompany me into the Base and Mek
Nimmur's country.

My intention was to thoroughly examine all the great rivers of
Abyssinia that were tributaries to the Nile. These were the
Settite, Royan, Angrab, Salaam, Rahad, Dinder, and the Blue Nile.
If possible, I should traverse the Galla country, and crossing
the Blue Nile, I should endeavour to reach the White Nile. But
this latter idea I subsequently found impracticable, as it would
have interfered with the proper season for my projected journey
up the White Nile in search of the sources.

During the absence of Mahomet, I received a very polite message
from Mek Nimmur, accompanied by a present of twenty pounds of
coffee, with an invitation to pay him a visit. His country lay
between the Settite river and the Bahr Salaam; thus without his
invitation I might have found it difficult to traverse his
territory;--so far, all went well. I returned my salaams, and
sent word that we intended to hunt through the Base country,
after which we should have the honour of passing a few days with
him on our road to the river Salaam, at which place we intended
to hunt elephants and rhinoceros. Mahomet returned, accompanied
by a large party of Hamran Arabs, including several hunters, one
of whom was Sheik Abou Do Roussoul, the nephew of Sheik Owat; as
his name in full was too long, he generally went by the
abbreviation "Abou Do." He was a splendid fellow, a little above
six feet one, with a light active figure, but exceedingly well
developed muscles: his face was strikingly handsome; his eyes
were like those of a giraffe, but the sudden glance of an eagle
lighted them up with a flash during the excitement of
conversation, which showed little of the giraffe's gentle
character. Abou Do was the only tall man of the party, the others
were of middle height, with the exception of a little fellow
named Jali, who was not above five feet four inches, but
wonderfully muscular, and in expression a regular daredevil.
There were two parties of hunters, one under Abou Do, and the
other consisting of four brothers Sherrif. The latter were the
most celebrated aggageers among the renowned tribe of the Hamran;
their father and grandfather had been mighty Nimrods, and the
broadswords wielded by their strong arms had descended to the men
who now upheld the prestige of the ancient blades. The eldest was
Taher Sherrif; his second brother, Roder Sherrif, was a very
small, active-looking man, with a withered left arm. An elephant
had at one time killed his horse, and on the same occasion had
driven its sharp tusk through the arm of the rider, completely
splitting the limb, and splintering the bone from the elbow-joint
to the wrist to such an extent, that by degrees the fragments had
sloughed away, and the arm had become shrivelled and withered. It
now resembled a mass of dried leather, twisted into a deformity,
without the slightest shape of an arm; this was about fourteen
inches in length from the shoulder; the stiff and crippled hand,
with contracted fingers, resembled the claw of a vulture.

In spite of his maimed condition, Roder Sherrif was the most
celebrated leader in the elephant hunt. His was the dangerous
post to ride close to the head of the infuriated animal and
provoke the charge, and then to lead the elephant in pursuit,
while the aggageers attacked it from behind; it was in the
performance of this duty that he had met with the accident, as
his horse had fallen over some hidden obstacle, and was
immediately caught. Being an exceedingly light weight he had
continued to occupy this important position in the hunt, and the
rigid fingers of the left hand served as a hook, upon which he
could hang the reins.

My battery of rifles was now laid upon a mat for examination;
they were in beautiful condition, and they excited the admiration
of the entire party. The perfection of workmanship did not appear
to interest them so much as the size of the bores; they thrust
their fingers down each muzzle, until they at last came to the
"Baby," when, finding that two fingers could be easily
introduced, they at once fell in love with that rifle in
particular. My men explained that it was a "Jenna el Mootfah"
(child of a cannon). "Sahe, Jenna el Mootfah kabeer," they
replied (it is true, it is the child of a very big cannon). Their
delight was made perfect by the exhibition of the half-pound
explosive shell, the effects of which were duly explained. I told
them that I was an old elephant hunter, but that I did not hunt
for the sake of the ivory, as I wished to explore the country to
discover the cause of the Nile inundations, therefore I wished to
examine carefully the various Abyssinian rivers; but as I had
heard they were wonderful sportsmen, I should like them to join
my party, and we could both hunt and explore together. They
replied that they knew every nook and corner of the entire
country as far as Mek Nimmur's and the Base, but that in the
latter country we must be prepared to fight, as they made a
practice of showing no quarter to the Base, because they received
none from them; thus we should require a strong party. I pointed
to my rifles, which I explained were odds against the Base, who
were without fire-arms; and we arranged to start together on the
17th of December.

In the interval I was busily engaged in making bullets for the
journey, with an admixture of one pound of quicksilver to twelve
of lead. This hardens the bullet at the same time that it
increases the weight, but great caution must be observed in the
manufacture, as the mercury, being heavier than the lead, will
sink to the bottom, unless stirred with a red-hot iron when
mixed. The admixture must take place in small quantities,
otherwise the quicksilver will evaporate if exposed to a great
heat. Thus the molten lead should be kept upon the fire in a
large reservoir, while a portion of quicksilver should be added
regularly to every ladleful taken for immediate use. This should
be well stirred before it is poured into the mould. Bullets
formed of this mixture of metals are far superior to any others.

My preparations for the journey were soon completed. We had
passed a most agreeable time at Wat el Negur. Although I had not
had much shooting, I gained much experienee in the country,
having made several extensive journeys in the neighbourhood, and
our constant conversations with the sheik had somewhat improved
my Arabic. I had discovered several plants hitherto unknown to
me,--among others, a peculiar bulb, from which I had prepared
excellent arrowroot. This produced several tubers resembling
sweet potatoes, but exceedingly long and thin; it was known by
the Arabs as "baboon." I pierced with a nail a sheet of tin from
the lining of a packing case, and I quickly improvised a grater,
upon which I reduced the bulb to pulp. This I washed in water,
and when strained through cotton cloth, it was allowed to settle
for several hours. The clear water was then poured off; and the
thick sediment, when dried in the sun, became arrowroot of the
best quality. The Arabs had no idea of this preparation, but
simply roasted the roots on the embers.

On the 17th of August, 1861, accompanied by the German Florian,
we started from Wat el Negur, and said good-bye to our very kind
friend, Sheik Achmet, who insisted upon presenting us with a
strong but exceedingly light angarep (bedstead), suitable for
camel travelling, and an excellent water-skin, that we should be
constantly reminded of him, night and day.

Florian was in a weak condition, as he had suffered much from
fever throughout the rainy season. He started under
disadvantageous circumstances, as he had purchased a horse that
was a bad bargain. The Arabs, who are sharp practitioners, had
dealt hardly with him, as they had sold him a wretched brute that
could make no other use of its legs than to kick. Of course they
had imposed upon poor Florian a long history of how this horse in
a giraffe hunt had been the first at the death, &c. &c., and he,
the deceived, had promised to shoot a hippopotamus to give them
in barter. This he had already done, and he had exchanged a river
horse, worth twenty dollars, for a terrestrial horse, worth
twenty piastres.

Florian had never mounted a horse in his lifetime as his shooting
had always been on foot. This he now explained to us, although
the confession was quite unnecessary, as his first attempt at
mounting was made upon the wrong side.

Throughout his journey to Geera on the Settite, there was a
constant difference of opinion between him and his new purchase,
until we suddenly heard a heavy fall. Upon looking back, I
perceived Florian like a spread eagle on his stomach upon the
ground, lying before the horse, who was quietly looking at his
new master. On another occasion, I heard a torrent of abuse
expressed in German, and upon turning round I found him clinging
to the neck of his animal, having lost both stirrups, while his
rifle had fallen to the ground. He was now cursing his beast,
whom he accused of wilful murder, for having replied by a kick to
a slight tap he had administered with a stick. I could not help
suggesting that he would find it awkward should he be obliged to
escape from an elephant upon that animal in rough and difficult
ground where good riding would be essential; and he declared that
nothing should tempt him either to hunt or to escape from any
beast on horseback, as he would rather trust to his legs.

Upon arriving at Geera, we bivouacked upon the sandy bed of the
river, which had much changed in appearance since our last visit.
Although much superior to the Atbara, the stream was confined to
a deep channel about 120 yards wide, in the centre of the now dry
bed of rounded pebbles and sand. Exactly opposite were extensive
encampments of the Hamran Arabs, who were congregated in
thousands between this point and the Atbara junction. Their limit
for pasturage was about six miles up stream from Geera, beyond
which point they dare not trust their flocks on account of their
enemies, the Base.

We were immediately visited, upon our arrival, by a number of
Arabs, including the Sheik Abou Do, from whom I purchased two
good milk goats to accompany us upon our journey. I had already
procured one at Wat el Negur in exchange for a few strips of
hippopotamus hide for making whips.

Lions were roaring all night close to our sleeping place; there
were many of these animals in this neighbourhood, as they were
attracted by the flocks of the Arabs.

On the following morning, at daybreak, several Arabs arrived with
a report that elephants had been drinking in the river within
half an hour's march of our sleeping place. I immediately started
with my men, accompanied by Florian, and we shortly arrived upon
the tracks of the herd. I had three Hamran Arabs as trackers, one
of whom, Taher Noor, had engaged to accompany us throughout the
expedition.

For about eight miles we followed the spoor through high-dried
grass and thorny bush, until we at length arrived at dense jungle
of kittar,--the most formidable of the hooked thorn mimosas. Here
the tracks appeared to wander; some elephants having travelled
straight ahead, while others had strayed to the right and left.
While engaged in determining the path of the herd, we observed
four giraffes at about half a mile distant, but they had already
perceived us, and were in full flight. For about two hours we
travelled upon the circuitous tracks of the elephants to no
purpose, when we suddenly were startled by the shrill trumpet of
one of these animals in the thick thorns, a few hundred yards to
our left. The ground was so intensely hard and dry that it was
impossible to distinguish the new tracks from the old, which
crossed and recrossed in all directions. I therefore decided to
walk carefully along the outskirts of the jungle, trusting to
find their place of entrance by the fresh broken boughs. In about
an hour we had thus examined two or three miles, without
discovering a clue to their recent path, when we turned round a
clump of bushes, and suddenly came in view of two grand
elephants, standing at the edge of the dense thorns; having our
wind, they vanished instantly into the the jungle. We could not
follow them, as their course was down wind; we therefore made a
circuit to leeward for about a mile, and, finding that the
elephants had not crossed in that direction, we felt sure that we
must come upon them with the wind in our favour should they still
be within the thorny jungle; this was certain, as it was their
favourite retreat.

With the greatest labour I led the way, creeping frequently upon
my hands and knees to avoid the hooks of the kittar bush, and
occasionally listening for a sound. At length, after upwards of
an hour passed in this slow and fatiguing advance, I distinctly
heard the flap of an elephant's ear, shortly followed by the deep
guttural sigh of one of those animals, within a few paces, but so
dense was the screen of jungle that I could see nothing. We
waited for some minutes, but not the slightest sound could be
heard; the elephants were aware of danger, and they were, like
ourselves, listening attentively for the first intimation of an
enemy. This was a highly exciting moment; should they charge,
there would not be a possibility of escape, as the hooked thorns
rendered any sudden movement almost impracticable. In another
moment, there was a tremendous crash; and, with a sound like a
whirlwind, the herd dashed through the crackling jungle. I rushed
forward, as I was uncertain whether they were in advance or
retreat; leaving a small sample of my nose upon a kittar thorn,
and tearing my way, with naked arms, through what, in cold blood,
would have appeared impossible, I caught sight of two elephants
leading across my path, with the herd following in a dense mass
behind them. Firing a shot at the leading elephant, simply in the
endeavour to check the herd, I repeated with the left-hand barrel
at the head of his companion; this staggered him, and threw the
main body into confusion: they immediately closed up in a dense
mass, and bore everything before them, but the herd exhibited
merely an impenetrable array of hind quarters wedged together so
firmly that it was impossible to obtain a head or shoulder shot.
I was within fifteen paces of them, and so compactly were they
packed, that with all their immense strength they could not at
once force so extensive a front through the tough and powerful
branches of the dense kittar. For about half a minute they were
absolutely checked, and they bored forward with all their might
in their determination to open a road through the matted thorns:
the elastic boughs, bent from their position, sprang back with
dangerous force, and would have fractured the skull of any one
who came within their sweep. A very large elephant was on the
left flank, and for an instant this turned obliquely to the left;
I quickly seized the opportunity and fired the "Baby," with an
explosive shell, aimed far back in the flank, trusting that it
would penetrate beneath the opposite shoulder. The recoil of the
"Baby," loaded with ten drachms of the strongest powder and a
half-pound shell, spun me round like a top--it was difficult to
say which was staggered the most severely, the elephant or
myself; however, we both recovered, and I seized one of my double
rifles, a Reilly No. 10, that was quickly pushed into my hand by
my Tokroori, Hadji Ali. This was done just in time, as an
elephant from the baffled herd turned sharp round, and, with its
immense ears cocked, it charged down upon us with a scream of
rage. "One of us she must have if I miss!"

This was the first downright charge of an African elephant that
I had seen, and instinctively I followed my old Ceylon plan of
waiting for a close shot. She lowered her head when within about
six yards, and I fired low for the centre of the forehead,
exactly in the swelling above the root of the trunk. She
collapsed to the shot, and fell dead, with a heavy shock, upon
the ground. At the same moment, the thorny barrier gave way
before the pressure of the herd, and the elephants disappeared in
the thick jungle, through which it was impossible to follow them.

I had suffered terribly from the hooked thorns, and the men
likewise. This had been a capital trial for my Tokrooris, who had
behaved remarkably well, and had I gained much confidence by my
successful forehead shot at the elephant when in full charge; but
I must confess that this is the only instance in which I have
succeeded in killing an African elephant by the front shot,
although I have steadily tried the experiment upon subsequent
occasions.

Florian had not had an opportunity of firing a shot, as I had
been in his way, and he could not pass on one side owing to the
thorns.

We had very little time to examine the elephant, as we were far
from home, and the sun was already low. I felt convinced that the
other elephant could not be far off, after having received the
"Baby's" half-pound shell carefully directed, and I resolved to
return on the following morning with many people and camels to
divide the flesh. It was dark by the time we arrived at the
tents, and the news immediately spread through the Arab camp that
two elephants had been killed.

On the following morning we started, and, upon arrival at the
dead elephant, we followed the tracks of that wounded by the
"Baby." The blood upon the bushes guided us in a few minutes to
the spot where the elephant lay dead, at about 300 yards'
distance. The whole day passed in flaying the two animals, and
cutting off the flesh, which was packed in large gum sacks, with
which the camels were loaded. I was curious to examine the effect
of the half-pound shell: it had entered the flank on the right
side, breaking the rib upon which it had exploded; it had then
passed through the stomach and the lower portion of the lungs,
both of which were terribly shattered, and breaking one of the
fore-ribs on the left side, it had lodged beneath the skin of the
shoulder. This was irresistible work, and the elephant had
evidently dropped in a few minutes after having received the
shell.

The conical bullet of quicksilver and lead, propelled by seven
drachms of powder, had entered the exact centre of the forehead
of the elephant No. 1, and, having passed completely through the
brain and the back part of the skull, we found it sticking fast
in the spine, BETWEEN THE SHOULDERS. These No. 10 Reillys* were
wonderfully powerful rifles, and exceedingly handy; they weighed
fourteen pounds, and were admirably adapted for dangerous game.
I measured both the elephants accurately with a tape: that killed
by the "Baby" was nine feet six inches from the forefoot to the
shoulder, the other was eight feet three inches. It is a common
mistake that twice the circumference of the foot is the height of
an elephant; there is no such rule that can be depended upon, as
their feet vary in size without any relative proportion to the
height of the animal.

  * They are now in England at Mr. Reilly's, No. 215, Oxford
    Street, having accompanied me throughout my expedition,
    and they have never been out of order.

A most interesting fact had occurred: when I found the larger
elephant, killed by the "Baby," I noticed an old wound unhealed
and full of matter in the front of the left shoulder; the bowels
were shot through, and were green in various places. Florian
suggested that it must be an elephant that I had wounded at Wat
el Negur; we tracked the course of the bullet most carefully,
until we at length discovered my unmistakeable bullet of
quicksilver and lead, almost uninjured, in the fleshy part of the
thigh, imbedded in an unhealed wound. Thus, by a curious chance,
upon my first interview with African elephants by daylight, I had
killed the identical elephant that I had wounded at Wat el Negur
forty-three days ago in the dhurra plantation, twenty-eight miles
distant! Both these elephants were females. It was the custom of
these active creatures to invade the dhurra fields from this
great distance, and to return to these almost impenetrable thorny
jungles, where they were safe from the attack of the aggageers,
but not from the rifles.

On our return to camp, the rejoicings were great; the women
yelled as usual, and I delighted the Hamrans by dividing the
meat, and presenting them with the hides for shields. I gave Abou
Do, and all the hunters, and my camel drivers, large quantities
of fat; and I found that I was accredited as a brother hunter by
the knights of the sword, who acknowledged that their weapons
were useless in the thick jungles of Tooleet, the name of the
place where we had killed the elephants.


CHAPTER XII.

OLD NEPTUNE JOINS THE PARTY.

WE started from Geera, on the 23d of December, with our party
complete. The Hamran sword-hunters were Abou Do, Jali, and
Suleiman. My chief tracker was Taher Noor, who, although a good
hunter, was not a professional aggahr, and I was accompanied by
the father of Abou Do, who was a renowned "howarti," or harpooner
of hippopotami. This magnificent old man might have been Neptune
himself; he stood about six feet two, and his grizzled locks hung
upon his shoulders in thick and massive curls, while his deep
bronze features could not have been excelled in beauty of
outline. A more classical figure I have never beheld than the old
Abou Do with his harpoon, as he first breasted the torrent, and
then landed dripping from the waves to join our party from the
Arab camp on the opposite side of the river. In addition to my
Tokrooris, I had engaged nine camels, each with a separate
driver, of the Hamrans, who were to accompany us throughout the
expedition. These people were glad to engage themselves, with
their camels included, at one and a half dollars (six shillings)
per month, for man and beast as one. We had not sufficient
baggage to load five camels, but four carried a large supply of
corn for our horses and people.

Hardly were we mounted and fairly started, than the monkey-like
agility of our aggageers was displayed in a variety of antics,
that were far more suited to performance in a circus than to a
party of steady and experienced hunters, who wished to reserve
the strength of their horses for a trying journey.

Abou Do was mounted on a beautiful Abyssinian horse, a grey;
Suleiman rode a rough and inferior-looking beast; while little
Jali, who was the pet of the party, rode a grey mare, not
exceeding fourteen hands in height, which matched her rider
exactly in fire, spirit, and speed. Never was there a more
perfect picture of a wild Arab horseman than Jali on his mare.
Hardly was he in the saddle, than away flew the mare over the
loose shingles that formed the dry bed of the river, scattering
the rounded pebbles in the air from her flinty hoofs, while her
rider in the vigour of delight threw himself almost under her
belly while at full speed, and picked up stones from the ground,
which he flung, and again caught as they descended. Never were
there more complete Centaurs than these Hamran Arabs; the horse
and man appeared to be one animal, and that of the most elastic
nature, that could twist and turn with the suppleness of a snake;
the fact of their being separate beings was proved by the rider
springing to the earth with his drawn sword while the horse was
in full gallop over rough and difficult ground, and clutching the
mane, he again vaulted into the saddle with the agility of a
monkey, without once checking the speed. The fact of being on
horseback had suddenly altered the character of these Arabs; from
a sedate and proud bearing, they had become the wildest examples
of the most savage disciples of Nimrod; excited by enthusiasm,
they shook their naked blades aloft till the steel trembled in
their grasp, and away they dashed over rocks, through thorny
bush, across ravines, up and down steep inclinations, engaging in
a mimic hunt, and going through the various acts supposed to
occur in the attack of a furious elephant. I must acknowledge
that, in spite of my admiration for their wonderful dexterity, I
began to doubt their prudence. I had three excellent horses for
my wife and myself; the Hamran hunters had only one for each;
and, if the commencement were an example of their usual style of
horsemanship, I felt sure that a dozen horses would not be
sufficient for the work before us. However, it was not the moment
to offer advice, as they were simply mad with excitement and
delight.

The women raised their loud and shrill yell at parting, and our
party of about twenty-five persons, with nine camels, six horses,
and two donkeys, exclusive of the German Florian, with his
kicking giraffe-hunter, and attendants, ascended the broken slope
that formed the broad valley of the Settite river.

There was very little game in the neighbourhood, as it was
completely overrun by the Arabs and their flocks; and we were to
march about fifty miles E.S.E. before we should arrive in the
happy hunting-grounds of the Base country, where we were led to
expect great results. Previous to leaving Wat el Negur I had
thoroughly drilled my Tokrooris in their duties as gun-bearers,
which had established a discipline well exemplified in the recent
affair with the elephants. I had entrusted to them my favourite
rifles, and had instructed them in their use; each man paid
particular regard to the rifle that he carried, and, as several
were of the same pattern, they had marked them with small pieces
of rag tied round the trigger guards. This esprit de corps was
most beneficial to the preservation of the arms, which were kept
in admirable order. Mahomet, the dragoman, rode my spare horse,
and carried my short double-barrelled rifle, slung across his
back, in the place of his pistols and gun, which he had wilfully
thrown upon the desert when leaving Berber. As the horse was
restive, and he had placed the hammers upon the caps, his shirt
caught in the lock, and one barrel suddenly exploded, which, with
an elephant-charge of six drachms of powder, was rather
startling, within a few inches of his ear, and narrowly escaped
the back of his skull. Florian possessed a single-barrelled
rifle, which he declared had accompanied him through many years
of sports: this weapon had become so fond of shooting, that it
was constantly going off on its own account, to the great danger
of the bystanders, and no sooner were we well off on our journey,
than off went this abominable instrument in a spontaneous feu de
joie, in the very midst of us! Its master was accordingly OFF
likewise, as his horse gave the accustomed kick, that was
invariably the deed of separation. However, we cantered on ahead
of the dangerous party, and joined the aggageers, until we at
length reached the table land above the Settite valley. Hardly
were we arrived, than we noticed in the distance a flock of sheep
and goats attended by some Arab boys. Suddenly, as Don Quixote
charged the sheep, lance in hand, the aggageers started off in
full gallop, and as the frightened flock scattered in all
directions, in a few moments they were overtaken by the hunters,
each of whom snatched a kid, or a goat, from the ground while at
full speed, and placed it upon the neck of his horse, without
either halting or dismounting. This was a very independent
proceeding; but, as the flock belonged to their own tribe, they
laughed at the question of property that I had immediately
raised, and assured me that this was the Arab custom of insuring
their breakfast, as we should kill no game during that day. In
this they were mistaken, as I killed sufficient guinea-fowl to
render the party independent of other food.

In a day's march through a beautiful country, sometimes upon the
high table land to cut off a bend in the river, at other times
upon the margin of the stream in the romantic valley, broken into
countless hills and ravines covered with mimosas, we arrived at
Ombrega (mother of the thorn), about twenty-four miles from
Geera. In that country, although uninhabited from fear of the
Base, every locality upon the borders of the river has a name.
Ombrega is a beautiful situation, where white sandstone cliffs of
about two hundred feet perpendicular height, wall in the river,
which, even at this dry season, was a noble stream impassable
except at certain places, where it was fordable. Having descended
the valley we bivouacked in the shade of thick nabbuk trees
(Rhamnus lotus), whose evergreen foliage forms a pleasing
exception to the general barrenness of the mimosas during the
season of drought. We soon arranged a resting-place, and cleared
away the grass that produced the thorn which had given rise to
the name of Ombrega, and in a short time we were comfortably
settled for the night. We were within fifty yards of the
river--the horses were luxuriating in the green grass that grew
upon its banks, and the camels were hobbled, to prevent them from
wandering from the protection of the camp fires, as we were now
in the wilderness, where the Base by day, and the lion and
leopard by night, were hostile to man and beast. The goats, upon
which we depended for our supply of milk, were objects of
especial care: these were picketed to pegs driven in the ground
close to the fires, and men were ordered to sleep on either side.
We had three greyhounds belonging to the Arabs, and it was
arranged that, in addition to these guards, a watch should be
kept by night.

The dense shade of the nabbuk had been chosen by the Arabs as a
screen to the camp-fires, that might otherwise attract the Base,
who might be prowling about the country; but, as a rule, however
pleasant may be the shade during the day, the thick jungle, and
even the overhanging boughs of a tree, should be avoided at
night. Snakes and noxious insects generally come forth after
dark--many of these inhabit the boughs of trees, and may drop
upon the bed of the unwary sleeper; beasts of prey invariably
inhabit the thick jungles, in which they may creep unperceived to
within springing distance of an object in the camp.

We were fast asleep a little after midnight, when we were
awakened by the loud barking of the dogs, and by a confusion in
the camp. Jumping up on the instant, I heard the dogs, far away
in the dark jungles, barking in different directions. One of the
goats was gone! A leopard had sprung into the camp, and had torn
a goat from its fastening, although tied to a peg, between two
men, close to a large fire. The dogs had given chase; but, as
usual in such cases, they were so alarmed as to be almost
useless. We quickly collected firebrands, and searched the
jungles, and shortly we arrived where a dog was barking
violently. Near this spot we heard the moaning of some animal
among the bushes, and upon a search with firebrands we discovered
the goat, helpless upon the ground, with its throat lacerated by
the leopard. A sudden cry from the dog at a few yards' distance,
and the barking ceased.

The goat was carried to the camp, when it shortly died. We
succeeded in recalling two of the dogs; but the third, that was
the best, was missing, having been struck by the leopard. We
searched for the body in vain, and concluded that it had been
carried off.

On the following day, we discovered fresh tracks of elephants at
sunrise. No time was lost in starting, and upon crossing the
river, we found that a large herd had been drinking, and had
retreated by a peculiar ravine. This cleft through the sandstone
rocks, which rose like walls for about a hundred feet upon either
side, formed an alley about twenty yards broad, the bottom
consisting of snow-white sand that, in the rainy season, formed
the bed of a torrent from the upper country. This herd must have
comprised about fifty elephants, that must have been in the same
locality for several days, as the ground was trampled in all
directions, and the mimosas upon the higher land were uprooted in
great numnbers: but after following upon the tracks for several
hours with great difficulty, owing to the intricacy of their
windings upon the dry and hard ground, we met with a sign fatal
to success,--the footprints of two men. In a short time we met
the men themselves, two elephant-hunters who had followed the
herd on foot, with the sword as their only weapon: they had found
the elephants, which had obtained their wind and had retreated.

The Sheik Abou Do was furious at the audacity of these two
Hamrans, who had dared to disturb our hunting-grounds, and he
immediately ordered them to return to Geera.

In addition to the tracks of the herd, we had seen that of a
large single bull elephant; this we now carefully followed, and,
after many windings, we felt convinced that he was still within
the broken ground that formed the Settite valley. After some
hours' most difficult tracking, Taher Noor, who was leading the
way, suddenly sank gently upon all fours. This movement was
immediately, but quietly imitated by the whole party, and I
quickly distinguished a large grey mass about sixty yards distant
among the bushes, which, being quite leafless, screened the form
of the bull elephant, as seen through a veil of treble gauze. I
felt quite sure that we should fail in a close approach with so
large a party. I therefore proposed that I should lead the way
with the Ceylon No. 10, and creep quite close to the elephant,
while one of th aggageers should attempt to sabre the back sinew.
Jali whispered, that the sword was useless in the high and thick
grass in which he was standing, surrounded by thorns; accordingly
I told Florian to follow me, and I crept forward. With
difficulty, upon hands and knees, I avoided the hooked thorns
that would otherwise have fastened upon my clothes, and, with the
wind favourable, I at length succeeded in passing through the
intervening jungle, and arrived at a small plot of grass that was
sufficiently high to reach the shoulder of the elephant. This
open space was about fifteen yards in diameter, and was
surrounded upon all sides by thick jungle. He was a splendid
bull, and stood temptingly for a forehead shot, according to
Ceylon practice, as he was exactly facing me at about ten yards'
distance. Having been fortunate with the front shot at Geera, I
determined to try the effect; I aimed low, and crack went the old
Ceylon No. 10 rifle, with seven drachms of powder, and a ball of
quicksilver and lead. For an instant the smoke in the high grass
obscured the effect, but almost immediately after, I heard a
tremendous rush, and, instead of falling, as I had expected, I
saw the elephant crash headlong through the thorny jungle. No one
was behind me, as Florian had misunderstood the arrangement that
he was to endeavour to obtain a quick shot should I fail. I began
to believe in what I had frequently heard asserted, that the
forehead shot so fatal to the Indian elephant had no effect upon
the African species, except by mere chance. I had taken so steady
an aim at the convexity at the root of the trunk, that every
advantage had been given to the bullet; but the rifle that in
Ceylon had been almost certain at an elephant, had completely
failed. It was quite impossible to follow the animal through the
jungle of hooked thorns. On our way toward the camp we saw tracks
of rhinoceroses, giraffes, buffaloes, and a variety of antelopes,
but none of the animals themselves.

On the following morning we started, several times fording the
river to avoid the bends: our course was due east. After the
first three hours' ride through a beautiful country bordering the
Settite valley, which we several times descended, we came in
clear view of the magnificent range of mountains, that from Geera
could hardly be discerned; this was the great range of Abyssinia,
some points of which exceed 10,000 feet. The country that we now
traversed was so totally uninhabited that it was devoid of all
footprints of human beings; even the sand by the river's side,
that like the snow confessed every print, was free from all
traces of man. The Base were evidently absent from our
neighbourhood.

We had several times disturbed antelopes during the early portion
of the march, and we had just ascended from the rugged slopes of
the valley, when we observed a troop of about a hundred baboons,
who were gathering gum arabic from the mimosas; upon seeing us,
they immediately waddled off. "Would the lady like to have a
girrit (baboon)?" exclaimed the ever-excited Jali: being answered
in the affirmative, away dashed the three hunters in full gallop
after the astonished apes, who, finding themselves pursued, went
off at their best speed. The ground was rough, being full of
broken hollows, covered scantily with mimosas, and the stupid
baboons, instead of turning to the right into the rugged and
steep valley of the Settite, where they would have been secure
from the aggageers, kept a straight course before the horses. It
was a curious hunt; some of the very young baboons were riding on
their mothers' backs: these were now going at their best pace,
holding on to their maternal steeds, and looking absurdly human;
but, in a few minutes, as we closely followed the Arabs, we were
all in the midst of the herd, and with great dexterity two of the
aggageers, while at full speed, stooped like falcons from their
saddles, and seized each a half-grown ape by the back of the neck
and hoisted them upon the necks of the horses. Instead of biting,
as I had expected, the astonished captives sat astride of the
horses, and clung tenaciously with both arms to the necks of
their steeds, screaming with fear. The hunt was over, and we
halted to secure the prisoners. Dismounting, to my surprise the
Arabs immediately stripped from a mimosa several thongs of bark,
and having tied the baboons by the neck, they gave them a
merciless whipping with their powerful coorbatches of
hippopotamus hide. It was in vain that I remonstrated against
this harsh treatment; they persisted in the punishment, otherwise
they declared that the baboons would bite, but if well whipped
they would become "miskeen" (humble). At length my wife insisted
upon mercy, and the unfortunate captives wore an expression of
countenance like prisoners about to be led to execution, and they
looked imploringly at our faces, in which they evidently
discovered some sympathy with their fate. They were quickly
placed on horseback before their captors, and once more we
continued our journey, highly amused with the little entr'acte.

We had hardly ridden half a mile, when I perceived a fine bull
tetel (Antelopus Bubalis) standing near a bush a few hundred
yards distant. Motioning to the party to halt, I dismounted, and
with the little Fletcher rifle I endeavoured to obtain a shot.
When within about a hundred and seventy yards, he observed our
party, and I was obliged to take the shot, although I could have
approached unseen to a closer distance, had his attention not
been attracted by the noise of the horses. He threw his head up
preparatory to starting off, and he was just upon the move as I
touched the trigger. He fell like a stone to the shot, but almost
immediately he regained his feet, and bounded off, receiving a
bullet from the second barrel without a flinch; in full speed he
rushed away across the party of aggageers about three hundred
yards distant. Out dashed Abou Do from the ranks on his active
grey horse, and away he flew after the wounded tetel; his long
hair floating in the wind, his naked sword in hand, and his heels
digging into the flanks of his horse, as though armed with spurs
in the last finish of a race. It was a beautiful course; Abou Do
hunted like a cunning greyhound; the tetel turned, and taking
advantage of the double, he cut off the angle; succeeding by the
manoeuvre, he again followed at tremendous speed over the
numerous inequalities of the ground, gaining in the race until he
was within twenty yards of the tetel, when we lost sight of both
game and hunter in the thick bushes. By this time I had regained
my horse, that was brought to meet me, and I followed to the
spot, towards which my wife, and the aggageers encumbered with
the unwilling apes, were already hastening. Upon arrival I found,
in high yellow grass beneath a large tree, the tetel dead, and
Abou Do wiping his bloody sword, surrounded by the foremost of
the party. He had hamstrung the animal so delicately, that the
keen edge of the blade was not injured against the bone. My two
bullets had passed through the tetel; the first was too high,
having entered above the shoulder--this had dropped the animal
for a moment; the second was through the flank. The Arabs now
tied the baboons to trees, and employed themselves in carefully
skinning the tetel so as to form a sack from the hide; they had
about half finished the operation, when we were disturbed by a
peculiar sound at a considerable distance in the jungle, which,
being repeated, we knew to be the cry of buffaloes. In an instant
the tetel was neglected, the aggageers mounted their horses, and
leaving my wife with a few men to take charge of the game,
accompanied by Florian we went in search of the buffaloes. This
part of the country was covered with grass about nine feet high,
that was reduced to such extreme dryness that the stems broke
into several pieces like glass as we brushed through it. The
jungle was open, composed of thorny mimosas at such wide
intervals, that a horse could be ridden at considerable speed if
accustomed to the country. Altogether it was the perfection of
ground for shooting, and the chances were in favour of the rifle.

We had proceeded carefully about half a mile when I heard a
rustling in the grass, and I shortly perceived a bull buffalo
standing alone beneath a tree, close to the sandy bed of a dried
stream, about a hundred yards distant between us and the animal;
the grass had been entirely destroyed by the trampling of a large
herd. I took aim at the shoulder with one of my No. 10 Reilly
rifles, and the buffalo rushed forward at the shot, and fell
about a hundred paces beyond in the bush. At the report of the
shot, the herd that we had not observed, which had been lying
upon the sandy bed of the stream, rushed past us with a sound
like thunder, in a cloud of dust raised by several hundreds of
large animals in full gallop. I could hardly see them distinctly,
and I waited for a good chance, when presently a mighty bull
separated from the rest, and gave me a fair shoulder shot. I
fired a little too forward, and missed the shoulder; but I made
a still better shot by mistake, as the Reilly bullet broke the
spine through the neck, and dropped him dead. Florian, poor
fellow, had not the necessary tools for the work, and one of his
light guns produced no effect. Now came the time for the
aggageers. Away dashed Jali on his fiery mare, closely followed
by Abou Do and Suleiman, who in a few instants were obscured in
the cloud of dust raised by the retreating buffaloes. As soon as
I could mount my horse that had been led behind me, I followed at
full speed, and spurring hard, I shortly came in sight of the
three aggageers, not only in the dust, but actually among the
rear buffaloes of the herd. Suddenly, Jali almost disappeared
from the saddle as he leaned forward with a jerk, and seized a
fine young buffalo by the tail. In a moment Abou Do and Suleiman
sprang from their horses, and I arrived just in time to assist
them in securing a fine little bull of about twelve hands high,
whose horns were six or seven inches long. A pretty fight we had
with the young Hercules. The Arabs stuck to him like bull-dogs,
in spite of his tremendous struggles, and Florian, with other
men, shortly arriving, we secured him by lashing his legs
together with our belts until impromptu ropes could be made with
mimosa bark. I now returned to the spot where we had left my wife
and the tetel. I found her standing about fifty yards from the
spot with a double rifle cocked, awaiting an expected charge from
one of the buffaloes that, separated from the herd, had happened
to rush in her direction. Mahomet had been in an awful fright,
and was now standing secure behind his mistress. I rode through
the grass with the hope of getting a shot, but the animal had
disappeared. We returned to the dead tetel and to our captive
baboons; but times had changed since we had left them. One had
taken advantage of our absence, and, having bitten through his
tether, he had escaped; the other had used force instead of
cunning, and, in attempting to tear away from confinement, had
strangled himself with the slip-knot of the rope.

The aggageers now came up with the young buffalo. This was a
great prize, as zoological specimens were much sought after at
Cassala by an agent from Italy, who had given contracts for a
supply. My hunters, to whom I willingly gave my share in the
animal, left one of their party with several of my people to
obtain the assistance of the camel-drivers, who were not far
distant in the rear; these were to bring the flesh of the
animals, and to drive the young bull on the march.

We now pushed on ahead, and at 5 P.M. we arrived at the spot on
the margin of the Settite river at which we were to encamp for
some time.

In this position, the valley of the Settite had changed its
character: instead of the rugged and broken slopes on either side
of the river, ascending gradually to the high table lands, the
east bank of the river was low, and extended, in a perfect flat
for about eight miles, to the foot of an abrupt range of hills;
the base had many ages ago formed the margin of the stream, which
had washed this enormous mass of soil towards the Atbara river,
to be carried by the Nile for a deposit in Lower Egypt. During
the rainy season, the river overflowed its banks, and attained a
width in many places of six and seven hundred yards. The soil was
rich, and, having imbibed much moisture from a periodical
overflow, it gave birth to thick jungles of nabbuk (Rhamnus
lotus), together with luxuriant grass, which being beautifully
green while all other leaves and herbage were parched and
withered, afforded pasturage and shade that attracted a number of
wild animals. For many miles on either side the river was fringed
with dense groves of the green nabbuk, but upon the east bank, an
island had been formed of about three hundred acres; this was a
perfect oasis of verdure, covered with large nabbuk trees, about
thirty feet high, and forming a mixture of the densest coverts,
with small open glades of rich but low herbage. To reach this
island, upon which we were to encamp, it was necessary to cross
the arm of the river, that was now dry, with the exception of
deep pools, in one of which we perceived a large bull buffalo
drinking, just as we descended the hill. As this would be close
to the larder, I stalked to within ninety yards, and fired a
Reilly No. 10 into his back, as his head inclined to the water.
For the moment he fell upon his knees, but recovering
immediately, he rushed up the steep bank of the island, receiving
my left-hand barrel between the shoulders, and he disappeared in
the dense covert of green nabbuk on the margin. As we were to
camp within a few yards of the spot, he was close to home;
therefore, having crossed the river, we carefully followed the
blood tracks through the jungle; but, after having pushed our way
for about twenty paces through the dense covert, I came to the
wise conclusion that it was not the place for following a wounded
buffalo, and that we should find him dead on the next morning. A
few yards upon our right hand was a beautiful open glade,
commanding a view of the river, and surrounded by the largest
nabbuk trees, that afforded a delightful shade in the midst of
the thick covert. This was a spot that in former years had been
used by the aggageers as a camp, and we accordingly dismounted,
and turned the horses to graze upon the welcome grass. Each horse
was secured to a peg by a long leathern thong, as the lions in
this neighbourhood were extremely dangerous, having the advantage
of thick and opaque jungle.

We employed ourselves until the camels should arrive, in cutting
thorn branches, and constructing a zareeba, or fenced camp, to
protect our animals during the night from the attack of wild
beasts. I also hollowed out a thick green bush to form an arbour,
as a retreat during the heat of the day, and in a short space of
time we were prepared for the reception of the camels and
effects. The river had cast up immense stores of dry wood; this
we had collected, and, by the time the camels arrived with the
remainder of our party after dark, huge fires were blazing high
in air, the light of which had guided them direct to our camp.
They were heavily laden with meat, which is the Arab's great
source of happiness, therefore in a few minutes the whole party
was busily employed in cutting the flesh into long thin strips to
dry; these were hung in festoons over the surrounding trees,
while the fires were heaped with tit-bits of all descriptions. I
had chosen a remarkably snug position for ourselves; the two
angareps (stretchers) were neatly arranged in the middle of a
small open space free from overhanging boughs; near these blazed
a large fire, upon which were roasting a row of marrow-bones of
buffalo and tetel, while the table was spread with a clean cloth,
and arranged for dinner.

The woman Barrake, who had discovered with regret that she was
not a wife but a servant, had got over the disappointment, and
was now making dhurra cakes upon the doka: this is a round
earthenware tray about eighteen inches in diameter, which,
supported upon three stones or lumps of earth, over a fire of
glowing embers, forms a hearth. Slices of liver, well peppered
with cayenne and salt, were grilling on the gridiron, and we were
preparing to dine, when a terrific roar within a hundred and
fifty yards informed us that a lion was also thinking of dinner.
A confusion of tremendous roars proceeding from several lions
followed the first round, and my aggageers quietly remarked,
"There is no danger for the horses to-night, the lions have found
your wounded buffalo!"

Such a magnificent chorus of bass voices I had never heard; the
jungle cracked, as with repeated roars they dragged the carcase
of the buffalo through the thorns to the spot where they intended
to devour it. That which was music to our ears was discord to
that of Mahomet, who with terror in hs face came to us and
exclaimed: "Master, what's that? What for master and the missus
come to this bad country? That's one bad kind will eat the missus
in the night! Perhaps he come and eat Mahomet!" This
after-thought was too much for him, and Bacheet immediately
comforted him by telling the most horrible tales of death and
destruction that had been wrought by lions, until the nerves of
Mahomet were completely unhinged.

This was a signal for story-telling, when suddenly the aggageers
changed the conversation by a few tales of the Base natives,
which so thoroughly eclipsed the dangers of wild beasts, that in
a short time the entire party would almost have welcomed a lion,
provided would he only have agreed to protect them from the Base.
In this very spot where we were then camped, a party of Arab
hunters had, two years previous, been surprised at night and
killed by the Base, who still boasted of the swords that they
possessed as spoils from that occasion. The Base knew this spot
as the favourite resting-place of the Hamran hunting-parties, and
they might be not far distant now, as we were in the heart of
their country. This intelligence was a regular damper to the
spirits of some of the party. Mahomet quietly retired and sat
down by Barrake, the ex-slave woman, having expressed a
resolution to keep awake every hour that he should be compelled
to remain in that horrible country. The lions roared louder and
louder, but no one appeared to notice such small thunder; all
thoughts were fixed upon the Base, so thoroughly had the
aggageers succeeded in frightening not only Mahomet, but also our
Tokrooris.


CHAPTER XIII.

THE LIONS FIND THE BUFFALO.

EARLY on the following morning the lions were still roaring,
apparently within a hundred yards of the camp. I accordingly took
a Reilly No. 10 double rifle and accompanied by my wife, who was
anxious to see these glorious animals, and who carried my little
Fletcher No. 24, I skirted the outside of the jungle on the high
bank, on the narrow arm of the river. We were not long in finding
traces of the lions. A broad track in the sandy bed of the dried
stream showed where the buffalo had been dragged across to the
thick and impervious green bushes, exactly beneath us on the
margin of the river. A hind quarter of the buffalo, much gnawed,
lay within seven or eight paces of us, among the bushes that had
been trampled down, and the dung of numerous lions lay upon the
open ground near the place of their concealment. We had two
Tokrooris with us, carrying spare rifles, and I felt sure that
the lions were within the bushes of dense nabbuk, which concealed
them as perfectly as though behind a closed curtain. We
approached within three or four yards of this effective screen,
when suddenly we heard the cracking of bones, as the lions
feasted in their den close to us; they would not show themselves,
nor was there any possibility of obtaining a shot; therefore,
after ascending the high bank, and waiting for some time in the
hope that one might emerge to drag away the exposed portion of
the buffalo, we returned to camp.

The aggageers had already returned from a reconnaissance of the
country, as they had started before daybreak in search of
elephants; they reported the fresh tracks of a herd, and they
begged me to lose no time in accompanying them, as the elephants
might retreat to a great distance. There was no need for this
advice; in a few minutes my horse Tetel was saddled, and my six
Tokrooris and Bacheet, with spare rifles, were in attendance.
Bacheet, who had so ingloriously failed in his first essay at Wat
el Negur, had been so laughed at by the girls of the village for
his want of pluck, that he had declared himself ready to face the
devil rather than the ridicule of the fair sex; and, to do him
justice, he subsequently became a first-rate lad in moments of
danger.

