Twelve o’clock. We halt till two o’clock, at an island of the left shore, and go then by the rope in a bend from the above S.E. direction, in half an hour’s time to N. by E. Here we work round a low sand-bank, which projects itself sharply into the river. Fadl told me from the mast, before we came to this corner:—Towards S.S.W., the gohr near the tokuls goes to S.W. Two large lakes are there, and a village, about an hour distant; the wood retreats two hours’ distance. To the left of the right shore also a large lake, half an hour distant, and the trees there indicate marsh land within three hours’ distance.
At half-past three o’clock we have fortunately navigated round from N.E. to S.E. On the right we notice, towards S.W., two large lakes, the first of which, being far off, shews only some tops of trees as its western shore. We have likewise, on the right shore, a considerable lake, at half an hour’s distance from us, at our side. The surface of the earth consists of humus mixed with sand, and frequently displays a reddish tinge, which makes us infer that there is iron-ore there. The natives sang yesterday evening, while they walked along by the side of our men, who were towing, in concert with them, repeating the eternal refrain, “Ja Mohammed;” to-day, also, I saw them at the village where we remarked the great gohr, assisting in towing, with songs and laughter. Although they are not able to converse with our wags, yet they immediately recognised the Abu Hashis, when on shore, as such, and joked with them; yet they were often frightened when the latter assumed a grim countenance and advanced towards them. The population appears to be very large, for it is not confined to the border of the river, but extends up the country, as far as the ground collects the water of the tropical rains; and the truth of this is verified, not only by ocular evidence, but also by the statements of the natives found on the border. But who numbers these dark children of the sun?
Five o’clock. S.W. by S. The river flows from hence on the left in a bend to W., and has a breadth of five hundred paces. At sunset, or six o’clock,—for I also set my watch, according to the Turkish and Arabic manner, at this hour,—we halt E. by S., under the corner where the river winds round to the right. There is here, on the right, a pool in distant sunken land, which must form, at the time of the inundation, a vast level lake. Two villages to S.S.W., one behind the other, and large herds of cattle in their neighbourhood. Up the country, on the left, the nearest village is only to be seen from the mast, and what we perceive to N.E. and N.N.E., is said to be a large drove of cows. I took a walk to this village: it lies on a gohr, and is called Aderègh. To judge from the foot-prints of elephants, it must all have been inundated. As fair winds had set in, we soon returned on board, and advanced at the rate of three miles an hour during two hours, to S. and S.W., and cast anchor in S.E., where the river becomes considerably broader.
CHAPTER XI.
NARROW ESCAPE FROM CROCODILES. — ILLNESS OF THE AUTHOR. — DESCRIPTION OF THE ELEPHANT-TREE. — CUSTOM OF MAKING BEDS ON ASHES VERY ANCIENT. — SULIMAN KASHEF SHOOTS A CROCODILE. — STRONG SMELL OF MUSK FROM THESE ANIMALS. — THE TRIBE OF THE ELLIÀBS. — WAR DANCES. — CHARGE AGAINST ARNAUD. — INJURY TO VESSELS BY HIPPOPOTAMI. — SULIMAN KASHEF’S CIRCASSIAN SLAVE. — CULTIVATED LAND. — THE FELATI. — APPEARANCE OF A MOUNTAIN. — TRIBE OF THE TSHISÈRRS. — STRATA OF THE SHORE. — RICINUS PLANTS. — FOUR LOWER INCISORS WANTING TO THE NATIVES ON THE SHORES OF THE WHITE NILE. — AGILITY AND STRENGTH OF THE NEGROES. — MORE MOUNTAINS APPEAR.
