10th February.—At the first sight of the morning dawn we heard the great wooden kettle-drum (nogàra) sounding opposite in the large village of Karborah, which instrument is beaten for amusement, as well as for driving out the cattle. The watch-houses of the cow-herdsmen stand in the centre of the enormous herd; the employment of these men may be taken in turns like that of the night-watch. The tribe of the Karboràhs, who, as I have said before, are a branch of the Liènns, and independent, is here likewise not entirely stippled on the forehead. Yesterday evening we traded with them, and I received many a pretty thing, principally of iron; for they dwell nearer the mountains, the source of iron wealth. Thus, I purchased ivory bracelets, with black streaks; bows of bamboo, with iron ends, and narrow bands of iron; ropes of bark, which, according to Mariàn, are from the muddus-tree, and the strongest; some hair-lines, said to be made from giraffes; thin iron chains, which they sling round their ribs; but I could neither see a kettle-drum nor an antelope-horn for blowing. It was with much trouble that I got a surprisingly beautiful little he-goat, with a head like a gazelle, although the other little goats have compressed noses. Selim Capitan was looked upon here also as our matta; and they wanted to take by force a large elephant’s tooth, which I had already bought, to present to him, not returning, however, my thick glass beads. Several Nile buffaloes are found in the river—a sign in the present season of the year, that agriculture is diligently attended to in the vicinity.
At eight o’clock, we set off from S. to S.W.; a quarter before nine o’clock, from S.E. by S. to S.S.E.; on the left a hamlet. A quarter after nine o’clock, S.E.; and we sail with the good east wind immediately again S. and S.S.W., and make three miles. Half-past nine o’clock, S.E. Cultivation at the right side, and a watch-house in the tobacco plantations. It seems as if tobacco were considered, in the opinion of our people, an article of luxury which may be taken whenever they like, without injustice. The tobacco plantations are sheltered here also with reed-mats erected on sticks three feet high, as a protection against the scorching solar rays. Immediately again S. Dancing, clapping, huzzaing, and young girls and women singing on the right shore.
A quarter before ten o’clock. From S.S.W. to S.E. The wind is very contrary, and drives us together to the right shore, where we make use of the rope for a short time. The merry girls and women are adorned with rings and necklaces; only the head is shaved, as in the other places, and they wear no rings in their ears. They have the sitting-skin already mentioned behind, and the narrow rahàt before. Moreover, most of them are armed with bows and arrows, probably for self-defence in the absence of the men. A quarter after ten o’clock. We sail again to S. We remark no villages, and yet there are several people on the right shore; the habitations seem, therefore, to be up the country in the Haba. It was not till after a quarter of an hour that a large village appeared: soon afterwards a second, the inhabitants of which have collected on the right shore. About eleven o’clock we double a little island on the right, and at the left a broad gohr, with a strong fall, flows in from S.E.; near it lies a still smaller island, like a grass-shield, bulging out in the middle, which we also leave on the left. Half-past eleven o’clock. From S. Libàhn, E.S.E. Herds right and left; shady roofs on four stakes. My men have bought a large wooden drum for me, and throw it down the shore; but several natives, who are against the sale, jump after it, and take it back by force; it seems to be the property of the community. Twelve o’clock. From E.S.E to S.S.W. In the background an island ascends.
The negroes wear frequently small animals’ skins on their heads, which hang down over the nape of their necks. The sun has as injurious an effect here on the former as on the vertebral columns of the latter. A quarter of an hour later to S., and our corpulent friend, Mount Nerkanjin, steps forward from S.W., blue and boldly, from the background over the above-named island, near which a gohr flows from W.S.W. At half-past twelve o’clock we lie to at the right shore, near the same, to let the men rest and eat. I could not tell what made me so hot, but the thermometer shews just 33°, although this morning it was only 20°, as usual. We only stop twenty minutes, and the poor crew must again to the rope, S.S.E. After one o’clock, we halt a second time near a little island, the narrowest arm of which we soon follow, on account of the greater depth. The current in this canal, which has fifty to sixty paces, is uncommonly strong. Two o’clock.—From S.S.E. to S.W. by S., and immediately to the left S. by E., and right S.S.W. A quarter after two o’clock.—A magnificent east wind: we shall make four miles to S. by W. and S.S.W.; but it slackens immediately after casting out the log, and only refreshing breezes breathe through the windows. In order to get from this place, we assist the hoisted sails by libàhn. A small island before us closes the narrow reach of our course, which our ship, until half-past two, nearly fills up. Three o’clock, S.E. by S, and on the right round a corner S.S.W., a few paces, then immediately left to S., where we stop a moment. “El Bah’r kebir!” our people are shouting on all sides; for they take the broad stream, wherein we are now sailing, for the White Nile itself. An arm separates from it to N.N.W.; the last land on the right is therefore also an island. We go by the left shore of the main stream, where it winds from S.S.W. to E.N.E. It is called here, as up the river, Kirboli, and both sides of it are inhabited by the Elliàbs; therefore there is no doubt that it is the main stream. The great island just mentioned is called Tui. We proceed at four o’clock to S.S.W., and Mount Nerkanjin remains in a south-westerly direction as previously. Half an hour later, we go from S.S.W. to S.; still no village, nor familiar tree appears; even the sailors begin again to doubt—for aught I care,—only forward; so that at last it must be resolved to wait for the rainy season. At half-past four o’clock S.S.E.; we halt on the sand, and no one appears to be sure of his point, least of all Arnaud, who cannot comprehend his own journal.
