Without troubling herself further about their threatening attitudes and words, she waded, with a true contempt of death, up to her breast in the water, and came out again with the rahàt in her hand, and the leathern apron round her loins. She still paid no regard to the continued threatening motions of the men, but gave the rahàt over to Fadl, took the few beads, and ran away in the greatest joy. This rahàt was twisted together very artistically of cotton threads, shaped, as I have already related, and coloured red with ochre.
Four o’clock. Our course which, judging from the situation of the mountains, had been north-westerly since half-past one o’clock, now changes,—without, however, our being able to define it distinctly. Half-past five o’clock. This is the first moment that we can say we are going N. by E. These things must be experienced: to be ill with Turks—to make campaigns and journeys with Turks—and to undertake a voyage of discovery on the White Stream with such a fleet!
The vessels, according to their different sizes, ran on the sand-bank; first forwards, then backwards,—now right, now left. To navigate with the stern foremost is the favourite custom; the sparks of the fire fall through the open hatchway, before the half-broken door of the powder-room, and whizz in the water of the lower hold! At last, by energetic threats, I wake Feïzulla Capitan from his dreadful apathy. The fire is extinguished, and the stern of the vessel, after a great deal of talking about the disgrace to a naval officer educated in England, turned to the proper direction, with the assistance of the oars.
I saw five large and small islands, but whether they lie nearest to the right or to the left shore, I know as little as upon what shore the isolated villages and tokuls stand. It was really enough to drive one mad to see the sailors so often apply themselves to the oars when the wind had turned the vessel, which they regard as a piece of floating wood, towards the mountains. I shall, at last, be confused myself in such a disgusting hurly-burly. Six o’clock. On the left, a little island; soon afterwards, on the right, a larger one, separated from the right shore by a narrow arm. Then a village, close upon the same shore, pleasingly enlivened by men and cows, immediately appears. Single trees extend behind it, and give a picturesque effect to the whole. On the left, our old acquaintance, Mount Nerkanjin, steps forward again, and surpasses, at least, considerably in height, the mountains lying nearer. At half-past six o’clock we go to the N., with small deviations to one side or the other, and come to three islands, following close behind one another, along the right shore, and anchor, when it becomes dark, before seven o’clock, below the last one.
30th January.—A very strong wind all night; the vessels lying awkwardly near each other, beat their heads and knock their ribs together, so that it was quite pleasant to behold it. Every one slept and snored around me, and I also would not allow myself to be disturbed any more, and did not wake the capitan; but looked, however, twice through the open hatchway into the hold, to see if the water were increasing. This morning there was only one vessel at the anchorage; all the others were scattered far and wide down the river. Immediately after sunrise we set out towards N. On the right a wood extends; on the left, solitary beautiful trees rise; but few people are to be seen.
Two little islands are at the right shore; the one lying deeper rises from the water like an elevated green shield. The beautiful forest of the right side condensates and strengthens; on the left, also, the trees approach closer together. The country rises here, and we look far over the left shore into the land, as into an orchard, with villages. We halt at the shield-island, on the sand, and look around us for another water-track. With much difficulty we work through between the green reed island and another one, and land at our old little isle, where we made the acquaintance of the chief Nalewadtshòhn on the 22nd January. We had half an hour’s barter; then we push off, and navigate with the bow of our vessel directed towards the first of the two islands lying one behind the other, at the left shore, as if we would have caused there an earthquake. The vessel turns, and we go now again with the stern forward, as generally happens upon the Nile, in order to let the vessels drift free from danger, for the helm then becomes the scenting-nose of the shallows, and stops also, in fact, on them.
About eight o’clock we halt at the left shore. I get here a harpoon among other curiosities of the country. Unfortunately, we now hurry through this beautiful region without taking any further notice of the land or the people; for the want of sufficient water-course, and the ignorance of it, drives us to make as much haste as possible to the friendly Elliàbs, where we intend to stop and caulk the vessels. I have never remarked persons lying ill, and diseases may be generally rare among these people of nature; when they do come on, perhaps they are mostly fatal. At nine o’clock we are off again, and have, immediately on our right, two little green islands, and a village on the shore. Another entanglement of vessels, so that it is a complete disgrace!
The water, pouring out vigorously from a gohr of the right shore, is muddy, and appears to come from a lake, the water of which is let off for the sake of catching fish. On the left a green island, with high reeds; on the right a wood, wherein there are several bare and withered trees. The land appears here to be quite uncultivated. Our vessel at last goes again properly, for Selim Capitan, whom the other vessels are trying to keep in sight, outstrips us by the stroke of the oars. The reed-island is followed by another one after some paces. The shores are arid on both sides; we cannot look over them at the scenery beyond, because the water is considerably lower than when we ascended. In the middle of the river a narrow island, green with reeds, behind which, on the right shore, a large village is remarked, with broad tokuls, as well as herds of cows at the water. These tokuls are open behind, and the young cattle appear to be penned in them. Down at the village another island lies, of about a quarter of an hour in length. On the right and left, scanty wood is developing itself thickly behind the shores. An islet, of three to four paces broad, and twelve to fifteen long, has planted itself here boldly in the river. Either this island is quite new, and will increase in time, or it is the remains of an old one. Immediately behind, an elevated green shield floats again towards us. We navigate at the right shore to N.E., and shall go again soon to N.
The beauty of the country has unfortunately again descended to the old uniformity, with the horizontal position of the flat country; before us lies an island like a Delta; it is already partly dry, and we pass by its left side. But stop! Every one fetches up, and we shall be obliged perhaps to work over to the right side. Ten o’clock, N. by E.; we row bravely against the N.E. wind. The shores of the stream are flat and low; by the sand lying thereon, we see that the river at its side flows over them. An arid island at the left shore is divided by a dry gohr. On the right, a village is suddenly disclosed, with broad tokuls, and negroes expecting treasures. Upon the island, also, they stride stoutly in close to the ships, but no beads are handed to them. The men of the oxen-village point to their herds, but their benevolent offer is in vain.
We remark, as usual, among the light-coloured cows, many quite white, and few black or dapple. The bulls have the customary high and thick hump; the cows, on the contrary, have exactly the appearance of those at Emmerich on the Rhine; their horns are twisted in a surprisingly handsome form, and set off with flaky hair, as well as the ears. They carry the latter erect, by which means the head, and the lively eye, acquire a brisk and intelligent expression. We have an island of about a quarter of an hour in length at our right; the oars rest in consequence of a stronger current, and we go N.E. Half past eleven o’clock. On the left a green island, of the length of half an hour, before which we again get aground, without our intellectual commanders being disturbed by it. We stop at the right shore, to make our midday halt, but Suliman Kashef pushes off again, although he is the man who takes most care about the distribution of the meat, and we others follow amidst the murmurs of the crew.