About four o’clock we saw some 300 Arabs with their horses, cattle and spears. They were on their way, so the Captain and all on board said, to join Mohammed Achmet. Certainly serious times are brewing. What will the end be? Saw a number of Dinkas on the east bank; saw a dozen huge hippopotami sunning themselves. Ran aground, but were soon off again. It is a wonder we don’t run down some hippopotami, for they are very thick in the water about here. Arrived at Khershawal at 6:30 P.M. The pilot was so intent on looking for sand-banks that he did not see the town and the people waiting on the shore, till after we had passed it and them. I was looking at the place through my glass, and the engineer asked me if I did not see Khershawal. Of course I did, and we turned back, while the whole crowd had a good laugh at the pilot. Here there is a garrison, at present consisting of only 30 men. The Governor, a fine looking man, came on board. He said the Arabs we saw had passed here, giving as an excuse that they were going hunting, but that it was very well understood where they were going. It is said that great numbers of the Baggara Arabs are constantly going over to Mohammed Achmet, and that at present his forces number 10,000 men. The Greek merchant is afraid to go back to Fashoda as he intended, after selling his goods. Doctor has been threatened with another chill, but happily it has been averted. The nearest village of the Dinkas, who inhabit this side of the river, is six hours distant. The chief of the tribe lives there. His assistant lives here in Khershawal. Temperature, 6:10, 64°; 4, 87°; 9:40, 74°.
Thursday, Feb. 16th.—Went on shore, and visited the town. The soil is gravel, sand and loam, and the town stands up high and dry from the river. The shore is covered with a beautiful white sand, underneath which is a layer of excellent clay for bricks. The town is built of straw huts, and is surrounded with a zeriba. We called at the Governor’s, and were treated to sherbet and coffee. We then walked about the town, and I took a photograph of the Assistant Chief of the Dinkas, and one of a Dinka woman, and then took an inside view of the town and another general view from the outside of the zeriba. This place must be comparatively healthy. We were presented with a sheep by the Governor as we were about to start. We left at 9:45 A.M. Doctor and I were sitting on the bridge seeing what we could see, when I discovered a huge snake in the water swimming slowly and trying to cross the river. I rushed for the shot-gun, and although we had almost got beyond range, gave him both barrels with good effect. I jumped into the small boat with a number of men; the steamer put about and we went after that snake. As we neared him, however, he began to show signs of life, and Doctor, fearing he might get away, fired two shots at him with the rifle from the bridge. The second ball struck, but glanced, leaving not the slightest trace of a mark, but stunned him so that he turned over on his back. We picked him up and found that we had got hold of a boa-constrictor. As soon as he was landed in the boat he came to again, and made it lively for us. His strength was something remarkable. He ran his head a little way under a board, and six men pulling with all their might and main could not get him out. He came out when he got ready, but then we had a rope around him, and hauled him on deck. There was a scattering of the crowd then. We choked him to death, cut his teeth out, and put him away. He came to life again, and broke one of the supports of the water-jar. Then Ibrahim stood on that snake’s head till he was dead. We hung him up. He came to life again, and nearly got away. Then we beat him on the head with a club till he was “as dead as a door nail.” He came to life again! No use! We determined to conquer him this time, and proceeded to skin him. This was too much for him, and he concluded to remain dead. He measured 9 ft. 6 in. in length, and 11¾ in. around. I have preserved the skin, and hope to have it stuffed. The sailors will eat the flesh. We anchored for the night, and to get wood, about 4 miles north of Gebel Ain, on the east side. Temperature, 7, 62°; 12, 84°; 7:30, 80°.