The aggageers were quickly mounted. It was a sight most grateful
to a sportsman to witness the start of these superb hunters, who
with the sabres slung from the saddle-bow, as though upon an
everyday occasion, now left the camp with these simple weapons,
to meet the mightiest animal of the creation in hand-to-hand
conflict. The horses' hoofs clattered as we descended the shingly
beach, and forded the river shoulder-deep, through the rapid
current, while those on foot clung to the manes of the horses,
and to the stirrup-leathers, to steady themselves over the loose
stones beneath.

Shortly after our arrival upon the opposite side, we came upon
numerous antelopes of the nellut (A. Strepsiceros) and tetel (A.
Bubalis). I would not fire at these tempting animals, as we were
seeking nobler game.

Tracking was very difficult; as there was a total absence of
rain, it was next to impossible to distinguish the tracks of two
days' date from those most recent upon the hard and parched soil;
the only positive clue was the fresh dung of the elephants, and
this being deposited at long intervals rendered the search
extremely tedious. The greater part of the day passed in useless
toil, and, after fording the river backwards and forwards several
times, we at length arrived at a large area of sand in the bend
of the stream, that was evidently overflowed when the river was
full; this surface of many acres was backed by a forest of large
trees. Upon arrival at this spot, the aggageers, who appeared to
know every inch of the country, declared that, unless the
elephants had gone far away, they must be close at hand, within
the forest. We were speculating upon the direction of the wind,
when we were surprised by the sudden trumpet of an elephant, that
proceeded from the forest already declared to be the covert of
the herd. In a few minutes later, a fine bull elephant marched
majestically from the jungle upon the large area of sand, and
proudly stalked direct towards the river.

At that time we were stationed under cover of a high bank of sand
that had been left by the retiring river in sweeping round an
angle; we immediately dismounted, and remained well concealed.
The question of attack was quickly settled; the elephant was
quietly stalking towards the water which was about three hundred
paces distant from the jungle: this intervening space was heavy
dry sand, that had been thrown up by the stream in the sudden
bend of the river, which, turning from this point at a right
angle, swept beneath a perpendicular cliff of conglomerate rock
formed of rounded pebbles cemented together.

I proposed that we should endeavour to stalk the elephant, by
creeping along the edge of the river, under cover of a sand bank
about three feet high, and that, should the rifles fail, the
aggageers should come on at full gallop, and cut off his retreat
from the jungle; we should then have a chance for the swords.

Accordingly, I led the way, followed by Hadji Ali, my head
Tokroori, with a rifle, while I carried the "Baby." Florian
accompanied us. Having the wind fair, we advanced quickly for
about half the distance, at which time we were within a hundred
and fifty yards of the elephant, who had just arrived at the
water, and had commenced drinking. We now crept cautiously
towards him; the sand bank had decreased to a height of about two
feet, and afforded very little shelter. Not a tree nor bush grew
upon the surface of the barren sand, which was so deep that we
sank nearly to the ankles at every footstep. Still we crept
forward, as the elephant alternately drank, and then spouted the
water in a shower over his colossal form; but just as we had
arrived within about fifty yards, he happened to turn his head in
our direction, and immediately perceived us. He cocked his
enormous ears, gave a short trumpet, and for an instant he
wavered in his determination whether to attack or fly; but as I
rushed towards him with a shout, he turned towards the jungle,
and I immediately fired a steady shot at the shoulder with the
"Baby." As usual, the fearful recoil of the rifle, with a
half-pound shell and twelve drachms of powder, nearly threw me
backwards; but I saw the mark upon the elephant's shoulder, in an
excellent line, although rather high. The only effect of the shot
was to send him off at great speed towards the jungle; but at the
same moment the three aggageers came galloping across the sand
like greyhounds in a course, and, judiciously keeping parallel
with the jung]e, they cut off his retreat, and, turning towards
the elephant, they confronted him, sword in hand. At once the
furious beast charged straight at the enemy; but now came the
very gallant, but foolish, part of the hunt. Instead of leading
the elephant by the flight of one man and horse, according to
their usual method, all the aggageers at the same moment sprang
from their saddles, and upon foot in the heavy sand they attacked
the elephant with their swords.

In the way of sport, I never saw anything so magnificent, or so
absurdly dangerous. No gladiatorial exhibition in the Roman arena
could have surpassed this fight. The elephant was mad with rage,
and nevertheless he seemed to know that the object of the hunters
was to get behind him. This he avoided with great dexterity,
turning as it were upon a pivot with extreme quickness, and
charging headlong, first at one, and then at another of his
assailants, while he blew clouds of sand in the air with his
trunk, and screamed with fury. Nimble as monkeys, nevertheless
the aggageers could not get behind him. In the folly of
excitement they had forsaken their horses, which had escaped from
the spot. The depth of the loose sand was in favour of the
elephant, and was so much against the men that they avoided his
charges with extreme difficulty. It was only by the determined
pluck of all three that they alternately saved each other, as two
invariably dashed in at the flanks when the elephant charged the
third, upon which the wary animal immediately relinquished the
chase, and turned round upon his pursuers. During this time, I
had been labouring through the heavy sand, and shortly after I
arrived at the fight, the elephant charged directly through the
aggageers, receiving a shoulder shot from one of my Reilly No. 10
rifles, and at the same time a slash from the sword of Abou Do,
who, with great dexterity and speed, had closed in behind him,
just in time to reach the leg. Unfortunately, he could not
deliver the cut in the right place, as the elephant, with
increased speed, completely distanced the aggageers; he charged
across the deep sand, and reached the jungle. We were shortly
upon his tracks, and after running about a quarter of a mile, he
fell dead in a dry watercourse. His tusks were, like the
generality of Abyssinian elephants, exceedingly short, but of
good thickness.

Some of our men, who had followed the runaway horses, shortly
returned, and reported that, during our fight with the bull, they
had heard other elephants trumpeting in the dense nabbuk jungle
near the river. A portion of thick forest of about two hundred
acres, upon this side of the river, was a tempting covert for
elephants, and the aggageers, who were perfectly familiar with
the habits of the animals, positively declared that the herd must
be within this jungle. Accordingly, we proposed to skirt the
margin of the river, which, as it made a bend at right angles,
commanded two sides of a square. Upon reaching the jungle by the
river side, we again heard the trumpet of an elephant and about
a quarter of a mile distant we observed a herd of twelve of these
animals shoulder-deep in the river, which they were in the act of
crossing to the opposite side, to secure themselves in an almost
impenetrable jungle of thorny nabbuk. The aggageers advised that
we should return to the ford that we had already crossed, and, by
repassing the river, we should most probably meet the elephants,
as they would not leave the thick jungle until the night. Having
implicit confidence in their knowledge of the country, I followed
their directions, and we shortly recrossed the ford, and arrived
upon a dry portion of the river's bed, banked by a dense thicket
of nabbuk.

Jali now took the management of affairs. We all dismounted, and
sent the horses to a considerable distance, lest they should by
some noise disturb the elephants. We shortly heard a cracking in
the jungle on our right, and Jali assured us, that, as he had
expected, the elephants were slowly advancing along the jungle on
the bank of the river, and they would pass exactly before us. We
waited patiently in the bed of the river, and the cracking in the
jungle sounded closer as the herd evidently approached. The strip
of thick thorny covert that fringed the margin was in no place
wider than half a mile--beyond that, the country was open and
park-like, but at this season it was covered with parched grass
from eight to ten feet high; the elephants would, therefore, most
probably remain in the jungle until driven out.

In about a quarter of an hour, we heard by the noise in the
jungle, about a hundred yards from the river, that the elephants
were directly opposite to us. I accordingly instructed Jali to
creep quietly by himself into the bush and to bring me
information of their position: to this he at once agreed.

In three or four minutes he returned; he declared it impossible
to use the sword, as the jungle was so dense that it would check
the blow, but that I could use the rifle, as the elephants were
close to us--he had seen three standing together, between us and
the main body of the herd. I told Jali to lead me direct to the
spot, and, followed by Fiorian and the aggageers, with my
gun-bearers, I kept within a foot of my dependable little guide,
who crept gently into the jungle; this was intensely thick, and
quite impenetrable, except in such places where elephants and
other heavy animals had trodden numerous alleys. Along one of
these narrow passages we stealthily advanced, until Jali stepped
quietly on one side, and pointed with his finger; I immediately
observed two elephants looming through the thick bushes about
eight paces from me. One offered a temple shot, which I quickly
took with a Reilly No. 10, and floored it on the spot. The smoke
hung so thickly, that I could not see sufficiently distinctly to
fire my second barrel before the remaining elephant had turned;
but Florian, with a three-ounce steel-tipped bullet, by a curious
shot at the hind quarters, injured the hip joint to such an
extent that we could more than equal the elephant in speed. In a
few moments we found ourselves in a small open glade in the
middle of the jungle, close to the stern of the elephant we were
following. I had taken a fresh rifle, with both barrels loaded,
and hardly had I made the exchange, when the elephant turned
suddenly, and charged. Determined to try fairly the forehead
shot, I kept my ground, and fired a Reilly No. 10, quicksilver
and lead bullet, exactly in the centre, when certainly within
four yards. The only effect was to make her stagger backwards,
when, in another moment, with her immense ears thrown forward,
she again rushed on. This was touch-and-go; but I fired my
remaining barrel a little lower than the first shot. Checked in
her rush, she backed towards the dense jungle, throwing her trunk
about and trumpeting with rage. Snatching the Ceylon No. 10 from
one of my trusty Tokrooris (Hassan), I ran straight at her, took
a most deliberate aim at the forehead, and once more fired. The
only effect was a decisive charge; but before I fired my last
barrel, Jali rushed in, and, with one blow of his sharp sword,
severed the back sinew. She was utterly helpless in the same
instant. Bravo, Jali! I had fired three beautifully correct shots
with No. 10 bullets, and seven drachms of powder in each charge;
these were so nearly together that they occupied a space in her
forehead of about three inches, and all had failed to kill! There
could no longer be any doubt that the forehead shot at an African
elephant could not be relied upon, although so fatal to the
Indian species: this increased the danger tenfold, as in Ceylon
I had generally made certain of an elephant by steadily waiting
until it was close upon me.

I now reloaded my rifles, and the aggageers quitted the jungle to
remount their horses, as they expected the herd had broken cover
on the other side of the jungle; in which case they intended to
give chase, and if possible, to turn them back into the covert,
and drive them towards the guns. We accordingly took our stand in
the small open glade, and I lent Florian one of my double rifles,
as he was only provided with one single-barrelled elephant gun.
I did not wish to destroy the prestige of the rifles, by hinting
to the aggageers that it would be rather awkward for us to
receive the charge of the infuriated herd, as the foreheads were
invulnerable; but inwardly I rather hoped that they would not
come so direct upon our position as the aggageers wished.

About a quarter of an hour passed in suspense, when we suddenly
heard a chorus of wild cries of excitement on the other side of
the jungle, raised iy the aggageers, who had headed the herd, and
were driving them back towards us. In a few minutes a tremendous
crashing in the jungle, accompanied by the occasional shrill
scream of a savage elephant, and the continued shouts of the
mounted aggageers, assured us that they were bearing down exactly
upon our direction; they were apparently followed even through
the dense jungle by the wild and reckless Arabs. I called my men
close together, and told them to stand fast, and hand me the guns
quickly; and we eagerly awaited the onset that rushed towards us
like a storm. On they came, tearing everything before them. For
a moment the jungle quivered and crashed; a second later, and,
headed by an immense elephant, the herd thundered down upon us.
The great leader came direct at me, and was received with right
and left in the forehead from a Reilly No. 10 as fast as I could
pull the triggers. The shock made it reel backwards for an
instant, and fortunately turned it and the herd likewise. My
second rifle was beautifully handed, and I made a quick right and
left at the temples of two fine elephants, dropping them both
stone-dead. At this moment the "Baby" was pushed into my hand by
Hadji Ali just in time to take the shoulder of the last of the
herd, who had already charged headlong after his comrades, and
was disappearing in the jungle. Bang! went the "Baby;" round I
spun like a weathercock, with the blood pouring from my nose, as
the recoil had driven the sharp top of the hammer deep into the
bridge. My "Baby" not only screamed, but kicked viciously.
However, I knew that the elephant must be bagged, as the
half-pound shell had been aimed directly behind the shoulder.

In a few minutes the aggageers arrived; they were bleeding from
countless scratches, as, although naked, with the exception of
short drawers, they had forced their way on horseback through the
thorny path cleft by the herd in rushing through the jungle. Abou
Do had blood upon his sword. They had found the elephants
commencing a retreat to the interior of the country, and they had
arrived just in time to turn them. Following them at full speed,
Abou Do had succeeded in overtaking and slashing the sinew of an
elephant just as it was entering the jungle. Thus the aggageers
had secured one, in addition to Fiorian's elephant that had been
slashed by Jali. We now hunted for the "Baby's" elephant, which
was almost immediately discovered lying dead within a hundred and
fifty yards of the place where it had received the shot. The
shell had entered close to the shoulder, and it was extraordinary
that an animal should have been able to travel so great a
distance with a wound through the lungs by a shell that had
exploded within the body.

We had done pretty well. I had been fortunate in bagging four
from this herd, in addition to the single bull in the morning;
total, five. Florian had killed one, and the aggageers one;
total, seven elephants. One had escaped that I had wounded in the
shoulder, and two that had been wounded by Florian.

The aggageers were delighted, and they determined to search for
the wounded elephants on the following day, as the evening was
advancing, and we were about five miles from camp. Having my
measuring-tape in a game-bag that was always carried by
Abdoolahi, I measured accurately one of the elephants that had
fallen with the legs stretched out, so that the height to the
shoulder could be exactly taken:--From foot to shoulder in a
direct line, nine feet one inch; circumference of foot, four feet
eight inches. The elephant lying by her side was still larger,
but the legs being doubled up, I could not measure her: these
were females.

We now left the jungle, and found our horses waiting for us in
the bed of the river by the water side, and we rode towards our
camp well satisfied with the day's work. Upon entering an open
plain of low withered grass we perceived a boar, who upon our
approach showed no signs of fear, but insolently erected his tail
and scrutinised our party. Florian dismounted and fired a shot,
which passed through his flank, and sent the boar flying off at
full speed. Abou Do and I gave chase on horseback, and after a
run of a few hundred yards we overtook the boar, which turned
resolutely to bay.

In a short time the whole party arrived, and, as Florian had
wounded the animal, his servant Richarn considered that he should
give the coup de grace; but upon his advancing with his drawn
knife, the boar charged desperately, and inflicted a serious
wound across the palm of his hand, which was completely divided
to the bone by a gash with the sharp tusk. Abou Do immediately
rode to the rescue, and with a blow of his sword divided the
spine behind the shoulder, and nearly cut the boar in half. By
this accident Richarn was disabled for some days.

Upon our arrival at the camp, there were great rejoicings among
our people at the result of the day's sport. Old Moosa, the half
fortune-teller, half priest, of the Tokrooris, had in our absence
employed himself in foretelling the number of elephants we should
kill. His method of conjuring was rather perplexing, and,
although a mystery beyond my understanding, it might be simple to
an English spiritualist or spirit-rapper; he had nevertheless
satisfied both himself and others, therefore the party had been
anxiously waiting our return to hear the result. Of course, old
Moosa was wrong, and of course he had a loop-hole for escape, and
thereby preserved his reputation. The aggageers expected to find
our wounded elephants on the following morning, if dead, by the
flights of vultures. That night the lions again serenaded us with
constant roaring, as they had still some bones to gnaw of the
buffalo's remains.

At daybreak the next morning, the aggageers in high glee mounted
their horses, and with a long retinue of camels, and men provided
with axes and knives, together with large gum sacks to contain
the flesh, they quitted the camp to cut up the numerous
elephants. As I had no taste for this disgusting work, I took two
of my Tokrooris, Hadji Ali and Hassan, and, accompanied by old
Abou Do, the father of the sheik, with his harpoon, we started
along the margin of the river in quest of hippopotami.

The harpoon for hippopotamus and crocodile hunting is a piece of
soft steel about eleven inches long, with a narrow blade or point
of about three-quarters of an inch in width, and a single but
powerful barb. To this short, and apparently insignificant
weapon, a strong rope is secured, about twenty feet in length, at
the extremity of which is a buoy or float as large as a child's
head formed of an extremely light wood called ambatch (Anemone
mirabilis), that is about half the specific gravity of cork. The
extreme end of the short harpoon is fixed in the point of a
bamboo about ten feet long, around which the rope is twisted,
while the buoy end is carried in the left hand.

The old Abou Do being resolved upon work, had divested himself of
his tope or toga before starting, according to the general custom
of the aggageers, who usually wear a simple piece of leather
wound round the loins when hunting, but, I believe in respect for
our party, they had provided themselves with a garment resembling
bathing drawers, such as are worn in France, Germany, and other
civilized countries; but the old Abou Do, like the English, had
resisted any such innovation, and he accordingly appeared with
nothing on but his harpoon; and a more superb old Neptune I never
beheld. He carried this weapon in his hand, as the trident with
which the old sea-god ruled the monsters of the deep; and as the
tall Arab patriarch of threescore years and ten, with his long
grey locks flowing over his brawny shoulders, stepped as lightly
as a goat from rock to rock along the rough margin of the river,
I followed him in admiration.

The country was very beautiful; we were within twenty miles of
lofty mountains, while at a distance of about thirty-five or
forty miles were the high peaks of the Abyssinian Alps. The
entire land was richly wooded, although open, and adapted for
hunting upon horseback. Through this wild and lovely country the
river Settite flowed in an ever-changing course. At times the bed
was several hundred yards wide, with the stream, contracted at
this season, flowing gently over rounded pebbles; the water was
as clear as glass; in other places huge masses of rock impeded
the flow of water, and caused dangerous rapids; then, as the
river passed through a range of hills, perpendicular cliffs of
sandstone and of basalt walled it within a narrow channel,
through which it rushed with great impetuosity; issuing from
these straits it calmed its fury in a deep and broad pool, from
which it again commenced a gentle course over sands and pebbles.
At that season the river would have been perfection for salmon,
being a series of rapids, shallows, deep and rocky gorges, and
quiet silent pools of unknown depth; in the latter places of
security the hippopotami retreated after their nocturnal rambles
upon terra firma. The banks of this beautiful river were
generally thickly clothed with bright green nabbuk trees, that
formed a shelter for INNUMERABLE guinea-fowl, and the black
francolin partridge. Herds of antelopes of many varieties were
forced to the river to drink, as the only water within many miles;
but these never remained long among the thick nabbuk, as the lions
and leopards inhabited that covert expressly to spring upon the
unwary animal whose thirst prompted a too heedless advance.
Wherever there was a sand bank in the river, a crocodile basked
in the morning sunshine: some of these were of enormous size.

Hippopotami had trodden a path along the margin of the river, as
these animals came out to feed shortly after dark, and travelled
from pool to pool. Wherever a plot of tangled and succulent
herbage grew among the shady nabbuks, there were the marks of the
harrow-like teeth, that had torn and rooted up the rank grass
like an agricultural implement.

After walking about two miles, we noticed a herd of hippopotami
in a pool below a rapid: this was surrounded by rocks, except
upon one side, where the rush of water had thrown up a bank of
pebbles and sand. Our old Neptune did not condescend to bestow
the slightest attention when I pointed out these animals; they
were too wide awake; but he immediately quitted the river's bed,
and we followed him quietly behind the fringe of bushes upon the
border, from which we carefully examined the water. About half a
mile below this spot, as we clambered over the intervening rocks
through a gorge which formed a powerful rapid, I observed, in a
small pool just below the rapid, an immense head of a
hippopotamus close to a perpendicular rock that formed a wall to
the river, about six feet above the surface. I pointed out the
hippo to old Abou Do, who had not seen it. At once the gravity of
the old Arab disappeared, and the energy of the hunter was
exhibited as he motioned us to remain, while he ran nimbly behind
the thick screen of bushes for about a hundred and fifty yards
below the spot where the hippo was unconsciously basking, with
his ugly head above the surface. Plunging into the rapid torrent,
the veteran hunter was carried some distance down the stream, but
breasting the powerful current, he landed upon the rocks on the
opposite side, and retiring to some distance from the river, he
quickly advanced towards the spot beneath which the hippopotamus
was lying. I had a fine view of the scene, as I was lying
concealed exactly opposite the hippo, who had disappeared beneath
the water. Abou Do now stealthily approached the ledge of rock
beneath which he had expected to see the head of the animal; his
long sinewy arm was raised, with the harpoon ready to strike, as
he carefully advanced. At length he reached the edge of the
perpendicular rock; the hippo had vanished, but, far from
exhibiting surprise, the old Arab remained standing on the sharp
ledge, unchanged in attitude. No figure of bronze could have been
more rigid than that of the old river-king, as he stood erect
upon the rock with the left foot advanced, and the harpoon poised
in his ready right hand above his head, while in the left he held
the loose coils of rope attached to the ambatch buoy. For about
three minutes he stood like a statue, gazing intently into the
clear and deep water beneath his feet. I watched eagerly for the
reappearance of the hippo; the surface of the water was still
barren, when suddenly the right arm of the statue descended like
lightning, and the harpoon shot perpendicularly into the pool
with the speed of an arrow. What river-fiend answered to the
summons? In an instant an enormous pair of open jaws appeared,
followed by the ungainly head and form of the furious
hippopotamus, who, springing half out of the water, lashed the
river into foam, and, disdaining the concealment of the deep
pool, he charged straight up the violent rapids. With
extraordinary power he breasted the descending stream; gaining a
footing in the rapids, about five feet deep, he ploughed his way
against the broken waves, sending them in showers of spray upon
all sides, and upon gaining broader shallows he tore along
through the water, with the buoyant float hopping behind him
along the surface, until he landed from the river, started at
full gallop along the dry shingly bed, and at length disappeared
in the thorny nabbuk jungle.

I never could have imagined that so unwieldy an animal could have
exhibited such speed; no man would have had a chance of escape,
and it was fortunate for our old Neptune that he was secure upon
the high ledge of rock, for if he had been in the path of the
infuriated beast. there would have been an end of Abou Do. The
old man plunged into the deep pool just quitted by the hippo, and
landed upon our side; while in the enthusiasm of the moment I
waved my cap above my head, and gave him a British cheer as he
reached the shore. His usually stern features relaxed into a grim
smile of delight: this was one of those moments when the
gratified pride of the hunter rewards him for any risks. I
congratulated him upon his dexterity: but much remained to be
done. I proposed to cross the river, and to follow upon the
tracks of the hippopotamus, as I imagined that the buoy and rope
would catch in the thick jungle, and that we should find him
entangled in the bush; but the old hunter gently laid his hand
upon my arm, and pointed up the bed of the river, explaining that
the hippo would certainly return to the water after a short
interval.

In a few minutes later, at a distance of nearly half a mile, we
observed the hippo emerge from the jungle, and descend at full
trot to the bed of the river, making direct for the first rocky
pool in which we had noticed the herd of hippopotami. Accompanied
by the old howarti (hippo hunter), we walked quickly towards the
spot: he explained to me that I must shoot the harpooned hippo,
as we should not be able to secure him in the usual method by
ropes, as nearly all our men were absent from camp, disposing of
the dead elephants.

Upon reaching the pool, which was about a hundred and thirty
yards in diameter, we were immediately greeted by the hippo, who
snorted and roared as we approached, but quickly dived, and the
buoyant float ran along the surface, directing his course in the
same manner as the cork of a trimmer with a pike upon the hook.
Several times he appeared, but, as he invariably faced us, I
could not obtain a favourable shot; I therefore sent the old
hunter round the pool, and he, swimming the river, advanced to
the opposite side, and attracted the attention of the hippo who
immediately turned towards him. This afforded me a good chance,
and I fired a steady shot behind the ear, at about seventy yards,
with a single-barrelled rifle. As usual with hippopotami, whether
dead or alive, he disappeared beneath the water at the shot. The
crack of the ball and the absence of any splash from the bullet
told me that he was hit; the ambatch float remained perfectly
stationary upon the surface. I watched it for some minutes--it
never moved; several heads of hippopotami appeared and vanished
in different directions, but the float was still; it marked the
spot where the grand old bull lay dead beneath.

I shot another hippo, that I thought must be likewise dead; and,
taking the time by my watch, I retired to the shade of a tree
with Hassan, while Hadji Ali and the old hunter returned to camp
for assistance in men and knives, &c.

In a little more than an hour and a half, two objects like the
backs of turtles appeared above the surface: these were the
flanks of the two hippos. A short time afterwards the men
arrived, and, regardless of crocodiles, they swam towards the
bodies. One was towed directly to the shore by the rope attached
to the harpoon, the other was secured by a long line, and dragged
to the bank of clean pebbles.

I measured the bull that was harpooned; it was fourteen feet two
inches from the upper lip to the extremity of the tail; the head
was three feet one inch from the front of the ear to the edge of
the lip in a straight line. The harpoon was sticking in the nape
of the neck, having penetrated about two and a half inches
beneath the hide; this is about an inch and three-quarters thick
upon the back of the neck of a bull hippopotamus. It was a
magnificent specimen, with the largest tusks I have ever seen;
the skull is now in my hall in England.

Although the hippopotamus is generally harmless, the solitary old
bulls are sometimes extremely vicious, especially when in the
water. I have frequently known them charge a boat, and I have
myself narrowly escaped being upset in a canoe by the attack of
one of these creatures, without the slightest provocation. The
females are extremely shy and harmless, and they are most
affectionate mothers: the only instances that I have known of the
female attacking a man, have been those in which her calf had
been stolen. To the Arabs they are extremely valuable, yielding,
in addition to a large quantity of excellent flesh, about two
hundred pounds of fat, and a hide that will produce about two
hundred coorbatches, or camel whips. I have never shot these
useful creatures to waste; every morsel of the flesh has been
stored either by the natives or for our own use; and whenever we
have had a good supply of antelope or giraffe meat, I have
avoided firing a shot at the hippo. Elephant flesh is exceedingly
strong and disagreeable, partaking highly of the peculiar smell
of the animal. We had now a good supply of meat from the two
hippopotami, which delighted our people. The old Abou Do claimed
the bull that he had harpooned as his own private property, and
he took the greatest pains in dividing the hide longitudinally,
in strips of the width of three fingers, which he cut with great
dexterity.

Although the hippopotamus is amphibious, he requires a large and
constant supply of air; the lungs are of enormous size, and he
invariably inflates them before diving. From five to eight
minutes is the time that he usually remains under water; he then
comes to the surface, and expends the air within his lungs by
blowing; he again refills the lungs almost instantaneously, and
if frightened, he sinks immediately. In places where they have
become extremely shy from being hunted, or fired at, they seldom
expose the head above the surface, but merely protrude the nose
to breathe through the nostrils; it is then impossible to shoot
them. Their food consists of aquatic plants, and grasses of many
descriptions. Not only do they visit the margin of the river, but
they wander at night to great distances from the water if
attracted by good pasturage, and, although clumsy and ungainly in
appearance, they clamber up steep banks and precipitous ravines
with astonishing power and ease. In places where they are
perfectly undisturbed, they not only enjoy themselves in the
sunshine by basking half asleep upon the surface of the water,
but they lie upon the shore beneath the shady trees, upon the
river's bank; I have seen them, when disturbed by our sudden
arrival during the march, take a leap from a bank about twenty
feet perpendicular depth into the water below, with a splash that
has created waves in the quiet pool, as though a paddle-steamer
had passed by. The Arabs attach no value to the tusks; these are
far more valuable than elephant ivory, and are used by dentists
in Europe for the manufacture of false teeth, for which they are
admirably adapted, as they do not change colour. Not wishing to
destroy the remaining hippopotami that were still within the
pool, I left my men and old Abou Do busily engaged in arranging
the meat, and I walked quietly homeward.


CHAPTER XIV.

A FOREBODING OF EVIL.

I HAD been for some hours in the camp, but none of the aggageers
had returned, neither had we received any tidings of our people
and camels that had left us at daybreak to search for the dead
elephants. Fearing that some mishap might have occurred in a
collision with the Base, I anxiously looked out for some sign of
the party. At about 4 P.M. I observed far up the bed of the river
several men, some mounted, and others upon foot, while one led a
camel with a curious looking load. Upon a nearer approach I could
distinguish some large object upon the camel's back, that was
steadied by two men, one of whom walked on either side. I had a
foreboding that something was wrong, and in a few minutes I
clearly perceived a man lying upon a make-shift litter, carried
by the camel, while the Sheik Abou Do and Suleiman accompanied
the party upon horseback; a third led Jali's little grey mare.

They soon arrived beneath the high bank of the river upon which
I stood. Poor little Jali, my plucky and active ally, lay, as I
thought, dead upon the litter. We laid him gently upon my
angarep, which I had raised by four men, so that we could lower
him gradually from the kneeling camel, and we carried him to the
camp, about thirty yards distant. He was faint, and I poured some
essence of peppermint (the only spirit I possessed) down his
throat, which quickly revived him. His thigh was broken about
eight inches above the knee, but fortunately it was a simple
fracture.

Abou Do now explained the cause of the accident. While the party
of camel-men and others were engaged in cutting up the dead
elephants, the three aggageers had found the track of a bull that
had escaped wounded. In that country, where there was no drop of
water upon the east bank of the Settite for a distance of sixty
or seventy miles to the river Gash, an elephant if wounded was
afraid to trust itself to the interior; one of our escaped
elephants had therefore returned to the thick jungle, and was
tracked by the aggageers to a position within two or three
hundred yards of the dead elephants. As there were no guns, two
of the aggageers, utterly reckless of consequences, resolved to
ride through the narrow passages formed by the large game, and to
take their chance with the elephant, sword in hand. Jali, as
usual, was the first to lead, and upon his little grey mare he
advanced with the greatest difficulty through the entangled
thorns, broken by the passage of heavy game; to the right and
left of the passage it was impossible to move. Abou Do had wisely
dismounted, but Suleiman followed Jali. Upon arriving within a
few yards of the elephant, which was invisible in the thick
thorns, Abou Do crept forward on foot, and discovered it standing
with ears cocked, evidently waiting for the attack. As Jali
followed on his light grey mare, the elephant immediately
perceived the white colour, and at once charged forward. Escape
was next to impossible: Jali turned his mare sharp round, and she
bounded off, but caught in the thorns, the mare fell, throwing
her rider in the path of the elephant that was within a few feet
behind, in full chase. The mare recovered herself in an instant,
and rushed away; the elephant, occupied by the white colour of
the animal, neglected the man, upon whom he trod in the pursuit,
thus breaking his thigh. Abou Do, who had been between the
elephant and Jali, had wisely jumped into the thick thorns, and,
as the elephant passed him, he again sprang out behind, and
followed with his drawn sword, but too late to save Jali, as it
was the affair of an instant. Jumping over Jali's body, he was
just in time to deliver a tremendous cut at the hind leg of the
elephant, that must otherwise have killed both horses and
probably Suleiman also, as the three were caught in a cul de sac
in a passage that had no outlet, and were at the elephant's
mercy.

Abou Do seldom failed; it was a difficult feat to strike
correctly in the narrow jungle passage with the elephant in full
speed, but the blow was fairly given, and the back sinew was
divided. Not content with the success of the cut, he immediately
repeated the stroke upon the other leg, as he feared that the
elephant, although disabled from rapid motion, might turn and
trample Jali. The extraordinary dexterity and courage required to
effect this can hardly be appreciated by those who have never
hunted a wild elephant; but the extreme agility, pluck, and
audacity of these Hamran sword-hunters surpass all feats that I
have ever witnessed.

I set Jali's broken thigh, and employed myself in making splints;
fortunately, my tool-chest was at hand, and I selected some
pieces of dry wood that had been left on the bank by the retiring
river. I made two splints, one with a crutch to fit beneath the
arm; this I carried to about three inches beyond the foot, and
cut a V-shaped notch to secure the bandage; the other was a
common short splint about eighteen inches long. My wife quickly
made about sixty yards of bandages, while Barrak, the maid,
prepared thick gum water, from gum arabic, that the mimosas
produced in unlimited quantity. Fixing the long splint under the
arm, and keeping it upon the outside of the thigh, with the leg
perfectly straight, I lashed the foot and ankle securely to the
V-shaped notch: I then strapped the upper portion of the splint
with bandages passed around the patient's chest, until he was
swathed from beneath the arms to the hips, thus securing the
splint to his body. The thigh, and entire leg from the fork to
the ankle, I carefully secured to the long splint with three rows
of bandages, the first plain, and the last two layers were soaked
in thick gum-water. When these became dry and hard, they formed
a case like an armour of paste-board: previous to bandaging the
limb in splints, I had bathed it for some hours with cold
applications.

On the following morning I expected to find my patient in great
pain; but, on the contrary, he complained very little. His pulse
was good, and there was very little swelling or heat. I gave him
some cooling medicine; and the only anxiety that he expressed was
the wish to get well immediately, so as to continue the
expedition.

The Arabs thought that I could mend the leg of a man as though it
were the broken stock of a gun, that would be serviceable
immediately when repaired. As these people never use spirituous
liquors, they are very little subject to inflammation, and they
recover quickly from wounds that would be serious to Europeans.
I attended to Jali for four days. He was a very grateful, but
unruly patient, as he had never been accustomed to remain quiet.
At the end of that time we arranged an angarep comfortably upon
a camel, upon which he was transported to Geera, in company with
a long string of camels, heavily laden with dried meat and
squares of hide for shields, with large bundles of hippopotamus
skin for whip making, together with the various spoils of the
chase. Last, but not least, were numerous leathern pots of fat
that had been boiled down from elephants and hippopotami.

The camels were to return as soon as possible with supplies of
corn for onr people and horses. Another elephant-hunter was to be
sent to us in the place of Jali; but I felt that we had lost our
best man.*

  * I heard from Jali six weeks later; he was then well,

   and offered to rejoin us shortly, but I declined to

   risk the strength of his leg.

Although my people had been in the highest spirits up to this
time, a gloom had been thrown over the party by two
causes--Jali's accident, and the fresh footmarks of the Base that
had been discovered upon the sand by the margin of the river. The
aggageers feared nothing, and if the Base had been legions of
demons they would have faced them, sword in hand, with the
greatest pleasure. But my Tokrooris, who were brave in some
respects, had been so cowed by the horrible stories recounted of
these common enemies at the nightly camp-fires by the Hamran
Arabs, that they were seized with a panic, and resolved to desert
en masse, and return to Katariff, where I had originally engaged
them, and at which place they had left their families.

This desertion having been planned, they came to me in a body,
just as the camels and Jali were about to depart, and commenced
a series of absurd excuses for their intended desertion. The old
grey-headed Moosa, by whose fortune-telling and sorcery the party
were invariably guided, had foretold evil. This had confirmed
them in their determination to return home. They were not a bad
set of fellows, but, like most of their class, they required
peculiar management. If natives are driven, they invariably hate
their master, and turn sulky; if you give in to them, they lose
respect, and will never obey. They are exceedingly subject to
sudden impulses, under the influence of which they are utterly
unreasonable. As the expedition depends for success entirely upon
the union of the party, it is highly necessary to obtain so
complete a control over every individual, that the leader shall
be regarded with positive reverence, and his authority in all
matters accepted as supreme. To gain such a complete ascendancy
is a work of time, and is no easy matter, as an extreme amount of
tact and judgment is necessary, combined with great kindness and
common sense, with, at times, great severity. The latter should
be avoided as long as possible.

In this instance, the desertion of my Tokrooris would have been
a great blow to my expedition, as it was necessary to have a
division of parties. I had now Tokrooris, Jaleens, and Hamran
Arabs. Thus they would never unite together, and I was certain to
have some upon my side in a difficulty. Should I lose the
Tokrooris, the Hamran Arabs would have the entire preponderance.

The whole of my Tokrooris formed in line before me and my wife,
just as the camels were about to leave; each man had his little
bundle prepared for starting on a journey. Old Moosa was the
spokesman,--he said that they were all very sorry: that they
regretted exceedingly the necessity of leaving us, but some of
them were sick, and they would only be a burden to the
expedition; that one of them was bound upon a pilgrimage to
Mecca, and that God would punish him should he neglect this great
duty; others had not left any money with their families in
Katariff, that would starve in their absence. (I had given them
an advance of wages, when they engaged at Katariff, to provide
against this difficulty.) I replied, "My good fellows, I am very
sorry to hear all this, especially as it comes upon me so
suddenly; those who are sick, stand upon one side" (several
invalids, who looked remarkably healthy, stepped to the left).
"Who wishes to go to Mecca?" Abderachman stepped forward (a huge
specimen of a Tokroori, who went by the nickname of "El Jamoos,"
or the buffalo.) "Who wishes to remit money to his family, as I
will send it and deduct it from his wages?" No one came forward.
During the pause, I called for pen and paper, which Mahomet
brought. I immediately commenced writing, and placed the note
within an envelope, which I addressed, and gave to one of the
camel-drivers. I then called for my medicine chest, and having
weighed several three-grain doses of tartar emetic, I called the
invalids, and insisted upon their taking the medicine before they
started, or they might become seriously ill upon the road, which
for three days' march was uninhabited. Mixed with a little water,
the doses were swallowed, and I knew that the invalids were safe
for that day, and that the others would not start without them.

I now again addressed my would-be deserters: "Now, my good
fellows, there shall be no misunderstanding between us, and I
will explain to you how the case stands. You engaged yourselves
to me for the whole journey, and you received an advance of wages
to provide for your families during your absence. You have lately
filled yourselves with meat, and you have become lazy; you have
been frightened by the footprints of the Base; thus you wish to
leave the country. To save yourselves from imaginary danger, you
would forsake my wife and myself and leave us to a fate which you
yourselves would avoid. This is your gratitude for kindness; this
is the return for my confidence, when without hesitation I
advanced you money. Go! Return to Katariff to your families! I
know that all the excuses you have made are false. Those who
declare themselves to be sick, Inshallah (please God) shall be
sick. You will all be welcomed upon your arrival at Katariff. In
the letter I have written to the Governor, inclosing your names,
I have requested him to give each man upon his appearance FIVE
HUNDRED LASHES WITH THE COORBATCH, FOR DESERTION; and to imprison
him until my return."

Check-mate! My poor Tokrooris were in a corner, and in their
great dilemma they could not answer a word. Taking advantage of
this moment of confusion, I called forward "the buffalo"
Abderachman, as I had heard that he really had contemplated a
pilgrimage to Mecca. "Abderachman," I continued, "you are the
only man who has spoken the truth. Go to Mecca! and may God
protect you on the journey; I should not wish to prevent you from
performing your duty as a Mahometan."

Never were people more dumbfounded with surprise; they retreated,
and formed a knot in consultation, and in about ten minutes they
returned to me, old Moosa and Hadji Ali both leading the pilgrim
Abderachman by the hands. They had given in; and Abderachman, the
buffalo of the party, thanked me for my permission, and with
tears in his eyes, as the camels were about to start, he at once
said good-bye. "Embrace him!" cried old Moosa and Hadji Ali; and
in an instant, as I had formerly succumbed to the maid Barrake,
I was actually kissed by the thick lips of Abderachman the
unwashed! Poor fellow! this was sincere gratitude without the
slightest humbug; therefore, although he was an odoriferous
savage, I could not help shaking him by the hand and wishing him
a prosperous journey, assuring him that I would watch over his
comrades like a father, while in my service. In a few instants
these curious people were led by a sudden and new impulse; my
farewell had perfectly delighted old Moosa and Hadji Ali, whose
hearts were won. "Say good-bye to the Sit!" (the lady) they
shouted to Abderachman; but I assured them that it was not
necessary to go through the whole operation to which I had been
subjected, and that she would be contented if he only kissed her
hand. This he did with the natural grace of a savage, and was led
away crying by his companions, who embraced him with tears, and
they parted with the affection of brothers.

Now to hard-hearted and civilized people, who often school
themselves to feel nothing, or as little as they can, for
anybody, it may appear absurd to say that the scene was
affecting, but somehow or other it was; and in the course of
half-an-hour, those who would have deserted had become staunch
friends, and we were all, black and white, Mahometans and
Christians, wishing the pilgrim God speed upon his perilous
journey to Mecca.

The camels started, and, if the scene was affecting, the invalids
began to be more affected by the tartar emetic; this was the
third act of the comedy. The plot had been thoroughly ventilated:
the last act exhibited the perfect fidelity of my Tokrooris, in
whom I subsequently reposed much confidence.

In the afternoon of that day, the brothers Sheriff arrived; these
were the most renowned of all the sword-hunters of the Hamrans,
of whom I have already spoken; they were well mounted, and,
having met our caravan of camels on the route, heavily laden with
dried flesh, and thus seen proofs of our success, they now
offered to join our party. I am sorry to be obliged to confess,
that my ally, Abou Do, although a perfect Nimrod in sport, an
Apollo in personal appearance, and a gentleman in manner, was a
mean, covetous, and grasping fellow, and withal absurdly jealous.
Taher Sheriff was a more celebrated hunter, having had the
experience of at least twenty years in excess of Abou Do, and
although the latter was as brave and dexterous as Taher and his
brothers, he wanted the cool judgment that is essential to a
first-rate sportsman. He was himself aware of his inferiority to
Taher Sheriff, though too proud to admit it; but, to avoid
competition he declined to allow the Sheriffs to join our party,
declaring that if I insisted upon the fresh alliance, he and his
comrade Suleiman would return home. Notwithstanding his
objections, I arranged for the present that, as Jali was hors de
combat, Taher Sheriff's party should join us until the arrival of
a fresh hunter in his place, otherwise our party would be
incomplete. To prevent complications, the greedy Abou Do selected
his share of the ivory, carefully choosing the best and most
perfect tusks, and he presented Taher's party with a small
quantity of meat that would render them independent of his
hospitality. I at once ordered my people to give them a large
supply of both meat and corn from my own store, and they encamped
in a quarter of our circle.

The following day was the new year, January 1st, 1862; and, with
the four brothers Sheriff and our party, we formed a powerful
body of hunters: six aggageers and myself, all well mounted. With
four gun-bearers, and two camels, both of which carried water, we
started in search of elephants. Florian was unwell, and remained
in camp.

In this dry climate it was only necessary to ride along the
margin of the river to look for fresh tracks, as the animals were
compelled to visit the Settite to drink, and of course there was
no difficulty in discovering their traces. It appeared, however,
that the elephants had been frightened away from the
neighbourhood by the recent attack, as we rode for about ten
miles without seeing any fresh marks. We therefore struck inland,
on the east bank of the river, intending to return home by a
circuit. The country was exactly like an English park, with no
larger timber than thorn trees. Every now and then there was an
exception in a gigantic homera (Adansonia digitata), or baobab;
these, towering over the heads of the low mimosas, could be seen
from a great distance. Having steered direct for one, we halted,
and dismounted to rest the horses beneath the shade. This tree
was about forty feet in circumference, and the spongy trunk was
formed into a ladder by pegs of hard wood driven into its side by
the Base hunters, who had thus ascended the slippery stem in
search of honey. Bees are very fond of these trees, as they are
generally more or less hollow, and well adapted for hives. The
Adansonia digitata, although a tree, always reminds me of a
gigantic fungus; the stem is disproportioned in its immense
thickness to its height, and its branches are few in number, and
as massive in character as the stem. The wood is not much firmer
in substance than cork, and is as succulent as a carrot. In
Kordofan, where water is exceedingly scarce, the Adansonia is
frequently used as a reservoir; one of these huge hollow trees is
cleaned out and filled with water during the short rainy season.
The fruit was ripe at the time we halted, and after many
attempts, by throwing sticks, we succeeded in procuring a
considerable number. The sub-acid flavour of the seeds, enveloped
in a dry yellow powder within the large shell, was exceedingly
refreshing.