10th January.—Towed to S.E., and, looking back from the mast, two more villages are visible. On the right shore, a gohr of one hundred paces broad, projects inland towards N.E. A large village before us on the same side, surrounded with regular plantations of tobacco, cotton, creeping beans, and simsim; domestic fowls are also running about here. We halt soon afterwards at the right shore, where a village, considerable in length, extends from E. to E.S.E. along the shore. Two small tokul villages also on the left side. At half past eight o’clock we bear off again, and at nine we go S.S.E., having cultivated places at our side; and at ten o’clock towards S. On the right shore a gohr of thirty paces in breadth to N.E.; we also remark dome-palms again. Half past ten o’clock, S.E. by S. The forest, extending behind the doum-palms to within fifty and a hundred paces of the shore, appears also in the neighbourhood, and looks well covered and inviting to the chase. The broad river is so shallow here that we are obliged to stop in the centre of it, with our ships still heavily laden, whilst the men towing wade in the water; they often disappear altogether in the deep, when we come to these numerous shallows, and emerge again like ducks. There are many snakes in the water here; no one, however, was bitten by them. The crocodiles are again very frequently met with in the river, for they have deserted the pools and lakes.
11th January.—I have fortunately overcome a violent attack of illness which overtook me yesterday evening. Such a faintness seized me in my excursion yesterday, that I was obliged to sit down. I slept or lay in a swoon; I know not which. I awoke when it was already dark. A shot was fired near me; I tried to answer, but my gun flashed in the pan; for I had fired it off in a half unconscious state, to call for assistance. I dragged myself in the direction of the shot, and worked through the bushes to the shore, in order to walk more comfortably on the sand. At last I had the stream before me: on my left I saw the fires near the ships; but, by heavens! I was struck with terror, for there was the horrible sight of more than twenty crocodiles a few paces before me on the light sand. I had really commenced to count the beasts; but did not, however, remain long in bivio Herculis, for they began to move, scenting human flesh. I hastened back into the bushes, plunged into the holes hollowed out by water, which I had previously tried to avoid, and arrived without any accident close to the ships. I heard voices behind me, and recognised my servants, who were in search of me. They were mourning and reproaching themselves for having left me. Sale set up a loud howl, because he thought I was devoured by the crocodiles. They found me on the ground; they had also been pursued by the beasts. What a poor creature a sick man is! I hear now, for my consolation, that we had remained in the same place where we halted yesterday before noon, towards S.S.E., owing to the great exhaustion of the crew, and want of wood.
About eleven o’clock at night I began to rave, followed, from all external symptoms, by a kind of cholera morbus. This attack must have been dreadful, according to the description of Feïzulla Capitan, who bravely remained by my side, and shewed that he really has a heart, as I had seen already when he saved the Tokruri. Although exhausted, I now find myself tolerably well. We have a small reed-island at our side: the stream on the right and left is ornamented with a forest, assuming here quite a different character from the uniformity we have seen in the country of the Shilluks.
The earlier or spring mimosas were entirely obscured by other trees with dense foliage; the copsewood, also, has taken another form. The sun had not yet risen; but I could no longer contain myself, and therefore landed from the vessel. If I had, last night, given up the plan of travelling through Africa to the Atlantic Ocean, to-day I was seized with the old humour and desire when I saw this splendid woody region extending around me. Among the trees the shudder el fill (elephant-tree), or medengàn el fill, was distinguished above all the others. The beautiful clusters of flowers attain the length of from five to five feet and a half; they are similar to the yellow lily, but considerably larger, and somewhat curved on one side, like the nape-piece of a helmet. Forty or fifty of these lilies, shining magnificently, hang on one string; only half of them, however, are in flower, whilst the other half are budding. The fruit, similar in appearance to a thick grey-green cucumber, was already one foot and a half long, and half a foot thick. When cut open, it is very like the medengàn, called melinsanes in Greece, and cazzi greci in Trieste. The bark of the tree is light and smooth; the branches are a little twisted like those of the walnut-tree, to which it is akin in its digitate though darker leaves, and may perhaps surpass it in height. The elephant is said to be very fond of these medengàns, although they seem uneatable to all other creatures. Whether this be the Adansonia or monkey’s-bread-tree I venture not to decide. We shot down several of the fruits, being obliged to pierce through the upper part of the stalk, which is the thickness of a finger, with a bullet.