Friday, Feb. 17th.—The thumping of the rudder kept us awake nearly all night. We went on shore not expecting to be gone long, but the men said they had seen a lion, and that started us off, and we soon got on the trail. Doctor and I were separated in the thick brush. He followed one trail and I another. Ibrahim was with me; a good sailor with him. I soon came upon three large deer. I had only a shot gun, but dropped a bullet in, and was just raising the gun when Ibrahim, in what I call his woman’s clothes, came marching up, and asked what I saw. Of course I saw no deer then. It was a splendid hunting ground. There were fresh tracks of lions and buffaloes and deer, etc., all around us. But it was time to return to the steamer. We had turned and gone only a little way, when, all of a sudden, two mounted Baggara Arabs, with their long spears leveled, sprang from the bushes and stood in the pathway between us and the steamer. The truth flashed upon us. We were waylaid by followers of El Mehdi, who would not hesitate to kill us if they could. Ibrahim began to mutter his prayers and repeat passages from the Koran. The two men stood their horses before us, directly in our pathway, and eyed us from head to foot. My gun was ready, my finger on the trigger, and they saw that the first step forward meant death to one if not both of them. We walked steadily forward and towards them. Ibrahim was so frightened that I could hardly make him understand anything I said. Finally, I spoke so sternly that he recovered his senses, and kept close to my side, as I ordered him to do. As we approached the Arabs they turned their horses and walked them ahead of us, consulting what they had better do. Then they moved around us in a circle, and followed us up in the rear. Finally, they called to us, and we turned and faced them. They had evidently concluded that our guns were too many for them; but they tried to get us to go back into the country, telling us that our friends wanted to see us. But we were not to be fooled so easily, and kept steadily on till we reached the steamer. We thought, at first, that possibly the Doctor was in trouble, and did want to see us, but we found, on his return, that he had not seen them, and knew nothing about them. It was a ruse to get us into a trap. All agreed that, if we had not been armed as we were, they would have killed us in a minute. The Doctor had had his adventures, too. He had seen three lions, and wounded one and chased him nearly to Gebel Ain. He had met a party of Shillooks, and found them friendly, after marching up to them and shaking them by the hand. This region is full of game of all sorts. I killed some pigeons for dinner, and then we all went on board. We started at 11:20, and reached the broad part of the river, known as Aboo Zeid, which Gordon has put down on his map as a town, at 3:30. We anchored near the island of Abbas, about two hours from the former village of Mohammed Achmet. Along here we saw hundreds of cords of ambatch in rafts. But this spot did not please the Captain; so we turned and tied up finally at the upper end of the island of Abbas, near the town of Gos Aboo Goumaah. * * *
Wednesday, Feb. 22d.—We tried to start this morning at 4 A.M., but found that one of the boats in tow was aground. This delayed us until 6 o’clock, when we were off. The men were at work during the night cutting wood, and we have a fair supply. Saw the encampment of a slave caravan on the west bank, a little north of Gebel Owlee. The suppression of the slave trade is a farce from beginning to end. The first sight of Khartoum was a welcome one. It seemed almost like getting home. How grand its mud houses looked too, after the straw huts to which our eyes had become accustomed. There is quite a fall in the White Nile just above its confluence with the Blue. Looking across the low island which divides the main stream of the White Nile, a narrow rushing river, from the Blue Nile, the latter appears about six feet lower. We soon rounded the point of the island, and were once again in the clear blue water of the branch river. At 5:30 we tied up at Khartoum. The White Nile voyage was safely ended. As soon as we were fairly at land, Marcopoli Bey came on board and greeted us. And soon our Syrian friends, who were the last to see us off, came to welcome us back. We were among our friends again. We now heard the news for the first time that Raouf Pasha had been deposed, that there was a new order of government for the Soudan, and a new ministry, and mixed up state of affairs in Cairo, with Arabi “Pasha” at the top of the heap. The only thing that can be predicted with any certainty is that there will be a general muss, and probably an Anglo-French intervention. In the Soudan there can be no peace till Mohammed Achmet is taken. Giegler Pasha is preparing an army, such as it is, of about 3,500 men, to march against him, but the result is very doubtful. It is reported that there is considerable fever in town. One of our visitors had it upon him while he was calling on us, and there is a lady at his house, who it is feared is dying with it. We sent Ibrahim to see if our rooms were ready for us at the consul’s. He came back to say that they were, and brought Mougades, the “bookman,” with him. He seemed rejoiced to see us again. He was expecting to start by a merkeb for Berber tomorrow, but will wait now, and go with us. We marched up to the consul’s in the evening, and felt quite at home when we got back into our rooms. A pile of letters was awaiting us, and what a feast we had after hungering and thirsting so long for news from home. Our hearts are indeed full of thanksgiving to the kind Providence who has watched over our dear ones, and has brought us thus far on our way in safety.
THE CHINESE.
GOD ANSWERS PERSEVERING PRAYER
REV. W. C. POND.