The immediate neighbourhood was a perfect exhibition of
gum-arabic-bearing mimosas. At this season the gum was in
perfection, and the finest quality was now before us in beautiful
amber-coloured masses upon the stems and branches, varying from
the size of a nutmeg to that of an orange. So great was the
quantity, and so excellent were the specimens, that, leaving our
horses tied to trees, both the Arabs and myself gathered a large
collection. This gum, although as hard as ice on the exterior,
was limpid in the centre, resembling melted amber, and as clear
as though refined by some artificial process. The trees were
perfectly denuded of leaves from the extreme drought, and the
beautiful balls of frosted yellow gum recalled the idea of the
precious jewels upon the trees in the garden of the wonderful
lamp of the "Arabian nights." This gum was exceedingly sweet and
pleasant to the taste; but, although of the most valuable
quality, there was no hand to gather it in this forsaken,
although beautiful country; it either dissolved during the rainy
season, or was consumed by the baboons and antelopes. The
aggageers took off from their saddles the skins of tanned
antelope leather that formed the only covering to the wooden
seats, and with these they made bundles of gum. When we
remounted, every man was well laden.

We were thus leisurely returning home through alternate plains
and low open forest of mimosa, when Taher Sheriff, who was
leading the party, suddenly reined up his horse, and pointed to
a thick bush, beneath which was a large grey, but shapeless,
mass. He whispered, as I drew near, "Oom gurrin" (mother of the
horn), their name for the rhinoceros. I immediately dismounted,
and, with the short No. 10 Tatham rifle I advanced as near as I
could, followed by Suleiman, as I had sent all my gun-bearers
direct home by the river when we had commenced our circuit. As I
drew near, I discovered two rhinoceros asleep beneath a thick
mass of bushes; they were lying like pigs, close together, so
that at a distance I had been unable to distinguish any exact
form. It was an awkward place; if I were to take the wind fairly,
I should have to fire through the thick bush, which would be
useless; therefore I was compelled to advance with the wind
direct from me to them. The aggageers remained about a hundred
yards distant, while I told Suleiman to return, and hold my horse
in readiness with his own. I then walked quietly to within about
thirty yards of the rhinoceros, but so curiously were they lying
that it was useless to attempt a shot. In their happy dreams they
must have been suddenly disturbed by the scent of an enemy, for,
without the least warning, they suddenly sprang to their feet
with astonishing quickness, and with a loud and sharp whiff,
whiff, whiff! one of them charged straight at me. I fired my
right-hand barrel in his throat, as it was useless to aim at the
head protected by two horns at the nose. This turned him, but had
no other effect, and the two animals thundered off together at a
tremendous pace.

Now for a "tally ho!" Our stock of gum was scattered on the
ground, and away went the aggageers in full speed after the two
rhinoceros. Without waiting to reload, I quickly remounted my
horse Tetel, and, with Suleiman in company, I spurred hard to
overtake the flying Arabs. Tetel was a good strong cob, but not
very fast; however, I believe he never went so well as upon that
day, for, although an Abyssinian horse, I had a pair of English
spurs, which worked like missionaries, but with a more decided
result. The ground was awkward for riding at full speed, as it
was an open forest of mimosas, which, although wide apart, were
very difficult to avoid, owing to the low crowns of spreading
branches; these, being armed with fish-hook thorns, would have
been serious on a collision. I kept the party in view, until in
about a mile we arrived upon open ground. Here I again applied
the spur, and by degrees I crept up, always gaining, until I at
length joined the aggageers.

Here was a sight to drive a hunter wild! The two rhinoceros were
running neck and neck, like a pair of horses in harness, but
bounding along at tremendous speed within ten yards of the
leading Hamran. This was Taher Sheriff, who, with his sword
drawn, and his long hair flying wildly behind him, urged his
horse forward in the race, amidst a cloud of dust raised by the
two huge but active beasts, that tried every sinew of the horses.
Roder Sheriff, with the withered arm, was second; with the reins
hung upon the hawk-like claw that was all that remained of a
hand, but with his naked sword grasped in his right, he kept
close to his brother, ready to second his blow. Abou Do was
third; his hair flying in the wind--his heels dashing against the
flanks of his horse, to which he shouted in his excitement to
urge him to the front, while he leant forward with his long
sword, in the wild energy of the moment, as though hoping to
reach the game against all possibility. Now for the spurs! and as
these, vigorously applied, screwed an extra stride out of Tetel,
I soon found myself in the ruck of men, horses, and drawn swords.
There were seven of us,--and passing Abou Do, whose face wore an
expression of agony at finding that his horse was failing, I
quickly obtained a place between the two brothers, Taher and
Roder Sheriff. There had been a jealousy between the two parties
of aggageers, and each was striving to outdo the other; thus Abou
Do was driven almost to madness at the superiority of Taher's
horse, while the latter, who was the renowned hunter of the
tribe, was determined that his sword should be the first to taste
blood. I tried to pass the rhinoceros on my left, so as to fire
close into the shoulder my remaining barrel with my right hand,
but it was impossible to overtake the animals, who bounded along
with undiminished speed. With the greatest exertion of men and
horses we could only retain our position within about three or
four yards of their tails--just out of reach of the swords. The
only chance in the race was to hold the pace until the rhinoceros
should begin to flag. The horses were pressed to the utmost; but
we had already run about two miles, and the game showed no signs
of giving in. On they flew,--sometimes over open ground, then
through low bush, which tried the horses severely; then through
strips of open forest, until at length the party began to tail
off, and only a select few kept their places. We arrived at the
summit of a ridge, from which the ground sloped in a gentle
inclination for about a mile towards the river; at the foot of
this incline was thick thorny nabbuk jungle, for which
impenetrable covert the rhinoceros pressed at their utmost speed.
Never was there better ground for the finish of a race; the earth
was sandy, but firm, and as we saw the winning-post in the jungle
that must terminate the hunt, we redoubled our exertions to close
with the unflagging game. Suleiman's horse gave in--we had been
for about twenty minutes at a killing pace. Tetel, although not
a fast horse, was good for a distance, and he now proved his
power of endurance, as I was riding at least two stone heavier
than any of the party. Only four of the seven remained; and we
swept down the incline, Taher Sheriff still leading, and Abou Do
the last! His horse was done, but not the rider; for, springing
to the ground while at full speed, sword in hand, he forsook his
tired horse, and, preferring his own legs, he ran like an
antelope, and, for the first hundred yards, I thought he would
really pass us, and win the honour of first blow. It was of no
use, the pace was too severe, and, although running wonderfully,
he was obliged to give way to the horses. Only three now followed
the rhinoceros--Taher Sheriff, his brother Roder, and myself. I
had been obliged to give the second place to Roder, as he was a
mere monkey in weight; but I was a close third. The excitement
was intense--we neared the jungle, and the rhinoceros began to
show signs of flagging, as the dust puffed up before their
nostrils, and, with noses close to the ground, they snorted as
they still galloped on. Oh for a fresh horse! "A horse ! a horse!
my kingdom for a horse!" We were within two hundred yards of the
jungle; but the horses were all done. Tetel reeled as I urged him
forward, Roder pushed ahead; we were close to the dense thorns,
and the rhinoceros broke into a trot; they were done! "Now,
Taher, for-r-a-a-r-r-d! for-r-r-a-a-r-d, Taher!!!" Away he
went--he was close to the very heels of the beasts; but his horse
could do no more than his present pace; still he gained upon the
nearest; he leaned forward with his sword raised for the
blow--another moment, and the jungle would be reached! One effort
more, and the sword flashed in the sunshine, as the rearmost
rhinoceros disappeared in the thick screen of thorns, with a gash
about a foot long upon his hind-quarters. Taher Sheriff shook his
bloody sword in triumph above his head; but the rhinoceros was
gone. We were fairly beaten, regularly outpaced; but I believe
another two hundred yards would have given us the victory.
"Bravo, Taher," I shouted. He had ridden splendidly, and his b]ow
had been marvellously delivered at an extremely long reach, as he
was nearly out of his saddle when he sprang forward to enable the
blade to obtain a cut at the last moment. He could not reach the
hamstring, as his horse could not gain the proper position.

We all immediately dismounted; the horses were thoroughly done,
and I at once loosened the girths and contemplated my steed
Tetel, who with head lowered, and legs wide apart, was a
tolerable example of the effects of pace. The other aggageers
shortly arrived, and as the rival Abou Do joined us, Taher
Sheriff quietly wiped the blood off his sword without making a
remark; this was a bitter moment for the discomfited Abou Do.

Although we had failed, I never enjoyed a hunt so much either
before or since; it was a magnificent run, and still more
magnificent was the idea that a man, with no weapon but a sword,
could attack and generally vanquish every huge animal of
creation. I felt inclined to discard all my rifles, and to adopt
the sabre, with a first-class horse instead of the common horses
of this country, that were totally unfit for such a style of
hunting, when carrying nearly fifteen stone.

Taher Sheriff explained that at all times the rhinoceros was the
most difficult animal to sabre, on account of his extraordinary
swiftness, and, although he had killed many with the sword, it
was always after a long and fatiguing hunt: at the close of
which, the animal becoming tired, generally turned to bay, in
which case one hunter occupied his attention, while another
galloped up behind, and severed the hamstring. The rhinoceros,
unlike the elephant, can go very well upon three legs, which
enhances the danger, as one cut will not utterly disable him.

There is only one species of this animal in Abyssinia; this is
the two-horned black rhinoceros, known in South Africa as the
keitloa. This animal is generally five feet six inches to five
feet eight inches high at the shoulder, and, although so bulky
and heavily built, it is extremely active, as our long and
fruitless hunt had exemplified. The skin is about half the
thickness of that of the hippopotamus, but of extreme toughness
and closeness of texture; when dried and polished it resembles
horn. Unlike the Indian species of rhinoceros, the black variety
of Africa is free from folds, and the hide fits smoothly on the
body like that of the buffalo. This two-horned black species is
exceedingly vicious; it is one of the very few animals that will
generally assume the offensive; it considers all creatures to be
enemies, and, although it is not acute in either sight or
hearing, it possesses so wonderful a power of scent, that it will
detect a stranger at a distance of five or six hundred yards
should the wind be favourable.

I have observed that a rhinoceros will generally charge down upon
the object that it smells, but does not see; thus when the animal
is concealed either in high grass or thick jungle, should it
scent a man who may be passing unseen to windward, it will rush
down furiously upon the object it has winded, with three loud
whiffs, resembling a jet of steam from a safety-valve. As it is
most difficult and next to impossible to kill a rhinoceros when
charging, on account of the protection to the brain afforded by
the horns, an unexpected charge in thick jungle is particularly
unpleasant; especially when on horseback, as there is no means of
escape but to rush headlong through all obstacles, when the rider
will most likely share the fate that befell the unfortunate Jali.

The horns of the black Abyssinian species seldom exceed two feet
in length, and are generally much shorter; they are not fitted
upon the bone like the horns of all other animals, but are merely
rooted upon the thick skin, of which they appear to be a
continuation. Although the horn of a rhinoceros is a weapon of
immense power, it has no solid foundation, but when the animal is
killed, it can be separated from its hold upon the second day
after death, by a slight blow with a cane. The base forms an
exceedingly shallow cup, and much resembles the heart of an
artichoke when the leaves have been picked off. The teeth are
very peculiar, as the molars have a projecting cutting edge on
the exterior side; thus the jaws when closed form a pair of
shears, as the projecting edges of the upper and lower rows
overlap: this makes a favourable arrangement of nature to enable
the animal to clip off twigs and the branches upon which it
feeds, as, although it does not absolutely refuse grass, the
rhinoceros is decidedly a wood eater. There are particular bushes
which form a great attraction, among these is a dwarf mimosa with
a reddish bark: this tree grows in thick masses, which the
rhinoceros clips so closely that it frequently resembles a
quickset hedge that has been cut by the woodman's shears. These
animals are generally seen in pairs, or the male, female, and
calf; the mother is very affectionate, and exceedingly watchful
and savage. Although so large an animal, the cry is very
insignificant, and is not unlike the harsh shrill sound of a
penny trumpet. The drinking hour is about 8 P.M. or two hours
after sunset, at which time the rhinoceros arrives at the river
from his daily retreat, which is usually about four miles in the
interior. He approaches the water by regular paths made by
himself, but not always by the same route; and, after drinking,
he generally retires to a particular spot beneath a tree that has
been visited upon regular occasions; in such places large heaps
of dung accumulate. The hunters take advantage of this
peculiarity of the rhinoceros, and they set traps in the path to
his private retreat; but he is so extremely wary, and so acute is
the animal's power of scent, that the greatest art is necessary
in setting the snare. A circular hole about two feet deep and
fifteen inches in diameter is dug in the middle of his run, near
to the tree that has been daily visited; upon this hole is placed
a hoop of tough wood arranged with a vast number of sharp spikes
of a strong elastic wood, which, fastened to the rim, meet in the
centre, and overlap each other as would the spokes of a wheel in
the absence of the nave, if lengthened sufficiently. We will
simplify the hoop by calling it a wheel without a centre, the
spokes sharpened and overlapping the middle. The instrument being
fitted neatly above the hole, a running noose of the strongest
rope is laid in the circle upon the wheel; the other extremity of
the rope is fastened to the trunk of a tree that has been felled
for that purpose, and deeply notched at one end to prevent the
rope from slipping. This log, which weighs about five or six
hundredweight, is then buried horizontally in the ground, and the
entire trap is covered with earth and carefully concealed; the
surface is smoothed over with a branch instead of the hand, as
the scent of a human touch would at once be detected by the
rhinoceros. When completed, a quantity of the animal's dung is
swept from the heap upon the snare. If the trap is undiscovered,
the rhinoceros steps upon the hoop, through which his leg sinks
into the hole, and upon his attempt to extricate his foot, the
noose draws tight over the legs; as the spiked hoop fixing
tightly into the skin prevents the noose from slipping over the
foot. Once caught, his first effort to escape drags the heavy log
from the trench, and as the animal rushes furiously away, this
acts as a drag, and by catching in the jungle and the protruding
roots of trees, it quickly fatigues him. On the following morning
the hunters discover the rhinoceros by the track of the log that
has ploughed along the ground, and the animal is killed by
lances, or by the sword. The hide of a rhinoceros will produce
seven shields; these are worth about two dollars each, as simple
hide before manufacture; the horn is sold in Abyssinia for about
two dollars per pound, for the manufacture of sword-hilts, which
are much esteemed if of this material.

Upon our return to camp, I found that the woman Barrake was ill.
She had insisted upon eating a large quantity of the fruit of the
hegleek tree (Balanites Aegyptiaca), which abounded in this
neighbourhood. This tree is larger than the generality in that
country, being about thirty feet in height and eighteen inches in
diameter; the ashes of the burnt wood are extremely rich in
potash, and the fruit, which is about the size and shape of a
date, is sometimes pounded and used by the Arabs in lieu of soap
for washing their clothes. This fruit is exceedingly pleasant,
but in a raw state it has an irritating effect upon the bowels,
and should be used in small quantities. Barrake had been
cautioned by the Arabs and ourselves, but she had taken a fancy
that she was determined to gratify; therefore she had eaten the
forbidden fruit from morning until night, and a grievous attack
of diarrhoea was the consequence. My wife had boiled the fruit
with wild honey, and had made a most delicious preserve; in this
state it was not unwholesome. She had likewise preserved the
fruit of the nabbuk in a similar manner: the latter resembles
minute apples in appearance, with something of the medlar in
flavour; enormous quantities were produced upon the banks of the
river, which, falling when ripe, were greedily eaten by
guinea-fowl, wild hogs, antelopes, and monkeys. Elephants are
particularly fond of the fruit of the hegleek, which, although
apparently too insignificant for the attention of such mighty
animals, they nevertheless enjoy beyond any other food, and they
industriously gather them one by one. At the season when the
fruit is ripe, the hegleek tree is a certain attraction to
elephants, who shake the branches and pick up the fallen berries
with their trunks; frequently they overturn the tree itself, as
a more direct manner of feeding.

Florian was quite incapable of hunting, as he was in a weak state
of health, and had for some months been suffering from chronic
dysentery. I had several times cured him, but, as Barrake
insisted upon eating fruit, so he had a weakness for the
strongest black coffee, which, instead of drinking, like the
natives, in minute cups, he swallowed wholesale in large basins,
several times a day; this was actual poison with his complaint,
and he was completely ruined in health. He had excellent
servants,--Richarn, whom I subsequently engaged, who was my only
faithful man in my journey up the White Nile, and two good
Dongalowas.

At this time, his old companion, Johann Schmidt, the carpenter,
arrived, having undertaken a contract to provide, for the Italian
Zoological Gardens, a number of animals. I therefore proposed
that the two old friends should continue together, while I would
hunt by myself, with the aggageers, towards the east and south.

This arrangement was agreed to, and we parted. In the following
season, I engaged this excellent man, Johann Schmidt, as my
lieutenant for the White Nile expedition, on the banks of which
fatal river he now lies, with the cross that I erected over his
grave.

Poor Florian at length recovered from his complaint, but was
killed by a lion. He had wounded an elephant, which on the
following morning he found dead; a lion had eaten a portion
during the night. While he was engaged with his men in extracting
the tusks, one of his hunters (a Tokroori) followed the track of
the lion on the sand, and found the animal lying beneath a bush;
he fired a single-barrelled rifle, and wounded it in the thigh.
He at once returned to his master, who accompanied him to the
spot, and the lion was found lying under the same bush, licking
the wound. Florian fired and missed; the lion immediately
crouched for a spring; Florian fired his remaining barrel, the
ball merely grazed the lion, who almost in the same instant
bounded forward, and struck him upon the head with a fearful blow
of the paw, at the same time it seized him by the throat.

The Tokroori hunter, instead of flying from the danger, placed
the muzzle of his rifle to the lion's ear, and blew its brains
out on the body of his master. The unfortunate Florian had been
struck dead, and great difficulty was found in extracting the
claws of the lion, which had penetrated the skull. Florian,
although a determined hunter, was an exceedingly bad shot, and
withal badly armed for encounters with dangerous game; I had
frequently prophesied some calamity from the experience I had had
in a few days' shooting in his society, and most unhappily my
gloomy prediction was fulfilled.

This was the fate of two good and sterling Germans, who had been
my companions in this wild country, where degrees of rank are
entirely forgotten, provided a man be honest and true. I
constantly look back to the European acquaintances and friends
that I made during my sojourn in Africa, nearly all of whom are
dead: a merciful Providence guided us through many dangers and
difficulties, and shielded us from all harm, during nearly five
years of constant exposure. Thanks be to God.

Our camels returned from Geera with corn, accompanied by an
Abyssinian hunter, who was declared by Abou Do to be a good man,
and dexterous with the sword. We accordingly moved our camp, said
adieu to Florian and Johann, and penetrated still deeper into the
Base.


CHAPTER XV.

ANTELOPES ON THE SETTITE.

OUR course lay as usual along the banks of the river, which we
several times forded to avoid the bends. Great numbers of
antelopes were upon the river's bed, having descended to drink;
by making a circuit, I cut off one party upon their retreat, and
made two good shots with the Fletcher No. 24, bagging two tetel
(Antelopus Bubalis), at considerable ranges. I also shot an ariel
(G. Dama), and, upon arriving at a deep pool in the river, I shot
a bull hippopotamus, as a present for Taher Sheriff and his
brothers. We decided upon encamping at a spot known to the Arabs
as Delladilla; this was the forest upon the margin of the river
where I had first shot the bull elephant, when the aggageers
fought with him upon foot. The trees were larger in this locality
than elsewhere, as a great portion of the country was flooded by
the river dnring the rainy season, and much rich soil had been
deposited; this, with excessive moisture, had produced a forest
of fine timber, with an undergrowth of thick nabbuk. We fixed
upon a charming spot for a camp, beneath a large tree that bore
a peculiar fruit, suspended from the branches by a strong but
single fibre, like a cord; each fruit was about eighteen inches
in length, by six in diameter; it was perfectly worthless, but
extremely ornamental. We had arrived beneath this tree, and were
still on horseback; my wife had just suggested that it would be
unpleasant should one of the large fruit fall upon our heads if
we camped under the branches, when suddenly a lioness glided by
us, within three yards of the horses, and almost immediately
disappeared in the thick thorns; unfortunately, I had the moment
before given my rifle to a servant, prior to dismounting. I
searched the bushes in every direction, but to no purpose.

This spot was so favourably situated that I determined to remain
for some time, as I could explore the country on horseback to a
great distance upon all sides. We immediately set to work to
construct our new camp, and by the evening our people had cleared
a circle of fifty yards diameter; this was swept perfectly clean,
and the ground being hard, though free from stones, the surface
was as even as a paved floor. The entire circle was well
protected with a strong fence of thorn bushes, for which the
kittar is admirably adapted; the head being mushroom-shaped, the
entire tree is cut down, and the stem being drawn towards the
inside of the camp, the thick and wide-spreading thorny crest
covers about twelve feet of the exterior frontage; a fence thus
arranged is quickly constructed, and is quite impervious. Two or
three large trees grew within the camp; beneath the shade of this
our tent was pitched. This we never inhabited, but it served as
an ordinary room, and a protection to the luggage, guns, &c. The
horses were well secured within a double circle of thorns, and
the goats wandered about at liberty, as they were too afraid of
wild animals to venture from the camp: altogether this was the
most agreeable spot we had ever occupied; even the night-fires
would be perfectly concealed within the dense shade of the nabbuk
jungle, thus neither man nor beast would be aware of our
presence. We were about a hundred paces distant from the margin
of the river; late in the evening I took my rod, and fished in
the deep bend beneath a cliff of conglomerate pebbles. I caught
only one fish, a baggar, about twelve pounds, but I landed three
large turtles; these creatures were most determined in taking the
bait; they varied in size from fifty to about ninety pounds, and
were the same species as that which inhabits the Nile (Trionis
Nilotica). From one of them we took upwards of a hundred eggs
which we converted into omelettes, but they were rather strong in
flavour.

Although this species of turtle is unprepossessing in appearance,
having a head very like that of a snake, with a dark green shell
spotted with yellow, it produces excellent soup; the body is
exceedingly flat, and the projecting edges of the shell are soft;
it runs extremely fast upon the shore, and is suggestive of the
tortoise that beat the hare in the well-known race. Throughout
the Nile and its tributaries there are varieties of fish and
reptiles closely connected, and the link can be distinctly traced
in the progression of development. There is a fish with a hard
bony frame, or shell, that includes the head, and extends over
more than half the body; this has two long and moveable spikes
beneath the fore fins, upon which it can raise itself as upon
legs when upon the land; when first caught, this fish makes a
noise something like the mewing of a cat: this appears to be
closely linked to the tortoise. The Lepidosiren Annectens, found
in the White Nile, is a link between the fish and the frog; and
certain varieties of mud fish that remain alive throughout a dry
season in the sun-baked earth, and reappear with the following
rains exhibit a close affinity to reptiles.

On the morning after our arrival, I started to explore the
country with the aggageers, and rode about forty miles, From this
point, hills of basalt and granite commenced, connected by rugged
undulations of white quartz, huge blocks of which were scattered
upon the surface; in many of these I found thin veins of galena.

All the rocks were igneous; we had left the sandstone that had
marked the course of the Atbara and the valley of the Settite as
far as Ombrega, and I was extremely puzzled to account for the
presence of the pure white and rose-coloured limestone that we
had found only in one place--Geera. As we were now among the
hills and mountains, the country was extremely beautiful; at the
farthest point of that day's excursion we were close to the high
range from which, in the rainy season, innumerable torrents pour
into the Settite; some of these gorges were ornamented with the
dark foliage of large tamarind trees, while upon rocks that did
not appear to offer any sustenance, the unsightly yet mighty
baobab* grasped with its gnarled roots the blocks of granite, and
formed a peculiar object in the wild and rugged scenery.

  * The largest baobab (Adansonia digitata) that I have

   measured was fifty-one feet and one inch in circumference.

Through this romantic wilderness, the Settite flowed in a clear
and beautiful stream, sometimes contracted between cliffs to a
width of a hundred yards, at others stretching to three times
that distance. The hippopotami were in great numbers; many were
lying beneath the shady trees upon the banks, and splashed into
the water as we appeared; others were basking in large herds upon
the shallows; while the young calves, supported upon the backs of
their mothers, sailed about upon their animated rafts in perfect
security. The Base had been here recently, as we discovered their
footprints upon the sand, and we arrived at some tobacco
plantations that they had formed upon the sandbanks of the river.
The aggageers expressed their determination to sabre them should
we happen to meet, and were much displeased at my immediately
placing a veto upon their bloody intentions, with a reservation
for necessity in self-defence.

The Base were far too wide awake, and, although seen once during
the day by my people, they disappeared like monkeys; their spies
had doubtless reported our movements ever since we had entered
their country, and, fearing the firearms, they had retreated to
their fastnesses among the mountains.

During the day's march we had seen a large quantity of game, but
I had not wished to shoot until on our return towards the camp.
We were about four miles from home, when a nellut (A.
Strepsiceros) bounded away from a ravine. I was riding Tetel,
whom I had taught to stand fire, in which he was remarkably
steady. I made a quick shot with the little Fletcher from the
saddlle; but, as the nellut ran straight before me, the bullet
struck the haunch: away went the aggageers after the wounded
animal, like greyhounds, and in a few hundred yards the sword
finished the hunt.

The Nellut is the handsomest of all the large antelopes; the male
is about thirteen hands high, and carries a pair of beautiful
spiral horns, upwards of three feet in length; the colour of the
hide is a dark mouse-grey, ornamented with white stripes down the
flanks, and a white line along the back from the shoulder to the
tail. The female is without horns, but is in other respects
similar to the male. These beautiful animals do not inhabit the
plains like the other varieties of antelopes, but are generally
found in deep-wooded ravines. In South Africa it is known as the
koodoo.

The aggageers quickly flayed and quartered the game, which was
arranged upon the horses, and thus it was carried to our camp, at
which we arrived late in the evening.

On the following morning, at my usual hour of starting, a little
before sunrise, we crossed a deep portion of the river, through
which the horses were obliged to swim; on this occasion I rode
Aggahr, who was my best hunter. In that very charming and useful
book by Mr. Francis Galton, "The Art of Travel," advice is given
for crossing a deep river, by holding to the tail of the swimming
horse. In this I cannot agree; the safety of the man is much
endangered by the heels of the horse, and his security depends
upon the length of the animal's tail. In rivers abounding in
crocodiles, which generally follow an animal before they seize,
the man hanging on to the tail of the horse is a most alluring
bait, and he would certainly be taken, should one of these
horrible monsters be attracted to the party. I have always found
great comfort in crossing a river by simply holding to the mane,
just in front of the saddle, with my left hand, with the bridle
grasped as loosely as possible, so that the horse does not feel
the bit; in this position, on the off side, the animal does not
feel any hindrance; the man not only can direct his horse, but
his presence gives it confidence, as he can speak to it coaxingly
while swimming with one arm by its side. Upon landing, he at once
controls the horse by the reins within his left grasp.

Many horses become exceedingly scared in swimming a rapid river,
and will frequently lose their presence of mind, and swim with
the current, in which case they may miss the favourable landing
place; if the man holds by the tail, he has no control over the
horse upon landing, and, if wild or vicious, the animal will
probably kick up its heels and bolt away, leaving the unfortunate
proprietor helpless. In swimming a river with the horse, the
powder, &c. should be made into a parcel with your outer garment,
and tied upon the head; then lead your horse gently into the
water, and for a moment allow it to drink, to prevent all
shyness; continue to lead it until you lose your depth, when, by
holding with your left hand to the mane, both horse and man will
cross with perfect ease.

We had crossed the river, and, as we passed through an opening in
the belt of jungle on the banks, and entered upon a plain
interspersed with clumps of bush, we perceived, at about two
hundred yards distance, a magnificent lion, whose shaggy yellow
mane gave him a colossal appearance, as he stalked quietly along
the flat sandy ground towards the place of his daily retreat. The
aggageers whispered, "El Assut!" (the lion), and instinctively
the swords flashed from their sheaths. In an instant, the horses
were at full speed sweeping over the level ground. The lion had
not observed us; but, upon hearing the sound of the hoofs, he
halted and raised his head, regarding us for a moment with
wonder, as we rapidly decreased our distance, when, thinking
retreat advisable, he bounded off, followed by the excited
hunters, as hard as the horses could be pressed. Having obtained
a good start, we had gained upon him, and we kept up the pace
until we at length arrived within about eighty yards of the lion,
who, although he appeared to fly easily along like a cat, did not
equal the speed of the horses. It was a beautiful sight. Aggahr
was an exceedingly fast horse, and, having formerly belonged to
one of the Hamran hunters, he thoroughly understood his work. His
gallop was perfection, and his long steady stride was as easy to
himself as to his rider; there was no necessity to guide him, as
he followed an animal like a greyhound, and sailed between the
stems of the numerous trees, carefully avoiding their trunks, and
choosing his route where the branches allowed ample room for the
rider to pass beneath. In about five minutes we had run the lion
straight across the plain, through several open strips of
mimosas, and we were now within a few yards, hut unfortunately,
just as Taher and Abou Do dashed forward in the endeavour to ride
upon either flank, he sprang down a precipitous ravine, and
disappeared in the thick thorns.

The ravine formed a broad bottom, which, covered with dense green
nabbuk, continued for a great distance, and effectually saved the
lion. I was much disappointed, as we should have had a glorious
fight, and I had long sought for an opportunity of witnessing an
attack upon the lion with the sword. The aggageers were equally
annoyed, and they explained that they should have been certain to
kill him. Their plan was to ride upon either flank, at a few
yards' distance, when he would have charged one man, who would
have dashed away, while the other hunter would have slashed the
lion through the back with his sword. They declared that a good
hunter should be able to protect himself by a back-handed blow
with his sword, should the lion attack the horse from behind; but
that the great danger in a lion hunt arose when the animal took
refuge in a solitary bush, and turned to bay. In such instances
the hunters surrounded the bush, and rode direct towards him,
when he generally sprang out upon some man or horse; he was then
cut down immediately by the sabre of the next hunter. The
aggageers declared that, in the event of an actual fight, the
death of the lion was certain, although one or more men or horses
might be wounded, or perhaps killed.

The morning gallop had warmed our nags after their bath in the
cool river, and we now continued leisurely towards the stream,
upon the margin of which we rode for several miles. We had
determined to set fire to the grass, as, although upon poorer
soil it had almost disappeared through the withering of the
roots, upon fertile ground it was almost nine feet high, and not
only concealed the game, but prevented us from riding. We
accordingly rode towards a spot where bright yellow herbage
invited the fire-stick; but hardly had we arrived, when we
noticed a solitary bull buffalo (Bos Caffer), feeding within
about a hundred and fifty yards. I immediately dismounted, and,
creeping towards him to within fifty paces, I shot him through
the neck with one of my Reilly No. 10 rifles. I had hoped to drop
him dead by the shot, instead of which he galloped off, of course
followed by the aggageers, with the exception of one, who held my
horse. Quickly mounted, we joined in the hunt, and in about three
minutes we ran the buffalo to bay in a thicket of thorns on the
margin of the river. These thorns were just thick enough to
conceal him at times, but to afford us a glance of his figure as
he moved from his position. There was a glade which cut through
and divided the jungle, and I wished the aggageers to drive him,
if possible, across this, when I should have a good opportunity
of shooting. To my astonishment, one of the most daring hunters
jumped off his horse with his drawn sword, and, telling me to
look out, he coolly entered the jungle alone to court the attack
of the buffalo. I would not allow him to risk his life for an
animal that I had been the first to wound, therefore I insisted
upon his return, and begging Abou Do to hold my bridle when I
should fire, I rode with him carefully along the skirts of the
jungle along the glade, keeping a good look-out among the thorns
for the buffalo. Presently I heard a short grunt within twenty
yards of us, and I quickly perceived the buffalo standing
broadside on, with his head to the wind, that brought down the
scent of the people on the other side.

I had my little Fletcher No. 24 in my hand--that handy little
weapon that almost formed an extra bone of myself, and,
whispering to Abou Do to hold my bridle close to the bit, as
Aggahr was not very steady under fire, I took a clean shot direct
at the centre of the shoulder. The ball smacked as though it had
struck an iron target. Aggahr gave a start, and for the moment
both Abou Do and myself were prepared for a rush; but the buffalo
had never flinched, and he remained standing as though
immoveable. Abon Do whispered, "You missed him, I heard the
bullet strike the tree;" I shook my head, and quickly
re-loaded--it was impossible to miss at that distance, and I knew
that I had fired steadily. Hardly had I rammed the bullet down,
when, with a sudden thump, down fell the buffalo upon his side,
and, rolling over upon his back, he gave a few tremendous
struggles, and lay dead.

Great caution should be invariably used in approaching a fallen
buffalo and all other dangerous animals, as they are apt to
recover sufficiently, upon seeing the enemy, to make a last
effort to attack, which is generally more serious than any other
phase of the hunt. We accordingly pitched a few large stones at
him to test the reality of death, and then walked up and examined
him. The Reilly No. 10 had gone quite through the neck, but had
missed a vital part. The little Fletcher had made a clean and
minute hole exactly through the shoulder, and upon opening the
body we found the ball sticking in the ribs on the opposite side,
having passed through the very centre of the lungs.

The aggageers now carefully flayed it, and divided the tough hide
into portions accurately measured for shields. One man galloped
back to direct the two water-camels that were following in our
tracks, while others cut up the buffalo, and prepared the usual
disgusting feast by cutting up the reeking paunch, over which
they squeezed the contents of the gall-bladder, and consumed the
whole, raw and steaming.* On the arrival of the camels they were
quickly loaded, and we proceeded to fire the grass on our return
to camp. The Arabs always obtained their fire by the friction of
two pieces of wood; accordingly, they set to work. A piece of dry
nabbuk was selected, about as thick as the little finger. A notch
was cut in this, and it was laid horizontally upon the ground,
with the notch uppermost; into this was fixed the sharp point of
a similar piece of wood, about eighteen inches long, which, being
held perpendicularly with both hands, was worked between the
palms like a drill, with as great a pressure as possible, from
the top to the bottom, as the hands descended with the motion of
rubbing or rolling the stick. After about two minutes of great
labour, the notch began to smoke, a brown dust, like ground
coffee, fell from the singed wood, and this charred substance,
after increased friction, emitted a still denser smoke, and
commenced smouldering; the fire was produced. A rag was torn from
the thorn-brushed drawers of one of the party, in which the fire
was carefully wrapped and fanned with the breath; it was then
placed in a wisp of dry grass, and rapidly turned in the air
until the flame burst forth. A burning-glass should be always
carried in these countries, where a cloudless sky ensures an
effect. Although in Arab hands the making of fire appears
exceedingly simple, I have never been able to effect it. I have
worked at the two sticks until they have been smoking and I have
been steaming, with my hands blistered, but I have never got
beyond the smoke; there is a peculiar knack which, like playing
the fiddle, must be acquired, although it looks very easy. It is
not every wood that will produce fire by this method; those most
inflammable are the cotton-tree and the nabbuk. We now descended
to the river, and fired the grass; the north wind was brisk, and
the flames extended over miles of country within an hour.

  * All these Arabs, in like manner with the Abyssinians,

   are subject to the attacks of intestinal worms, induced

   by their habit of eating raw flesh.

We returned towards the camp. On the way we saw numerous
antelopes; and, dismounting, I ordered one of the hunters to lead
my horse while I attempted to stalk a fine buck mehedehet
(Redunca Ellipsyprimna). There were several in the herd, but
there was a buck with a fine head a few yards in advance; they
were standing upon an undulation on open ground backed by high
grass. I had marked a small bush as my point of cover, and
creeping unobserved towards this, I arrived unseen within about
a hundred and twenty yards of the buck. With the Fletcher 24 I
made a good shoulder-shot; the buck gave a few bounds and fell
dead; the does looked on in astonishment, and I made an equally
lucky shot with the left-hand barrel, bringing down what I at
first had mistaken to be a doe, but I discovered it to be a young
buck.

The Mehedehet is an antelope of great beauty; it resembles the
red deer in colour, but the coat is still rougher; it stands
about thirteen hands in height, with a pair of long
slightly-curved annulated horns. The live weight of the male
would be about five hundred pounds; the female, like the nellut
(Tragelaphus Strepsiceros), is devoid of horns, and much
resembles the female of the Sambur deer of India. This antelope
is the "water-buck" of South Africa.

On arrival at the camp, I resolved to fire the entire country on
the following day, and to push still farther up the course of the
Settite to the foot of the mountains, and to return to this camp
in about a fortnight, by which time the animals that had been
scared away by the fire would have returned. Accordingly, on the
following morning, accompanied by a few of the aggageers, I
started upon the south bank of the river, and rode for some
distance into the interior, to the ground that was entirely
covered with high withered grass. We were passing through a mass
of kittar and thorn-bush, almost hidden by the immensely high
grass, when, as I was ahead of the party, I came suddenly upon
the tracks of a rhinoceros; these were so unmistakeably recent
that I felt sure we were not far from the animals themselves. As
I had wished to fire the grass, I was accompanied by my
Tokrooris, and my horse-keeper, Mahomet No. 2. It was difficult
ground for the men, and still more unfavourable for the horses,
as large disjointed masses of stone were concealed in the high
grass.

We were just speculating as to the position of the rhinoceros,
and thinking how uncommonly unpleasant it would be should he
obtain our wind, when whiff! whiff! whiff! We heard the sharp
whistling snort, with a tremendous rush through the high grass
and thorns close to us; and at the same moment two of these
determined brutes were upon us in full charge. I never saw such
a scrimmage; sauve qui peut! There was no time for more than one
look behind. I dug the spurs into Aggahr's flanks, and clasping
him round the neck, I ducked my head down to his shoulder, well
protected with my strong hunting-cap, and I kept the spurs going
as hard as I could ply them, blindly trusting to Providence and
my good horse, over big rocks, fallen trees, thick kittar thorns,
and grass ten feet high, with the two infernal animals in full
chase only a few feet behind me. I heard their abominable
whiffing close to me, but so did good horse also, and the good
old hunter flew over obstacles that I should have thought
impossible, and he dashed straight under the hooked thorn bushes
and doubled like a hare. The aggageers were all scattered;
Mahomet No. 2 was knocked over by a rhinoceros; all the men were
sprawling upon the rocks with their guns, and the party was
entirely discomfited. Having passed the kittar thorn, I turned,
and, seeing that the beasts had gone straight on, I brought
Aggahr's head round, and tried to give chase, but it was
perfectly impossible; it was only a wonder that the horse had
escaped in ground so difficult for riding. Although my clothes
were of the strongest and coarsest Arab cotton cloth, which
seldom tore, but simply lost a thread when caught in a thorn, I
was nearly naked. My blouse was reduced to shreds; as I wore
sleeves only half way from the shoulder to the elbow, my naked
arms were streaming with blood; fortunately my hunting cap was
secured with a chin strap, and still more fortunately I had
grasped the horse's neck, otherwise I must have been dragged out
of the saddle by the hooked thorns. All the men were cut and
bruised, some having fallen upon their heads among the rocks, and
others had hurt their legs in falling in their endeavours to
escape. Mahomet No. 2, the horse-keeper, was more frightened than
hurt, as he had been knocked down by the shoulder and not by the
horn of the rhinoceros, as the animal had not noticed him; its
attention was absorbed by the horse.

I determined to set fire to the whole country immediately, and
descending the hill towards the river to obtain a favourable
wind, I put my men in a line, extending over about a mile along
the river's bed, and they fired the grass in different places.
With a loud roar, the flame leapt high in air and rushed forward
with astonishing velocity; the grass was as inflammable as
tinder, and the strong north wind drove the long line of fire
spreading in every direction through the country.

We now crossed to the other side of the river to avoid the
flames, and we returned towards the camp. On the way, I made a
long shot and badly wounded a tetel, but lost it in thick thorns;
shortly after, I stalked a nellut (A. Strepsiceros), and bagged
it with the Fletcher rifle.

We arrived early in camp, and on the following day we moved
sixteen miles farther up stream, and camped under a tamarind tree
by the side of the river. No European had ever been farther than
our last camp, Delladilla, and that spot had only been visited by
Johann Schmidt and Florian. In the previous year, my aggageers
had sabred some of the Base at this very camping-place; they
accordingly requested me to keep a vigilant watch during the
night, as they would be very likely to attack us in revenge,
unless they had been scared by the rifles and by the size of our
party. They advised me not to remain long in this spot, as it
would be very dangerous for my wife to be left almost alone
during the day, when we were hunting, and that the Base would be
certain to espy us from the mountains, and would most probably
attack and carry her off when they were assured of our departure.
She was not very nervous about this, but she immediately called
the dragoman, Mahomet, who knew the use of a gun, and she asked
him if he would stand by her in case they were attacked in my
absence; the faithful servant replied, "Mahomet fight the Base?
No, Missus; Mahomet not fight; if the Base come, Missus fight;
Mahomet run away; Mahomet not come all the way from Cairo to get
him killed by black fellers; Mahomet will run--Inshallah!"
(please God).

This frank avowal of his military tactics was very reassuring.
There was a high hill of basalt, something resembling a pyramid,
within a quarter of a mile of us; I accordingly ordered some of
my men every day to ascend this look-out station, and I resolved
to burn the high grass at once, so as to destroy all cover for
the concealment of an enemy. That evening I very nearly burnt our
camp; I had several times ordered the men to clear away the dry
grass for about thirty yards from our resting-place; this they
had neglected to obey. We had been joined a few days before by a
party of about a dozen Hamran Arabs, who were hippopotami
hunters; thus we mustered very strong, and it would have been the
work of about half an hour to have cleared away the grass as I
had desired.

The wind was brisk, and blew directly towards our camp, which was
backed by the river. I accordingly took a fire-stick, and I told
my people to look sharp, as they would not clear away the grass.
I walked to the foot of the basalt hill, and fired the grass in
several places. In an instant the wind swept the flame and smoke
towards the camp. All was confusion; the Arabs had piled the
camel-saddles and all their corn and effects in the high grass
about twenty yards from the tent; there was no time to remove all
these things; therefore, unless they could clear away the grass
so as to stop the fire before it should reach the spot, they
would be punished for their laziness by losing their property.
The fire travelled quicker than I had expected, and, by the time
I had hastened to the tent, I found the entire party working
frantically; the Arabs were slashing down the grass with their
swords, and sweeping it away with their shields, while my
Tokrooris were beating it down with long sticks and tearing it
from its withered and fortunately tinder-rotten roots, in
desperate haste. The flames rushed on, and we already felt the
heat, as volumes of smoke enveloped us; I thought it advisable to
carry the gunpowder (about 20 lbs.), down to the river, together
with the rifles; while my wife and Mahomet dragged the various
articles of luggage to the same place of safety. The fire now
approached within about sixty yards, and dragging out the iron
pins, I let the tent fall to the ground. The Arabs had swept a
line like a highroad perfectly clean, and they were still tearing
away the grass, when they were suddenly obliged to rush back as
the flames arrived.

Almost instantaneously the smoke blew over us, but the fire had
expired upon meeting the cleared ground. I now gave them a little
lecture upon obedience to orders; and from that day, their first
act upon halting for the night was to clear away the grass, lest
I should repeat the entertainment. In countries that are covered
with dry grass, it should be an invariable rule to clear the
ground around the camp before night; hostile natives will
frequently fire the grass to windward of a party, or careless
servants may leave their pipes upon the ground, which fanned by
the wind would quickly create a blaze. That night the mountain
afforded a beautiful appearance as the flames ascended the steep
sides, and ran flickering up the deep gullies with a brilliant
light.

We were standing outside the tent admiring the scene, which
perfectly illuminated the neighbourhood, when suddenly an
apparition of a lion and lioness stood for an instant before us
at about fifteen yards distance, and then disappeared over the
blackened ground before I had time to snatch a rifle from the
tent. No doubt they had been disturbed from the mountain by the
fire, and had mistaken their way in the country so recently
changed from high grass to black ashes. In this locality I
considered it advisable to keep a vigilant watch during the
night, and the Arabs were told off for that purpose.