Every doubt is removed, after considerable questioning of the natives; we return a quarter before five o’clock from this ascent, and stop above the Kièhr, which we had come up from the White Nile, in order to examine it, even to its issue, and had taken hitherto for an independent mountain stream. At six o’clock we go to the neighbouring island, between the Nile and the gohr Kièhr. At sunset 29°; this will be a hot night.
11th February.—We remain near the large island of Tui, make a section of the Nile, and find the main stream below the bay, where it divides into three arms, a hundred and twenty-eight mètres broad. It is called here Landofò; the Kokis inhabit its left shore. The Liénns possess the right, together with our island, and the shores of the gohrs, between which is the island of Tobo. Only a few of the latter tattoo the forehead; some, the shoulders, as far as the upper part of the arm; and others, the upper part of the back: some have also coloured themselves with ochre.
12th February—Observations are to be made also to-day, in order to start in the afternoon. I purchase for a few large glass beads, the first fine elephant’s tooth, and I design it, being the largest of all, as a cabinet specimen for my country. Now, at last, it is evident to every one, that we are navigating back our old road. It is fortunate for me that I am able to set up continuously and write my journal, affected as I am with fever all the day after the hot nights. At half-past two o’clock we bear off, and reach at half-past four the end of the island of Tobo, near which we land at sunset by the left shore, having made four miles and a half with a strong current, and the stroke of the oar. Thermometer, in the morning, 20°; noon, 32°; evening, 30°.
13th February.—We are to set out half an hour after sunrise; in the meantime the men are slaughtering in haste some cows, which natives of uncommon size have brought us. We do not proceed, therefore, till seven o’clock, in a north-westerly direction. The river makes such short bends that we bound every moment against the shore, notwithstanding the very strong fall, and we tear off also a corner of the loose earth. This, as well as the carelessness in steering, causes the vessel to draw water continually. Nine o’clock. We stop at the left shore, near some dome-palms; the water is a little deeper here, as if a broad arm of the Nile, from E.S.E., joins with our narrow one, or we with it. Here also they bring us cotton for sale. Eleven o’clock. We go on with a favourable east wind. The tokuls for dwellings are the peristyles already described. At noon we see several hippopotami, some of them real monsters; these may remain here pretty constantly, being perhaps their hunting district, because the river is, on the whole, of great depth in this place.
We get on a sand-bank, close to which several crocodiles are encamped. The first of these beasts (in truth a fearful leader) attacks the men who are pushing the vessel off the sand-bank; then a soldier jumps overboard, armed only with a hatchet (Chadàn), boldly meets it, and really drives it back into the water. At this moment shots were fired by the soldiers on board the vessels at the whole congregation, but so badly aimed that not one remained dead on the spot; they all made a slow retreat into the water, and we found afterwards, in the moist sand on the shore, fifty-three of their eggs lying together all of a layer. The shells were a little broken, as if cracked, which may be caused by the sun and the humid sand. At first I thought, indeed, that these eggs might be near hatching; but I was persuaded of their freshness, when the crew eat them, roasted in ashes, with much goût. I tried also a little one, and found the usual taste of eggs, only it seemed to me particularly dry, and the white was more spongy and not compact. My servants had preserved eight of the eggs, which I put among those found in the neighbourhood of the crocodile shot by Suliman Kashef. I see that the latter are smaller, but thicker and rounder than the first-named. In general they do not exceed the size of a goose’s egg, and differ from birds’ eggs, especially by both ends being uniformly arched. When I compared these eggs subsequently, in Khartùm, with another one, found by me lying openly in the sand of the shore of the united stream, on our journey to Sennaar, I found the latter to be considerably larger than those of the White Stream. Without wishing to decide by this on the different species of crocodiles, I remark that the people here well know that there are such distinctions. At one o’clock, we halt at the right shore, near a pastoral village, but do not find the expected oxen. About five o’clock we push off again, and a Nile arm divides to N.E.; then comes another from S.E., and winds E.S.E. This is the arm, according to the general assertion, which we previously ascended.
14th February.—We at eight o’clock, navigate, the gohr, which is new to us, and goes from N. to N.W. Right and left dwell the Elliàbs; also on both shores of the gohr from whence we came. The Tshiérrs follow the Elliàbs; their boundary is determined by some dome-palms. The former made, yesterday, a marauding and murderous attack on the island-land enclosed by the gohr, and killed several men; they were, however, put to flight by the Elliàbs, who hastily collected, and were driven over the water, by which they left three dead. The Elliàbs mean now to make a great war against them, and would not, on that account, sell us any of the few spears which these poor pastoral people possess. The Kièhrs dwell, according to the inquiries made by Selim Capitan over the island, on the right shore of the Nile arm, which we ascend, the river being also called there Kièhr, as we have already mentioned. This circumstance may have led Selim wrong, for the Bohrs dwell there, as I ascertained with the assistance of my Jengàh. After a quarter of an hour, we again stop close to the left shore, where our river-arm, called here the Kir, flows to N.W. Hardly any people come to us, and the few we see are dirty, covered with ashes, and without ornaments. Their spears, small in number, are however kept polished, as the negroes generally clean carefully every thing pertaining to weapons, and iron decorations, except when they have coloured red with ochre their entire bodies, and then every thing they carry on them and with them is dyed with the same colour. We see clouds, foreboders of rain, almost uninterruptedly in the sky. Thermometer, at sunrise, 21°; from twelve to three o’clock not more than 30°, at sunset 29°. The Frenchmen add still more degrees, and see also more, in order to frighten their readers at such a country.