368

THE NILE AT GONDOKORO.

ured six to nine inches in length, with pointed head and tail. This happened several times to him; but he thought that until he got rid of the great one, which he called their "mother," the disease would stick to him. On our arrival at Khartoom I prescribed half a tumbler of salt dissolved in water; but having once tried my remedy, the Seedees pronounced it too nauseous to try a second time. Speke, half-a-dozen of our twenty Seedees, and myself, were the only men of our expedition who escaped this disease.

The Nile at Gondokoro is in two branches; the main one lying on the right, and a small low island, on which cattle feed, divides it from the left branch. The old banks were at this season fifteen feet above the alluvial deposit of the river, which again was four feet out of water. There seemed a greater body of water, because it was spread over a larger surface, than when we had seen it thirty miles farther up. Here the strongest current, bearing to the right, was about three miles an hour, and the breadth a hundred and fifty yards. Standing upon the bank, and looking around, the country presents a flat Egyptian aspect, with the solitary hills of Rujub, Beeleenja, &c., to the N.W., S.W., and S. The water was full of lake debris, making it muddy and disagreeable to drink until allowed to settle. All day long parties of three and four natives swam across, resting upon a log of the pith tree or ambadj. They do not swim as we do in England, but stretch out their arms alternately over the water, crowing loudly "ow, ow," as they go merrily across. Although there were small canoes on the river they were not often used, even when produce was to be conveyed from one bank to the other. They got

ANIMALS

GONDOKORO AS A PORT.

369

sooner over by swimming, and when a cow was killed on the opposite bank, its meat was placed inside the inflated skin, and propelled through the water by the man swimming behind it. Crocodiles were no doubt numerous, but we saw no accident; they must be frightened by the number of people who daily cross at this point. We heard from Petherick of crocodiles as high as a table, and twenty-five feet long. At night the stillness was often broken by the trumpets of the hippopotami, which sound softer and more musical than when heard during the day. Baker had an excellent fishing-net, with which, in a jolly-boat, his men would cross the river to still water, and in a couple of hours bring back half-a-dozen species. Some resembled herring in shape, but the best for eating was a large flat fish. Of birds, the most interesting was a scarlet and green fly-catcher, which nestles in the perpendicular banks of the Nile like a swallow. We had not met with it on the journey. It took short flights, rapidly skimming the air, and then resting for a moment on the brink of the bank. From the Nyam Nyam country to the west very handsome black goats are brought, remarkable for their small size and long hair. It may be worth mentioning that we here saw leeches, which we had not met with in any previous part of our journey; whereas, in the Himalayas, one cannot go through the grass returning from a day's sport without having a dozen of them fastened on one's legs.

Gondokoro presented quite the appearance of a seaport, there being twenty large boats anchored there. We had understood it to be an outlandish place-dangerous and almost inaccessible. But for the last fiveand-twenty years or more it has been a mission-station

370

KOORSHID AGA'S HOSPITALITY.

and place of trade. For about fourteen months previous to our arrival, it had never been without Egyptian boats and boatmen. A sailing boat, "diabeah," or a "nægur," leaving Cairo in November, can reach Gondokoro, with a north wind, in three months. On the 19th February, Baker received English news dated 1st November. The return journey to Khartoom is made so as to insure arrival by June, with the advantage of the south wind; but we made the voyage much earlier, and landed on the thirty-third day from Gondokoro. To give an idea of Nile travelling in these regions, I may mention that a boat which conveyed Baker, with his crew, attendants, and four horses, was hired by him at Khartoom at eight pounds per month-a most comfortable boat, with two cabins. The pay of his sailors was lower than what we paid our Seedees for the journey-namely, two dollars per month, and the helmsman and carpenter seven dollars each. Their food, "doora," grain-i. e., jowari-would cost, say, ten dollars monthly; so this, altogether, was cheap travelling on the Nile. He had also brought up several camels and donkeys; and the former gave an Oriental look to the scene around his encampment. Koorshid Aga, a Circassian gentleman, lived here for some months, and was noted for his hospitality. Plainly dressed, and living in the most simple style, he would produce to his friends sparkling wines and other luxuries in profusion, for which we could make no return. Here he remained in security, with his guard-ships at anchor in the Nile below his premises, while his three or four hundred dark Nubians, armed with beautiful, though cheap, percussion guns, were on their beat for ivory in the interior. He had his tract

THE WHITE NILE TRADE.

371

of country or "preserve," like all other traders. "Latiffe's beat," "Petherick's beat," "Koorshid Aga's," "De Malzac's," - all were known by these names, just as we know the "Black" or "Braemar" forests. A trader who attempted to go upon another's beat was considered a poacher, and a fight would certainly ensue if this etiquette were violated. Events taking place in these wide ranges of country are little known, as every party is a world to itself, and all are jealous of one another. But if the stories of "White Nile trade" be true, it is considered disreputable for any European to engage in it. The "Blue Nile trade," on the other hand, is esteemed respectable; but here also there is some jealousy when a new competitor enters the field. The reports we heard at Faloro of Mahomed's men attacking villages by surrounding them at the hours of deepest slumber, and capturing their people and cattle, &c., were here confirmed to us, and these raids had taught the men of Gondokoro the most lawless habits and practices. Life was unsafe, guns loaded with bullets were constantly fired out of bravado close to our boats, the consequence of which was that fatal accidents occurred, and there was no government or police, and no river steamers to stop the slave-trade. Consul Petherick was looked on as an interloper; he tried to put down this illicit traffic, but he was opposed by a clique, and his men saw no advantage in his service or that of any European. They could not keep slaves, so there was great discontent.

We saw with Koorshid a splendid and well-shaped old tusk, which weighed one hundred and thirty-five pounds, and which at Khartoom would fetch 114

372

THE MISSION-HOUSE AT GONDOKORO.

dollars. Every country has its own particular quality; and I should imagine the ivory produced from the tall reed grasses of a forest country like Uganda would not be so favourable for forming huge tusks as the vegetation in a lower and more swampy country, although the ivory would be of firmer texture. We were told that the ivory of Kitch on the Nile, at 6° 49′ N., was of a superior description; the country there is swamp and covered with reeds to the horizon.

The mission-house at Gondokoro had been built

some thirty years ago. Dr Knoblecker, a very eminent man, had long laboured in it, but now it is a mere shell, and its garden of lime, pomegranate, and orange-trees is a waste for cattle to graze in. We met a kind hospitable gentleman, Mr Moorlang of the Austrian mission, on his way to Khartoom: his station had been at Kitch. He gave a mournful account of his labours, and was now recalled because the influence of the traders had checked his endeavours to propagate the Gospel. He had found the natives always civil, but if they or their children were not presented with clothes and beads, they kept aloof from him, and ultimately looked upon the missionary as having paved a way for the Nile trader to traffic in slaves.

In walking about Gondokoro, the natives always addressed us with "Adhōto," which may mean Goodmorning; some got as far as to say, "Salam alek." They were all nude like the Bari, and carried a small basket, in which were a few pieces of charcoal with which they lit their pipes. A baron, very highly spoken of, was killed by them a few years ago; his men had accidentally, when firing their guns at ran