A little before sunrise I accompanied the howartis, or
hippopotamus hunters, for a day's sport. There were numbers of
hippos in this part of the river, and we were not long before we
found a herd. The hunters failed in several attempts to harpoon
them, but they succeeded in stalking a crocodile after a most
peculiar fashion. This large beast was lying upon a sandbank on
the opposite margin of the river, close to a bed of rushes.

The howartis, having studied the wind, ascended for about a
quarter of a mile, and then swam across the river, harpoon in
hand. The two men reached the opposite bank, beneath which they
alternately waded or swam down the stream towards the spot upon
which the crocodile was lying. Thus advancing under cover of the
steep bank, or floating with the stream in deep places, and
crawling like crocodiles across the shallows, the two hunters at
length arrived at the bank of rushes, on the other side of which
the monster was basking asleep upon the sand. They were now about
waist-deep, and they kept close to the rushes with their harpoons
raised, ready to cast the moment they should pass the rush bed
and come in view of the crocodile. Thus steadily advancing, they
had just arrived at the corner within about eight yards of the
crocodile, when the creature either saw them, or obtained their
wind; in an inatant it rushed to the water; at the same moment,
the two harpoons were launched with great rapidity by the
hunters. One glanced obliquely from the scales; the other stuck
fairly in the tough hide, and the iron, detached from the bamboo,
held fast, while the ambatch float, running on the surface of the
water, marked the course of the reptile beneath.

The hunters chose a convenient place, and recrossed the stream to
our side, apparently not heeding the crocodiles more than we
should fear pike when bathing in England. They would not waste
their time by securing the crocodile at present, as they wished
to kill a hippopotamus; the float would mark the position, and
they would be certain to find it later. We accordingly continued
our search for hippopotami; these animals appeared to be on the
qui vive, and, as the hunters once more failed in an attempt, I
made a clean shot behind the ear of one, and killed it dead. At
length we arrived at a large pool in which were several sandbanks
covered with rushes, and many rocky islands. Among these rocks
was a herd of hippopotami, consisting of an old bull and several
cows; a young hippo was standing, like an ugly little statue, on
a protruding rock, while another infant stood upon its mother's
back that listlessly floated on the water.

This was an admirable place for the hunters. They desired me to
lie down, and they crept into the jungle out of view of the
river; I presently observed them stealthily descending the dry
bed about two hundred paces above the spot where the hippos were
basking behind the rocks. They entered the river, and swam down
the centre of the stream towards the rock. This was highly
exciting:--the hippos were quite unconscious of the approaching
danger, as, steadily and rapidly, the hunters floated down the
strong current; they neared the rock, and both heads disappeared
as they purposely sunk out of view; in a few seconds later they
reappeared at the edge of the rock upon which the young hippo
stood. It would be difficult to say which started first, the
astonished young hippo into the water, or the harpoons from the
hands of the howartis! It was the affair of a moment; the hunters
dived directly they had hurled their harpoons, and, swimming for
some distance under water, they came to the surface, and hastened
to the shore lest an infuriated hippopotamus should follow them.
One harpoon had missed; the other had fixed the bull of the herd,
at which it had been surely aimed. This was grand sport! The bull
was in the greatest fury, and rose to the surface, snorting and
blowing in his impotent rage; but as the ambatch float was
exceedingly large, and this naturally accompanied his movements,
he tried to escape from his imaginary persecutor, and dived
constantly, only to find his pertinacious attendant close to him
upon regaining the surface. This was not to last long; the
howartis were in earnest, and they at once called their party,
who, with two of the aggageers, Abou Do and Suleiman, were near
at hand; these men arrived with the long ropes that form a
portion of the outfit for hippo hunting.

The whole party now halted on the edge of the river, while two
men swam across with one end of the long rope. Upon gaining the
opposite bank, I observed that a second rope was made fast to the
middle of the main line; thus upon our side we held the ends of
two ropes, while on the opposite side they had only one;
accordingly, the point of junction of the two ropes in the centre
formed an acute angle. The object of this was soon practically
explained. Two men upon our side now each held a rope, and one of
these walked about ten yards before the other. Upon both sides of
the river the people now advanced, dragging the rope on the
surface of the water until they reached the ambatch float that
was swimming to and fro, according to the movements of the
hippopotamus below. By a dexterous jerk of the main line, the
float was now placed between the two ropes, and it was
immediately secured in the acute angle by bringing together the
ends of these ropes on our side.

The men on the opposite bank now dropped their line, and our men
hauled in upon the ambatch float that was held fast between the
ropes. Thus cleverly made sure, we quickly brought a strain upon
the hippo, and, although I have had some experience in handling
big fish, I never knew one pull so lustily as the amphibious
animal that we now alternately coaxed and bullied. He sprang out
of the water, gnashed his huge jaws, snorted with tremendous
rage, and lashed the river into foam; he then dived, and
foolishly approached us beneath the water. We quickly gathered in
the slack line, and took a round turn upon a large rock, within
a few feet of the river. The hippo now rose to the surface, about
ten yards from the hunters, and, jumping half out of the water,
he snapped his great jaws together, endeavouring to catch the
rope, but at the same instant two harpoons were launched into his
side. Disdaining retreat, and maddened with rage, the furious
animal charged from the depths of the river, and, gaining a
footing, he reared his bulky form from the surface, came boldly
upon the sandbank, and attacked the hunters open-mouthed. He
little knew his enemy; they were not the men to fear a pair of
gaping jaws, armed with a deadly array of tusks, but half a dozen
lances were hurled at him, some entering his mouth from a
distance of five or six paces, at the same time several men threw
handfuls of sand into his enormous eyes. This baffled him more
than the lances; he crunched the shafts between his powerful jaws
like straws, but he was beaten by the sand, and, shaking his huge
head, he retreated to the river. During his sally upon the shore,
two of the hunters had secured the ropes of the harpoons that had
been fastened in his body just before his charge; he was now
fixed by three of these deadly instruments, but suddenly one rope
gave way, having been bitten through by the enraged beast, who
was still beneath the water. Immediately after this he appeared
on the surface, and, without a moment's hesitation, he once more
charged furiously from the water straight at the hunters, with
his huge mouth open to such an extent that he could have
accommodated two inside passengers. Suleiman was wild with
delight, and springing forward lance in hand, he drove it against
the head of the formidable animal, but without effect. At the
same time, Abou Do met the hippo sword in hand, reminding me of
Perseus slaying the sea-monster that would devour Andromeda, but
the sword made a harmless gash, and the lance, already blunted
against the rocks, refused to penetrate the tough hide; once more
handfuls of sand were pelted upon his face, and, again repulsed
by this blinding attack, he was forced to retire to his deep hole
and wash it from his eyes. Six times during the fight the valiant
bull hippo quitted his watery fortress, and charged resolutely at
his pursuers; he had broken several of their lances in his jaws,
other lances had been hurled, and, falling upon the rocks, they
were blunted, and would not penetrate. The fight had continued
for three hours, and the sun was about to set, accordingly the
hunters begged me to give him the coup de grace, as they had
hauled him close to the shore, and they feared he would sever the
rope with his teeth. I waited for a good opportunity, when he
boldly raised his head from water about three yards from the
rifle, and a bullet from the little Fletcher between the eyes
closed the last act. This spot was not far from the pyramidical
hill beneath which I had fixed our camp, to which I returned
after an amusing day's sport.

The next morning, I started to the mountains to explore the limit
that I had proposed for my expedition on the Settite. The Arabs
had informed me that a river of some importance descended from
the mountains, and joined the main stream about twelve miles from
our camp. The aggageers were seriously expecting an attack from
the Base, and they advised me not to remain much longer in this
spot. The route was highly interesting: about five miles to the
south-east of the camp we entered the hilly and mountainous
country; to the east rose the peaked head of Allatakoora, about
seven thousand feet from the base, while S.S.E. was the lofty
table-mountain, known by the Arabs as Boorkotan. We rode through
fertile valleys, all of which were free from grass, as the
various fires had spread throughout the country; at times we
entered deep gorges between the hills, which were either granite,
quartz, or basalt, the latter predominating. In about three hours
and a half we arrived at Hor Mehetape, the stream that the Arabs
had reported. Although a powerful torrent during the rains, it
was insignificant as one of the tributaries to the Settite, as
the breadth did not exceed twenty-five yards. At this season it
was nearly dry, and at no time did it appear to exceed a depth of
ten or twelve feet. As we had arrived at this point, some
distance above the junction, we continued along the margin of the
stream for about two miles until we reached the Settite. The Hor
(a ravine) Mehetape was the limit of my exploration; it was
merely a rapid mountain torrent, the individual effect of which
would be trifling; but we were now among the mountains whose
drainage caused the sudden rise of the Atbara river and the Nile.
Far as the eye could reach to the south and east, the range
extended in a confused mass of peaks of great altitude, from the
sharp granite head of one thousand, to flat-topped basalt hills
of five or six thousand feet, and other conical points far
exceeding, and perhaps double, that altitude.

The Settite was very beautiful in this spot, as it emerged from
the gorge between the mountains, and it lay in a rough stony
valley about two hundred feet below our path as we ascended from
the junction of the Hor to better riding ground. In many places,
our route lay over broken stones, which sloped at an inclination
of about thirty degrees throughout the entire distance of the
river below; these were formed of decomposed basalt rocks that
had apparently been washed from decaying hills by the torrents of
the rainy season. At other parts of the route, we crossed above
similar debris of basalt that lay at an angle of about sixty
degrees, from a height of perhaps two hundred feet to the water's
edge, and reminded me of the rubbish shot from the side of a
mountain when boring a tunnel. The whole of the basalt in this
portion of the country was a dark slate colour; in some places it
was almost black; upon breaking a great number of pieces I found
small crystals of olivine. Much of the granite was a deep red,
but the exterior coating was in all cases decomposed, and
crumbled at a blow; exhibiting a marked contrast to the
hard-faced granite blocks in the rainless climate of Lower Egypt.
We saw but little game during the march--a few nellut and tetel,
and the smaller antelopes, but no larger animals.

We returned to camp late in the evening, and I found the howartis
had secured the crocodile of yesterday, but the whole party was
anxious to return to the camp at Delladilla, as unpleasant
reports were brought into camp by our spies, who had seen parties
of the Base in several directions.


CHAPTER XVI.

ABOU DO IS GREEDY.

ABOU DO and Suleiman had lately given me some trouble, especially
the former, whose covetous nature had induced him to take much
more than his share of the hides of buffaloes and other animals
that I had shot; all of which I had given to my head camel-man
and tracker, Taher Noor, to divide among his people and the
Tokrooris. This conduct was more improper, since the aggageers
had become perfectly useless as elephant-hunters; they had ridden
so recklessly upon unnecessary occasions, that all their horses
were lamed, and, with the exception of Abou Do's, they were
incapable of hunting. My three, having been well cared for, were
in excellent condition. Abou Do coolly proposed that I should
lend him my horses, which I of course refused, as I had a long
journey before me; this led to disagreement, and I ordered him
and his people to leave my camp, and return to Geera. During the
time they had been with me, I had shot great numbers of animals,
including large antelopes, buffaloes, elephants, &c.; and about
twenty camel-loads of dried flesh, hides, fat, &c. had been
transported to Geera as the Arabs' share of the spoils. They had
also the largest share of ivory, and altogether they had never
made so successful a hunting expedition. It was time to part;
their horses being used up, they began to be discontented,
therefore I had concluded that it would be advisable to separate,
to avoid a graver misunderstanding.

I warned them not to disturb my hunting-grounds by attempting to
hunt during their journey, but they were to. ride straight home,
which they could accomplish in four days, without baggage camels.
This they promised to do, and we parted.

I was now without aggageers, as Taher Sheriff's party had
disagreed with Abou Do some time before, and they were hunting on
their own account on the banks of the river Royan, which I
intended to visit after I should have thoroughly explored the
Settite. I made up my mind to have one more day in the
neighbourhood of my present camp, and then to return to our old
quarters at Delladilla, previous to our journey to the Royan
junction.

Within three hundred yards of the camp was a regular game path,
by which the animals arrived at the river to drink every morning
from seven to nine. I had shot several tetel and ariel by simply
waiting behind a rock at this place, and, as this was my last
day, I once more concealed myself, and was shortly rewarded by
the arrival of several herds, including nellut (A. Strepsiceros),
tetel (A. Bubalis), ariel (G. Dama), the black-striped gazelle
(G. Dorcas), the small oterop (Calotragus Montanus); and, among
these, two ostriches. I had seen very few ostriches in this
country. I now had a good chance, as the herd of animals returned
from drinking by charging at full speed up the steep bank from
the water, and they passed about ninety yards from my
hiding-place, headed by the ostriches. Having the little
Fletcher, I was suddenly tempted to fire a right and left, so as
to bag an ostrich with one barrel, and a tetel with the other.
Both fell for an instant; the tetel dead, shot through the neck;
but my ostrich, that was a fine cock bird, immediately recovered,
and went off with his wife as hard as their long legs could carry
them. I was exceedingly disgusted; I had evidently fired too far
behind, not having allowed sufficiently for the rapidity of their
speed. However, to make amends, I snatched a spare single-rifle
from Hassan, and knocked over another tetel that was the last of
the herd. For about an hour I attempted to follow up the tracks
of the ostrich, but among the rocky hills this was impossible. I
therefore mounted Aggahr, and with my tracker, Taher Noor, and
the Tokrooris as gun-bearers, I crossed the river and rode
straight into the interior of the country. This was now
thoroughly clear, as the fire had consumed the grass, and had
left the surface perfectly black. Upon the ashes, the track of
every animal could be seen distinctly.

I had ridden about four miles, followed, as usual, by two camels,
with water, ropes, &c. when we observed in a perfectly open
place, about three hundred yards from us, a rhinoceros standing
alone. Fortunately, there was little or no wind, or, as we were
to windward of him, he would instantly have perceived us. The
moment that I saw him, I backed my horse and motioned to my
people to retreat out of sight, which they did immediately.
Dismounting, I gave them the horse, and, accompanied only by
Taher Noor, who carried one of my spare rifles, I took a Reilly
No. 10, and we made a circuit so as to obtain the wind, and to
arrive upon the lee side of the rhinoceros. This was quickly
accomplished, but upon arrival at the spot, he was gone. The
black ashes of the recent fire showed his, foot-marks as clearly
as though printed in ink, and as these were very close together,
I knew that he had walked slowly off, and that he had not been
disturbed, otherwise he would have started quickly. He had gone
down wind; it would, therefore, be impossible to follow upon his
tracks. Our only resource was to make another circuit, when,
should his tracks not have crossed the arc, we should be sure
that he was to windward. Accordingly, we described half a circle
of about five hundred yards. No tracks had crossed our path; the
ground was stony and full of hollows, in which grew a few
scattered mimosas, while the surface of the earth was covered in
many places with dark brown masses of basalt rock. We carefully
stepped over this uneven ground, lest some falling stone might
give the alarm, and we momentarily expected to be in view of the
enemy as we arrived at the edge of each successive hollow. Sure
enough, as I glanced down a sudden inclination covered with
scorched mimosas, I perceived him standing on the slope beneath
a tree within five-and-thirty paces; this was close enough, and
I took a steady shot behind the shoulder. The instant that I
fired, he whisked sharply round, and looked upon all sides for
the cause of his wound. I had taken the precaution to kneel down
immediately after firing, and I now crouched close to a rock
about two feet high, with which my brown blouse matched exactly,
as well as my skin-covered hunting-cap. For a few moments he
sought upon all sides for an enemy, during which I remained like
a block of stone, but with my finger on the trigger ready for the
left-hand barrel should he charge. Taher Noor was lying on the
ground behind a stone about five yards from me, and the
rhinoceros, having failed to discover us, walked slowly past me
within less than ten yards, and gained the summit of the
inclination, where the ground was level. As he passed, I reloaded
quickly, and followed behind him. I saw that he was grievously
wounded, as he walked slowly, and upon arrival at a
thickly-spreading mimosa he lay down. We now advanced towards the
tree, and I sent Taher Noor round to the other side in order to
divert his attention should he be able to rise. This he quickly
proved by springing up as I advanced; accordingly, I halted until
Taher Noor had taken his stand about eighty paces beyond the
tree. The rhinoceros now turned and faced him; this gave me the
opportunity that I had expected, and I ran quickly to within
thirty yards, just in time to obtain a good shoulder shot, as
hearing my footsteps he turned towards me. Whiff! whiff! and he
charged vigorously upon the shot; but just as I prepared to fire
the remaining barrel, he ran round and round in a narrow circle,
uttering a short, shrill cry, and fell heavily upon his side. I
threw a stone at him, but he was already dead. Taher Noor
returned for the people, who shortly arrived with the camels. I
found that the last bullet of quicksilver and lead from my Reilly
No. 10 had passed completely through the body, just behind the
shoulder. The first shot was also a mortal wound, having broken
one rib upon either side, and passed through the posterior
portion of the lungs; the bullet was sticking under the skin on
the opposite flank. The hide of the rhinoceros is exceedingly
easy to detach from the body, as the quality is so hard and stiff
that it separates from the flesh like the peel of a ripe orange.

In a couple of hours, the hide had been detached in sections for
shields, and sufficient flesh was loaded upon the camel, together
with the vicious-looking head, which was secured by ropes upon
the saddle. We were en route for the camp, when we suddenly came
upon fresh elephant tracks, upon following which, we discovered,
after about an hour's march, the spoor of horses on the same
path. At once the truth flashed upon me that, although Abou Do
had promised to return direct home, he was somewhere in the
neighbourhood, and he and his two companions were disturbing the
country by hunting. I at once gave up the idea of following the
elephants, as, in all probability, these aggageers had pursued
them some hours ago. In a very bad humour I turned my horse's
head and took the direction for the Settite river. As we
descended from the hilly ground, after the ride of about four
miles, we arrived upon an extensive plain, upon which I noticed
a number of antelopes galloping as though disturbed; a few
moments later I observed three horsemen, a camel, and several men
on foot, steering in the same direction as ourselves for the
river, but arriving from the high ground upon which we had seen
the elephants. These were soon distinguished, and I rode towards
them with my people; they were the aggageers, with some of the
hippopotami hunters.

Upon our arrival among them, they looked exceedingly sheepish, as
they were caught in the act. Suspended most carefully upon one
side of the camel, in a network of ropes, was a fine young
rhinoceros which they had caught, having hunted the mother until
she forsook the calf. Johann Schmidt had offered forty dollars
for any young animal of this species, for the Italian menageries,
therefore to the aggageers this was a prize of great value. I had
hardly directed my attention to the calf, when I noticed a rope
that was forcibly placed under the throat to support the heavy
head, the weight of which bearing upon the cord was evidently
producing strangulation. The tongue of the animal was protruding,
and the tail stiffened and curled convulsively above the back,
while a twitching of the hind legs, that presently stretched to
their full extent, persuaded me that the rhinoceros was in his
last gasp. As I looked intently at the animal, while my Tokrooris
abused Abou Do for having deceived us, I told the aggageers that
they had not gained much by their hunt, as the rhinoceros was
dead. For a moment Abou Do smiled grimly, and, quite unconscious
of the real fact, Suleiman replied, "It is worth forty dollars to
us." "Forty dollars for a dead rhinoceros calf!" I exclaimed;
"who is fool enough to give it?"

Abou Do glanced at the rhinoceros; his expression changed; he
jumped from his horse, and, assisted by the other aggageers, he
made the camel kneel as quickly as possible, and they hastened to
unstrap the unfortunate little beast, which, upon being released
and laid upon its side, convulsively stretched out its limbs, and
lay a strangled rhinoceros. The aggageers gazed with dismay at
their departed prize, and, with superstitious fear, they
remounted their horses without uttering a word, and rode away;
they attributed the sudden death of the animal to the effect of
my "evil eye." We turned towards our camp. My Tokrooris were
delighted, and I heard them talking and laughing together upon
the subject, and remarking upon the extremely "bad eye" of their
master.

On the rising of the sun next day we had struck our camp, and
were upon the march to Delladilla. On the way I shot a splendid
buck mehedehet (R. Ellipsyprimna), and we arrived at our old
quarters, finding no change except that elephants had visited
them in our absence, and our cleanly swept circus was covered
with the dung of a large herd. As this spot generally abounded
with game, I took a single-barrelled small rifle, while the men
were engaged in pitching the tent and arranging the camp, and
with Taher Noor as my only companion, I strolled through the
forest, expecting to obtain a shot at a nellut within a quarter
of a mile. I had walked about that distance, and had just entered
upon a small green glade, when I perceived, lying at full length
upon the sand, a large lion, who almost immediately sprang up,
and at the same moment received a bullet from my rifle as he
bounded beneath a bush and crouched among some withered grass. I
was unloaded, when, to my astonishment, Taher Noor immediately
drew his sword, and, with his shield in his left hand, he
advanced boldly towards the wounded lion. I reloaded as quickly
as possible, just as this reckless Hamran had arrived within
springing distance of the lion, who positively slunk away and
declined the fight; retreating into the thick thorns, it
disappeared before I could obtain a shot. Taher Noor explained,
that his object in advancing towards the lion was to attract its
attention; he had expected that it would have remained in a
crouching position until I should have reloaded; but he ran the
extreme risk of a charge, in which case he would have fared badly
with simple sword and shield. Being close to the tent, I
returned, and, in addition to my single-barrelled rifle, I took
my two Reillys No. 10, with Hassan and Hadji Ali. In company with
Taher Noor we searched throughout the bushes for the wounded
lion, but without success. I now determined to make a cast,
hoping that we might succeed in starting some other animal that
would give us a better chance. The ground was sandy but firm,
therefore we made no sound in walking, and, as the forest was
bounded upon two sides by the river, and separated from the main
land by a ravine, the fire that had cleared the country of grass
had spared this portion, which was an asylum for all kinds of
game, as it afforded pasturage and cover. We had not continued
our stroll for five minutes beyond the spot lately occupied by
the lion, when we suddenly came upon two bull buffaloes, who were
lying beneath a thick bush on the edge of a small glade: they
sprang up as we arrived, and started off. I made a quick shot as
they galloped across the narrow space, and dropped one apparently
dead with a Reilly No. 10. My Tokrooris were just preparing to
run in and cut the throat, as good Mussulmans, when the buffalo,
that was not twenty yards distant, suddenly sprang to his feet
and faced us. In another moment, with a short grunt, he
determined upon a charge, but hardly was he in his first bound,
when I fired the remaining barrel aimed at the point of the nose,
as this was elevated to such a degree that it would have been
useless to have fired at the forehead. He fell stone dead at the
shot; we threw some clods of earth at him, but this time there
was no mistake. Upon an examination of the body, we could only
find the marks of the first bullet that had passed through the
neck; there was no other hole in the skin, neither was there a
sign upon the head or horns that he had been shot; at length I
noticed blood issuing from the nose, and we found that the bullet
had entered the nostril; I inserted a ramrod as a probe, and we
cut to the extremity and found the bullet imbedded in the spine,
which was shattered to pieces in a portion of the neck. As a
souvenir of this very curious shot, I preserved the skull. My men
now flayed the buffalo and took a portion of the meat, but I
ordered them to leave the carcase as a bait for lions, with which
this neighbourhood abounded, although it was exceedingly
difficult to see them, as they were concealed in the dense covert
of nabbuk bush. I left the buffalo, and strolled through the
jungle towards the river. As I was leisurely walking through
alternate narrow glades and thick jungle, I heard a noise that
sounded like the deep snort of the hippopotamus. I approached the
steep bank of the river, and crept carefully to the edge,
expecting to see the hippo as I peered over the brink. Instead of
the hippopotamus, a fine lion and lioness were lying on the sand
about sixty yards to my left, at the foot of the bank. At the
same instant they obtained our wind, and sprang up the high bank
into the thick jungle, without giving me a better chance than a
quick shot through a bush as they were disappearing.

I now returned home, determined to circumvent the lions if
possible in this very difficult country. That night we were
serenaded by the roaring of these animals in all directions, one
of them having visited our camp, around which we discovered his
footprints on the following morning. I accordingly took Taher
Noor, with Hadji Ali and Hassan, two of my trusty Tokrooris, and
went straight to the spot where I had left the carcase of the
buffalo. As I had expected, nothing remained--not even a bone:
the ground was much trampled, and tracks of lions were upon the
sand; but the body of the buffalo had been dragged into the
thorny jungle. I was determined, if possible, to get a shot,
therefore I followed carefully the track left by the carcase,
which had formed a path in the withered grass. Unfortunately the
lions had dragged the buffalo down wind; therefore, after I had
arrived within the thick nabbuk and high grass, I came to the
conclusion that my only chance would be to make a long circuit,
and to creep up wind through the thorns, until I should be
advised by my nose of the position of the carcase, which would by
this time lie in a state of putrefaction, and the lions would
most probably be with the body. Accordingly, I struck off to my
left, and continuing straight forward for some hundred yards, I
again struck into the thick jungle, and came round to the wind.
Success depended on extreme caution, therefore I advised my three
men to keep close behind me with the spare rifles, as I carried
my single-barrelled Beattie. This rifle was extremely accurate,
therefore I had chosen it for this close work, when I expected to
get a shot at the eye or forehead of a lion crouching in the
bush. Softly and with difficulty I crept forward, followed
closely by my men; through the high withered grass, beneath the
dense green nabbuk bushes; peering through the thick covert, with
the nerves turned up to full pitch, and the finger on the trigger
ready for any emergency. We had thus advanced for about half an
hour, during which I frequently applied my nose to within a foot
of the ground to catch the scent, when a sudden puff of wind
brought the unmistakeable smell of decomposing flesh. For the
moment I halted, and, looking round to my men, I made a sign that
we were near to the carcase, and that they were to be ready with
the rifles. Again I crept gently forward, bending, and sometimes
crawling, beneath the thorns to avoid the slightest noise. As I
approached, the scent became stronger, until I at length felt
that I must be close to the cause. This was highly exciting.
Fully prepared for a quick shot, I stealthily crept on. A
tremendous roar in the dense thorns within a few feet of me
suddenly brought my rifle to the shoulder: almost in the same
instant I observed the three-quarter figure of either a lion or
a lioness within three yards of me, on the other side of the
bush, under which I had been creeping--the foliage concealed the
head, but I could almost have touched the shoulder with my rifle.
Much depended upon the bullet; and I fired exactly through the
shoulder. Another tremendous roar! and a crash in the bushes as
the animal made a bound forward, was succeeded immediately by a
similar roar, as another lion took the exact position of the
last, and stood wondering at the report of the rifle, and seeking
for the cause of the intrusion. This was a grand lion with a
shaggy mane; but I was unloaded, keeping my eyes fixed on the
beast, while I stretched my hand back for a spare rifle; the lion
remained standing, but gazing up wind with his head raised,
snuffing in the air for a scent of the enemy. No rifle was put in
my hand. I looked back for an instant, and saw my Tokrooris
faltering about five yards behind me. I looked daggers at them,
gnashing my teeth and shaking my fist. They saw the lion, and
Taher Noor snatching a rifle from Hadji Ali, was just about to
bring it, when Hassan, ashamed, ran forward--the lion disappeared
at the same moment! Never was such a fine chance lost through the
indecision of the gun-bearers! I made a vow never to carry a
single-barrelled rifle again when hunting large game. If I had
had my dear little Fletcher 24, I should have nailed the lion to
a certainty.

However, there was not much time for reflection--where was the
first lion? Some remains of the buffalo lay upon my right, and I
expected to find the lion most probably crouching in the thorns
somewhere near us. Having reloaded, I took one of my Reilly No.
10 rifles and listened attentively for a sound. Presently I heard
within a few yards a low growl. Taher Noor drew his sword, and,
with his shield before him, he searched for the lion, while I
crept forward towards the sound, which was again repeated. A low
roar, accompanied by a rush in the jungle, showed us a glimpse of
the lion, as he bounded off within ten or twelve yards: but I had
no chance to fire. Again the low growl was repeated, and upon
quietly creeping towards the spot, I saw a splendid animal
crouched upon the ground among the withered and broken grass. The
lioness lay dying with the bullet wound in the shoulder.
Occasionally, in her rage, she bit her own paw violently, and
then struck and clawed the ground. A pool of blood lay by her
side. She was about ten yards from us, and I instructed my men to
throw a clod of earth at her (there were no stones), to prove
whether she could rise, while I stood ready with the rifle. She
merely replied with a dull roar, and I terminated her misery by
a ball through the head. She was a beautiful animal; the patch of
the bullet was sticking in the wound; she was shot through both
shoulders, and as we were not far from the tent, I determined to
have her brought to camp upon a camel as an offering to my wife.
Accordingly I left my Tokrooris, while I went with Taher Noor to
fetch a camel.

On our road through the thick jungle, I was startled by a rush
close to me: for the moment I thought it was a lion, but almost
at the same instant I saw a fine nellut dashing away before me,
and I killed it immediately with a bullet through the back of the
neck. This was great luck, and we now required two camels, as in
two shots I had killed a lioness and a nellut (A. Strepsiceros).

We remained for some time at our delightful camp at Delladilla.
Every day, from sunrise to sunset, I was either on foot or in the
saddle, without rest, except upon Sundays, which I generally
passed at home, with the relaxation of fishing in the beautiful
river Settite. There was an immense quantity of large game, and
I had made a mixed bag of elephants, hippopotami, buffaloes,
rhinoceros, giraffes, and great numbers of the large antelopes.
Lions, although numerous, were exceedingly difficult to bag;
there was no chance but the extreme risk of creeping through the
thickest jungle. Upon two or three occasions I had shot them by
crawling into their very dens, where they had dragged their prey;
and I must acknowledge that they were much more frightened of me
than I was of them. I had generally obtained a most difficult and
unsatisfactory shot at close quarters; sometimes I rolled them
over with a mortal wound, and they disappeared to die in
impenetrable jungle; but at all times fortune was on my side. On
moonlight nights I generally lay in wait for these animals with
great patience; sometimes I shot hippopotami, and used a
hind-quarter as a bait for lions, while I watched in ambush at
about twenty yards distance; but the hyaenas generally appeared
like evil spirits, and dragged away the bait before the lions had
a chance. I never fired at these scavengers, as they are most
useful creatures, and are contemptible as game. My Arabs had made
their fortune, as I had given them all the meat of the various
animals, which they dried and transported to Geera, together with
fat, hides, &c. It would be wearying to enumerate the happy
hunting-days passed throughout this country. We were never ill
for a moment; although the thermometer was seldom below 88
degrees during the day, the country was healthy, as it was
intensely dry, and therefore free from malaria: at night the
thermometer averaged 70 degrees, which was a delightful
temperature for those who exist in the open air.

As our camp was full of meat, either dried or in the process of
drying in festoons upon the trees, we had been a great attraction
to the beasts of prey, who constantly prowled around our thorn
fence during the night. One night in particular a lion attempted
to enter, but had been repulsed by the Tokrooris, who pelted him
with firebrands; my people woke me up and begged me to shoot him,
but, as it was perfectly impossible to fire correctly through the
hedge of thorns, I refused to be disturbed, but I promised to
hunt for him on the following day. Throughout the entire night
the lion prowled around the camp, growling and uttering his
peculiar guttural sigh. Not one of my people slept, as they
declared he would bound into the camp and take somebody, unless
they kept up the watch-fires and drove him away with brands. The
next day, before sunrise, I called Hassan and Hadji Ali, whom I
lectured severely upon their cowardice on a former occasion, and
I received their promise to follow me to death. I entrusted them
with my two Reillys No. 10; and with my little Fletcher in hand,
I determined to spend the whole day in searching every thicket of
the forest for lions, as I felt convinced that the animal that
had disturbed us during the night was concealed somewhere within
the neighbouring jungle.

The whole day passed fruitlessly; I had crept through the
thickest thorns in vain; having abundance of meat, I had refused
the most tempting shots at buffaloes and large antelopes, as I
had devoted myself exclusively to lions. I was much disappointed,
as the evening had arrived without a shot having been fired, and
as the sun had nearly set, I wandered slowly towards home.
Passing through alternate open glades of a few yards width,
hemmed in on all sides by thick jungle, I was carelessly carrying
my rifle upon my shoulder, as I pushed my way through the
opposing thorns, when a sudden roar, just before me, at once
brought the rifle upon full cock, and I saw a magnificent lion
standing in the middle of the glade, about ten yards from me: he
had been lying on the ground, and had started to his feet upon
hearing me approach through the jungle. For an instant he stood
in an attitude of attention, as we were hardly visible; but at
the same moment I took a quick but sure shot with the little
Fletcher. He gave a convulsive bound, but rolled over backwards:
before he could recover himself, I fired the left-hand barrel. It
was a glorious sight. I had advanced a few steps into the glade,
and Hassan had quickly handed me a spare rifle, while Taher Noor
stood by me sword in hand. The lion in the greatest fury, with
his shaggy mane bristled in the air, roared with death-like
growls, as open-mouthed he endeavoured to charge upon us; but he
dragged his hind-quarters upon the ground, and I saw immediately
that the little Fletcher had broken his spine. In his tremendous
exertions to attack, he rolled over and over, gnashing his
horrible jaws, and tearing holes in the sandy ground at each blow
of his tremendous paws, that would have crushed a man's skull
like an egg-shell. Seeing that he was hors de combat, I took it
coolly, as it was already dusk, and the lion having rolled into
a dark and thick bush, I thought it would be advisable to defer
the final attack, as he would be dead before morning. We were not
ten minutes' walk from the camp, at which we quickly arrived, and
my men greatly rejoiced at the discomfiture of their enemy, as
they were convinced that he was the same lion that had attempted
to enter the zareeba.

On the following morning, before sunrise, I started with nearly
all my people and a powerful camel, with the intention of
bringing the lion home entire. I rode my horse Tetel, who had
frequently shown great courage, and I wished to prove whether he
would advance to the body of a lion.

Upon arrival near the spot which we supposed to have been the
scene of the encounter, we were rather puzzled, as there was
nothing to distinguish the locality; one place exactly resembled
another, as the country was flat and sandy, interspersed with
thick jungle of green nabbuk; we accordingly spread out to beat
for the lion. Presently Hadji Ali cried out: "There he lies
dead!" and I immediately rode to the spot, together with the
people. A tremendous roar greeted us, as the lion started to his
fore-feet, and with his beautiful mane erect, and his great hazel
eyes flashing fire, he gave a succession of deep short roars, and
challenged us to fight. This was a grand picture; he looked like
a true lord of the forest, but I pitied the poor brute, as he was
helpless, and, although his spirit was game to the last, his
strength was paralysed by a broken back.

It was a glorious opportunity for the horse. At the first
unexpected roar, the camel had bolted with its rider; the horse
had for a moment started on one side, and the men had scattered;
but in an instant I had reined Tetel up, and I now rode straight
towards the lion, who courted the encounter about twenty paces
distant. I halted exactly opposite the noble-looking beast, who,
seeing me in advance of the party, increased his rage, and
growled deeply, fixing his glance upon the horse. I now patted
Tetel on the neck, and spoke to him coaxingly; he gazed intently
at the lion, erected his mane, and snorted, but showed no signs
of retreat. "Bravo! old boy!" I said, and, encouraging him by
caressing his neck with my hand, I touched his flank gently with
my heel; I let him just feel my hand upon the rein, and with a
"Come along, old lad," Tetel slowly but resolutely advanced step
by step towards the infuriated lion, that greeted him with
continued growls. The horse several times snorted loudly, and
stared fixedly at the terrible face before him; but as I
constantly patted and coaxed him, he did not refuse to advance.
I checked him when within about six yards from the lion. This
would have made a magnificent picture, as the horse, with
astounding courage, faced the lion at bay; both animals kept
their eyes fixed upon each other, the one beaming with rage, the
other with cool determination. This was enough--I dropped the
reins upon his neck; it was a signal that Tetel perfectly
understood, and he stood firm as a rock; for he knew that I was
about to fire. I took aim at the head of the glorious but
distressed lion, and a bullet from the little Fletcher dropped
him dead. Tetel never flinched at a shot. I now dismounted, and
having patted and coaxed the horse, I led him up to the body of
the lion, which I also patted, and then gave my hand to the horse
to smell. He snorted once or twice, and as I released my hold of
the reins, and left him entirely free, he slowly lowered his
head, and sniffed the mane of the dead lion: he then turned a few
paces upon one side, and commenced eating the withered grass
beneath the nabbuk bushes. My Arabs were perfectly delighted with
this extraordinary instance of courage exhibited by the horse. I
had known that the beast was disabled, but Tetel had advanced
boldly towards the angry jaws of a lion that appeared about to
spring. The camel was now brought to the spot and blindfolded,
while we endeavoured to secure the lion upon its back. As the
camel knelt, it required the united exertions of eight men,
including myself, to raise the ponderous animal, and to secure it
across the saddle.

Although so active and cat-like in its movements, a full-grown
lion weighs about five hundred and fifty pounds. Having secured
it, we shortly arrived in camp; the coup d'oeil was beautiful, as
the camel entered the inclosure with the shaggy head and massive
paws of the dead lion hanging upon one flank, while the tail
nearly descended to the ground upon the opposite side. It was
laid at full length before my wife, to whom the claws were
dedicated as a trophy to be worn around the neck as a talisman.
Not only are the claws prized by the Arabs, but the moustache of
the lion is carefully preserved and sewn in a leather envelope,
to be worn as an amulet; such a charm is supposed to protect the
wearer from the attacks of wild animals.

In all probability, this was the lion that was in the habit of
visiting our camp, as from that date, although the roars of such
animals were our nightly music, we were never afterwards visited
so closely.

As game was plentiful, the lions were exceedingly fat, and we
preserved a large quantity of this for our lamps. When it was
boiled down it was well adapted for burning, as it remained
nearly liquid.

We had a large supply of various kinds of fat, including that of
elephants, hippopotami, lions, and rhinoceros; but our stock of
soap was exhausted, therefore I determined to convert a quantity
of our grease into that very necessary article.

Soap-boiling is not so easy as may be imagined; it requires not
only much attention, but the quality is dependent upon the proper
mixture of the alkalis. Sixty parts of potash and forty of lime
are, I believe, the proportions for common soap. I had neither
lime nor potash, but I shortly procured both. The hegleek tree
(Balanites Egyptiaca) was extremely rich in potash; therefore I
burned a large quantity, and made a strong ley with the ashes;
this I concentrated by boiling. There was no limestone; but the
river produced a plentiful supply of large oyster-shells, that,
if burned, would yield excellent lime. Accordingly I constructed
a kiln, with the assistance of the white ants. The country was
infested with these creatures, which had erected their dwellings
in all directions; these were cones from six to ten feet high,
formed of clay so thoroughly cemented by a glutinous preparation
of the insects, that it was harder than sun-baked brick. I
selected an egg-shaped hill, and cut off the top, exactly as we
take off the slice from an egg. My Tokrooris then worked hard,
and with a hoe and their lances, they hollowed it out to the
base, in spite of the attacks of the ants, which punished the
legs of the intruders considerably. I now made a draught-hole
from the outside base, at right angles with the bottom of the
hollow cone. My kiln was perfect. I loaded it with wood, upon
which I piled about six bushels of oyster-shells, which I then
covered with fuel, and kept it burning for twenty-four hours.
This produced excellent lime, and I commenced my soap-boiling. We
possessed an immense copper pot of Egyptian manufacture, in
addition to a large and deep copper basin called a "teshti."
These would contain about ten gallons. The ley having been boiled
down to great strength, I added a quantity of lime, and the
necessary fat. It required ten hours' boiling, combined with
careful management of the fire, as it would frequently ascend
like foam, and overflow the edge of the utensils. However, at
length, having been constantly stirred, it turned to soap. Before
it became cold, I formed it into cakes and balls with my hands,
and the result of the manufacture was a weight of about forty
pounds of most excellent soap, of a very sporting description,
"Savon a la bete feroce." We thus washed with rhinoceros soap;
our lamp was trimmed with oil of lions; our butter for cooking
purposes was the fat of hippopotami, while our pomade was made
from the marrow of buffaloes and antelopes, scented with the
blossoms of mimosas. We were entirely independent, as our whole
party had subsisted upon the produce of the rod and the rifle.

We were now destined to be deprived of two members of the party.
Mahomet had become simply unbearable, and he was so impertinent
that I was obliged to take a thin cane from one of the Arabs and
administer a little physical advice. An evil spirit possessed the
man, and he bolted off with some of the camel men who were
returning to Geera with dried meat.*

  * Some months afterwards he found his way to Khartoum,
    where he was imprisoned by the Governor for having
    deserted. He subsequently engaged himself as a soldier
    in a slave-hunting expedition on the White Nile; and
    some years later, on our return from the Albert N'yanza,
    we met him in Shooa, on 3 degrees north latitude. He
    had repented--hardships and discipline had effected a
    change--and, like the prodigal son, he returned. I
    forgave him, and took him with us to Khartoum, where
    we left him a sadder but a wiser man. He had many near
    relations during his long journey, all of whom had
    stolen some souvenir of their cousin, and left him
    almost naked. He also met Achmet, his "mothers brother's
    cousin's sister's mother's son," who turned up after
    some years at Gondokoro as a slave-hunter; he had
    joined an expedition, and, like all other blackguards,
    he had chosen the White Nile regions for his career.
    He was the proprietor of twenty slaves, he had assisted
    in the murder of a number of unfortunate negroes, and
    he was a prosperous and respectable individual.

Our great loss was Barrake. She had persisted in eating the fruit
of the hegleek, although she had suffered from dysentery upon
several occasions. She was at length attacked with congestion of
the liver. My wife took the greatest care of her, and for weeks
she had given her the entire produce of the goats, hoping that
milk would keep up her strength; but she died after great
suffering, and we buried the poor creature, and moved our camp.


CHAPTER XVII.

WE REACH THE ROYAN.

HAVING explored the Settite into the gorge of the mountain chain
of Abyssinia, we now turned due south from our camp of
Delladilla, and at a distance of twelve miles we reached the
river Royan. The intervening country was the high and flat
table-land of rich soil, that characterises the course of the
Settite and Atbara rivers; this land was covered with hegleek
trees of considerable size, and the descent to the Royan was
through a valley, torn and washed by the rains, similar in
appearance to that of the Settite, but upon a small scale, as the
entire width did not exceed a mile.

Descending the rugged ground, we arrived at the margin of the
river. At this season (February) the bed was perfectly dry sand,
about ninety yards from bank to bank, and the high-water mark
upon the perpendicular sides was a little above nine feet deep.
The inclination was extremely rapid: thus the Royan during the
rainy season must be a most frightful torrent, that supplies a
large body of water to the Settite, but which runs dry almost
immediately upon the cessation of the rains.

We descended the bank in a spot that had been broken down by
elephants, and continued our course up stream along the sandy
bed, which formed an excellent road. The surface was imprinted
with the footsteps of every variety of game, and numerous holes
about two feet deep had been dug in the sand by the antelopes and
baboons to procure water. Great numbers of the oterop, a small
reddish-brown antelope without horns (Calotragus Montanus) were
drinking at these little watering-places, and did not appear to
heed us. We disturbed many nellut and tetel upon the banks, and
after having marched about four miles along the river's bed, we
halted at a beautiful open forest of large trees at the junction
of Hor Mai Gubba. This was a considerable torrent, which is
tributary to the Royan; at this spot it had cut through a white
sandstone cliff, about eighty feet perpendicular: thus upon
either side it was walled in. The word Gubba is Abyssinian for
the nabbuk, therefore the torrent was the Nabbuk River: this
flowed past the village of Mai Gubba, which is the head-quarters
of Mek Nimmur, from which we were not twenty-five miles distant.
We camped in a forest of the largest trees that we had as yet
seen in Africa, and as we had observed the fresh tracks of
horses, on the sand, some of my Arabs went in search of the
aggageers of Taher Sheriff's party, whom they had expected to
meet at this point. While they were gone, I took a few men to
beat the low jungle within the forest for francolin partridge,
numbers of which I had seen running through the covert. I went up
the dry bed of the river at the junction of the Hor Gubba, while
they drove towards me, and I was compelled to fire as fast as I
could load, as these beautiful birds flew across the ravine. I
shot five brace almost immediately. There is no better game bird
than the francolin: the flesh is white, and of a most delicate
and rich flavour. My shots had attracted the aggageers, and
shortly after my return to camp they arrived with my Arabs, as
they had been stationed on the opposite side of the Royan in a
forest within a quarter of a mile of us. Taher Sheriff was
delighted to see us free from the company of Abou Do. His party
had killed several elephants, and had captured two young ones;
also, two young rhinoceroses, three giraffes, and several young
antelopes; these were to be sold to Johann Schmidt, who
contracted to supply the Italian agent at Cassala. I agreed to
have a long day's hunt with Taher Sheriff; we were to start
before sunrise, as he wished to ride to a spot about twenty-five
miles distant, up the course of the Royan, that was a favourite
resort for elephants.

That evening we had a delicious dinner of francolin partridges.
This species is rather larger than the French partridge: it is
dark brown, mottled with black feathers, with a red mark around
the eye, and double spurs.

There was a small but deep pool of water in the bed of the river,
beneath the high bank about two hundred paces from our camp; this
was a mere hole of about twenty feet square, and I expected that
large game might come to drink during the night. Accordingly, I
determined to watch for elephants, as their tracks were numerous
throughout the bed of the river. My wife and two gun-bearers
accompanied me, and we sat behind an immense tree that grew on
the bank, exactly about the drinking place. I watched for hours,
until I fell asleep, as did my men likewise: my wife alone was
awake, and a sudden tug at my sleeve attracted my attention. The
moon was bright, and she had heard a noise upon the branches of
the tree above us: there were no leaves, therefore I quickly
observed some large animal upon a thick bough. My Tokrooris had
awoke, and they declared it to be a baboon. I knew this to be
impossible, as the baboon is never solitary, and I was just
preparing to fire, when down jumped a large leopard within a few
feet of us, and vanished before I had time to shoot. It must have
winded our party, and quietly ascended the tree to reconnoitre.
Nothing but hyaenas came to the pool, therefore we returned to
camp.

According to my agreement, I went to the aggageers' camp at 5
A.M. with Hadji Ali and Hassan, both mounted on my two horses,
Aggahr and Gazelle, while I rode Tetel. Taher Sheriff requested
me not to shoot at anything, as the shots might alarm and scare
away elephants; therefore I merely carried my little Fletcher, in
case of meeting the Base, who hunted in this country. The
aggageers mounted their horses; each man carried an empty
water-skin slung to his saddle, to be filled at the river should
it be necessary to quit its banks. We started along the upward
course of the Royan.

For seven hours we rode, sometimes along the bed of the river
between lofty overhanging rocks, or through borders of fine
forest-trees; at other times we cut off a bend of the stream, and
rode for some miles through beautiful country diversified with
hills, and abounding in enormous baobab-trees (Adansonia
digitata). At length we entered the mountains at the foot of the
great chain. Here the views were superb. The Royan was no longer
a stream of ninety or a hundred yards in width, but it was
reduced to a simple mountain torrent about forty yards across,
blocked in many places by masses of rock, while at others it had
formed broad pools, all of which were now perfectly dry, and
exhibited a bed of glaring sand. Numerous mountain ravines joined
the main channel, and as the inclination was extremely rapid,
there could be little doubt that the violent storms of the rainy
season, descending from the great chain of mountains, would, by
concentrating in the Royan, suddenly give birth to an impetuous
torrent, that would materially affect the volume of the Settite.
The entire country bore witness to the effect of violent rains,
as the surface was torn and water-worn.

We had ridden nearly thirty miles, having seen large quantities
of game, including antelopes, buffaloes, giraffes, and
rhinoceroses, none of which we had hunted, as we were in search
of elephants. This was the country where the aggageers had
expected, without fail, to find their game.

They now turned away from the Royan, and descended a sandy valley
at the foot of the mountains, the bottom of which appeared to
have been overflowed during the wet season. Here were large
strips of forest, and numerous sandy watercourses, along the dry
bed of which we quickly discovered the deep tracks of elephants.
They had been digging fresh holes in the sand in search of water,
in which welcome basins we found a good supply; we dismounted,
and rested the horses for half an hour, while the hunters
followed up the tracks on the bed of the stream. Upon their
return, they reported the elephants as having wandered off upon
the rocky ground, that rendered further tracking impossible. We
accordingly remounted, and, upon arrival at the spot where they
had lost the tracks, we continued along the bed of the stream. We
had ridden about a mile, and were beginning to despair, when
suddenly we turned a sharp angle in the watercourse, and Taher
Sheriff, who was leading, immediately reined in his horse, and
backed him towards the party. I followed his example, and we were
at once concealed by the sharp bend of the river. He now
whispered, that a bull elephant was drinking from a hole it had
scooped in the sand, not far round the corner. Without the
slightest confusion, the hunters at once fell quietly into their
respective places, Taher Sheriff leading, while I followed
closely in the line, with my Tokrooris bringing up the rear; we
were a party of seven horses.

Upon turning the corner, we at once perceived the elephant, that
was still drinking. It was a fine bull; the enormous ears were
thrown forward, as the head was lowered in the act of drawing up
the water through the trunk; these shaded the eyes, and, with the
wind favourable, we advanced noiselessly upon the sand to within
twenty yards before we were perceived. The elephant then threw up
its head, and, with the ears flapping forward, it raised its
trunk for an instant, and then slowly, but easily, ascended the
steep bank, and retreated. The aggageers now halted for about a
minute to confer together, and then followed in their original
order up the crumbled bank. We were now on most unfavourable
ground; the fire that had cleared the country we had hitherto
traversed had been stopped by the bed of the torrent. We were
thus plunged at once into withered grass above our heads, unless
we stood in the stirrups; the ground was strewed with fragments
of rock, and altogether it was ill-adapted for riding. However,
Taher Sheriff broke into a trot, followed by the entire party, as
the elephant was not in sight. We ascended a hill, and when near
the summit, we perceived the elephant about eighty yards ahead.
It was looking behind during its retreat, by swinging its huge
head from side to side, and upon seeing us approach, it turned
suddenly round and halted. "Be ready, and take care of the
rocks!" said Taher Sheriff, as I rode forward by his side. Hardly
had he uttered these words of caution, when the bull gave a
vicious jerk with its head, and with a shrill scream it charged
down upon us with the greatest fury. Away we all went, helter
skelter, through the dry grass, which whistled in my ears, over
the hidden rocks, at full gallop, with the elephant tearing after
us for about a hundred and eighty yards at a tremendous pace.
Tetel was a sure-footed horse, and, being unshod, he never
slipped upon the stones. Thus, as we all scattered in different
directions, the elephant became confused, and relinquished the
chase; it had been very near me at one time, and in such ground
I was not sorry when it gave up the hunt. We now quickly united,
and again followed the elephant, that had once more retreated.
Advancing at a canter, we shortly came in view. Upon seeing the
horses, the bull deliberately entered a stronghold composed of
rocky and uneven ground, in the clefts of which grew thinly a few
leafless trees, the thickness of a man's leg. It then turned
boldly towards us, and stood determinedly at bay.

Now came the tug of war! Taher Sheriff came close to me and
said,	"You had better shoot the elephant, as we shall have great
difficulty in this rocky ground:" this I declined, as I wished to
end the fight as it had been commenced, with the sword; and I
proposed that he should endeavour to drive the animal to more
favourable ground. "Never mind," replied Taher, "Inshallah
(please God) he shall not beat us." He now advised me to keep as
close to him as possible, and to look sharp for a charge.

The elephant stood facing us like a statue; it did not move a
muscle beyond a quick and restless action of the eyes, that were
watching all sides. Taher Sheriff and his youngest brother
Ibrahim now separated, and each took opposite sides of the
elephant, and then joined each other about twenty yards behind
it; I accompanied them, until Taher advised me to keep about the
same distance upon the left flank. My Tokrooris kept apart from
the scene, as they were not required. In front of the elephant
were two aggageers, one of whom was the renowned Roder Sheriff,
with the withered arm. All being ready for action, Roder now rode
slowly towards the head of the cunning old bull, who was quietly
awaiting an opportunity to make certain of some one who might
give him a good chance.

Roder Sheriff rode a bay mare, that, having been thoroughly
trained to these encounters, was perfect at her work. Slowly and
coolly she advanced towards her wary antagonist, until within
about eight or nine yards of the elephant's head; the creature
never moved, and the mise en scene was beautiful; not a word was
spoken, and we kept our places amidst utter stillness, which was
at length broken by a snort from the mare, who gazed intently at
the elephant, as though watching for the moment of attack.

One more pace forward, and Roder sat coolly upon his mare, with
his eyes fixed upon those of the elephant. For an instant I saw
the white of the eye nearest to me "Look out, Roder! he's
coming!" I exclaimed. With a shrill scream, the elephant dashed
upon him like an avalanche!

Round went the mare as though upon a pivot, and away, over rocks
and stones, flying like a gazelle, with the monkey-like form of
little Roder Sheriff leaning forward, and looking over his left
shoulder as the elephant rushed after him.

For a moment I thought he must be caught. Had the mare stumbled,
all were lost; but she gained in the race after a few quick
bounding strides, and Roder, still looking behind him, kept his
distance so close to the elephant, that its outstretched trunk
was within a few feet of the mare's tail.

Taher Sheriff and his brother Ibrahim swept down like falcons in
the rear. In full speed they dexterously avoided the trees, until
they arrived upon open ground, when they dashed up close to the
hind-quarters of the furious elephant, who, maddened with the
excitement, heeded nothing but Roder and his mare, that were
almost within its grasp. When close to the tail of the elephant,
Taher Sheriff's sword flashed from its sheath, as grasping his
trusty blade he leapt nimbly to the ground, while Ibrahim caught
the reins of his horse; two or three bounds on foot, with the
sword clutched in both hands, and he was close behind the
elephant; a bright glance shone like lightning, as the sun struck
upon the descending steel; this was followed by a dull crack, as
the sword cut through skin and sinews, and settled deep in the
bone, about twelve inches above the foot. At the next stride, the
elephant halted dead short in the midst of its tremendous charge.
Taher had jumped quickly on one side, and had vaulted into the
saddle with his naked sword in hand. At the same moment, Roder,
who had led the chase, turned sharp round, and again faced the
elephant as before; stooping quickly from the saddle, he picked
up from the ground a handful of dirt, which he threw into the
face of the vicious-looking animal, that once more attempted to
rush upon him. It was impossible! the foot was dislocated, and
turned up in front like an old shoe. In an instant Taher was once
more on foot, and again the sharp sword slashed the remaining
leg. The great bull elephant could not move! the first cut with
the sword had utterly disabled it; the second was its death blow;
the arteries of the leg were divided, and the blood spouted in
jets from the wounds. I wished to terminate its misery by a
bullet behind the ear, but Taher Sheriff begged me not to fire,
as the elephant would quickly bleed to death without pain, and an
unnecessary shot might attract the Base, who would steal the
flesh and ivory during our absence. We were obliged to return
immediately to our far distant camp, and the hunters resolved to
accompany their camels to the spot upon the following day. We
turned our horses' heads, and rode direct towards home, which we
did not reach until nearly midnight, having ridden upwards of
sixty miles during the day.

The hunting of Taher Sheriff and his brothers was superlatively
beautiful; with an immense amount of dash, there was a cool,
sportsman-like manner in their mode of attack, that far excelled
the impetuous and reckless onset of Abou Do; it was difficult to
decide which to admire the most, whether the coolness and courage
of him who led the elephant, or the extraordinary skill and
activity of the aggahr who dealt the fatal blow.

On the following day, the hunters started to the dead elephant
with camels and sacks, but they returned at night thoroughly
disgusted; the nimble Base had been before them, most probably
attracted to the carcase by the cloud of vultures that had
gathered in the air. Nothing remained but the bones and skull of
the elephant, the flesh and the ivory had been stolen. The tracks
of a great number of men were left upon the ground, and the
aggageers were fortunate to return without an attack from
overwhelming numbers.

After hunting and exploring for some days in this neighbourhood,
I determined to follow the bed of the Royan to its junction with
the Settite. We started at daybreak, and after a long march along
the sandy bed, hemmed in by high banks, or by precipitous cliffs
of sandstone, we arrived at the junction; this was a curious and
frightful spot during the rainy season. The entire course of the
Royan was extremely rapid, but at this extremity it entered a
rocky pass between two hills, and leapt in a succession of grand
falls into a circular basin of about four hundred yards diameter.
This peculiar basin was surrounded by high cliffs, covered with
trees; to the left was an island formed by a rock about sixty
feet high; at the foot was a deep and narrow gorge through which
the Settite river made its exit from the circle. This large river
entered the basin through a rocky gap, at right angles with the
rush of water from the great falls of the Royan, and as both
streams issued from gorges which accelerated their velocity to
the highest degree, their junction formed a tremendous whirlpool:
thus, the basin which was now dry, with the exception of the
single contracted stream of the Settite, was in the rainy season
a most frightful scene of giddy waters. The sides of this basin
were, for about fifty feet from the bottom, sheeted with white
sand that had been left there by the centrifugal force of the
revolving waters; the funnel-shaped reservoir had its greatest
depth beneath the mass of rock that formed a barrier before the
mouth of the exit. From the appearance of the high-water mark
upon the rock, it was easy to ascertain the approximate depth
when the flood was at its maximum. We pitched our camp on the
slope above the basin, and for several days I explored the bed of
the river, which was exceedingly interesting at this dry season,
when all the secrets of its depths were exposed. In many places,
the rocks that choked its bed for a depth of thirty and forty
feet in the narrow passes, had been worked into caverns by the
constant attrition of the rolling pebbles. In one portion of the
river, the bottom was almost smooth, as though it had been paved
with flagstones; this was formed by a calcareous sediment from
the water, which had hardened into stone; in some places this
natural pavement had been broken up into large slabs by the force
of the current, where it had been undermined. This cement
appeared to be the same that had formed the banks of
conglomerate, which in some places walled in the river for a
depth of ten or fifteen feet, with a concrete of rounded pebbles
of all sizes from a nutmeg to a thirty-two pound shot.

I fired the grass on the west bank of the Royan, and the blaze
extended with such rapidity, that in a few hours many miles of
country were entirely cleared. On the following morning, the
country looked as though covered with a pall of black velvet.

To my astonishment there were the fresh tracks of a rhinoceros
within a quarter of a mile of the camp: this animal must have
concealed itself in the bed of the Royan during the fire, and had
wandered forth when it had passed. I followed up the tracks with
Bacheet and two of my Tookrooris. In less than half a mile from
the spot, I found it lying down behind a bush, and creeping under
cover of an ant-hill, I shot it through the shoulder with a
Reilly No. 10; it immediately galloped off, but after a run of a
couple of hundred yards it lay down on the edge of thick thorny
jungle that bordered the margin of the Royan. I waited, in the
expectation that it would shortly die, but it suddenly rose, and
walked slowly into the thorns. Determined to cut off its retreat,
I pushed through the bushes, intending to reach the dry bed of
the Royan and shoot the rhinoceros as it crossed from the narrow
belt of the jungle, into which it had retreated; but I had hardly
reached half way, when I heard a sound in the bush upon my right,
and I saw the wounded beast coming straight for our position, but
evidently unconscious of our presence, as we were to leeward. I
immediately crouched down, as did my men likewise, lest the
animal should observe us. Slowly, but surely, it came on exactly
towards us, until it was at last so near as to be unpleasant: I
looked behind me, and I saw by the expression of my men that they
were thinking of retreat. I merely shook my fist, and frowned at
them to give them confidence, and I waited patiently for my
opportunity. It was becoming too ridiculous; the rhinoceros was
within five or six yards, and was slowly but steadily advancing
direct upon us. At the next step that he made, I raised my rifle
gently to my shoulder, and whistled sharply: in an instant it
tossed its head up, and seeing nothing in front, as my clothes
matched with the leafless bushes, it turned its head to the left,
and I immediately pulled the trigger. It fell as though smitten
by a sledge hammer, and it lay struggling on the ground. Bacheet
sprang forward, and with an Arab sword he cut the hamstring of
one leg. To the astonishment of us all, the rhinoceros jumped up,
and on three legs it sprang quickly round and charged Bacheet,
who skipped into the bushes, while I ran alongside the rhinoceros
as it attempted to follow him, and, with Fletcher No. 24, I fired
through the shoulder, by placing the muzzle within a yard of the
animal. It fell dead to this shot, which was another feather in
the cap of the good little rifle. The skull of the rhinoceros is
very curiously shaped; I had fired for the temple, and had struck
the exact point at which I had aimed, but, instead of hitting the
brain, the bullet had smashed the joint of the jaw, in which it
stuck fast. I never have been able to understand why that
powerful rifle was thus baffled, unless there had been some error
in the charge of powder. This rhinoceros had no ears, they had
been bitten off close to the head by another of the same species,
while fighting; this mutilation is by no means uncommon.

From this point I traversed the country in all directions; upon
one occasion I took a large supply of water, and penetrated into
the very heart of the Base, half way between the Settite and the
river Gash or Mareb, near the base of the mountain chain; but,
although the redoubtable natives were occasionally seen, they
were as shy as wild animals, and we could not approach them.

Having explored the entire country, and enjoyed myself
thoroughly, I was now determined to pay our promised visit to Mek
Nimmur. Since our departure from the Egyptian territory, his
country had been invaded by a large force, according to orders
sent from the Governor-General of the Soudan. Mek Nimmur as usual
retreated to the mountains, but Mai Gubba and a number of his
villages were utterly destroyed by the Egyptians. He would, under
these circumstances, be doubly suspicious of strangers.

My camel-men had constantly brought me the news on their return
from Geera with corn,* and they considered that it was unsafe to
visit Mek Nimmur after his defeat, as he might believe me to be
a spy from the Egyptians; he was a great friend of Theodorus,
king of Abyssinia, and as at that time he was on good terms with
the English, I saw no reason to avoid his country.

  * Among other news I was glad to hear that my patient
    Jali could walk without difficulty.

We arrived at Ombrega, but, instead of camping among the thick
jungle as formerly, we bivouacked under four splendid tamarind
trees that formed a clump among the rocks on the left bank of the
river, and which shaded a portion of its sandy bed; this was a
delightful resting-place. We were now only one day from Geera,
and we sent a messenger to the sheik of the Hamrans, who shortly
returned with a young girl of about seventeen as a corn-grinder
in the place of Barrake; she was hired from her owner at a dollar
per month.

My camel-men had determined not to proceed to Mek Nimmur's
country, as they were afraid that their camels might be stolen by
his people; they therefore came to me one evening, and coolly
declared that they should return to Geera, as it would be folly
to tempt Mek Nimmur. It was in vain that I protested, and
reminded them that I had engaged them to accompany me throughout
the exploration. They were afraid of losing their camels, and
nothing would satisfy them; they declared that they required no
wages, as the meat and hide, &c. they had received were
sufficient for their services, but through Mek Nimmur's country
they were determined not to go. Taher Noor was the only man who
was willing, but he had no camel. We had constructed a fence of
thorns around our camp, in which the camels were now reposing,
and, as the argument had become hot, the Arabs expressed their
determination of starting homewards that very instant, and we
were to be left alone, unless they could persuade other men of
their tribe to join us with their animals. Accordingly, they at
once proceeded to saddle their camels for an immediate start.
Without saying another word, I quietly took my little Fletcher
rifle, and cocked both barrels as I sat within ten yards of the
exit from the camp. The men were just ready to depart, and
several had mounted their camels. "Good bye," I said; "give my
salaams to the sheik when you arrive at Geera; but the first
camel that passes the zareeba (camp) I shall shoot through the
head." They had heard the sharp click of the locks, and they
remembered the firing of the grass on a former occasion when I
had nearly burnt the camp;--not a camel moved. My Tokrooris and
Taher Noor now came forward as mediators, and begged me not to
shoot the camels. As I had the rifle pointed, I replied to this
demand conditionally, that the Arabs should dismount and unsaddle
immediately: this led to a parley, and I agreed to become
responsible for the value of the camels should they be stolen in
Mek Nimmur's country. The affair was settled.

On March 16th, the day following this argument, as we were
sitting in the evening beneath our trees in the river's bed, I
suddenly heard the rattle of loose stones, and immediately after,
a man on a white hygeen appeared from the jungle on our side of
the river, followed quickly by a string of Arabs, all well
mounted, who silently followed in single file towards the ford.
They had not noticed us, as we were close to the high rocky bank
upon their left, in the deep shade of the tamarind trees. I
counted twenty-three; their shields and swords were slung upon
their hygeens, and, as their clothes were beautifully clean, they
had evidently started that morning from their homes.

The leader had reached the ford without observing us, as in this
wild spot he had expected no one, and the whole party were
astonished and startled when I suddenly addressed them with a
loud "Salaam aleikum" (peace be with you). At first they did not
reply, but as I advanced alone, their leader also advanced from
his party, and we met half way. These were a troop of Mek
Nimmur's people on a foray. I quickly explained who I was, and I
invited him to come and drink coffee beneath the shade in our
camp. Taher Noor now joined us, and confidence having been
established, the leader ordered his party to cross the ford and
to unsaddle on the opposite side of the river, while he
accompanied me to our camp. At first he was rather suspicious,
but a present of a new tarboosh (cap), and a few articles of
trifling value, quickly reassured him, and he promised to be our
guide to Mek Nimmur in about a couple of days, upon his return
from a marauding expedition on the frontier; his party had
appointed to unite with a stronger force, and to make a razzia
upon the cattle of the Dabaina Arabs.

During the night, the marauding party and their leader departed.

There was no game at Ombrega, therefore I employed the interval
of two days in cleaning all the rifles, and in preparing for a
fresh expedition, as that of the Settite and Royan had been
completed. The short Tatham No.10 rifle carried a heavy cylinder,
instead of the original spherical ball. I had only fired two
shots with this rifle, and the recoil had been so tremendous,
owing to the heavy weight of the projectile, that I had
mistrusted the weapon; therefore, when the moment arrived to fire
off all the guns preparatory to cleaning, my good angel whispered
a providential warning, and I agreed to fire this particular
rifle by a long fishing-line attached to the trigger, while the
gun should be fastened to a tree. It blew all to pieces! The
locks were blown entirely away, and the stock was shattered into
fragments: nothing remained but the thick end near the
shoulder-plate. I had received a mysterious presentiment of this;
had I fired that rifle in the usual manner, I must have been
killed on the spot. The charge was five drachms, which was small
in proportion to the weight of the cylindrical projectile. This
may be a warning to such sportsmen who adopt new-fashioned
projectiles to old-fashioned rifles, that were proved with the
spherical bullet, which in weight and friction bears no
proportion to the heavy cylinder; nevertheless, this rifle should
not have burst, and the metal showed great inferiority, by
blowing into fragments instead of splitting.

The leader of Mek Nimmur's party returned, as he had promised, to
be our guide. I extract from my journal, verbatim, my notes upon
that date.

"March 19, 1862.--Started at 1.30 P.M., and halted at 5 P.M.
There is no water for about thirty miles; thus we had watered all
the animals at the usual hour (noon), and they will accordingly
endure until to-morrow evening. Upon ascending the slope of the
Settite valley, the country is an immense plain of fertile soil,
about two hundred feet above the river. While on the march, I
espied a camel wandering without an owner; this was inmmediately
secured as a lawful prize by our guide. This fellow's name is
Mahomet; he is, doubtlessly, an out-and-out scoundrel; he is
about five feet ten inches in height, and as thin as a live man
can be; he is so crafty-looking, and so wiry and eel-like, that
if I were to lock him up I should secure the key-hole, as he
looks capable of squeezing through anything. We slept on the
plain.

"March 20.--Started at 5 A.M., and in three hours we reached the
chain of lofty wooded hills that bound the plain. In a march of
four hours from this point, we arrived at a hor, or ravine, when
we halted beneath a large tamarind tree, and pitched the tent
according to the instructions of our guide. The plain from the
Settite to the base of the hilly range that we had crossed, is
about twenty-two miles wide by forty in length, and, like all the
table-land in this country, it is well adapted for cotton
cultivation. Were the route secure through the Base country,
loaded camels might reach Cassala in six days and from thence to
Souakim. All this country is uninhabited. On arrival at the base
of the first bill, a grove of tamarinds shades a spring, at which
we watered our horses, but the water is impregnated with natron,
which is common throughout this country, and appears in many
places as an efflorescence on the surface of the ground. From the
spring at the eastern base of the hills, we ascended a rugged
pass, winding for some miles among ravines, and crossing elevated
shoulders of the range. Upon the summit we passed a rich mass of
both rose-coloured and white limestone, similar to that we had
seen at Geera; this was surrounded by basalt, and the presence of
limestone entirely mystifles my ideas of geology. Immense
quantities of very beautiful spar lay upon the surface in all
directions; some of this was perfectly white, and veined like an
agate--I believe it was white cornelian; other fragments, of
sizes equalling sixty or seventy pounds weight, were beautifully
green, suggesting the presence of copper. Large masses of
exquisite bloodstone, the size of a man's head, were exceedingly
numerous. Having crossed the hills, we descended to a rich and
park-like valley, covered with grass, and ornamented with fine
timber. Much dhurra was cultivated, and several villages were
passed, that had been plundered by the Egyptians during the
recent attack. This country must be exceedingly unhealthy during
the rainy season, as the soil is extremely rich, and the valleys,
surrounded by hills, would become swamps. From the Settite river,
at Ombrega, to our halting-place beneath the tamarind-tree, at
this spot, is about thirty-five miles south, 10 degrees east."

Our camp was in a favourable locality, well shaded by large
trees, on the margin of a small stream; this was nearly dry at
this season, and the water was extremely bad, having a strong
taste of copper. I had remarked throughout the neighbourhood
unmistakeable evidences of the presence of this metal--the
surface of the rocks was in many places bright green, like
malachite, and, upon an exploration of the bed of the stream, I
found veins of a green substance in the perpendicular cliffs that
had been cut through by the torrent. These green veins passed
through a bed of reddish, hard rock, glistening with minute
crystals, which I believe to have been copper. There is no doubt
that much might be done were the mineral wealth of this country
thoroughly investigated.

The day following our arrival was passed in receiving visits from
a number of Abyssinians, and the head men of Mek Nimmur. There
was a mixture of people, as many of the Jaleen Arabs who had
committed some crime in the Egyptian territory, had fled across
the country and joined the exiled chief of their tribe.
Altogether, the society in this district was not creme de la
creme, as Mek Nimmur's territory was an asylum for all the
blackguards of the adjoining countries, who were attracted by the
excitement and lawlessness of continual border warfare. The troop
that we had seen at Ombrega returned with a hundred and two head
of camels, that they had stolen from the west bank of the Atbara.
Mounted upon hygeens, Mek Nimmur's irregulars thought nothing of
marching sixty miles in one day; thus their attack and retreat
were equally sudden and unexpected.

I had a quantity of rhinoceros hide in pieces of the size
required for shields; these were much prized in this fighting
country, and I presented them to a number of head men who had
honoured us with a visit. I begged them to guide two of my people
to the presence of Mek Nimmur, with a preliminary message. This
they promised to perform. Accordingly, I sent Taher Noor and
Bacheet on horseback, with a most polite message, accompanied
with my card in an envelope, and a small parcel, carefully
wrapped in four or five different papers; this contained a very
beautiful Persian lance-head, of polished steel inlaid with gold,
that I had formerly purchased at Constantinople.

During their absence, we were inundated with visitors, the
Abyssinians, in their tight pantaloons, contrasting strongly with
the loosely-clad Arabs. In about an hour, my messengers returned,
accompanied by two men on horseback, with a hospitable message
fronm Mek Nimmur, and an invitation to pay him a visit at his own
residence. I had some trifling present ready for everybody of
note, and, as Taher Noor and my people had already explained all
they knew concerning us, Mek Nimmur's suspicions had entirely
vanished.

As we were conversing with Mek Nimmur's messengers through the
medium of Taher Noor, who knew their language, our attention was
attracted by the arrival of a tremendous swell who at a distance
I thought must be Mek Nimmur himself. A snow-white mule carried
an equally snow-white person, whose tight white pantaloons looked
as though he had forgotten his trousers, and had mounted in his
drawers. He carried a large umbrella to shade his complexion; a
pair of handsome silver-mounted pistols were arranged upon his
saddle, and a silver-hilted curved sword, of the peculiar
Abyssinian form, hung by his side. This grand personage was
followed by an attendant, also mounted upon a mule, while several
men on foot accompanied them, one of whom carried his lance and
shield. Upon a near approach, he immediately dismounted, and
advanced towards us, bowing in a most foppish manner, while his
attendant followed him on foot with an enormous violin, which he
immediately handed to him. This fiddle was very peculiar in
shape, being a square, with an exceedingly long neck extending
from one corner; upon this was stretched a solitary string, and
the bow was very short and much bent. This was an Abyssinian
Paganini. He was a professional minstrel of the highest grade,
who had been sent by Mek Nimmur to welcome us on our arrival.

These musicians are very similar to the minstrels of ancient
times; they attend at public rejoicings, and at births, deaths,
and marriages of great personages, upon which occasions they
extemporize their songs according to circumstances. My hunting in
the Base country formed his theme, and for at least an hour he
sang of my deeds, in an extremely loud and disagreeable voice,
while he accompanied himself upon his fiddle, which he held
downwards like a violoncello: during the whole of his song he
continued in movement, marching with a sliding step to the front,
and gliding to the right and left in a manner that, if intended
to be graceful, was extremely comic. The substance of this
minstrelsy was explained to me by Taher Noor, who listened
eagerly to the words, which he translated with evident
satisfaction. Of course, like all minstrels, he was an absurd
flatterer, and, having gathered a few facts for his theme, he
wandered slightly from the truth in his poetical description of
my deeds.

He sang of me as though I had been Richard Coeur de Lion, and
recounted, before an admiring throng of listeners, how "I had
wandered with a young wife from my own distant country to fight
the terrible Base; how I had slain them in single combat; and how
elephants and lions were struck down like lambs and kids by my
hands; that during my absence in the hunt, my wife had been
carried off by the Base; that I had, on my return to my pillaged
camp, galloped off in chase, and, overtaking the enemy, hundreds
had fallen by my rifle and sword, and I had liberated and
recovered the lady, who now had arrived safe with her lord in the
country of the great Mek Nimmur," &c. &c. &c.

This was all very pretty, no doubt, and as true as most poetical
and musical descriptions, but I felt certain that there must be
something to pay for this flattering entertainment; if you are
considered to be a great man, a present is invariably expected in
proportion to your importance. I suggested to Taher Noor that I
must give him a couple of dollars. "What!" said Taher Noor, "a
couple of dollars! Impossible! a musician of his standing it
accustomed to receive thirty and forty dollars from great people
for so beautiful and honourable a song."

This was somewhat startling; I began to reflect upon the price of
a box at Her Majesty's Theatre in London; but there I was not the
hero of the opera; this minstrel combined the whole affair in a
most simple manner; he was Verdi, Costa, and orchestra all in
one; he was a thorough Macaulay as historian, therefore I had to
pay the composer as well as the fiddler. I compromised the
matter, and gave him a few dollars, as I understood that he was
Mek Nimmur's private minstrel, but I never parted with my dear
Maria Theresa* with so much regret as upon that occasion, and I
begged him not to incommode himself by paying us another visit,
or, should he be obliged to do so, I trusted he would not think
it necessary to bring his violin.

  * The Austrian dollar, that is the only large current
    coin in that country.

The minstrel retired in the same order that he had arrived, and
I watched his retreating figure with unpleasant reflections, that
were suggested by doubts as to whether I had paid him too little
or too much; Taher Noor thought that he was underpaid; my own
opinion was, that I had brought a curse upon myself equal to a
succession of London organ-grinders, as I fully expected that
other minstrels, upon hearing of the Austrian dollars, would pay
us a visit, and sing of my great deeds.

In the afternoon, we were sitting beneath the shade of our
tamarind tree when we thought we could perceive our musical
friend returning. As he drew near, we were convinced that it was
the identical minstrel, who had most probably been sent with a
message from Mek Nimmur: there he was, in snow-white raiment, on
the snow-white mule, with the mounted attendant and the violin as
before. He dismounted upon arrival opposite the camp, and
approached with his usual foppish bow; but we looked on in
astonishment: it was not our Paganini, it was ANOTHER MINSTREL!
who was determined to sing an ode in our praise. I felt that this
was an indirect appeal to Maria Theresa, and I at once declared
against music. I begged him not to sing; "my wife had a
headache--I disliked the fiddle--could he play anything else
instead?" and I expressed a variety of polite excuses, but to no
purpose; he insisted upon singing; if I "disliked the fiddle, he
would sing without an accompaniment, but he could not think of
insulting so great a man as myself by returning without an ode to
commemorate our arrival."

I was determined that he should NOT sing; he was determined that
he WOULD, therefore I desired him to leave my camp; this he
agreed to do, provided I would allow him to cross the stream, and
sing to my Tokrooris, in my praise, beneath a neighbouring tree
about fifty yards distant. He remounted his mule with his violin,
to ford the muddy stream, and he descended the steep bank,
followed by his attendant on foot, who drove the unwilling mule.
Upon arrival at the brink of the dirty brook, that was about
three feet deep, the mule positively refused to enter the water,
and stood firm with its fore feet sunk deep in the mud. The
attendant attempted to push it on behind, at the same time he
gave it a sharp blow with his sheathed sword; this changed the
scene to the "opera comique." In one instant the mule gave so
vigorous and unexpected a kick into the bowels of the attendant,
that he fell upon his back, heels uppermost, while at the same
moment the minstrel, in his snow-white garments, was precipitated
head foremost into the muddy brook, and for the moment
disappearing, the violin alone could be seen floating on the
surface. A second later, a wretched-looking object, covered with
slime and filth, emerged from the slough; this was Paganini the
second! who, after securing his fiddle, that had stranded on a
mud-bank, scrambled up the steep slope, amidst the roars of
laughter of my people and of ourselves; while the perverse mule,
having turned harmony into discord, kicked up its heels and
galloped off, braying an ode in praise of liberty, as the "Lay of
the last Minstrel." The discomfited fiddler was wiped down by my
Tokrooris, who occasionally burst into renewed fits of laughter
during the operation; the mule was caught, and the minstrel
remounted, and returned home completely out of tune.

On the following morning, at sunrise, I mounted my horse, and,
accompanied by Taher Noor and Bacheet, I rode to pay my respects
to Mek Nimmur. Our route lay parallel to the stream, and, after
a ride of about two miles through a fine, park-like country,
bounded by the Abyssinian Alps about fifteen miles distant, I
observed a crowd of people round a large tamarind tree, near
which were standing a number of horses, mules, and dromedaries.
This was the spot upon which I was to meet Mek Nimmur. Upon my
approach the crowd opened, and, having dismounted, I was
introduced by Taher Noor to the great chief. He was a man of
about fifty, and exceedingly dirty in appearance. He sat upon an
angarep, surrounded by his people; lying on either side upon his
seat were two brace of pistols, and within a few yards stood his
horse ready saddled. He was prepared for fight or flight, as were
also his ruffianly-looking followers, who were composed of
Abyssinians and Jaleens.

I commenced the conversation by referring to the hospitality
shown by his father to my countryman, Mr. Mansfield Parkyns, and
I assured him that such kind attentions were never forgotten by
an Englishman, therefore I had determined to visit him, although
the Egyptian authorities had cautioned me not to trust myself
within his territory. I explained that I was bound towards an
unknown point, in search of the sources of the White Nile, which
might occupy some years, but that I wished to perfect the
exploration by the examination of all the Abyssinian Nile
affluents: and I concluded by asking for his assistance in my
journey to the Bahr Angrab and the Salaam. He replied very
politely, and gave me much local information; he said that the
Egyptians gave him no peace, that he was obliged to fight in
self-defence; but that, if I could make overtures on his part to
the Egyptian authorities, he would engage never to cross the
Atbara, provided they observed a similar condition. I promised to
represent his offer to the Governor-General on my arrival at
Khartoum. He agreed to give me a guide to the rivers Angrab and
Salaam, that were not far distant, and he at once pointed out to
me the two dark gorges, about twelve and sixteen miles distant,
in the chain of precipitous mountains from which they flowed. He
described the country upon the other side of the mountains to be
the elevated plateau of Abyssinia, and he advised me to visit the
king before my departure from his territory; this I could not
conveniently accomplish, as my route lay in an opposite
direction. He begged me for a telescope, so that he should be
able to see the approach of the Turks (Egyptians) from a great
distance, as he explained that he had spies upon all the mountain
tops, so that no stranger could enter his country without his
knowledge. He confessed that my movements while in the Base
country had been watched by his spies, until he had felt assured
that I had no sinister motive. I laughed at the idea; he replied,
that we were most fortunate to have escaped an attack from the
natives, as they were far worse than wild beasts, and he
immediately pointed out several Base slaves who were present in
the crowd, who had been captured when children; they appeared to
be the same as the woolly-headed natives of the south bank of the
Blue Nile, and not at all peculiar in appearance. He cautioned me
against bathing in the stream, or drinking the water in the
neighbourhood of our camp, as it was extremely poisonous, and
would produce an irritation of the skin. I told him that I had
discovered copper, and that I attributed the poisonous quality of
the water to the presence of that mineral. This announcement was
received with a general expression of approbation. "That is very
curious," he said, "that we who live in this country are
ignorant, and that you, a stranger, should at once explain the
cause of the poison." He at once agreed to the suggestion, as he
said, that during the rains, when the torrents were full, the
water was not unwholesome, but in the dry weather, when the
supply was scanty, and the stream feeble, the strength of the
poison was necessarily increased. He assured me that, although
the pasturage was excellent, all cattle that drank in that hor or
stream became as thin as skeletons.

Mek Nimmur had been ignorant of the existence of copper, but he
informed me that gold dust was common in the sand of most of the
ravines, and that, if I would remain in his country, I might
discover considerable quantities. I informed him that I had
already discovered the existence of both gold and lead. He
requested me to give him every information respecting the lead,
as he should prefer it to gold, as he could manufacture bullets
to shoot the Turks (as the Egyptians are called by the
neighbouring tribes). After a long and satisfactory conversation,
I made my salaam, and retired. Immediately on my arrival at the
camp, I despatched Wat Gamma on horseback with Taher Noor, in
charge of a pair of beautiful double-barrelled pistols, with the
name of Tatham as the manufacturer; these were loaded, and I sent
a polite message, begging Mek Nimmur's acceptance of the present;
they were accompanied by a supply of ammunition.

In the evening Wat Gamma returned with the pistols; --they had
BURST! Mek Nimmur had requested him to fire at a mark, and one
barrel of each pistol had given way; thus, the double rifle and
the pistols of the same name "Tatham" had all failed; fortunately
no one was injured. I was afraid that this would lead to some
complication, and I was much annoyed; I had never used these
pistols, but I had considered that they were first rate; thus I
had given them to Mek Nimmur as a valuable present, and they had
proved their utter worthlessness. I immediately mounted my horse,
and with my revolver in my belt, and my beautiful single Beattie
rifle in my hand, I galloped off to Mek Nimmur; he was seated in
the same spot, watching the harvest of dhurra, enormous piles of
which were being thrashed by a number of Abyssinians. The instant
that I arrived, I went straight to him, and explained my regret
and disappointment at the failure of the pistols, and I begged
him to take his choice between my rifle and revolver. He behaved
remarkably well; he had begged my messenger to leave the broken
pistols with him, and not to mention the circumstance to me, as
he felt sure that I should feel even more annoyed than himself;
he now declined my offer, as he said I should require the weapons
during my proposed journey up the White Nile, and he could not
deprive me of their use. He was afraid of the revolver, as it was
too complicated, but I tore from my note-book a small piece of
paper, which I requested one of his people to stick upon a rock
about ninety yards distant. I took a steady shot with the single
rifle, and was fortunate enough to hit the paper exactly. This
elicited general applause, and Mek Nimmur called one of his
people, an Abyssinian, who he declared to be a celebrated shot,
and he requested that he might be allowed to fire the rifle. I
placed a similar mark upon the rock, and the Abyssinian fired
from a rest, and struck the stone, in a good line, about six
inches below the paper. The crowd were in raptures with the
rifle, which I at once insisted upon Mek Nimmur accepting. I then
made my salaam, and mounted my horse amidst general expressions
of approval.

On the following morning, Mek Nimmur sent us two camel-loads of
corn; a large gourd of honey, weighing about fifty pounds; and
four cows that must have been a detachment of Pharaoh's lean
kine, with a polite message that I was to select the FATTEST.
These cattle were specimens of the poisonous qualities of the
water; but, although disappointed in the substance of the
present, my people were delighted with the acquisition, and they
immediately selected a cow; but just as they were licking their
lips at the prospect of fresh meat, which they had not tasted for
some days, the cow broke away and made off across country. In
despair at the loss, my men followed in hot pursuit, and two of
the Tokrooris overtook her, and held on to her tail like
bull-dogs, although dragged for some distance, at full gallop
through thorns and ruts, until the other men arrived and
overpowered the thin, but wiry animal. When slaughtered, there
was a great squabble between my men and the Abyssinians, who
endeavoured to steal the meat.


CHAPTER XVIII.

A CAMEL FALLS, AND DIES.

I EXTRACT a few notes from my journal:--

"March 25, 1862.--Mai Gubba is about twelve miles E.N.E. of our
camp. Mek Nimmur's stronghold is upon a lofty table-mountain, due
south of this spot, from which great elevation (about 5,000 feet)
the granite mountain of Cassala is said to be plainly visible.

"March 27.--We started for the Bahr Salaam, and said good-bye to
Mek Nimmur, as we passed his position on our march; he had given
us a guide; an awful-looking scoundrel.

"We had hardly marched two miles, when one of the baggage-camels
suddenly fell down to die; the Arabs immediately cut its throat
with a sword, and Bacheet, having detached one ear as a witness
of its death, galloped back to borrow a fresh camel of Mek
Nimmur, which he very kindly sent without delay. We were obliged
to bivouac on the spot for the night, as the Arabs required the
flesh of their camel, which was cut into thin strips. As they
were employed in skinning it, they ate large quantities raw and
quivering. The stream, or hor, that flows through this country,
parallel with our route, is the Ma Serdi; all this district is
rich in copper.

"March 28.--Started at 5 A.M. course S.W. We crossed two hors,
flowing from N.N.W. and joining the Ma Serdi; also a beautiful
running stream of deep and clear water twelve miles from our
bivouac of last evening: this stream is never dry; it springs
from a range of hills about ten miles distant. The whole of this
country is well watered by mountain streams, the trees are no
longer the thorny mimosas, but as the land is not only fertile,
but sufficiently moist, it gives birth to a different kind of
vegetation, and the trees are mostly free from thorns, although
at this season devoid of foliage. The country is ornamented by
extensive cultivation, and numerous villages. We halted at 5 P.M.
having marched twenty-one miles. The fertile soil of this country
is thoroughly melted by rain during the wet season, and in the
intense heat of the drought it becomes a mass of gaping crevices
many feet deep, that render hunting on horseback most dangerous.
Fortunately, as we halted, I observed a herd of tetel, and three
ostriches: the latter made off immediately, but I succeeded in
stalking the tetel, and shot two, right and left, one of which
escaped, but the other became the prize of my Tokrooris.

"March 29.--Started at 5.30 A.M. and reached the river Salaam at
8 A.M.; the total distance from our camp in Mek Nimmur's country
is thirty-five miles S.W. The Bahr Salaam is precisely similar in
character to the Settite, but smaller; it has scooped through the
rich lands a deep valley, like the latter river, and has
transported the fertile loam to the Atbara, to increase the rich
store of mud which that river delivers to the Nile. The Salaam is
about two hundred yards wide; it flows through perpendicular
cliffs that form walls of rock, in many places from eighty to a
hundred and fifty feet above its bed; the water is as clear as
crystal, and of excellent quality; even now, a strong though
contracted stream is running over the rounded pebbles that form
its bed, similar to that of the Settite. We descended a difficult
path, and continued along the dry portion of the river's bed up
the stream. While we were searching for a spot to encamp, I saw
a fine bull mehedehet (A. Redunca Ellipsiprymna) by the water
side; I stalked him carefully from behind a bed of high rushes,
and shot him across the river with the Fletcher rifle; he went
on, although crippled, but the left-hand barrel settled him by a
bullet through the neck. We camped on the bank of the river.

"March 30.--I went out to explore the country, and, steering due
east, I arrived at the river Angrab or Angarep, three miles from
the Salaam; from a high rock I could trace its course from the
mountain gorge to this spot, the stream flowing N.W. This noble
river or mountain torrent is about a hundred and fifty yards
wide, although the breadth varies according to the character of
the country through which it passes; in most places it rushes
through frightful precipices; sometimes it is walled within a
channel of only forty or fifty yards, and in such places the
cliffs, although at least a hundred feet perpendicular height,
bear the marks of floods that have actually overtopped the rocks,
and have torn away the earth, and left masses of bamboos and
withered reeds clinging to the branches of trees, which, growing
on still higher rocks, have dipped in the swollen torrent. I
followed the circuitous course of the river for some miles,
until, after a most fatiguing exploration among precipices and
deep ravines, I arrived at the junction of the Salaam river. On
the way, I came upon a fine bull nellut (A. Strepsiceros) beneath
a shady nabbuk by the river's side; I could only obtain an
oblique shot, as his hind quarters were towards me; the bullet
passed through the ribs, and reached the shoulder upon the
opposite side. This nellut had the finest horns that I had yet
obtained; they measured four feet in the curve, three feet one
inch and a half in a straight line, with a spread of two feet
seven inches from point to point. I found tracks of hippopotami
upon the high grassy hills; these animals climb up the most
difficult places during the night, when they ascend from the
river to seek for pasturage. I was not far from the tent when I
arrived at the junction of the Angrab with the Bahr Salaam, but
the rivers were both sunk in stupendous precipices, so that it
was impossible to descend. The mouth of the river Angrab was an
extraordinary sight; it was not wider than about fifteen yards,
although the river averaged a width of at least a hundred and
fifty yards. The exit of the water was between two lofty walls of
basalt rock, which overhung the stream, which in the rainy season
not only forced its way for about a hundred yards through this
narrow cleft, but it had left proof of inundations that had leapt
over the summit of the obstruction, when the rush of water had
been too great for the area of the contracted passage.
Altogether, the two rivers Sahaam and Angrab are interesting
examples of the destructive effect of water, that has during the
course of ages cut through, and hollowed out in the solid rock,
a succession of the most horrible precipices and caverns, in
which the maddened torrents, rushing from the lofty chain of
mountains, boil along until they meet the Atbara, and assist to
flood the Nile. No one could explore these tremendous torrents,
the Settite, Royan, Angrab, Salaam, and Atbara, without at once
comprehending their effect upon the waters of the Nile. The
magnificent chain of mountains from which they flow, is not a
simple line of abrupt sides, but the precipitous slopes are the
walls of a vast plateau, that receives a prodigious rainfall in
June, July, August, until the middle of September, the entire
drainage of which is carried away by the above-named channels to
inundate Lower Egypt."

Not being able to cross the river at the point of junction with
the Salaam, I continued along the margin of the precipice that
overhangs the latter river, until I should find a place by which
we could descend with the camel, as this animal had made a great
circuit to avoid the difficulties of the Angrab. We were at
length united, and were continuing our route parallel with the
river, over undulations of withered grass about three feet high,
interspersed with trees, when I perceived above the surface the
long horns of a mehedehet (R. Ellipsiprymna). I knew that he must
be lying down, and, as he was about a hundred and fifty yards
distant, I stalked him carefully from tree to tree; presently I
observed three other pairs of horns at various distances; two
were extremely large; but, unfortunately, an animal with smaller
horns was lying between me and the largest. I could do no more
than creep quietly from point to point, until the smaller animal
should start and alarm the larger. This it did when I was about
a hundred yards from the large bull, and both mehedehets sprang
up, and, as is usual with this species, they stood for a few
moments seeking for the danger. My clothes and hunting cap
matched so well with the bark of the tree behind which I was
kneeling, that I was unobserved, and, taking a rest against the
stem with the little Fletcher, I fired both barrels, the right at
the most distant bull. Both animals simply sprang for an instant
upon their hind legs, and fell. This was capital; but at the
report of the rifle, up jumped two other mehedehets, which
appeared the facsimiles of those I had just shot; having missed
their companions, and seeing no one, they stood motionless and
gazed in all directions.

I had left my people far behind when I had commenced the stalk,
therefore I had no spare rifle. I reloaded behind the tree with
all haste. I had capped the nipples, and, as I looked out from my
covering point, I saw them still in the same spot; the larger,
with superb horns, was about a hundred and twenty yards distant.
Again I took a rest, and fired. He sprang away as though
untouched for the first three or four bounds, when he leapt
convulsively in the air, and fell backwards. This was too much
for the remaining animal, that was standing about a hundred yards
distant--he bounded off; but the last barrel of the little
Fletcher caught him through the neck at full gallop, and he fell
all of a heap, stone dead.

These were the prettiest shots I ever recollect to have made, in
a very long experience; I had bagged four with the same rifle in
as many shots, as quickly as I could load and fire.

My Tokroori, Abdoolahi, who had been intently watching the shots
from a distance, came rushing up in hot excitement with one of my
sharp hunting knives, and, springing forward to hamstring one of
the animals, that was still struggling, he foolishly made a
downward cut, and, missing his blow, he cut his own leg terribly
across the shin, the knife flying out of his hand as it struck
against the bone: he was rendered helpless immediately. I tied up
the wound with my handkerchief, and, having at length loaded the
camel with as much meat as we could cut off the animals,
Abdoolahi was assisted upon its back; my men carried the two
finest heads. It was very late, and we now sought for a path by
which we could descend to the river.

At length we discovered a dangerous antelope-track, that
descended obliquely, by skirting an exceedingly steep side of a
hill, with a perpendicular precipice immediately below, that fell
for about seventy feet sheer to the river. My horse Tetel was as
sure-footed as a goat, therefore, having taken off my shoes to
avoid slipping, I led him to the bottom safely. Taher Noor called
to the camel-driver not to attempt to follow. Although warned,
this fellow persisted in leading the heavily-laden animal down
the slippery and dangerous path. Hardly had he gone a few paces,
when the camel's feet slipped, and it shot down the rapid
incline, and disappeared over the edge of the precipice. I heard
the camel roar, and, hastening up the path, I looked over the
cliff, holding to a rope that Taher Noor fastened to a tree. I
perceived that the animal was fortunately caught upon a narrow
ledge of rock, and was prevented from falling to the bottom by a
tough bush that grew from a cleft; this alone supported it in
mid-air. My Arabs were wild and stupid. Abdoolahi had held on
like a leech, and, as we were well provided with strong ropes, we
soon hauled him up, but the Arabs declared their camel to be
dead, as no power on earth could save it. Having examined the
cliff, I felt sure that we could assist the camel, unless it had
already broken some bones by the fall; accordingly, I gave orders
to the Arabs, who obeyed implicitly, as they were so heart-broken
at the idea of losing their animal, that they had lost all
confidence in themselves. We lowered down Taher Noor by a rope to
the bush, and after some difficulty, he unfastened the load of
flesh, which he threw piece by piece to a platform of rock below,
about ten feet square, which formed a shelf a few inches above
the level of the water. The camel being relieved of both the load
and its saddle, I ordered the Arabs to fasten together all their
ropes; these, being made of twisted antelope's hide, were
immensely strong, and, as I had established a rule that seven
extra bundles should invariably accompany the water-camel, we had
a large supply. The camel was now secured by a rope passed round
the body beneath the forelegs, and the cloths of the Arabs were
wrapped around the cord to prevent it from cutting the skin. This
being arranged, I took a double turn of the rope round a tree, as
thick as a man's thigh, that grew in a cleft of the rock where we
stood, and throwing the honey axe to Taher Noor, I told him to
cut away the bushes that supported the camel, and I would lower
it gently down to the shelf by the water's edge. In a few minutes
the bushes were cut away, and the camel, roaring with fright,
swung in mid-air. Taher Noor held on to the rope, while I slacked
off the line from the tree, and lowered both man and beast safely
to the shelf, about seventy feet below. The camel was unhurt, and
the Arabs were delighted; two other men now descended. We threw
them down a quantity of dry wood to make a fire, and, as they
were well off for meat, we left them prisoners upon the ledge of
rock with the profoundly deep river before them, walled in by
abrupt precipices upon either side.* It was nearly dark, and,
having to find my way to the camp among dangerous ravines, I rode
fast ahead of my men to discover a ford, and to reach home before
complete darkness should increase the danger. Tetel was as
sure-footed and as nimble as a cat, but we very nearly ended our
days together, as the bank of a precipice gave way while we were
skirting the edge. I felt it sinking, but the horse sprang
forward and saved himself, as I heard the mass fall beneath.

  * On the following morning the camel was safely
    floated across the river, supported by the inflated
    skins of the mehedehets.

That night we received a very audacious visit. I was asleep in my
tent, when I was suddenly awakened by a slight pull at my sleeve,
which was the signal always given by my wife if anything was
wrong; on such occasions, I never replied until I had gently
grasped my little Fletcher, which always slept with me beneath my
mat. She now whispered that a hyaena had been within the tent,
but that it had just bolted out, as these animals are so wary
that they detect the slightest movement or noise. As a rule, I
never shot at hyaenas, but, as I feared it might eat our saddles,
I lay in bed with the rifle to my shoulder, pointed towards the
tent door through which the moon was shining brightly. In a few
minutes, a grey-looking object stood like an apparition at the
entrance, peering into the tent to see if all were right before
it entered. I touched the trigger, and the hyaena fell dead, with
the bullet through its head. This was a regular veteran, as his
body was covered with old scars from continual conflicts with
other hyaenas. This was the first time that one of these animals
had taken such a liberty; they were generally contented with
eating the bones that were left from our dinner outside the tent
door, which they cleared away regularly every night.

We remained in this beautiful country from March 29th until April
14th, during which time I seldom remained for an hour in camp,
from sunrise to sunset; I was always in the saddle or on foot.
Two of my best Tokrooris, Hadji Ali and Hassan, usually
accompanied me on horseback, while Taher Noor and a couple of
Arabs rode upon camels with a good supply of water. In this
manner I traversed the entire country, into the base of the great
mountain chain, and thence down the course of the river towards
the Atbara junction. This district was entirely composed of the
most fertile soil, through which the great rivers Angrab and
Salaam had cut their way in a similar manner to the Atbara and
Settite. The Salaam, after the junction of the Angrab, was equal
in appearance to the Atbara, but the inclination of this great
mountain torrent is so rapid, that it quickly becomes exhausted
at the cessation of rain in the lofty mountains that form its
source. Both the Angrab and the Salaam are short rivers, but, as
they are the two main channels for the reception of the entire
drainage of a vast mountain area, they bring down most violent
floods, that materially affect the volume of the main artery.

The whole of this country abounded in game beyond any that I had
hitherto seen, and I had most glorious sport. Among the varieties
of antelopes, was a new species that I had seen upon several
occasions on the Settite, where it was extremely rare. On the
high open plains above the valley of the Salaam, this antelope
was very numerous, but so wild and wary that it was impossible to
approach nearer than from 350 to 500 yards. This magnificent
animal, the largest of all the antelopes of Abyssinia and Central
Africa, is known to the Arabs as the Maarif (Hippotragus
Bakerii). It is a variety of the sable antelope of South Africa
(Hippotragus Niger). The colour is mouse-grey, with a black
stripe across the shoulders, and black and white lines across the
nose and cheeks. The height at the shoulder would exceed fourteen
hands, and the neck is ornamented with a thick and stiff black
mane. The shoulders are peculiarly massive, and are extremely
high at the withers; the horns are very powerful, and, like those
of the roan and the sable antelope, they are annulated, and bend
gracefully backwards. Both the male and female are provided with
horns; those of the former are exceedingly thick, and the points
frequently extend so far as to reach the shoulders.

The Maarif invariably inhabits open plains, upon which it can see
an enemy at a great distance, thus it is the most difficult of
all animals to stalk. Nothing can be more beautiful than a herd
of these superb animals, but the only successful method of
hunting would be to course them with greyhounds; my dogs were
dead, thus I depended entirely upon the rifle. I was also
deprived of the assistance of the aggageers, whom I had left at
the Royan.

Rhinoceros and giraffes were very numerous throughout this
country; but the ground was most unfavourable for riding. The
surface resembled a beautiful park, composed of a succession of
undulations, interspersed with thornless trees, and watered by
streamlets at intervals of five or eight miles, while the
magnificent Alps of Abyssinia bounded the view to the south; but
there was no enjoyment in this country on horseback. The rainy
season converted this rich loam into a pudding, and the dry
season baked it into a pie-crust. The entire surface was loose,
flaky, and hollow; there was not a yard of ground that was not
split into deep crevices, that were regular pitfalls; and so
unsound was the general character of the country, that a horse
sank above his fetlocks at every footstep. I usually rode during
the day when exploring; but whenever I shot, it was necessary to
dismount, as it was impossible to follow an animal successfully
on horseback. I had on several occasions attempted to ride down
a giraffe, but upon such ground I had not the slightest chance;
thus the aggageers, who invariably hunt the giraffe by riding at
full speed until they can hamstring it with the sword, never
visit this country. This accounted for the presence of so large
a number of animals, as they were never disturbed by these
untiring hunters.

Our camp was pitched at the junction of a torrent, which, flowing
from the higher ground, joined the river Salaam in a succession
of waterfalls. At this season, a gentle stream, as clear as
glass, rippled over a rocky bed about twenty yards wide, and the
holes in the flat surface above the fall formed natural basins of
the purest water. I frequently strolled for some miles along the
bed of the stream, that afforded excellent pasturage for the
horses in a sweet, green grass, that was not only an attraction
to antelopes and buffaloes (Bos Caffer), but formed a covert for
incredible numbers of the beautiful francolin partridge, which
might have been shot in hundreds as they rose from the cool
herbage that afforded both food and concealment. I was returning
late one evening along the bed of the stream, after a day's
shooting, during which I had bagged several antelopes and wild
boar, when I observed at a distance a dark mass in the bright
yellow grass, which I quickly distinguished as a herd of
elephants. It was just dusk, and having endeavoured to meet them
as they came to drink, but without success, I determined to track
them up on the following morning. I started at daybreak, with all
my horses and gun-bearers. For about sixteen miles we tracked up
the herd to within a short distance of the base of the mountain
range. During the march, we had seen large quantities of
giraffes, and all the varieties of large antelopes. The country,
that had consisted of a vast plain, now changed to rapid
undulations; the trees were generally small, and, at this season
of intense dryness, were devoid of leaves. At the bottom of one
of these undulations, among a number of skeleton trees, that
afforded no shade, we discovered the elephants, standing in the
high withered grass, that entirely concealed all but the upper
portion of their heads; they were amusing themselves by tearing
up the trees, and feeding upon the succulent roots. I ordered
Taher Noor and Bacheet each to take a horse and rifle, and to
lead them, together with my hunter Aggahr, about a hundred yards
behind me, while I advanced towards the elephants on foot. At the
sound of the first shot they were to mount, and to bring my horse
and spare guns as rapidly as possible. Unfortunately, the herd
was alarmed by a large bull giraffe that was asleep in the grass,
which started up within thirty yards of us, and dashed off in
terror through the mass of elephants. Their attention was roused,
and they moved off to my left, which change of position
immediately gave them our wind. There was no time to lose, as the
herd was in retreat; and, as they were passing across my path, at
about two hundred paces distance, I ran at my best speed,
stumbling through the broken pie-crust, and sinking in the
yawning crevices, the sides of which were perfectly rotten, until
I arrived within shot of about twenty-five elephants. I was just
on the point of firing at the temple of a large animal that was
within about ten yards, when it suddenly turned, and charged
straight at me. With the right-hand barrel of a Reilly No. 10, I
was fortunate enough to turn it by a forehead shot, when so close
that it was nearly upon me. As it swerved, I fired the remaining
barrel exactly through the centre of the shoulder; this dropped
and killed the elephant as though it had been shot through the
brain.

The difficulties of the ground were such, that the horses were
not led as quickly as I had expected; thus I had to reload, which
I had just completed when Aggahr was brought by Taher Noor.
Springing into the saddle I at once gave chase. The gallant old
horse flew along through the high grass, regardless of the
crevices and rotten ground. The herd was about three hundred
yards ahead, but the long steady stride of Aggahr quickly
shortened the distance, and in a few minutes I was riding
alongside the elephants, that were shambling along at a great
pace. I determined to head them, and drive them back towards my
people, in which case I expected that we might be able to
surround them. I touched Aggahr with the spur, and he shot ahead
of the leading elephants, when I turned sharp to the right
exactly before their path, and gave a shout to check their
advance; in the same instant, Aggahr turned a complete somersault
within a few yards of their feet, having put his fore-leg into a
deep crevice, and I rolled over almost beneath the elephants with
the heavy rifle in my hand. The horse recovered quicker than I,
and, galloping off, he vanished in the high grass, leaving me
rather confused from the fall upon my head. The herd, instead of
crushing me as they ought to have done, took fright, and bolted
off at their best pace. My eyes were dancing with the fall; the
mounted gun-bearers were nowhere, as Gazelle would not face the
elephants, and Tetel was far behind. My English saddle had
vanished with Aggahr, and, as the stirrups of the Arab saddles
were simple rings for the accommodation of the big toe, they were
unserviceable. Had the aggageers been with me, I should have had
great sport with this herd; but, with the exception of Taher
Noor, the men were bad horsemen, and even he was afraid of the
ground, which was frightfully dangerous.

We discovered that the bullet had passed through the great artery
of the heart, which had caused the instantaneous death of the
elephant I had shot.

We were now at least seventeen miles from camp, and I feared that
Aggahr would be lost, and would most likely be devoured by a lion
during the night: thus I should lose not only my good old hunter,
but my English saddle. I passed several hours in searching for
him in all directions, and, in order to prevent him from straying
to the south, we fired the grass in all directions; we thus had
a line of fire between the camp and ourselves; this burnt slowly,
as the north wind had carried the blaze rapidly in the other
direction. We rode along the bottom of a watercourse and reached
the Salaam river, thus avoiding the fire; but, some hours before
we neared the camp, night had set in. We had beaten the fire, as
we had got to windward, and slowly and tediously we toiled along
the crumbling soil, stumbling among the crevices, that were
nearly invisible in the moonlight.

Thus we crept onwards; I had found riding impracticable,
therefore the horses were led, with much difficulty, as they
constantly slipped up to their knees in the numerous fissures. It
was difficult to recognise our position in the moonlight, and we
were doubtful whether we had not missed our route to the camp. My
watch told me that it was past nine o'clock, and we had been
sixteen hours in hard work without the slightest rest. We halted
to confer about the direction of the camp, when suddenly I heard
the report of a gun to our right; we immediately turned, and
hastened towards the welcome sound; presently I heard a distant
shout. As we approached, this was repeated, and as I hurried
forward, I recognised my own name shouted in an agonised voice.
I ran on alone at my best speed, after giving a loud shrill
whistle upon my fingers. This was quickly replied to, and I
repeated the well-known signal, until in about ten minutes I met
my wife, who had been wandering about the country half distracted
for hours, searching for me in every direction, as my horse
Aggahr had returned to the camp with the bridle broken, and the
empty saddle scratched by the boughs of trees; she had naturally
concluded that some accident had happened. She had immediately
armed herself with the little Fletcher that had been left in the
camp, being too small for elephants; with this, and several of
the Arabs armed with swords and lances, she had been hunting
throughout this wild country during the night in a state of
terrible anxiety. It was fortunate that she had fired the shot to
direct our attention, otherwise we might have passed each other
without being seen. "All's well that ends well:" we were about
three miles from camp, but the distance appeared short to
everybody, as we now knew the true direction, and we at length
perceived the glare of a large fire that our people had lighted
as a beacon.

The horse, Aggahr, must have found his way without difficulty, as
he had arrived a little before sunset. This curious instinct,
that enables a horse to find the direction to its last
halting-place in a wild and pathless country, was thoroughly
appreciated by the Arabs, who had comforted me with the
assurance, that no Abyssinian horse would lose his way to the
spot where he had last passed the night, if separated from his
rider.


CHAPTER XIX.

SEND A PARTY TO RECONNOITRE.

I HAD thoroughly explored the beautiful country of the Salaam and
Angrab; it was the 11th of April, and I intended to push on to
Gallabat, the frontier market-town of Abyssinia. We had no guide,
as the fellow that had been supplied by Mek Nimmur had absconded
the day after our arrival at the Salaam, but during the march he
had pointed out a blue outline of a distant mountain in the
south, that was called Nahoot Guddabi, or the Saddle of Guddabi.
This was an unmistakeable landmark, as it exactly resembled an
Arab saddle; at the foot of this mountain was the Tokroori
village of Guddabi, the first habitation, at a distance of about
fifty miles from the Bahr Salaam. Although, from the experience
I had had in this neighbourhood, I had little doubt of the supply
of water on the road, I sent three of my Tokrooris upon as many
camels with water-skins, to reconnoitre before I should move the
camp.

On the second day they returned, and reported the existence of
several small streams, all of which produced excellent water.

We started on the following afternoon, and, with Hassan as our
guide, and Taher Noor upon a camel, my wife and I cantered ahead
of the main body, over a high ridge of stony, and accordingly
firm ground. Upon arrival at the summit, we had a lovely view of
the surrounding country, and we commenced a gentle descent into
a vast plain sparsely covered with small trees. In the extensive
prospect before us, the dark green veins of foliage in the
otherwise yellow surface of withered grass marked out distinctly
the course of small rivulets. We hurried on, sometimes over
blackened ashes, where the fire had swept all before it, at other
times through withered grass, that had been saved from
destruction through the intervention of some ravine. At 7.30 P.M.
we arrived at an excellent halting place, by a beautiful but
small stream of water, shaded by a fringe of dome palms; this was
by dead reckoning seventeen miles from our last camp. It had been
pleasant travelling, as the moon was full; we had ridden fast,
therefore it was useless to expect the camels for some hours; we
accordingly spread the carpet on the ground, and lay down to
sleep, with the stocks of the rifles for pillows, as we had
frequently done on former occasions.

On the following morning I sent a couple of men on camels to
reconnoitre the country in advance, towards Guddabi, and to
return with the report of the supply of water. This country
abounded with large game, especially with the beautiful antelope
already described, the maarif; they were as usual extremely wild,
but I succeeded in breaking the hip of a fine bull at a long
range; and, separating him from the herd, I ran the wounded
antelope until I was thoroughly exhausted in the intense heat of
the sun, but I lost it in the thick bush not far from our camp.
That night we heard a lion roaring close to us, and, upon
searching at daybreak I found the remains of a maarif, which I
imagine must have been my wounded bull.

I mounted my horse Tetel, and, with Taher Noor and two of my
Tokrooris, Hadji Ali and Hassan, I rode towards a pyramidical
hill about three miles distant, which I intended to ascend in
order to obtain a panoramic view of the country. This hill was
about three hundred feet high, and, as the fire had swept away a
portion of the grass for several miles around, I should obtain a
clear view of all living animals that might be in the
neighbourhood. Upon arrival at the base of the hill I dismounted,
and led my horse up the steep inclination of broken basalt that
had fallen from the summit. From the top of the peak I had a
superb panorama of the country, the mountain Nahoot Guddabi
bearing S.W. about thirty miles distant. I had a complete
bird's-eye view of great extent, and I immediately distinguished,
in various positions, giraffes, buffaloes, tetel, and boars. At
this season the trees were leafless, thus any animal upon the low
ground would be at once discovered from this elevated point. I
extract from my journal the account of this day's hunt, as it was
written immediately upon my return to camp.

"I had been observing the country for some time from my high
station, when I suddenly perceived two rhinoceros emerge from a
ravine; they walked slowly through a patch of high grass, and
skirted the base of the hill upon which we were standing:
presently they winded something, and they trotted back and stood
concealed in the patch of grass. Although I had a good view of
them from my present position, I knew that I should not be able
to see them in their covert, if on the same level; I therefore
determined to send to the tent for my other horses, and to ride
them down, if I could not shoot them on foot; accordingly, I sent
a man off, directing him to lead Tetel from the peak, and to
secure him to a tree at the foot of the hill, as I was afraid the
rhinoceros might observe the horse upon the sky line. This he
did, and we saw him tie the horse by the bridle to the branch of
a tree below us, while he ran quickly towards the camp. In the
mean time I watched the rhinoceros; both animals lay down in the
yellow grass, resembling masses of stone. They had not been long
in this position, before we noticed two pigs wandering through
the grass directly to windward, towards the sleeping rhinoceros;
in an instant these animals winded the intruders, and starting
up, they looked in all directions, but could not see them, as
they were concealed by the high grass. Having been thus
disturbed, the rhinoceros moved their quarters, and walked slowly
forward, occasionally halting, and listening; one was about a
hundred yards in advance of the other. They were taking a
direction at the base of the hill that would lead them directly
upon the spot where Tetel was tied to the tree. I observed this
to Taher Noor, as I feared they would kill the horse. 'Oh, no,'
he replied, 'they will lie down and sleep beneath the first tree,
as they are seeking for shade--the sun is like fire.' However,
they still continued their advance, and, upon reaching some
rising ground, the leading rhinoceros halted, and I felt sure
that he had a clear view of the horse, that was now about five
hundred yards distant, tied to the tree. A ridge descended from
the hill, parallel with the course the animals were taking; upon
this, I ran as quickly as the stony slope permitted, keeping my
eye fixed upon the leading rhinoceros, who, with his head raised,
was advancing directly towards the horse. I now felt convinced
that he intended to attack it. Tetel did not observe the
rhinoceros, but was quietly standing beneath the tree. I ran as
fast as I was able, and reached the bottom of the hill just as
the wilful brute was within fifty yards of the horse, which now
for the first time saw the approaching danger; the rhinoceros had
been advancing steadily at a walk, but he now lowered his head,
and charged at the horse at full speed.

"I was about two hundred yards distant, and for the moment I was
afraid of shooting the horse, but I fired one of the Reilly No.
10 rifles; the bullet, missing the rhinoceros, dashed the sand
and stones into his face, as it struck the ground exactly before
his nose, when he appeared to be just into the unfortunate Tetel.
The horse in the same instant reared, and, breaking the bridle,
it dashed away in the direction of the camp, while the
rhinoceros, astonished at the shot, and most likely half blinded
by the sand and splinters of rock, threw up his head, turned
round, and trotted back upon the track by which he had arrived.
He passed me at about a hundred yards distance, as I had run
forward to a bush, by which he trotted with his head raised,
seeking for the cause of his discomfiture. Crack! went a bullet
against his hide, as I fired my remaining barrel at his shoulder;
he cocked his tail, and for a few yards he charged towards the
shot; but he suddenly changed his course, and ran round several
times in a small circle; he then halted, and reeling to and fro,
he retreated very slowly, and lay down about a hundred yards off.
Well done, Reilly! I knew that he had his quietus, but I was
determined to bag his companion, who in alarm had now joined him,
and stood looking in all quarters for the source of danger; but
we were well concealed behind the bush. Presently, the wounded
rhinoceros stood up, and walking very slowly, followed by his
comrade, he crossed a portion of rising ground at the base of the
hill, and both animals disappeared. I at once started off Hassan,
who could run like an antelope, in search of Tetel, while I
despatched another man to the summit of the peak to see if the
rhinoceros were in view; if not, I knew they must be among the
small trees and bushes at the foot of the hill. I thus waited for
a long time, until at length the two greys, Aggahr and Gazelle,
arrived with my messenger from the camp. I tightened the girths
of the Arab saddle upon Aggahr, and I had just mounted, cursing
all Arab stirrups, that are only made for the naked big toe, when
my eyes were gladdened by the sight of Hassan cantering towards
me upon Tetel, but from the exact direction the rhinoceros had
taken. 'Quick! quick!' he cried, 'come along! One rhinoceros is
lying dead close by, and the other is standing beneath a tree not
far off.'

"I immediately jumped on Tetel, and, taking the little Fletcher
rifle, as lighter and handier than the heavy No. 10, I ordered
Taher Noor and Hassan to mount the other horses, and to follow me
with spare rifles. I found the rhinoceros lying dead about two
hundred yards from the spot where he had received the shot, and
I immediately perceived the companion, that was standing beneath
a small tree. The ground was firm and stony, all the grass had
been burnt off, except in a few small patches; the trees were not
so thick together as to form a regular jungle.

"The rhinoceros saw us directly, and he valiantly stood and faced
me as I rode up within fifty yards of him. Tetel is worth his
weight in gold as a shooting horse: he stands like a rock, and
would face the devil. I was unable to take a shot in this
position, therefore I ordered the men to ride round a
half-circle, as I knew the rhinoceros would turn towards the
white horses, and thus expose his flank; this he did immediately,
aud firing well, exactly at the shoulder, I dropped him as though
stone dead. Taher Noor shouted, 'Samme durrupto!' (well shot);
the rhinoceros lay kicking upon the ground, and I thought he was
bagged. Not a bit of it! the No. 24 bullet had not force to break
the massive shoulder bone, but had merely paralysed it for the
moment; up he jumped and started off in full gallop. Now for a
hunt! up the hill he started, then obliquely he chose a regular
rhinoceros path, and scudded away, Tetel answering to the spur
and closing with him; through the trees; now down the hill over
the loose rocks, where he gained considerably upon the horse.
'Easy down the hill, gently over the stones, Tetel,' and I took
a pull at the reins until I reached the level ground beneath,
which was firm and first-rate. I saw the rhinoceros pelting away
about a hundred and twenty yards ahead, and spurring hard, I shot
up to him at full speed until within twenty yards, when round he
came with astonishing quickness and charged straight at the
horse. I was prepared for this, as was my horse also; we avoided
him by a quick turn, and again renewed the chase, and regained
our position within a few yards of the game. Thus the hunt
continued for about a mile and a half, the rhinoceros
occasionally charging, but always cleverly avoided by the horse.
Tetel seemed to enjoy the fun, and hunted like a greyhound.
Nevertheless I had not been able to pass the rhinoceros, who had
thundered along at a tremendous pace whenever I had attempted to
close; however, the pace began to tell upon his wounded shoulder;
he evidently went lame, and, as I observed at some distance
before us the commencement of the dark-coloured rotten ground I
felt sure that it would shortly be a case of 'stand still.' In
this I was correct, and, upon reaching the deep and crumbling
soil, he turned sharp round, made a clumsy charge that I easily
avoided, and he stood panting at bay. Taher Noor was riding
Gazelle; this was a very timid horse and was utterly useless as
a hunter, but, as it reared and plunged upon seeing the
rhinoceros, that animal immediately turned towards it with the
intention of charging. Riding Tetel close to his flank, I fired
both barrels of the little Fletcher into the shoulder; he fell to
the shots, and, stretching out his legs convulsively, he died
immediately."

This was a capital termination to the hunt; as I had expected the
death of my good horse Tetel, when the first rhinoceros had so
nearly horned him. The sun was like a furnace, therefore I rode
straight to camp, and sent men and camels for the hides and
flesh. As I passed the body of the first rhinoceros, I found a
regiment of vultures already collected around it, while fresh
arrivals took place every minute, as they gathered from all
quarters; they had already torn out the eyes, and dragged a
portion of flesh from the bullet-wound in the shoulder; but the
tough hide of the rhinoceros was proof against their greedy
beaks. A number of Marabou storks had also arrived, and were
standing proudly among the crowd of vultures, preparing to
perform the duty of sextons, when the skin should become
sufficiently decomposed. Throughout all the countries that I had
traversed, these birds were in enormous numbers. The question has
been frequently discussed whether the vulture is directed to his
prey by the sense of smell, or by keenness of vision; I have paid
much attention to their habits, and, although there can be no
question that their power of scent is great, I feel convinced
that all birds of prey are attracted to their food principally by
their acuteness of sight. If a vulture were blind, it would
starve; but were the nostrils plugged up with some foreign
substance to destroy its power of smell, it would not materially
interfere with its usual mode of hunting. Scent is always
stronger near the surface of the ground; thus hyaenas, lions, and
other beasts of prey will scent a carcase from a great distance,
provided they are to leeward; but the same animals would be
unaware of the presence of the body if they were but a short
distance to windward.

If birds of prey trusted to their nostrils, they would keep as
near the ground as possible, like the carrion crow, which I
believe is the exception that proves the rule. It is an
astonishing sight to witness the sudden arrival of vultures at
the death of an animal, when a few moments before not a bird has
been in sight in the cloudless sky. I have frequently laid down
beneath a bush after having shot an animal, to watch the arrival
of the various species of birds in regular succession; they
invariably appear in the following order:--

No. 1, the black and white crow: this knowing individual is most
industrious in seeking for his food, and is generally to be seen
either perched upon rocks or upon trees; I believe he trusts much
to his sense of smell, as he is never far from the ground, at the
same time he keeps a vigilant look-out with a very sharp pair of
eyes.

No. 2 is the common buzzard: this bird, so well known for its
extreme daring, is omnipresent, and trusts generally to sight, as
it will stoop at a piece of red cloth in mistake for flesh; thus
proving that it depends more upon vision than smell.

No. 3 is the red-faced small vulture.

No. 4 is the large bare-throated vulture.

No. 5, the Marabou stork, sometimes accompanied by the adjutant.

When employed in watching the habits of these birds, it is
interesting to make the experiment of concealing a dead animal
beneath a dense bush. This I have frequently done; in which case
the vultures never find it unless they have witnessed its death;
if so, they will already have pounced in their descent while you
have been engaged in concealing the body: they will then upon
near approach discover it by the smell. But, if an animal is
killed in thick grass, eight or ten feet high, the vultures will
seldom discover it. I have frequently known the bodies of large
animals, such as elephants and buffaloes, to lie for days beneath
the shade of the dense nabbuk bushes, unattended by a single
vulture; whereas, if visible, they would have been visited by
these birds in thousands.

Vultures and the Marabou stork fly at enormous altitudes. I
believe that every species keeps to its own particular elevation,
and that the atmosphere contains regular strata of birds of prey,
who, invisible to the human eye at their enormous height, are
constantly resting upon their wide-spread wings, and soaring in
circles, watching with telescopic sight the world beneath. At
that great elevation they are in an exceedingly cool temperature,
therefore they require no water; but some birds that make long
flights over arid deserts, such as the Marabou stork, and the
buzzard, are provided with water-sacks; the former in an external
bag a little below the throat, the latter in an internal sack,
both of which carry a large supply. As the birds of prey that I
have enumerated, invariably appear at a carcase in their regular
succession, I can only suggest that they travel from different
distances or altitudes. Thus, the Marabou stork would be farthest
from the earth; the large bare-necked vulture would be the next
below him, followed by the red-faced vulture, the buzzard, and
the crow that is generally about the surface. From their immense
elevation, the birds of prey possess an extraordinary field of
vision; and, although they are invisible from the earth, there
can be no doubt that they are perpetually hunting in circles
within sight of each other. Thus, should one bird discover some
object upon the surface of the earth below, his sudden pounce
would be at once observed and imitated by every vulture in
succession. Should one vulture nearest the earth perceive a body,
or even should he notice the buzzards collecting at a given
point, he would at once become aware of a prey; his rush towards
the spot would act like a telegraphic signal to others, that
would be rapidly communicated to every vulture at successive airy
stations.

If any animal be skinned, the red surface will attract the
vultures in an instant; this proves that their sight, and not
their scent, has been attracted by an object that suggests blood.
I have frequently watched them when I have shot an animal, and my
people have commenced the process of skinning. At first, not a
bird has been in sight, as I have lain on my back and gazed into
the spotless blue sky; but hardly has the skin been half
withdrawn, than specks have appeared in the heavens, rapidly
increasing. "Caw, caw," has been heard several times from the
neighbouring bushes; the buzzards have swept down close to my
people, and have snatched a morsel of clotted blood from the
ground. The specks have increased to winged creatures, at the
great height resembling flies, when presently a rushing sound
behind me, like a whirlwind, has been followed by the pounce of
a red-faced vulture, that has fallen from the heavens in haste
with closed wings to the bloody feast, followed quickly by many
of his brethren. The sky has become alive with black specks in
the far-distant blue, with wings hurrying from all quarters. At
length a coronet of steady, soaring vultures, forms a wide circle
far above, as they hesitate to descend, but continue to revolve
around the object of attraction. The great bare-necked vulture
suddenly appears. The animal has been skinned, and the required
flesh secured by the men; we withdraw a hundred paces from the
scene. A general rush and descent takes place; hundreds of hungry
beaks are tearing at the offal. The great bare-necked vulture
claims respect among the crowd; but another form has appeared in
the blue sky, and rapidly descends. A pair of long, ungainly
legs, hanging down beneath the enormous wings, now touch the
ground, and Abou Seen (father of the teeth or beak, the Arab name
for the Marabou) has arrived, and he stalks proudly towards the
crowds, pecking his way with his long bill through the struggling
vultures, and swallowing the lion's share of the repast. Abou
Seen, last but not least, had arrived from the highest region,
while others had the advantage of the start. This bird is very
numerous through the Nile tributaries of Abyssinia, and may
generally be seen perched upon the rocks of the water-side,
watching for small fish, or any reptile that may chance to come
within his reach. The well-known feathers are situated in a plume
beneath the tail.

On 14th April we left our camp in the afternoon, and, after
marching nine miles, during which we passed two small streams,
flowing, like all others, from this point, west to the Atbara, we
slept by a large pool in a third stream of considerable size. A
waterfall flowed over a row of perpendicular basalt columns that
surrounded a deep basin, resembling piles of ebony artificially
arranged. On the following morning we started before sunrise, and
rode over the usual pathless burnt prairies, until we reached the
base of Nahoot Guddabi, the mountain for which we had been
steering. Eight miles farther, we arrived at Metemma, a Tokroori
village, in the heart of the mountains, twenty-seven miles from
our last resting-place, and fifty-one miles from our camp on the
Salaam river. From this point to the river Salaam, the entire
country slopes perceptibly to the west--the drainage being
carried to the Atbara by numerous streams. The country that we
had now entered, was inhabited exclusively by Tokrooris, although
belonging to Abyssinia. They came out to meet us upon our arrival
at the village, and immediately fraternised with those of our
people that belonged to their tribe, from whom they quickly
learnt all about us. They brought us a he-goat, together with
milk and honey. The latter we had revelled in for some months
past, as the countries through which we travelled abounded with
a supply in the rocks and hollow trees; but the milk was a
luxury, as our goats were nearly dry. The he-goat was a regular
old patriarch of the flock, and, for those who are fond of
savoury food, it might have been a temptation, but as it exhaled
a perfume that rendered its presence unbearable, we were obliged
to hand it over as a present to our Tokrooris--even they turned
up their noses at the offer. A crowd of natives surrounded us,
and the account of our travels was related with the usual
excitement, amidst the ejaculations of the hearers, when they
heard that we had been in the country of the Base, and had
trusted ourselves in the power of Mek Nimmur.

On the following morning we were off before sunrise, and marched
rapidly over a good path through low forest, at the foot of a
range of hills; and after a journey of twenty miles, during which
we had passed several small villages, and many brooks that flowed
from the mountains, we arrived at our old friend, the Atbara
river, at the sharp angle as it issues from the mountains. At
this place it was in its infancy. The noble Atbara whose course
we had tracked for hundreds of weary miles, and whose tributaries
we had so carefully examined, was a second-class mountam torrent,
about equal to the Royan, and not to be named in comparison with
the Salaam or Angrab. The power of the Atbara depended entirely
upon the western drainage of the Abyssinian Alps: of itself it
was insignificant, until aided by the great arteries of the
mountain chain. The junction of the Salaam at once changed its
character; and the Settite or Taccazzy completed its importance
as the great river of Abyssinia, that has washed down the fertile
soil of those regions to create the Delta of Lower Egypt; and to
perpetuate that Delta by annual deposits, that ARE NOW FORMING A
NEW EGYPT BENEATH THE WATERS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN. We had seen
the Atbara a bed of glaring sand--a mere continuation of the
burning desert that surrounded its course, fringed by a belt of
withered trees, like a monument sacred to the memory of a dead
river. We had seen the sudden rush of waters when, in the still
night, the mysterious stream had invaded the dry bed, and swept
all before it like an awakened giant; we knew at that moment "the
rains were falling in Abyssinia," although the sky above us was
without a cloud. We had subsequently witnessed that tremendous
rainfall, and seen the Atbara at its grandest flood. We had
traced each river, and crossed each tiny stream, that fed the
mighty Atbara from the mountain chain, and we now, after our long
journey, forded the Atlara in its infancy, hardly knee deep, over
its rocky bed of about sixty yards width, and camped in the
little village of Toganai, on the rising ground upon the opposite
side. It was evening, and we sat upon an angarep among the lovely
hills that surrounded us, and looked down upon the Atbara for the
last time, as the sun sank behind the rugged mountain of Ras el
Feel (the elephant's head). Once more I thought of that wonderful
river Nile, that could flow for ever through the exhausting
deserts of sand, while the Atbara, during the summer months,
shrank to a dry skeleton, although the powerful affluents, the
Salaam and the Settite, never ceased to flow, every drop of their
waters was evaporated by the air and absorbed by the desert sand
in the bed of the Atbara, two hundred miles above its junction
with the Nile!

The Atbara exploration was completed; and I looked forward to the
fresh enterprise of new rivers and lower latitudes, that should
unravel the mystery of the Nile!


CHAPTER XX.

ARRIVAL AT METEMMA, OR GALLABAT.

WE left the village of Toganai at 5 A.M. and, after a rapid march
of sixteen miles, we came in view of Metemma, or Gallabat, in the
bottom of a valley surrounded by hills, and backed on the east by
the range of mountains of which Nahoot Guddabi formed the
extremity of a spur. As we descended the valley, we perceived
great crowds of people in and about the town, which, in
appearance, was merely a repetition of Katariff. It was
market-day, and as we descended the hill and arrived in the scene
below, with our nine camels heavily laden with the heads and
horns of a multitude of different beasts, from the gaping jaws of
hippopotami to the vicious-looking heads of rhinoceros and
buffalo, while the skins of lions and various antelopes were
piled above masses of the much-prized hide of the rhinoceros, we
were beset by crowds of people who were curious to know whence so
strange a party had appeared. We formed a regular procession
through the market, our Tokrooris feeling quite at home among so
many of their brethren. Upon our arrival at the extremity of the
valley, we were horribly disgusted at the appearance of the
water. A trifling stream of about two inches in depth trickled
over a bed of sand, shaded by a grove of trees. The putrefying
bodies of about half a dozen donkeys, three or four camels, and
the remains of a number of horses, lay in and about the margin of
the water. Nevertheless, the natives had scraped small holes in
the sand, as filters, and thus they were satisfied with this
poisonous fluid; in some of these holes, the women were washing
their filthy clothes. I immediately determined to follow up
stream, until I should arrive at some clear spot above these
horrible impurities, that were sufficient to create a pestilence.
Ascending the rising ground, I found on the summit, at about half
a mile distant, an immense sycamore (Ficus sycamorus), whose
green and wide-spreading branches afforded a tempting shade. Not
far from this spot, I found the bed of a dry torrent that flowed
into the poisoned stream of Gallabat. I ordered my men to dig a
deep hole in the sand, which fortunately discovered clear and
good-flavoured water. We immediately pitched tents close to the
sycamore. From this elevation, about a hundred and fifty feet
above Gallabat, we had a beautiful view of the amphitheatre of
hills and mountains, while the crowded town lay below, as in the
bottom of a basin. The Atbara was not far distant in the ravine
between the hill ranges, as it had made a sharp angle at Toganai,
and altered its direction to the north.

Our arrival had made some stir in Gallabat, and many people had
followed us, and stared with much curiosity at the collection of
hunting trophies. Among our visitors was an Abyssinian merchant,
Jusef, whose acquaintance I had formerly made at Cassala; he was
an agreeable and well-informed man, who had been in Paris and
London and spoke French and English tolerably. I accompanied him
for a stroll through the market, and was introduced by him to a
number of the principal Abyssinian merchants. The principal trade
of Gallabat, which is the market-place for all commerce between
Abyssinia and the Egyptian provinces, is in cotton, coffee,
bees'-wax, and hides. Coffee is brought in large quantities by
the Abyssinian merchants, who buy cotton in exchange, for the
manufacture of clothes according to their own fashion. I bought
a quantity of excellent coffee at the rate of two dollars for
thirty-five pounds, equal to about two and three-quarters pence
a pound. Sheds were arranged in lines; these were occupied by the
coffee merchants with their stores, while a great stock of cotton
in bales, to the number of some thousand, were piled in rows in
an open space. Not far from the mass of goods was a confusion of
camels, asses, and mules that had formed the means of transport.
I now met an Italian merchant, with whom I subsequently became
intimately acquainted, Signor Angelo Bolognesi--he had arrived
from Khartoum to purchase coffee and bees'-wax. We were delighted
to meet a civilized European after so long an absence. For some
months we had had little intercourse with any human beings beyond
the hunters that had composed our party, in countries that were
so wild and savage, that the print of a naked foot upon the sand
had instinctively brought the rifle upon full cock. Our European
society was quickly increased: two German missionaries had
arrived, en ronte for an establishment that had been set on foot
in the heart of Abyssinia, under the very nose of the King
Theodore, who regarded missionaries as an unsavoury odour. Both
were suffering from fever, having foolishly located themselves in
a hut close to the foul stench of dead animals on the margin of
the polluted stream, the water of which they drank. One of these
preachers was a blacksmith, whose iron constitution had entirely
given way, and the little strength that remained, he exhausted in
endless quotations of texts from the Bible, which he considered
applicable to every trifling event or expression. I regretted
that I could not agree with him in the propriety of invading
Abyssinia with Bible extracts, as the natives attached as great
importance to their own particular form of Christianity, as any
other of the numerous sects that unhappily divide that beautiful
religion into schisms; any fresh dogma introduced by strangers
might destroy the union of the Abyssinian Church, and would be
not only a source of annoyance to the priesthood, but would most
probably influence them and the king against all Europeans.

The blacksmith assured me that the special mission upon which he
was employed was the conversion of the Abyssinian Jews. I
suggested that we had a few Jews in England, that might offer a
fair field for an experiment at home, before we commenced at so
distant a country as Abyssinia; but I could not persuade the
blacksmith, whose head was as hard as his anvil; he had fully
persuaded himself that the word of God (according to HIS OWN
translation of it) was the hammer with which, selon son metier,
he was to drive his views of the truth into the thick skulls of
the people. If he could twist iron, and hammer a ploughshare into
a sword, or reverse the form, why should he be unable to effect
a change in their opinions? It was perfectly useless to continue
the argument; but I prophesied trouble, as the king was already
discontented, and an influx of missionaries would not improve his
humour. I advised him to stick to his trade, which would obtain
for him far more respect than preaching. He replied, that "the
word of God must be preached in all countries; that the Apostle
Paul had encountered dangers and difficulties, but, nevertheless,
he preached to, and converted the heathen," &c.

Whenever I have met an exceedingly ignorant missionary, he has
invariably compared himself to the Apostle Paul. In half an hour
I found, that I was conversing with St. Paul in the person of the
blacksmith. Whether this excellent apostle is among the captives
in Abyssinia at the present moment, I do not know; but, if so,
their memory of the Bible will be continally refreshed by
quotations, which fly from the tongue of the smith like sparks
from his anvil. His companion was very ill, and incapable of
moving. I went to see the poor fellow upon several occasions, and
found him suffering from dysentery and diseased liver. These
excellent but misguided people had a first-rate medicine chest,
filled with useful drugs and deadly poisons, that had been
provided for them cheaply, by the agent for their society at
Cairo, who had purchased the stock in trade of a defunct doctor.
This had been given to the missionaries, together with the
caution that many of the bottles were not labelled, and that some
contained poison. Thus provided with a medicine chest that they
did not comprehend, and with a number of Bibles printed in the
Tigre language which they did not understand, they were prepared
to convert the Jews, who could not read. The Bibles were to be
distributed as the word of God, like "seed thrown upon the
wayside;" and the medicines, I trust, were to be kept locked up
in the chest, as their distribution might have been fatal to the
poor Jews. These worthy and well-meaning missionaries were
prepared to operate mentally and physically upon the Abyssinians,
to open their minds as well as their bowels; but as their own
(not their minds) were out of order, I was obliged to assist them
by an examination of their medicine-chest, which they had
regarded with such dread and suspicion that, although dangerously
ill, they had not dared to attempt a dose. This medicine-chest
accompanied them like a pet dog suspected of hydrophobia, which
they did not like to part with, and were yet afraid to touch. I
labelled the poisons, and weighed out some doses, that in a few
days considerably relieved them; at the same time I advised the
missionaries to move to a healthier locality, and to avoid the
putrid water.

On the day following our arrival, I paid a visit to the Sheik of
Gallabat--Jemma. He was ill, as were most people. They were too
much accustomed to the use of the filthy water to trouble
themselves about a pure supply; thus a frightful amount of
sickness was prevalent among all classes.

The Sheik Jemma was a Tokroori; and as these people hate the
Turks or Egyptians, although fanatical Mussulmans, he was
exceedingly cold when he read my firman, that I had produced as
a passport. He replied to my demand for assistance in men and
camels, that "this was Abyssinia, and the firman of the Viceroy
of Egypt was a bad introduction, as the Egyptians forced them to
pay tribute at the point of the bayonet, although they had no
right to enter this country;" they paid taxes willingly to the
King of Abyssinia, as he had a right to exact them. I explained
that I was an Englishman, and no Turk, but that, as I had
travelled through the dominions of the Viceroy, I had been
favoured with the sign-manual of his Excellency Said Pasha, and
I narrated in a few words the object of our expedition. He paid
very little attention, and merely asked me if I could send him
some goat's milk, as he was very ill. I was astonished at such a
request, as there were great numbers of these animals in the
neighbourhood; but he explained that his doctor had ordered him
to drink the milk of a black goat, and he had heard that I had
two of that colour. I promised him a supply, and he agreed to
assist me in engaging camels and fresh men, as I had formerly
arranged with my people that their term of service should expire
upon our arrival at Gallabat or Metemma. The latter name merely
signifies "the capital:" as many places are designated by the
same word, it creates much confusion.

The Sheik Jemma was the successor of Hamed, who formerly governed
the Tokrooris. The Egyptians had captured Hamed three years
previously, during which time he had been imprisoned in Cairo.
Upon his release, he wrote to Jemma (who had governed pro
tempore) to prepare for his arrival; but Jemma had no intention
of vacating his seat, and he replied by an impertinent message.
Hamed immediately applied to the Governor-General of the Soudan
for assistance, declaring himself to be the subject of Egypt.
Having obtained a powerful force, he advanced upon Gallabat, and
attacked Jemma, who came out to meet him. This happened about
three months before our arrival. In a pitched battle, the
Tokrooris were defeated with great loss, and Jemma, with the
greater portion of the population, sought the assistance of
Theodore, the king of Abyssinia. Theodore summoned the rival
chiefs before him, and decided that, as Hamed had appealed to
Egypt for assistance, he should lose his seat, and remain a
prisoner in Abyssinia. Accordingly, Jemma was declared to be the
governor of the town of Gallabat, and the sheik over all
Tokrooris.

The Tokrooris are natives of Darfur, who were converted to
Mahometanism after the conquest of Northern Africa by the Arabs.
They are governed by a sultan in their own country, who strictly
prohibits the entrance of white men; thus Darfur remains
impenetrable to civilization. That country is extremely arid and
unfruitful; thus, as the pilgrims journeyed towards Mecca from
their own inhospitable soil, they passed through a land flowing
with milk and honey, with excellent pasturage and fertile soil,
in the district of Gallabat. As first settlements of men have
always been caused by some local attraction and advantage, so the
Tokroori pilgrims, on their return from Mecca, originally rested
from the fatigues of their journey in the neighbourhood of
Gallabat, as a country preferable to their own. The establishment
of a few settlers formed a nucleus, and, as successive
pilgrimages to Mecca were annually undertaken from Darfur, the
colony rapidly increased by the settlement of the returned
pilgrims. Thus commenced the establishment of a new tribe upon
foreign soil, and, as the numbers of settlers increased to an
important amount, permission was granted by the King of Abyssinia
that they should occupy this portion of his territory, upon
payment of taxes as his subjects. The Tokrooris are a fine,
powerful race, exceedingly black, and of the negro type, but
differing from all negroes that I have hitherto known, as they
are particularly industrious. They are great drunkards, very
quarrelsome, and are bad servants, as, although they will work
hard for themselves, they will do as little as they can for their
master. They are seldom unemployed; and, while the Arab may be
seen lazily stretched under the shade of a tree, the Tokroori
will be spinning cotton, or working at something that will earn
a few piastres. Even during the march, I have frequently seen my
men gather the cotton from some deserted bush, and immediately
improvise a spindle, by sticking a reed through a piece of
camel-dung, with which they would spin the wool into thread, as
they walked with the caravan. My Tokrooris had never been idle
during the time they had been in my service, but they were at
work in the camp during every spare minute, either employed in
making sandals from elephant's or buffalo's hide, or whips and
bracelets from the rhinoceros' skin, which they cleverly
polished. Upon our arrival at Gallabat, they had at least a
camel-load of all kinds of articles they had manufactured. On the
following morning I found them sitting in the market-place,
having established stalls, at which they were selling all the
various trophies of their expedition--fat, hides, whips, sandals,
bracelets, &c.

The district inhabited by the Tokrooris is about forty miles in
length, including a population of about twenty thousand.
Throughout the country, they have cultivated cotton to a
considerable extent, notwithstanding the double taxes enforced by
both Abyssinians and Egyptians, and their gardens are kept with
extreme neatness. Although of the negro type, the Tokrooris have
not the flat nose; the lips are full, but not to be compared with
those of the negroes of West Africa; neither is the jaw
prognathous. The men are extremely independent in manner. They
are armed with lances of various patterns; their favourite weapon
is a horrible instrument barbed with a diabolical intention, as
it can neither be withdrawn nor pushed completely through the
body, but, if once in the flesh, there it must remain. This is
called the chimbane; it is usually carried with two other lances
with plain heads. The Tokrooris despise shields; therefore, in
spite of their superior personal strength, they would be no match
for the Arabs.

There is a curious weapon, the trombash, that is used by these
people, somewhat resembling the Australian boomerang; it is a
piece of flat, hard wood, about two feet in length, the end of
which turns sharply at an angle of about 30 degrees. They throw
this with great dexterity, and inflict severe wounds with the
hard and sharp edge; but, unlike the boomerang, the weapon does
not return to the thrower.

The women are very powerful, but exceedingly plain. They are good
workers, and may be constantly seen either spinning or weaving;
they keep their huts remarkably clean, and are rarely idle.

The greater portion of the cotton exhibited in the market of
Gallabat is produced by the Tokrooris; it is uncleaned, and
simply packed in mat bales of a hundred pounds weight, which at
that date (April 1862) sold for one dollar each.

Much might be done to improve these peculiar people. Were the
frontiers of Abyssinia positively determined, and security
insured to the new settlers, the whole of that magnificent
country through which we had travelled between the Settite and
Gallabat might be peopled and cultivated. In many countries, both
soil and climate may be favourable for the cultivation of cotton;
but such natural advantages may be neutralized either by the
absence of population, or by the indolence of the natives. The
Tokroori is a most industrious labourer; and, were he assured of
protection and moderate taxation, he would quickly change the
character of these fertile lands, that are now uninhabited,
except by wild animals. If the emigration of Tokrooris from
Darfur were encouraged, and advantages offered to settlers, by
grants of land for a short term exempt from taxation, at a future
time to bear a certain rate per acre, a multitude of emigrants
would quit their own inhospitable country, and would people the
beautiful waste lands of the Settite and the Salaam. These
countries would produce an important supply of cotton, that might
be delivered at Souakim at an exceedingly low rate, and find a
market in England. Not only would the Tokrooris benefit by the
change, but, should it be decided that the Abyssinian frontier,
instead of extending to the Atbara river, should be confined to
the ridge of the great mountain chain, the revenues of Upper
Egypt might be enormously increased by the establishment of a
Tokroori colony, as proposed.

I paid all my Tokrooris their wages, and I gave them an
entertainment after their own taste, by purchasing several
enormous bowls of honey wine. The Abyssinians are celebrated for
this drink, which is known as "tetch." It is made of various
strengths; that of good quality should contain, in ten parts, two
of honey and eight of water; but, for a light wine, one of honey
and nine of water is very agreeable. There is a plant of an
intoxicating quality known by the Abyssinians as "jershooa," the
leaves of which are added to the tetch while in a state of
fermentation; a strong infusion of these leaves will render the
tetch exceedingly heady, but without this admixture the honey
wine is by no means powerful. In our subsequent journey in
Central Africa, I frequently made the tetch by a mixture of honey
and water, flavoured with wild thyme and powdered ginger;
fermentation was quickly produced by the addition of yeast from
the native beer, and the wine, after six or eight days, became
excellent, but never very strong, as we could not procure the
leaves of the jershooa.

My Arabs and Tokrooris enjoyed themselves amazingly, and until
late at night they were playing rababas (guitars) and howling in
thorough happiness; but on the following morning at sunrise I was
disturbed by Wat Gamma, who complained that during the night some
person had stolen three dollars, that had for some months been
carefully sewn up in his clothes; he exhibited the garment that
bore the unmistakeable impression of the dollars, and the
freshly-cut ends of the thread proved that it had been ripped
open very recently. Of course I was magistrate, and in all cases
I was guided by my own code of laws, being at some thousand miles
from an Act of Parliament.

Wat Gamma had no suspicion of any person in particular, but his
money had evidently been stolen.

"Who was drunk last night?" I inquired. "We were all drunk,"
replied the plaintiff. "Who was very drunk, and who was the least
drunk?" I inquired. This entailed a discussion among the people
who had now assembled. It appeared that most of them had been
"very drunk;" others only a little drunk; and one old
white-headed Arab camel-driver had been perfectly sober, as he
never drank anything but water. This was old Mini, a splendid
specimen of a fine patriarchal Arab; he declared that he had not
even joined the party. Wat Gamma had left his garment rolled up
in the mat upon which he usually slept; this was in the same spot
where the camel-drivers lived, and where old Mini declared he was
fast asleep during the drinking bout.

I had my suspicions, but to express them would have defeated the
chance of discovery. I therefore adopted my usual rule in cases
of theft. I counted my people: nine camel-men, five Tokrooris,
Taher Noor, and Bacheet; in all sixteen, without Wat Gamma. Three
dollars were sixty piastres,--sixty divided by sixteen equalled
three piastres and thirty paras. Thus I condemned the whole party
to make up the loss, by each paying his share of the amount
stolen, unless the thief could be discovered.

This plan was generally successful, as the thief was the only man
contented with the arrangement. Every innocent man became a
detective, as he was determined not to pay a fine for another's
theft. A tremendous row took place, every one was talking and no
one listening, and the crowd went away from my court of justice,
determined to search the affair to the bottom.

In about half an hour they all returned, with the exception of
old Mini; they had searched everywhere, and had found three
dollars concealed in the stuffing of a camel's saddle, that
belonged to Mini. He was the sober man, who had been asleep while
the others were drinking. I considered the case proved; and Mini,
having confessed, requested that I would flog him rather than
deliver him to the Tokroori authorities, who wonld imprison him
and take away his camel. I told him that I would not disgrace his
tribe by flogging one of their oldest men, but that I should take
him before the Sheik of Gallabat, and fine him the amount that he
had stolen. This I immediately did, and Mini handed over to
Jemma, with reluctance, three dollars for the poor-box of
Gallabat, or the private pocket of the sheik, as the case may be.

On my return to camp I visited the establishments of the various
slave merchants: these were arranged under large tents formed of
matting, and contained many young girls of extreme beauty,
ranging from nine to seventeen years of age. These lovely
captives, of a rich brown tint, with delicately-formed features,
and eyes like those of the gazelle, were natives of the Galla, on
the borders of Abyssinia, from which country they were brought by
the Abyssinian traders to be sold for the Turkish harems.
Although beautiful, these girls are useless for hard labour; they
quickly fade away and die unless kindly treated. They are the
Venuses of that country, and not only are their faces and figures
perfection, but they become extremely attached to those who show
them kindness, and they make good and faithful wives. There is
something peculiarly captivating in the natural grace and
softness of these young beauties, whose hearts quickly respond to
those warmer feelings of love that are seldom known among the
sterner and coarser tribes. Their forms are peculiarly elegant
and graceful--the hands and feet are exquisitely delicate; the
nose is generally slightly aquiline, the nostrils large and
finely shaped; the hair is black and glossy, reaching to about
the middle of the back, but rather coarse in texture. These
girls, although natives of Galla, invariably call themselves
Abyssinians, and are generally known under that denomination.
They are exceedingly proud and high-spirited, and are remarkably
quick at learning. At Khartoum, several of the Europeans of high
standing have married these charming ladies, who have invariably
rewarded their husbands by great affection and devotion. The
price of one of these beauties of nature at Gallabat was from
twenty-five to forty dollars.

On the 24th April we were refreshed by a shower of rain, and in
a few days the grass sprang from the ground several inches high.
There was an unpleasant dampness in the air, and, although the
rainy season would not commence until June, showers would
occasionally fall among the mountains throughout the month of
May. I accordingly purchased a number of large tanned ox-hides,
that are rendered waterproof by a preparation with milk. These
skins cost the trifling sum of nine piastres each (not two
shillings), and were subsequently of great value during our White
Nile expedition, as coverlets during the night's bivouac, &c.

The horse-fair was a disappointment. At this season the entire
country in the neighbourhood of Gallabat was subject to an
epidemic, fatal to these animals; therefore there were no good
horses present. I had nothing to detain me at this place, after
having procured fresh camels, therefore I paid all my people, and
we parted excellent friends. To the Arabs and Tokrooris I gave
all the hides of rhinoceros, elephants, &c. that I did not
require, and, with our loads considerably lightened, we started
from Gallabat, 12.30 P.M., 28th April, 1862, and marched due west
towards the river Rahad. The country was hilly and wooded, the
rocks were generally sandstone, and after a march of three hours
we halted at a Tokroori village. I never witnessed more
unprovoked insolence than was exhibited by these people. They
considered me to be a Turk, to whom their natural hatred had been
increased by the chastisement they had lately received from the
Egyptians. It was in vain that my two lads, Wat Gamma and
Bacheet, assured them that I was an Englishman: they had never
heard of such a country as England; in their opinion, a white man
must be a Turk. Not contented with refusing all supplies, they
assembled in large numbers and commenced a quarrel with my men,
several of whom were Tokrooris that I had hired to accompany us
to Khartoum. These men, being newly engaged and entirely strange,
were of little service; but, having joined in the quarrel like
true Tokrooris, who are always ready for a row, the altercation
grew so hot that it became rather serious. The natives determined
that we should not remain in their village, and, having expressed
a threat to turn us out, they assembled around us in a large
crowd with their lances and trombashes. My wife was sitting by me
upon an angarep, when the people closed around my men, and one
very tall specimen of a Tokroori came forward, and, snatching a
knife from its sheath that was worn upon the arm of my servant,
he challenged him to fight. As Tokrooris are always more or less
under the influence of drink, their fights are generally the
effect of some sudden impulse. It was necessary to do something,
as the crowd were determined upon a row; this was now commenced
by their leader, who was eyeing me from head to foot with the
most determined insolence, holding the knife in his hand that he
had taken from my man. I therefore rose quietly from my seat,
and, approaching him to within a convenient distance for
striking, if necessary, I begged him very politely to leave my
people to themselves, as we should depart on the following
morning. He replied with great impertinence, and insisted upon
fighting one or all of our party. I accommodated him without a
moment's delay, as, stepping half a pace backwards, I came in
with a left and right as fast as a rapid double-hit could be
delivered, with both blows upon his impudent mouth. In an instant
he was on his back, with his heels in the air; and, as I prepared
to operate upon his backer, or upon any bystander who might have
a penchant for fighting, the crowd gave way, and immediately
devoted themselves to their companion, who lay upon the ground in
stupid astonishment, with his fingers down his throat searching
for a tooth; his eyes were fixed upon my hands to discover the
weapon with which he had been wounded. His friends began to wipe
the blood from his face and clothes, and at this juncture the
sheik of the village appeared for the first time.

To my astonishment he was extremely civil; a sudden reaction had
taken place, the Tokrooris had had their row, and were apparently
satisfied. The sheik begged me not to kill his people by hitting
them, "as they were mere chickens, who would at once die if I
were to strike them with my fist." I begged him to keep his
"chickens" in better order, and at once to order them away from
our immediate neighbourhood. In a few minutes the sheik drove the
crowd away, who picked up their man and led him off. The sheik
then begged us to accept a hut for the night, and he paid us
every attention.

On the following morning, we left shortly after sunrise; the
natives very civilly assisted to load our camels, and among the
most active was my fighting friend of yesterday, who, with his
nose and mouth all swollen into one, had been rapidly converted
from a well-featured Tokroori into a real thick-lipped,
flat-nosed African nigger, with prognathous jaw, that would have
delighted the Ethnological Society.

"April 29.--It rained hard during the night. Our course was due
west, along the banks of a hor, from which the natives procure
water by sinking wells about twelve feet deep in the sandy bed,
which is dry in the hot season. Throughout this country the water
is bad. At 11 A.M. we reached Roumele; this is the last village
between Gallabat and the river Rahad. The natives say that there
is no water on the road, and their accounts of the distance are
so vague and contradictory that I cannot rely upon the
information.

"I could procure only one water-skin, and none of my old stock
were serviceable; I therefore arranged to water all the animals,
and push on throughout the night, by which plan I hoped to arrive
by a forced march at the Rahad on the following morning, without
exhausting both men and beasts by a long journey through an
unknown distance in the heat of the sun. Hardly were the horses
watered at a well in the dry bed of the stream, when Aggahr was
taken ill with inflammation. I left two men to attend upon him,
with orders to bring him on if better on the following day: we
started on our journey, but we had not proceeded a quarter of a
mile when Gazelle, that I was riding, was also seized with
illness, and fell down; with the greatest difficulty I led the
horse back again to the village. My good old hunter Aggahr died
in great agony a few minutes after our return, and Gazelle died
during the night; the natives declared this to be the horse
sickness that was annually prevalent at this season. The disease
appeared to be inflammation of the bowels, which I attributed to
the sudden change of food; for months past they had lived
principally upon dry grass, but within the past few days they had
greedily eaten the young herbage that had appeared after a few
showers; with this, may have been poisonous plants that they had
swallowed unawares. We had now only one horse, Tetel, that was
ridden by my wife; I therefore determined to start on foot on the
following morning, and to set the pace at four miles an hour, so
as to reach the Rahad by a forced march in one rapid stretch, and
thus to eke out our scanty supply of water. Accordingly we
started, and marched at that rate for ten hours, including a halt
when half-way, to rest for one hour and a half. Throughout the
distance, the country was a dead flat of the usual rich soil,
covered with mimosa forest. We marched thirty-four miles,
steering due west for a distant hill, which in the morning had
been a faint blue streak upon the horizon.

"Upon our arrival at the hill, we found that the river was some
miles beyond, while a fine rugged mountain that we had seen for
two days previous rose about fifteen miles south of this point,
and formed an unmistakeable landmark; the name of this mountain
is Hallowa. We had marched with such rapidity across this stretch
of thirty-four miles, that our men were completely exhausted from
thirst, as they had foolishly drunk their share of water at the
middle of the journey, instead of reserving it for the moment of
distress. Upon arrival at the Rahad they rushed down the steep
bank, and plunged into the clear water of the river.

"The Rahad does not exceed eighty or ninety yards in breadth. The
rain that had recently fallen in the mountain had sent a
considerable stream down the hitherto dry bed, although the
bottom was not entirely covered. By dead reckoning, this point of
the river is fifty-five miles due west from Gallabat or Metemma;
throughout this distance we had seen no game, neither the tracks
of any animals except giraffes. We were rather hard up for
provisions, therefore I took my rod, and tried for a fish in a
deep pool below the spot where we had pitched the tent. I only
had one run, but I fortunately landed a handsome little baggar
about twelve pounds weight, which afforded us a good dinner. The
river Dinder is between fifty and sixty miles from the Rahad at
this point, but towards the north the two rivers approximate
closely, and keep a course almost parallel. The banks of the
Rahad are in many places perpendicular, and are about forty-five
feet above the bed. This river flows through rich alluvial soil;
the country is a vast level plane, with so trifling a fall that
the current of the river is gentle; the course is extremely
circuitous, and although, when bank full, the Rahad possesses a
considerable volume, it is very inferior as a Nile tributary to
any river that I have visited to the east of Gallabat."


CHAPTER XXI.

FERTILITY OF THE COUNTRY ON THE BANKS OF THE RAHAD.

WE daily followed the banks of the Rahad, the monotony of which
I will not inflict upon the public. This country was a vast tract
of wonderfully fertile prairie, that nearly formed an island,
surrounded by the Rahad, Blue Nile, Great Nile, and Atbara; it
was peopled by various tribes of Arabs, who cultivated a
considerable extent upon the banks of the Rahad, which for
upwards of a hundred miles to the north were bordered with
villages at short intervals. Cotton and tobacco were produced
largely, and we daily met droves of camels laden with these
goods, en route for the Abyssinian market. We had now fairly
quitted Abyssinian territory, and upon our arrival at the Rahad
we were upon the soil of Upper Egypt. I was much struck with the
extraordinary size and condition of the cattle. Corn (dhurra) was
so plentiful that it was to be purchased in any quantity for
eight piastres the rachel, or about 1s. 8d. for 500 pounds;
pumpkins were in great quantities, with a description of gourd
with an exceedingly strong shell, which is grown especially for
bowls and other utensils; camel-loads of these gourd-basins
packed in conical crates were also journeying on the road towards
Gallabat. Throughout the course of the Rahad the banks are high,
and, when full, the river would average forty feet in depth, with
a gentle stream, the course free from rocks and shoals, and
admirably adapted for small steamers.

The entire country would be a mine of wealth were it planted with
cotton, which could be transported by camels to Katariff, and
thence direct to Souakim. We travelled for upwards of a hundred
miles along the river, through the unvarying scene of flat
alluvial soil; the south bank was generally covered with low
jungle. The Arabs were always civil, and formed a marked contrast
to the Tokrooris; they were mostly of the Roofar tribe. Although
there had been a considerable volume of water in the river at the
point where we had first met it, the bed was perfectly dry about
fifty miles farther north, proving the great power of absorption
by the sand. The Arabs obtained water from deep pools in the
river, similar to those in the Atbara, but on a small scale, of
not sufficient importance to contain hippopotami, which at this
season retired to the river Dinder. Wherever we slept we were
besieged by gaping crowds of Arabs: these people were quite
unaccustomed to strangers, as the route we had chosen along the
banks of the Rahad was entirely out of the line adopted by the
native merchants and traders of Khartoum, who travelled via Abou
Harraz and Katariff to Gallabat. These Arabs were, as usual,
perfectly wild, and ignorant of everything that did not
immediately concern them. My compass had always been a source of
wonder to the natives, and I was asked whether by looking into it
I rould distinguish the "market days" of the different villages.
My own Tokrooris continually referred to me for information on
various topics, and, if I declined to reply, they invariably
begged me to examine my moondera (mirror), as they termed the
compass, and see what it would say. This country swarmed with
Arabs, and abounded in supplies: superb fat oxen were seven
dollars each; large fowls were a penny; and eggs were at the rate
of nine for a penny farthing.

We arrived at a large village, Sherrem, on May 11, having marched
118 miles in a straight line along the course of the Rahad. The
heat was extreme, but I had become so thoroughly accustomed to
the sun that I did not feel it so much as my men, whose heads
were covered with a thin cap of cotton (the tageea). My camel-men
had expected to find their families at a village that we had
passed about six miles from Sherrem, and they had been rejoicing
in anticipation, but on arrival we found it deserted,--"family
out of town;" the men were quite dejected; but upon arrival at
Sherrem they found all their people, who had migrated for water,
as the river was dry. We waited at Sherrem for a couple of days
to rest the men, whose feet were much swollen with marching on
the burning soil. Although frequent showers had fallen at
Gallabat, we had quickly entered the dry country upon steering
north, where neither dew nor rain had moistened the ground for
many months. The country was treeless on the north bank of the
Rahad, and the rich alluvial soil was free from a single stone or
pebble for many miles. Although for 118 miles we had travelled
along the course of the Rahad, throughout this distance only one
small brook furrowed the level surface and added its waters
during the rainy season to the river; the earth absorbed the
entire rainfall. Our camels were nearly driven mad by the flies
which swarmed throughout the fertile districts.

On the 15th of May we arrived at Kook, a small village on the
banks of the Rahad, and on the following morning we started to
the west for the river Dinder. The country was the usual rich
soil, but covered with high grass and bush; it was uninhabited,
except by wandering Arabs and their flocks, that migrate at the
commencement of the rainy season, when this land becomes a mere
swamp, and swarms with the seroot fly. At 6.30 we halted, and
slept on the road. This was the main route to Sennaar, from which
place strings of camels were passing to the Rahad, to purchase
corn. On the 16th of May, we started by moonlight at 4.30 A.M.
due west, and at 7.30 A.M. we arrived at the river Dinder, which,
at this point, was eighteen miles from the village of Kook, on
the Rahad.

We joined a camp of the Kunana Arabs, who at this season throng
the banks of the Dinder. This river is similar in character to
the Rahad, but larger: the average breadth is about a hundred and
ten yards: the banks are about fifty feet high, and the immediate
vicinity is covered with thick jungle of nabbuk and thorny
acacias, with a great quantity of the Acacia Arabica, that
produces the garra, already described as valuable for tanning
leather. I made ink with this fruit, pounded and boiled, to which
I added a few rusty nails, and allowed it to stand for about
twenty-four hours. The Dinder was exceedingly deep in many
places, although in others the bed was dry, with the exception of
a most trifling stream that flowed through a narrow channel in
the sand, about an inch in depth. The Arabs assured me that the
crocodiles in this river were more dangerous than in any other,
and their flocks of goats and sheep were attended by a great
number of boys, to prevent the animals from descending to the
water to drink, except in such places as had been prepared for
them by digging small holes in the sand. I saw many of these
creatures, of very large size; and, as I strolled along the banks
of the river, I found a herd of hippopotami, of which I shot two,
to the great delight of my people, who had been much disappointed
at the absence of game throughout our journey from Gallabat. We
had travelled upwards of 200 miles without having seen so much as
a gazelle, neither had we passed any tracks of large game,
except, upon one occasion, those of a few giraffes. I had been
told that the Dinder country was rich in game, but, at this
season, it was swarming with Arabs, and was so much disturbed
that everything had left the country, and the elephants merely
drank during the night, and retreated to distant and impenetrable
jungles. At night we heard a lion roar, but this, instead of
being our constant nightingale, as upon the Settite river, was
now an uncommon sound. The maneless lion is found on the banks of
the Dinder; all that I saw, in the shape of game, in the
neighbourhood of that river and the Rahad, were a few hippopotami
and crocodiles. The stream of the Dinder is obstructed with many
snags and trunks of fallen trees that would be serious obstacles
to rapid navigation: these are the large stems of the soont
(Acacia Arabica), that, growing close to the edge, have fallen
into the river when the banks have given way. I was astonished at
the absence of elephants in such favourable ground; for some
miles I walked along the margin of the river without seeing a
track of any date. Throughout this country, these animals are so
continually hunted that they have become exceedingly wary, and
there can be little doubt that their numbers are much reduced.
Even in the beautiful shooting country comprised between the
river Gash and Gallabat, although we had excellent sport, I had
been disappointed at the number of elephants, which I had
expected to find in herds of many hundreds, instead of forty or
fifty, which was the largest number that I had seen together. The
habits of all animals generally depend upon the nature of the
localities they inhabit. Thus, as these countries were subject to
long drought and scarcity of water, the elephants were, in some
places, contented with drinking every alternate day. Where they
were much hunted by the aggageers, they would seldom drink twice
consecutively in the same river; but, after a long draught in the
Settite, they would march from twenty-five to thirty miles, and
remain for a day between that river and the Mareb or Gash, to
which they would hurry on the following night. At other times,
these wily animals would drink in the Settite, and retire to the
south; feeding upon Mek Nimmur's corn-fields, they would hurry
forward to the river Salaam, about thirty miles distant, and from
thence, in a similar manner, either to the Atbara on one side, or
into the Abyssinian mountains, where, at all times, they could
procure a supply of water. I have frequently discovered fresh
grains of dhurra in their dung, at a great distance from the
nearest corn-field; when the rapid digestion of the elephant is
considered, it must be allowed that the fresh dung found in the
morning bore witness to the theft of corn during the past night;
thus the elephant had marched many miles after feeding. In the
"Rifle and Hound in Ceylon," published in 1854, I gave a detailed
description of the elephants of that country, which, although
peculiar in the general absence of tusks, are the same as the
Indian species.

Although the elephant is found throughout many countries,
extending over an enormous area, there are only two species at
present in existence,--the Indian and African; these are totally
different in their habits, and are distinguished by peculiarities
of form. The most striking difference is in the shape of the head
and spine. The head of the Indian species is perfectly distinct;
the forehead, when held in the natural position of inaction, is
perpendicular; and above the slight convexity at the root of the
trunk there is a depression, in shape like a herald's shield: a
bullet in the lower portion of that shield would reach the brain
in a direct line. The head of the African elephant is completely
convex from the commencement of the trunk to the back of the
skull, and the brain is situated much lower than in that of the
Indian species; the bone is of a denser quality, and the cases
for the reception of the tusks are so closely parallel, that
there is barely room for a bullet to find a chance of penetrating
to the brain; it must be delivered in the exact centre, and
extremely low, in the very root of the trunk; even then it will
frequently pass above the brain, as the animal generally carries
his head high, and thrown slightly back. The teeth of the African
elephant differ materially from those of the Indian, by
containing a lesser number of laminae or plates, the surfaces of
which, instead of exhibiting straight and parallel lines like
those of the Indian, are shaped in slight curves, which increase
the power of grinding. The ears of the African species are
enormous, and when thrown back they completely cover the
shoulders; they are also entirely different in shape from those
of the Indian species. When an African bull elephant advances in
full charge with his ears cocked, his head measures about
fourteen feet from the tip of one ear to that of the other, in a
direct line across the forehead. I have frequently cut off the
ear to form a mat, upon which I have slept beneath the shade of
a tree, while my people divided the animal.

The back of the Indian elephant is exceedingly convex; that of
the African is exactly the reverse, and the concavity behind the
shoulders is succeeded by a peculiarity in the sudden rise of the
spine above the hips. The two species are not only distinct in
certain peculiarities of form, but they differ in their habits.
The Indian elephant dislikes the sun, and invariably retreats to
thick shady forests at sunrise; but I have constantly found the
African species enjoying themselves in the burning sun in the
hottest hours of the day, among plains of withered grass, many
miles from a jungle. The African is more active than the Indian,
and not only is faster in his movements, but is more capable of
enduring long marches, as proved by the great distances through
which it travels to seek its food in the native's corn-fields. In
all countries, the bulls are fiercer than the females. I cannot
see much difference in character between the Indian and the
African species; it is the fashion for some people to assert that
the elephant is an innocent and harmless creature, that, like the
giraffe it is almost a sin to destroy. I can only say that,
during eight years' experience in Ceylon, and nearly five years'
in Africa, I have found that elephants are the most formidable
animals with which a sportsman has to contend. The African
species is far more dangerous than the Indian, as the forehead
shot can never be trusted; therefore the hunter must await the
charge with a conviction that his bullet will fail to kill.

The African elephant is about a foot higher than the average of
the Indian species. The bulls of the former are about ten feet
six inches at the shoulder; the females are between nine feet and
nine feet six. Of course there are many bulls that exceed this
height, and I have seen some few of both species that might equal
twelve feet, but those are the exceptional Goliaths.

The tusks of elephants vary considerably, and there appears to be
no rule to determine a reason for their size and quality. In
Abyssinia and Taka, a single tusk of a bull elephant seldom
exceeds forty pounds, nor do they average more than twenty-five,
but in Central Africa they average about forty, and I have seen
them upwards of one hundred and fifty pounds. The largest that I
have had the good fortune to bag was eighty pounds; the
fellow-tusk was slightly below seventy. Elephants invariably use
one tusk in preference, as we use the right hand; thus it is
difficult to obtain an exact pair, as the Hadam (or servant), as
the Arabs call the working tusk, is generally much worn. The
African elephant is a more decided tree-feeder than the Indian,
and the destruction committed by a large herd of such animals
when feeding in a mimosa forest is extraordinary; they
deliberately march forward, and uproot or break down every tree
that excites their appetite. The mimosas are generally from
sixteen to twenty feet high, and, having no tap-root, they are
easily overturned by the tusks of the elephants, which are driven
like crowbars beneath the roots, and used as levers, in which
rough labour they are frequently broken. Upon the overthrow of a
tree, the elephants eat the roots and leaves, and strip the bark
from the branches by grasping them with their rough trunks.

The African elephant is equally docile as the Indian, when
domesticated, but we have no account of a negro tribe that has
ever tamed one of these sagacious animals: their only maxim is
"kill and eat." Although the flesh of the elephant is extremely
coarse, the foot and trunk are excellent, if properly cooked. A
hole should be dug in the earth, about four feet deep, and two
feet six inches in diameter, the sides of which should be
perpendicular; in this a large fire should be lighted, and kept
burning for four or five hours with a continual supply of wood,
so that the walls become red-hot. At the expiration of the blaze,
the foot should be laid upon the glowing embers, and the hole
covered closely with thick pieces of green wood laid parallel
together to form a ceiling; this should be covered with wet
grass, and the whole plastered with mud, and stamped tightly down
to retain the heat. Upon the mud, a quantity of earth should be
heaped, and the oven should not be opened for thirty hours, or
more. At the expiration of that time, the foot will be perfectly
baked, and the sole will separate like a shoe, and expose a
delicate substance that, with a little oil and vinegar, together
with an allowance of pepper and salt, is a delicious dish that
will feed about fifty men.

The Arabs are particularly fond of elephant's flesh, as it is
generally fat and juicy. I have frequently used the fat of the
animal for cooking, but it should be taken from the body without
delay; as, if left for a few hours, it partakes of the peculiar
smell of the elephant, which no amount of boiling will overcome.
The boiling of fat for preservation requires much care, as it
should attain so great a heat that a few drops of water thrown
upon the surface will hiss and evaporate as though cast upon
molten metal; it should then be strained, and, when tolerably
cool, be poured into vessels, and secured. No salt is necessary,
provided it is thoroughly boiled. When an animal is killed, the
flesh should be properly dried, before boiling down, otherwise
the fat will not melt thoroughly, as it will be combined with the
water contained in the body. The fat should be separated as well
as possible from the meat; it should then be hung in long strips
upon a line and exposed in the sun to dry; when nearly dried, it
should be cut into pieces of about two inches in length, and
placed in a large vessel over a brisk fire, and kept constantly
stirred. As the fat boils out from the meat, the residue should
be taken out with a pierced ladle; this, when cool, should be
carefully preserved in leathern bags. This is called by the Arabs
"reveet," a supply of which is most valuable, as a quantity can
be served out to each man during a long march when there is no
time to halt; it can be eaten without bread, and it is extremely
nourishing. With a good supply of reveet in store, the traveller
need not be nervous about his dinner. Dried meat should also be
kept in large quantities; the best is that of the giraffe and
hippopotamus, but there is some care required in preparing the
first quality. It should be cut from portions of the animals as
free as possible from sinews, and should be arranged in long thin
strips of the diameter of about an inch and a quarter; these
ribbon-like morsels should be hung in the shade. When nearly dry,
they should be taken down, and laid upon a flat rock, upon which
they should be well beaten with a stone, or club of hard wood;
this breaks the fibre; after which they should be hung up and
thoroughly dried, care being taken that the flesh is not exposed
to the sun. If many flies are present, the flesh should be
protected by the smoke of fires lighted to windward.

When meat is thus carefully prepared, it can be used in various
ways, and is exceedingly palatable; if pounded into small pieces
like coarse sawdust, it forms an admirable material for curry and
rice. The Arabs make a first-class dish of melach, by mixing a
quantity of pounded dried meat with a thick porridge of dhurra
meal, floating in a soup of barmian (waker), with onions, salt,
and red peppers; this is an admirable thing if the party is
pressed for time (if not too hot, as a large quantity can be
eaten with great expedition. As the Arabs are nomadic, they have
a few simple but effective arrangements for food during the
journey. For a fortnight preparatory to an expedition, the women
are busily engaged in manufacturing a supply of abrey. This is
made in several methods: there is the sour, and the sweet abrey;
the former is made of highly-fermented dhurra paste that has
turned intensely acid; this is formed into thin wafers, about
sixteen inches in diameter, upon the doka or hearth, and dried in
the sun until the abrey has become perfectly crisp; the wafers
are then broken up with the hands, and packed in bags. There is
no drink more refreshing than water poured over a handful of sour
abrey, and allowed to stand for half an hour; it becomes
pleasantly acid, and is superior to lemonade. The residue is
eaten by the Arabs: thus the abrey supplies both meat and drink.
The finest quality of sweet abrey is a very delicate affair; the
flour of dhurra must be well sifted; it is then mixed with milk
instead of water, and, without fermenting, it is formed into thin
wafers similar to those eaten with ice-creams in this country,
but extremely large; these are dried in the sun, and crushed like
the sour abrey; they will keep for months if kept dry in a
leathern bag. A handful of sweet abrey steeped in a bowl of hot
milk, with a little honey, is a luxurious breakfast; nothing can
be more delicious, and it can be prepared in a few minutes during
the short halt upon a journey. With a good supply of abrey and
dried meat, the commissariat arrangements are wonderfully
simplified, and a party can march a great distance without much
heavy baggage to impede their movements.

The flesh that is the least adapted for drying is that of the
buffalo (Bos Caffer), which is exceedingly tough and coarse.
There are two species of the Bos Caffer in Abyssinia and Central
Africa, which, similar in general appearance, differ in the
horns; that which resembles the true Bos Caffer of South Africa
has very massive convex horns that unite in front, and completely
cover the forehead as with a shield; the other variety has
massive, but perfectly flat horns of great breadth, that do not
quite unite over the os frontis, although nearly so; the flatness
of the horns continues in a rough surface, somewhat resembling
the bark of a tree, for about twelve inches; the horns then
become round, and curve gracefully inwards, like those of the
convex species. Buffaloes are very dangerous and determined
animals; but, although more accidents occur in hunting these than
any other variety of game, I cannot admit that they are such
formidable opponents as the elephant and black rhinoceros; they
are so much more numerous than the latter, that they are more
frequently encountered: hence the casualties.

A buffalo can always be killed with a No. 10 rifle and six
drachms of powder when charging, if the hunter will only wait
coolly until it is so close that he cannot miss the forehead; but
the same rifle will fail against an African elephant, or a black
rhinoceros, as the horns of the latter animal effectually protect
the brain from a front shot. I have killed some hundreds of
buffaloes, and, although in many cases they have been
unpleasantly near, the rifle has always won the day. There cannot
be a more convenient size than No. 10 for a double rifle, for
large game. This will throw a conical projectile of three ounces,
with seven drachms of powder. Although a breechloader is a
luxury, I would not have more than a pair of such rifles in an
expedition in a wild country, as they would require more care in
a damp climate than the servants would be likely to bestow upon
them, and the ammunition would be a great drawback. This should
be divided into packets of ten cartridges each, which should be
rolled up in flannel and hermetically sealed in separate tin
canisters. Thus arranged, they would be impervious to damp, and
might be carried conveniently. But I should decidedly provide
myself with four double-barrelled muzzle-loading No. 10's as my
regular battery; that, if first class, would never get out of
order. Nothing gives such confidence to the gun-bearers as the
fact of their rifles being good slayers, and they quickly learn
to take a pride in their weapons, and to strive in the race to
hand the spare rifles. Dust storms, such as I have constantly
witnessed in Africa, would be terrible enemies to breech-loaders,
as the hard sand, by grating in the joints, would wear away the
metal, and destroy the exactness of the fittings.

A small handy double rifle, such as my little Fletcher 24, not
exceeding eight pounds and a half, is very necessary, as it
should seldom be out of the hand. Such a rifle should be a
breech-loader, as the advantage of loading quickly while on
horseback is incalculable. Hunting-knives should be of soft
steel, similar to butchers' knives; but one principal knife to be
worn daily should be of harder steel, with the back of the blade
roughed and case-hardened like a butcher's steel, for sharpening
other knives when required.

All boxes for rough travelling should be made of strong metal,
japanned. These are a great comfort, as they are proof both
against insects and weather, and can be towed with their contents
across a river.

Travelling is now so generally understood, that it is hardly
necessary to give any instructions for the exploration of wild
countries; but a few hints may be acceptable upon points that,
although not absolutely essential, tend much to the comfort of
the traveller. A couple of large carriage umbrellas with double
lining, with small rings fixed to the extremities of the ribs,
and a spike similar to that of a fishing-rod to screw into the
handle, will form an instantaneous shelter from sun or rain
during a halt on the march, as a few strings from the rings will
secure it from the wind, if pegged to the ground. Waterproof
calico sheeting should be taken in large quantities, and a
tarpaulin to protect the baggage during the night's bivouac. No
vulcanised India-rubber should be employed in tropical climates;
it rots, and becomes useless. A quart syringe for injecting brine
into fresh meat is very necessary. In hot climates, the centre of
the joint will decompose before the salt can penetrate to the
interior, but an injecting syringe will thoroughly preserve the
meat in a few minutes. A few powerful fox-traps are useful for
catching night-game in countries where there is no large game for
the rifle: also wire is useful for making springs.

Several sticks of Indian-ink are convenient, as sufficient can be
rubbed up in a few moments to write up the note-book during the
march. All journals and note-books should be of tinted paper,
green, as the glare of white paper in the intense sunlight of the
open sky is most trying to the eyes. Burning glasses and flint
and steels are very necessary. Lucifer matches are dangerous, as
they may ignite and destroy your baggage in dry weather, and
become utterly useless in the damp.

A large supply of quicksilver should be taken for the admixture
with lead for hardening bullets, in addition to that required for
the artificial horizon; the effect of this metal is far greater
than a mixture of tin, as the specific gravity of the bullet is
increased.

Throughout a long experience in wild sports, although I admire
the velocity of conical projectiles, I always have retained my
opinion that, in jungle countries, where in the absence of dogs
you require either to disable your game on the spot, or to
produce a distinct blood-track that is easily followed, the
old-fashioned two-groove belted ball will bag more game than
modern bullets; but, on the other hand, the facility of loading
a conical bullet already formed into a cartridge is a great
advantage. The shock produced by a pointed projectile is nothing
compared to that of the old belted ball, unless it is on the
principle of Purday's high velocity expanding bullet, which,
although perfection for deer-shooting, would be useless against
thick-skinned animals, such as buffalo and rhinoceros. In Africa,
the variety of game is such, that it is impossible to tell, when
loading, at what animal the bullet will be fired; therefore, it
is necessary to be armed with a rifle suitable for all comers. My
little Fletcher was the Enfield bore, No. 24, and, although a
most trusty weapon, the bullets generally failed to penetrate the
skull of hippopotami, except in places where the bone was thin,
such as behind the ear, and beneath the eyes. Although I killed
great numbers of animals with the Enfield bullet, the success was
due to tolerably correct shooting, as I generally lost the larger
antelopes if wounded by that projectile in any place but the
neck, head, or shoulder; the wound did not bleed freely,
therefore it was next to impossible to follow up the blood-track;
thus a large proportion of wounded animals escaped.

I saw, and shot, thirteen varieties of antelopes while in Africa.
Upon arrival at Khartoum, I met Herr von Heuglin, who commanded
the expedition in search of Dr. Vogel; he was an industrious
naturalist, who had been many years in the Soudan and in
Abyssinia. We compared notes of all we had seen and done, and he
very kindly supplied me with a list of all the antelopes that he
had been able to trace as existing in Abyssinia and the Soudan;
he now included my maarif, which he had never met with, and which
he agreed was a new species. In the following list, which is an
exact copy of that which he had arranged, those marked with an
asterisk are species that I have myself shot:--

Catalogue des especes du genre "ANTILOPE," observees en Egypte,
dans la Nubie, au Soudan orientale et en Abissinie.

A.--GAZELLA, Blains.

1.--Spec. G. Dorcas.* Arab. Ghasal.

2.--G. Arabica,* Ehr. A la cote de la Mer rouge.

3.--G. Loevipes, Sund. Arab. Abou Horabet? Nubie, Taka, Sennaar,
Kordofan.

4.--G. spec. (?) en Tigreh Choquen (Bogos).

5.--G. Dama,* Licht. Arab. Adra, Ledra. Riel, Bajouda, Berber,
Sennaar, Kordofan.

6.--G. Soemmeringii, Rupp. Arab. Om Oreba. Tigreh, Arab. Taka,
Massowa, Gedaref, Berber, Sennaar.

7.--G. Leptoceros. Arab. Abou Harab. Gazelle a longues cornes,
minces et paralleles. Bajouda, Berber, Taka, Sennaar, Kordofan.

B.--CALOTRAGUS, Luad.

8.--C. montanus,* Rupp. Arab. Otrab and El Mor. Amhar, Fiego,
Sennaar, Abissinie, Taka, Galabat.

9.--C. Saltatrix, Forst. Amhar. Sasa. Abissinie.

C.--NANOTRAGUS, Wagn.

10.--N. Hemprichianus, Ehr. Arab. Om dig dig. Abissinie orientale
et occidentale, Taka, Kordofan.

D.--CEPHALOLOPHUS, H. Smith.

11.--C. Madaqua. Amhar. Midakoua. Galabat, Barka, Abissinie.

12, 13.--Deux especes inconnues du Fleuve blanc, nominees par les
Djenkes, "Amok."

E.--REDUNCA.

14.--R. Eleotragus, Schrb. Djenke, Bor. Bahr el Abiad.

15.--R. Behor, Rupp. Amhar. Behor. Abissinie centrale, Kordofan.

16.--R. Kull, nov. spec. Djenke, Koul. Bahr el Abiad.

17.--R. leucotis, Peters et Licht. Djenke, Adjel. Bahr el Abiad,
Saubat.

18.--R. Wuil, nov. spec. Djenke, Ouil. Bahr el Abiad, Saubat.

19.--R. Lechee,* Gray. Bahr el Abiad.

20.--R. megcerosa,* Heuglin. Kobus Maria, Gray. Djenke, Abok,
Saubat, Bahr el Abiad et Bahr Ghazal.

21.--R. Defassa,* Rupp. Arab. Om Hetehet. Amhar. Dofasa. Djenke,
Bor. Bahr el Salame, Galabat, Kordofan, Bahr el Abiad, Dender,
Abissinie occidentale et centrale.

22.--R. ellipsiprymna, Ogilby. Djenke, Bor. Bahr el Abiad.

F.--HIPPOTRAGUS, Sund.

23.--H. niger, Harris. Arab. Abou Maarif. Kordofan meridionale,
fleuve Blanc (Chilouk).

24.--H. nov. spec. Arab. Abou Maarif.*--Bakerii.* Bahr el Salaam,
Galabat Dender, fleuve BIeu, Sennaar meridionale.

25.--H. Beisa, Rupp. Arab. Beisa et Damma. Souakim, Massowa,
Danakil, Somauli, Kordofan.

26.--H. ensicornis, Ehr. Arab. Ouahoh el bagr. Nubie, Berber,
Kordofan.

27.--H. Addax, Licht. Arab. Akach. Bajouda, Egypte occidentale
(Oasis de Siouah).

G.--TAUROTRAGUS, Wagn.

28.--T. Orcas, Pall. (Antilope Canna). Djenke, Goualgonal. Bahr
el Abiad.

29.--T. gigas, nov. spec. Chez les pleuplades Atoats, au Bahr el
Abiad.

H.--TRAGELAPHUS, Blains.

30.--Tr. strepsiceros (Pallas). Arab. Nellet, Miremreh. Tigreh,
Garona. Ambar. Agazen. Abissinie, Sennaar, Homran, Galabat,
Kordofan.

31.--Tr. sylvaticus, Spaerm. Bahr el Abiad.

32.--Tr. Dekula, Rupp. Amhar. Dekoula. Arab. Houch. Djenke, Ber.
Taka, Abissinie, Bahr el Abiad.

I.--BUBALIS.

33.--B. Mauritanica, Sund. (Antilope Bubalis, Cuvier). Arab.
Tetel; Tigreh, Tori. Taka, Homran, Barka, Galabat, Kordofan, Bahr
el Abiad.

34.--B. Caama, Cuv. Arab. Tetel. Djenke, Awalwon. Bahr el Abiad,
Kordofan meridionale.

35.--B. Senegalensis, H. Smith. Bahr el Abiad.

36.--B. Tiang, nov. spec. Djenke, Tian. Bahr el Abiad, Bahr
Ghazal.

37.--B. Tian-riel, nov. spec. Bahr el Abiad.

SPECIES INCERTAE

"Soada," au Oualkait et Mareb (Taurotragus?).

"Uorobo," au Godjam, Agow (Hippotragus).

"Ouoadembi." March, Oualkait (Hippotragus).

"El Mor." Sennaar, Fazogle (Nanotragus?).

"El Khondieh." Kordofan (Redunca?).

"Om Khat." Kordofan (Gazella?).

"El Hamra." Kordofan, Bajouda (Gazella?).


CHAPTER XXII.

WE LEAVE THE DINDER.

FOR some days we continued our journey along the banks of the
Dinder, and as the monotonous river turned towards the junction
with the Blue Nile, a few miles distant, we made a direct cut
across the flat country, to cross the Rahad and arrive at Abou
Harraz on the Blue Nile. We passed numerous villages and
extensive plantations of dhurra that were deserted by the Arabs,
as the soldiers had arrived to collect the taxes. I measured the
depths of the wells, seventy-five feet and a half, from the
surface to the bottom; the alluvial soil appeared to continue the
whole distance, until the water was discovered resting upon hard
sand, full of small particles of mica. During the march over a
portion of the country that had been cleared by burning, we met
a remarkably curious hunting-party. A number of the common black
and white stork were hunting for grasshoppers and other insects,
but mounted upon the back of each stork was a large
copper-coloured flycatcher, which, perched like a rider on his
horse, kept a bright look-out for insects, which from its
elevated position it could easily discover upon the ground. I
watched them for some time: whenever the storks perceived a
grasshopper or other winged insect, they chased it on foot, but
if they missed their game, the flycatchers darted from their
backs and flew after the insects like falcons, catching them in
their beaks, and then returning to their steeds to look out for
another opportunity.

On the evening of the 23d May we arrived at the Rahad close to
its junction with the Blue Nile: it was still dry, although the
Dinder was rising. I accounted for this, from the fact of the
extreme length of the Rahad's bed, which, from its extraordinary
tortuous course, must absorb a vast amount of water in the dry
sand, before the advancing stream can reach the Nile. Both the
Rahad and Dinder rise in the mountains of Abyssinia, at no great
distance from each other, and during the rains they convey a
large volume of water to the Blue Nile. Upon arrival at Abou
Harraz, four miles to the north of the Rahad junction, we had
marched, by careful dead reckoning, two hundred and eighty miles
from Gallabat. We were now about a hundred and fifteen miles from
Khartoum, and we stood upon the banks of the magnificent Blue
Nile, the last of the Abyssinian affluents.

About six miles above this spot, on the south bank of the river,
is the large town of Wat Medene, which is the principal
trading-place upon the river. Abou Harraz was a miserable spot,
and was only important as the turning point upon the road to
Katariff from Khartoum. The entire country upon both sides of the
river is one vast unbroken level of rich soil, wlich on the north
and east sides is bounded by the Atbara. The entire surface of
this fertile country might be cultivated with cotton. All that is
required to insure productiveness, is a regular supply of water,
which might be artificially arranged without much difficulty. The
character of all the Abyssinian rivers is to rise and fall
suddenly; thus at one season there is an abundance of water, to
be followed by a scarcity: but in all the fertile provinces
adjacent to the Settite and the upper portion of the Atbara, the
periodical rains can be absolutely depended upon, from June to
the middle of September; thus, they are peculiarly adapted for
cotton, as a dry season is insured for gathering the crop. As we
advance to the north, and reach Abou Harraz, we leave the rainy
zone. When we had left Gallabat, the grass had sprung several
inches, owing to the recent showers; but as we had proceeded
rapidly towards the north, we had entered upon vast dusty plains
devoid of a green blade; the rainy season between Abou Harraz and
Khartoum consisted of mere occasional storms, that, descending
with great violence, quickly passed away. Nothing would be more
simple than to form a succession of weirs across the Rahad and
Dinder, that would enable the entire country to be irrigated at
any season of the year, but there is not an engineering work of
any description throughout Upper Egypt, beyond the sageer or
water-wheel of the Nile. Opposite Abou Harraz, the Blue Nile was
a grand river, about five hundred yards in width; the banks upon
the north side were the usual perpendicular cliffs of alluvial
soil, but perfectly bare of trees; while, on the south, the banks
were ornamented with nabbuk bushes and beautiful palms. The
latter are a peculiar species known by the Arabs as "dolape"
(Borassus AEthiopicus): the stem is long, and of considerable
thickness, but in about the centre of its length it swells to
nearly half its diameter in excess, and after a few feet of extra
thickness it continues its original size to the summit, which is
crowned by a handsome crest of leaves shaped like those of the
palmyra. The fruit of this palm is about the size of a cocoa-nut,
and when ripe it is of a bright yellow, with an exceedingly rich
perfume of apricots; it is very stringy, and, although eaten by
the natives, it is beyond the teeth of a European. The Arabs cut
it into slices, and boil it with water until they obtain a strong
syrup. Subsequently I found this palm in great quantities near
the equator.

At Abou Harraz I discharged my camels, and endeavoured to engage
a boat to convey us to Khartoum, thus to avoid the dusty and
uninteresting ride of upwards of a hundred miles along its flat
and melancholy banks; but there was not a vessel of any kind to
be seen upon the river, except one miserable, dirty affair, for
which the owner demanded fourteen hundred piastres for a passage.
We accordingly procured camels, and started, intending to march
as rapidly as possible.

"June 2, 1862.--We packed the camels in the morning and started
them off to Rufaar. We followed at 2.30 P.M. as the natives
declared it was half a day's journey; but we did not arrive until
8.30 P.M. having marched about twenty-one miles. The town is
considerable, and is the head-quarters of our old friend, the
great Sheik Achmet Abou Sinn; he is now absent, but his son Ali
is at home. He received us very kindly, and lodged us in his own
house within a large inclosed court, with a well of good water in
the centre. Having read my firman, be paid us the usual
compliments, but he lacked the calm dignity and ease of manner of
his grand old father. He sat stiffly upon the divan, occasionally
relieving the monotony of his position by lifting up the cover of
the cushions, and spitting beneath it. Not having a handkerchief,
but only the limited natural advantages of a finger and thumb, a
cold in the head gave him much trouble, and unpleasant marks upon
the wall exhibited hieroglyphics of recent date, that were ill
adapted to the reception-room of an Arab chieftain. In about an
hour he departed, and shortly after, a dinner of four dishes was
brought. No. 1 was an Arab Irish stew, but alas! MINUS the
potatoes; it was very good, nevertheless, as the mutton was fat.
No. 2 was an Arab stew, with no Irish element; it was very hot
with red pepper, and rather dry. No. 3 was a good quick fry of
small pieces of mutton in butter and garlic (very good); and No.
4 was an excellent dish of the usual melach, already described.

The wind had within the last few days changed to south, and we
had been subjected to dust storms and sudden whirlwinds similar
to those we had experienced at this season in the preceding year,
when about to start from Berber. We left Rufaar, and continued
our march along the banks of the Blue Nile, towards Khartoum. It
was intensely hot; whenever we felt a breeze it was accompanied
with a suffocating dust, but the sight of the broad river was
cool and refreshing. During the dry season the water of the Blue
Nile is clear, as its broad surface reflects the colour of the
blue sky; hence the appellation, but at that time it was
extremely shallow, and in many places it is fordable at a depth
of about three feet, which renders it unnavigable for large
boats, which, laden with corn, supply Khartoum from the fertile
provinces of the south. The river had now begun to rise, although
it was still low, and the water was muddy, as the swelling
torrents of Abyssinia brought impurities into the main channel.
It was at this same time last year, when at Berber, that we had
noticed the sudden increase and equally sudden fall of the Nile,
that was influenced by the fluctuations of the Blue Nile, at a
time when the Atbara was dry.

From Abou Harraz throughout the route to Khartoum there is no
object of interest; it is the same vast flat, decreasing rapidly
in fertility until it mingles with the desert; and once more, as
we journey to the north, we leave the fertile lands behind, and
enter upon sterility. The glare of barren plains and the heat of
the summer's sun were fearful. Bacheet had a slight coup de
soleil; my Tokrooris, whose woolly heads were shaved, and simply
covered with a thin skull-cap, suffered severely, as we marched
throughout the burning hours of the day. The Arabs were generally
very inhospitable, as this was the route frequented by all native
merchants, where strangers were of daily occurrence; but towards
evening we arrived at a village inhabited by a large body of
Fakeers, or priests. As we entered, we were met by the principal
Faky, who received us with marked attention, and with a charming
courtesy of manner that quite won our hearts; he expressed
himself as delighted at our arrival, hoped we were not fatigued
by the heat, and trusted that we would rest for a few minutes
before we departed to the enchanting village "just beyond those
trees," as he pointed to a clump of green nabbuk on the yellow
plain, about a mile distant; there, he assured us, we could
obtain all kinds of supplies, together with shade, and a lovely
view of the river. We were delighted with this very gentlemanly
Faky, and, saying adieu with regret, we hurried on to the
promised village "just beyond those trees."

For fourteen miles we travelled, hungry and tired, beyond the
alluring clump of trees, along the wild desert of hot sand
without a habitation; the only portion of truth in the Faky's
description was the "lovely view of the river," that certainly
accompanied us throughout our journey. We were regularly "sold"
by the cunning Faky, who, not wishing to be incommoded by our
party, had got rid of us in a most gentlemanly manner. At length
we arrived at a village, where we had much difficulty in
procuring provisions for ourselves and people.

On the 11th June, having slept at the village of Abou Dome, we
started at sunrise, and at 9 A.M. we reached the bank of the
river, opposite to Khartoum. We were delighted with the view, as
the morning sun shone upon the capital of the Soudan provinces;
the grove of date trees shaded the numerous buildings, their dark
green foliage contrasting exquisitely with the many coloured
houses on the extreme margin of the beautiful river; long lines
of vessels and masts gave life to the scene, and we felt that
once more, after twelve months of utterly wild life, we had
arrived in civilization. We had outridden our camels, therefore
we rode through a shallow arm of the river, and arrived upon an
extensive sandbank that had been converted into a garden of
melons; from this point a large ferry-boat plied regularly to the
town on the south bank. In a few minutes we found ourselves on
board, with our sole remaining horse, Tetel, also the donkeys
that we had purchased in Berber before our expedition, and our
attendants. As we gained the centre of the river, that was about
800 yards broad, we were greeted by the snort of three of our old
friends, the hippopotami, who had been attracted to the
neighbourhood by the garden of water-melons. We landed at
Khartoum, and, having climbed up the steep bank, we inquired the
way to the British Consulate.

The difference between the view of Khartoum at the distance of a
mile, with the sun shining upon the bright river Nile in the
foreground, to the appearance of the town upon close inspection,
was about equal to the scenery of a theatre as regarded from the
boxes or from the stage; even that painful exposure of an optical
illusion would be trifling compared with the imposture of
Khartoum; the sense of sight had been deceived by distance, but
the sense of smell was outraged by innumerable nuisances, when we
set foot within the filthy and miserable town. After winding
through some narrow dusty lanes, hemmed in by high walls of
sun-baked bricks, that had fallen in gaps in several places,
exposing gardens of prickly pears and date palms, we at length
arrived at a large open place, that, if possible, smelt more
strongly than the landing spot. Around this square, which was
full of holes where the mud had been excavated for brickmaking,
were the better class of houses; this was the Belgravia of
Khartoum. In the centre of a long mud wall, ventilated by certain
attempts at frameless windows, guarded by rough wooden bars, we
perceived a large archway with closed doors; above this entrance
was a shield, with a device that gladdened my English eyes: there
was the British lion and the unicorn! Not such a lion as I had
been accustomed to meet in his native jungles, a yellow cowardly
fellow, that had often slunk away from the very prey from which
I had driven him, but a real red British lion, that, although
thin and ragged in the unhealthy climate of Khartoum, looked as
though he was pluck to the backbone.

This was the English Consulate. I regarded our lion and unicorn
for a few moments with feelings of veneration; and as Mr.
Petherick, the consul, who was then absent on the White Nile in
search of Speke and Grant, had very kindly begged me to occupy
some rooms in the Consulate, we entered a large courtyard, and
were immediately received by two ostriches that came to meet us;
these birds entertained us by an impromptu race as hard as they
could go round the courtyard, as though performing in a circus.
When this little divertissement was finished, we turned to the
right, and were shown by a servant up a flight of steps into a
large airy room that was to be our residence, which, being well
protected from the sun, was cool and agreeable. Mr. Petherick had
started from Khartoum in the preceding March, and had expected to
meet Speke and Grant in the upper portion of the Nile regions, on
their road from Zanzibar; but there are insurmountable
difficulties in those wild countries, and his expedition met with
unforeseen accidents, that, in spite of the exertions of both
himself, his very devoted wife, Dr. Murie, and two or three
Europeans, drove them from their intended path. Shortly after our
arrival at the Consulate, a vessel returned from his party with
unfavourable accounts; they had started too late in the season,
owing to some difficulties in procuring boats, and the change of
wind to the south, with violent rain, had caused great suffering,
and had retarded their progress. This same boat had brought two
leopards that were to be sent to England: these animals were led
into the courtyard, and, having been secured by chains, they
formed a valuable addition to the menagerie, which consisted of
two wild boars, two leopards, one hyaena, two ostriches, and a
cynocephalus or dog-faced baboon, who won my heart by taking an
especial fancy to me, because I had a beard like his master.

Although I take a great interest in wild animals, I confess to
have an objection to sleep in the Zoological Gardens should all
the wild beasts be turned loose. I do not believe that even the
Secretary of that learned Society would volunteer to sleep with
the lions; but as the leopards at the Khartoum Consulate
constantly broke their chains, and attacked the dogs and a cow,
and as the hyaena occasionally got loose, and the wild boars
destroyed their mud wall, and nearly killed one of my Tokrooris
during the night, by carving him like a scored leg of pork with
their tusks, the fact of sleeping in the open air in the
verandah, with the simple protection of a mosquito-netting, was
full of pleasant excitement, and was a piquante entertainment
that prevented a reaction of ennui after twelve months passed in
constant watchfulness. The shield over the Consulate door, with
the lion and the unicorn, was but a sign of the life within; as
the grand picture outside the showman's wagon may exemplify the
nature of his exhibition. I enjoyed myself extremely with these
creatures, especially when the ostriches invited themselves to
tea, and swallowed our slices of water-melons and the greater
portion of the bread from the table a few moments before we were
seated. These birds appeared to enjoy life amazingly; one kind of
food was as sweet as another; they attacked a basket of white
porcelain beads that had been returned by Mr. Petherick's men,
and swallowed them in great numbers in mistake for dhurra, until
they were driven off; they were the scavengers of the courtyard,
that consumed the dung of the camels and horses, together with
all other impurities.

For some months we resided at Khartoum, as it was necessary to
make extensive preparations for the White Nile expedition, and to
await the arrival of the north wind, which would enable us to
start early in December. Although the north and south winds blow
alternately for six months, and the former commences in October,
it does not extend many degrees southward until the beginning of
December. This is a great drawback to White Nile exploration, as
when near the north side of the equator, the dry season commences
in November, and closes in February; thus, the departure from
Khartoum should take place by a steamer in the latter part of
September; that would enable the traveller to leave Gondokoro,
lat. N. 4 degrees 54 minutes, shortly before November; he would
then secure three months of favourable weather for an advance
inland.

Having promised Mek Nimmur that I would lay his proposals for
peace before the Governor-General of the Soudan, I called upon
Moosa Pasha at the public divan, and delivered the message; but
he would not listen to any intercession, as he assured me that
Mek Nimmur was incorrigible, and there would be no real peace
until his death, which would be very speedy should he chance to
fall into his hands. He expressed great surprise at our having
escaped from his territory, and he declared his intention of
attacking him after he should have given the Abyssinians a
lesson, for whom he was preparing an expedition in reply to an
insolent letter that he had received from King Theodore. The King
of Abyssinia had written to him upon a question of frontier. The
substance of the document was a declaration that the Egyptians
had no right to Khartoum, and that the natural boundary of
Abyssinia was the junction of the Blue and White Niles as far
north as Shendy (Mek Nimmur's original country); and from that
point, in a direct line, to the Atbara; but that, as the desert
afforded no landmark, he should send his people to dig a ditch
from the Nile to the Atbara, and he requested that the Egyptians
would keep upon the north border. Moosa Pasha declared that the
king was mad, and that, were it not for the protection given to
Abyssinia by the English, the Egyptians would have eaten it up
long ago, but that the Christian powers would certainly interfere
should they attempt to annex the country.

The Egyptians seldom had less than twenty thousand troops in the
Soudan provinces; the principal stations were Khartoum, Cassala,
and Dongola. Cassala was close to the Abyssinian frontier, and
within from fifteen to twenty days' march of Souakim, on the Red
Sea, to which reinforcements could be despatched in five days
from Cairo. Khartoum had the advantage of the Blue Nile, that was
navigable for steamers and sailing vessels as far south as
Fazogle, from which spot, as well as from Gallabat, Abyssinia
could be invaded; while swarms of Arabs, including the celebrated
Hamrans, the Beni Amer, Hallongas, Hadendowas, Shookeriahs, and
Dabainas, could be slipped like greyhounds across the frontier.
Abyssinia is entirely at the mercy of Egypt.

Moosa Pasha subsequently started with several thousand men to
drive the Abyssinians from Gallabat, which position they had
occupied in force with the avowed intention of marching upon
Khartoum; but upon the approach of the Egyptians they fell back
rapidly across the mountains, without a sign of showing fight.
The Egyptians would not follow them, as they feared the
intervention of the European powers.

Upon our first arrival in Khartoum, from 11th June until early in
October, the heat was very oppressive, the thermometer seldom
below 95 degrees Fahr. in the shade, and frequently 100 degrees,
while the nights were 82 degrees Fahr. In the winter, the
temperature was agreeable, the shade 80 degrees, the night 62
degrees Fahr. But the chilliness of the north wind was
exceedingly dangerous, as the sudden gusts checked the
perspiration, and produced various maladies, more especially
fever. I had been extremely fortunate, as, although exposed to
hard work for more than a year in the burning sun, I had
remarkably good health, as had my wife likewise, with the
exception of one severe attack while at Sofi. Throughout the
countries we had visited, the temperature was high, averaging
about 90 degrees in the shade from May until the end of
September; but the nights were generally about 70 degrees, with
the exception of the winter months, from November until February,
when the thermometer generally fell to 85 degrees Fahr. in the
day, and sometimes as low as 58 degrees at between 2 and 5 A.M.

I shall not repeat a minute description of Khartoum that has
already been given in the "Albert N'yanza;" it is a wretchedly
unhealthy town, containing about thirty thousand inhabitants,
exclusive of troops. In spite of its unhealthiness and low
situation, on a level with the river at the junction of the Blue
and White Niles, it is the general emporium for the trade of the
Soudan, from which the productions of the country are transported
to Lower Egypt, i.e. ivory, hides, senna, gum arabic, and
bees'-wax. During my experience of Khartoum it was the hotbed of
the slave-trade. It will be remarked that the exports from the
Soudan are all natural productions. There is nothing to exhibit
the industry or capacity of the natives; the ivory is the produce
of violence and robbery; the hides are the simple sun-dried skins
of oxen; the senna grows wild upon the desert; the gum arabic
exudes spontaneously from the bushes of the jungle; and the
bees'-wax is the produce of the only industrious creatures in
that detestable country.

When we regard the general aspect of the Soudan, it is extreme
wretchedness; the rainfall is uncertain and scanty, thus the
country is a desert, dependent entirely upon irrigation. Although
cultivation is simply impossible without a supply of water, one
of the most onerous taxes is that upon the sageer or water-wheel,
with which the fields are irrigated on the borders of the Nile.
It would appear natural that, instead of a tax, a premium should
be offered for the erection of such means of irrigation, which
would increase the revenue by extending cultivation, the produce
of which might bear an impost. With all the talent and industry
of the native Egyptians, who must naturally depend upon the
waters of the Nile for their existence, it is extraordinary that
for thousands of years they have adhered to their original simple
form of mechanical irrigation, without improvement.

If any one will take the trouble to watch the action of the
sageer or water-wheel, it must strike him as a most puny effort
to obtain a great result, that would at once suggest an extension
of the principle. The sageer is merely a wheel of about twenty
feet diameter, which is furnished with numerous earthenware jars
upon its exterior circumference, that upon revolving perform the
action of a dredger, but draw to the surface water instead of
mud. The wheel, being turned by oxen, delivers the water into a
trough which passes into a reservoir, roughly fashioned with
clay, from which, small channels of about ten inches in width
radiate through the plantation. The fields, divided into squares
like a chess-board, are thus irrigated by a succession of minute
aqueducts. The root of this principle is the reservoir. A certain
steady volume of water is required, from which the arteries shall
flow throughout a large area of dry ground; thus, the reservoir
insures a regular supply to each separate channel.

In any civilized country, the existence of which depended upon
the artificial supply of water in the absence of rain, the first
engineering principle would suggest a saving of labour in
irrigation: that, instead of raising the water in small
quantities into reservoirs, the river should raise its own waters
to the required level.

Having visited every tributary of the Nile during the
explorations of nearly five years, I have been struck with the
extraordinary fact that, although an enormous amount of wealth is
conveyed to Egypt by the annual inundations of the river, the
force of the stream is entirely uncontrolled. From time
immemorial, the rise of the Nile has been watched with intense
interest at the usual season, but no attempt has been made to
insure a supply of water to Egypt during all seasons.

The mystery of the Nile has been dispelled; we have proved that
the equatorial lakes supply the main stream, but that the
inundations are caused by the sudden rush of waters from the
torrents of Abyssinia in July, August, and September; and that
the soil washed down by the floods of the Atbara is at the
present moment silting up the mouths of the Nile, and thus
slowly, but steadily, forming a delta beneath the waters of the
Mediterranean, on the same principle that created the fertile
Delta of Egypt. Both the water and the mud of the Nile have
duties to perform,--the water to irrigate; the deposit to
fertilize; but these duties are not regularly performed:
sometimes the rush of the inundation is overwhelming, at others
it is insufficient; while at all times an immense proportion of
the fertilizing mud is not only wasted by a deposit beneath the
sea, but navigation is impeded by the silt. The Nile is a
powerful horse without harness, but, with a bridle in its mouth,
the fertility of Egypt might be increased to a vast extent.

As the supply of water raised by the sageer is received in a
reservoir, from which the irrigating channels radiate through the
plantations, so should great reservoirs be formed throughout the
varying levels of Egypt, from Khartoum to the Mediterranean,
comprising a distance of sixteen degrees of latitude, with a fall
of fifteen hundred feet. The advantage of this great difference
in altitude between the Nile in latitude 15 degrees 30 minutes
and the sea, would enable any amount of irrigation, by the
establishment of a series of dams or weirs across the Nile, that
would raise its level to the required degree, at certain points,
from which the water would be led by canals into natural
depressions; these would form reservoirs, from which the water
might be led upon a vast scale, in a similar manner to the
insignificant mud basins that at the present day form the
reservoirs for the feeble water-wheels. The increase of the
river's level would depend upon the height of the dams; but, as
stone is plentiful throughout the Nile, the engineering
difficulties would be trifling.

Mehemet Ali Pasha acknowledged the principle, by the erection of
the barrage between Cairo and Alexandria, which, by simply
raising the level of the river, enabled the people to extend
their channels for irrigation; but this was the crude idea, that
has not been carried out upon a scale commensurate with the
requirements of Egypt. The ancient Egyptians made use of the lake
Mareotis as a reservoir for the Nile waters for the irrigation of
a large extent of Lower Egypt, by taking advantage of a high Nile
to secure a supply for the remainder of the year; but, great as
were the works of those industrious people, they appear to have
ignored the first principle of irrigation, by neglecting to raise
the level of the river.

Egypt remains in the same position that Nature originally
allotted to her; the life-giving stream that flows through a
thousand miles of burning sands suddenly rises in July, and
floods the Delta which it has formed by a deposit, during perhaps
hundreds of thousands of inundations; and it wastes a
superabundance of fertilizing mud in the waters of the
Mediterranean. As Nature has thus formed, and is still forming a
delta, why should not Science create a delta, with the powerful
means at our disposal? Why should not the mud of the Nile that
now silts up the Mediterranean be directed to the barren but vast
area of deserts, that by such a deposit would become a fertile
portion of Egypt? This work might be accomplished by simple
means: the waters of the Nile, that now rush impetuously at
certain seasons with overwhelming violence, while at other
seasons they are exhausted, might be so controlled that they
should never be in excess, neither would they be reduced to a
minimum in the dry season; but the enormous volume of water
heavily charged with soil, that now rushes uselessly into the
sea, might be led throughout the deserts of Nubia and Libya, to
transform them into cotton fields that would render England
independent of America. There is no fiction in this idea; it is
merely the simple and commonplace fact, that with a fall of
fifteen hundred feet in a thousand miles, with a river that
supplies an unlimited quantity of water and mud at a particular
season, a supply could be afforded to a prodigious area, that
would be fertilized not only by irrigation, but by the annual
deposit of soil from the water, allowed to remain upon the
surface. This suggestion might be carried out by gradations; the
great work might be commenced by a single dam above the first
cataract at Assouan, at a spot where the river is walled in by
granite hills; at that place, the water could be raised to an
exceedingly high level, that would command an immense tract of
country. As the system became developed, similar dams might be
constructed at convenient intervals that would not only bring
into cultivation the neighbouring deserts, but would facilitate
the navigation of the river, that is now impeded, and frequently
closed, by the numerous cataracts. By raising the level of the
Nile sixty feet at every dam, the cataracts would no longer
exist, as the rocks which at present form the obstructions would
be buried in the depths of the river. At the positions of the
several dams, sluice gates and canals would conduct the shipping
either up or down the stream. Were this principle carried out as
far as the last cataracts, near Khartoum, the Soudan would no
longer remain a desert; the Nile would become not only the
cultivator of those immense tracts that are now utterly
worthless, but it would be the navigable channel of Egypt for the
extraordinary distance of twenty-seven degrees of
latitude--direct from the Mediterranean to Gondokoro, N. lat. 4
degrees 54 minutes.

The benefits, not only to Egypt, but to civilization, would be
incalculable; those remote countries in the interior of Africa
are so difficult of access, that, although we cling to the hope
that at some future time the inhabitants may become enlightened,
it will be simply impossible to alter their present condition,
unless we change the natural conditions under which they exist.
From a combination of adverse circumstances, they are excluded
from the civilized world: the geographical position of those
desert-locked and remote countries shuts them out from personal
communication with strangers: the hardy explorer and the
missionary creep through the difficulties of distance in their
onward paths, but seldom return: the European merchant is rarely
seen, and trade resolves itself into robbery and piracy upon the
White Nile, and other countries, where distance and difficulty of
access have excluded all laws and political surveillance.
Nevertheless, throughout that desert, and neglected wilderness,
the Nile has flowed for ages, and the people upon its banks are
as wild and uncivilized at the present day as they were when the
Pyramids were raised in Lower Egypt. The Nile is a blessing only
half appreciated; the time will arrive when people will look in
amazement upon a mighty Egypt, whose waving crops shall extend,
far beyond the horizon, upon those sandy and thirsty deserts
where only the camel can contend with exhausted nature. Men will
look down from some lofty point upon a network of canals and
reservoirs, spreading throughout a land teeming with fertility,
and wonder how it was that, for so many ages, the majesty of the
Nile had been concealed. Not only the sources of that wonderful
river had been a mystery from the earliest history of the world,
but the resources and the power of the mighty Nile are still
mysterious and misunderstood.

In all rainless countries, artificial irrigation is the first law
of nature, it is self-preservation; but, even in countries where
the rainfall can be depended upon with tolerable certainty,
irrigation should never be neglected; one dry season in a
tropical country may produce a famine, the results of which may
be terrible, as instanced lately by the unfortunate calamity in
Orissa. The remains of the beautiful system of artificial
irrigation that was employed by the ancients in Ceylon, attest
the degree of civilization to which they had attained; in that
island the waters of various rivers were conducted into valleys
that were converted into lakes, by dams of solid masonry that
closed the extremity, from which the water was conducted by
artificial channels throughout the land. In those days, Ceylon
was the most fertile country of the East; her power equalled her
prosperity; vast cities teeming with a dense population stood
upon the borders of the great reservoirs, and the people revelled
in wealth and plenty. The dams were destroyed in civil warfare;
the wonderful works of irrigation shared in the destruction; the
country dried up; famine swallowed up the population; and the
grandeur and prosperity of that extraordinary country collapsed
and withered in the scorching sun, when the supply of water was
withdrawn.

At the present moment, ten thousand square miles lie desolate in
thorny jungles, where formerly a sea of waving rice-crops floated
on the surface; the people are dead, the glory is departed. This
glory had been the fruit of irrigation. All this prosperity might
be restored: but in Egypt there has been no annihilation of a
people, and the Nile invites a renewal of the system formerly
adopted in Ceylon; there is an industrious population crowded
upon a limited space of fertile soil, and yearning for an
increase of surface. At the commencement of this work, we saw the
Egyptians boating the earth from the crumbling ruins, and
transporting it with arduous labour to spread upon the barren
sandbanks of the Nile, left by the retreating river; they were
striving for every foot of land thus offered by the exhausted
waters, and turning into gardens what in other countries would
have been unworthy of cultivation. Were a system of irrigation
established upon the principle that I have proposed, the
advantages would be enormous. The silt deposited in the
Mediterranean, that now chokes the mouths of the Nile, and blocks
up harbours, would be precipitated upon the broad area of
newly-irrigated lands, and by the time that the water arrived at
the sea, it would have been filtered in its passage, and have
become incapable of forming a fresh deposit. The great difficulty
of the Suez canal will be the silting up of the entrance by the
Nile; this would be prevented were the mud deposited in the upper
country.

During the civil war in America, Egypt proved her capabilities by
producing a large amount of cotton of most excellent quality,
that assisted us materially in the great dearth of that article;
but, although large fortunes were realized by the extension of
this branch of agriculture, the Egyptians suffered considerably
in consequence. The area of fertile soil was too limited, and, as
an unusual surface was devoted to the growth of cotton, there was
a deficiency in the production of corn; and Egypt, instead of
exporting as heretofore, was forced to import large quantities of
grain. Were the area of Egypt increased to a vast extent by the
proposed system of irrigation, there would be space sufficient
for both grain and cotton to any amount required. The desert
soil, that is now utterly worthless, would become of great value;
and the taxes upon the increased produce would not only cover the
first outlay of the irrigation works, but would increase the
revenue in the ratio proportionate to the increased surface of
fertility. A dam across the Atbara would irrigate the entire
country from Gozerajup to Berber, a distance of upwards of 200
miles; and the same system upon the Nile would carry the waters
throughout the deserts between Khartoum and Dongola, and from
thence to Lower Egypt. The Nubian desert, from Korosko to Abou
Hamed, would become a garden, the whole of that sterile country
inclosed within the great western bend of the Nile towards
Dongola would be embraced in the system of irrigation, and the
barren sands that now give birth to the bitter melon of the
desert (Cucumis colocynthis), would bring forth the water-melon,
and heavy crops of grain.* The great Sahara is desert, simply
because it receives no rainfall: give it only water, and the sand
will combine with the richer soil beneath, and become productive.
England would become a desert, could it be deprived of rain for
three or four years; the vegetation would wither and be carried
away by the wind, together with the lighter and more friable
portions of the soil, which, reduced to dust, would leave the
coarser and more sandy particles exposed upon the surface; but
the renewal of rain would revivify the country. The deserts of
Egypt have never known rain, except in the form of an unexpected
shower, that has passed away as suddenly as it arrived; even that
slight blessing awakens ever-ready Nature, and green things
appear upon the yellow surface of the ground, that cause the
traveller to wonder how their seeds could germinate after the
exposure for so many months in the burning sand. Give water to
these thirsty deserts, and they will reply with gratitude.

  * The great deserts of Northern Africa, to about
    the 170 N. lat., are supposed to have formed the
    bottom of the Mediterranean, but to have been
    upheaved to their present level. The volcanic bombs
    discovered in the Nubian Desert suggest, by their
    spherical form, that the molten lava ejected by
    active volcanoes had fallen from a great height
    into water, that had rapidly cooled them, in the
    same manner that lead shot is manufactured at the
    present day. It is therefore highly probable that
    the extinct craters now in existence in the Nubian
    Desert were active at a period when they formed
    volcanic islands in a sea--similar to Stromboli,
    &c. &c.

This is the way to civilize a country: the engineer will alter
the hard conditions of nature, that have rendered man as barren
of good works as the sterile soil upon which he lives. Let man
have hope; improve the present, that his mind may look forward to
a future; give him a horse that will answer to the spur, if he is
to run in the race of life; give him a soil that will yield and
tempt him to industry; give him the means of communication with
his fellow-men, that he may see his own inferiority by
comparison; provide channels for the transport of his produce,
and for the receipt of foreign manufactures, that will engender
commerce: and then, when he has advanced so far in the scale of
humanity, you may endeavour to teach him the principles of
Christianity. Then, and not till then, can we hope for moral
progress. We must begin with the development of the physical
capabilities of a country before we can expect from its
inhabitants sufficient mental vigour to receive and understand
the truths of our religion. I have met with many Christian
missionaries, of various and conflicting creeds, who have
fruitlessly sown the seed of Christianity upon the barren soil of
Africa; but their labours were ill-timed, they were too early in
the field, the soil is unprepared; the missionary, however
earnest, must wait until there be some foundation for a
superstructure. Raise the level of the waters, and change the
character of the surrounding deserts: this will also raise the
intellectual condition of the inhabitants by an improvement in
the natural conditions of their country. . . . . . .

The first portion of our task was completed. We had visited all
the Nile tributaries of Abyssinia, including the great Blue Nile
that had been traced to its source by Bruce. The difficult task
still lay before us--to penetrate the unknown regions in the
distant south, to discover the White Nile source.* Speke and
Grant were on their road from Zanzibar, cutting their way upon
untrodden ground towards Gondokoro. Petherick's expedition to
assist them had met with misfortune, and we trusted to be able to
reach the equator, and perhaps to meet our Zanzibar explorers
somewhere about the sources of the Nile. Although we had worked
hard throughout all seasons, over an immense extent of country,
we were both strong and well, and the rest of some months at
Khartoum had only served to inspire us with new vigour for the
commencement of the work before us. By the 17th December, 1862,
our preparations were completed; three vessels were laden with
large quantities of stores--400 bushels of corn, twenty-nine
transport animals, including camels, donkeys, and horses (among
the latter was my old hunter Tetel). Ninety-six souls formed my
whole party, including forty well-armed men, with Johann Schmidt
and Richarn. On the 18th December we sailed from Khartoum upon
the White Nile towards its unknown sources, and bade farewell to
the last vestige of law, government, and civilization. I find in
my journal, the last words written at our departure upon this
uncertain task, "God grant us success; if He guides, I have no
fear."

  * The account of the White Nile voyage, with the happy
    meeting of captains Speke and Grant, and the subsequent
    discovery of the "Albert N'yanza," has been already
    given in the work of that title.


*** End of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "The Nile Tributaries of Abyssinia, and the Sword Hunters of the Hamran Arabs" ***

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