SUAKIN, BERBER, KHARTOUM, AND TO U-GANDA. '■ \ \ U V' ' v - > {,' ((1 ,l / I ) \ JOURNAL OF THE NILE MISSIONARY PARTY TO THE VICTORIA NY AN Z A IN 187S-79. UonKou: CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY, SALISBURY SQUARE, E.C. Price Twopence. LONDON : PRINTED BY GILBERT AND BIVINGTCN, LIMITED, st. jodn’s square. INTRODUCTORY. To the readers of the Church Missionary Gleaner the following extracts from the diaries and letters of Messrs. Felkin, Litchfield, and Pearson will be familiar ; but in their new form and with a revival of interest in the Nile route, they will probably be welcome. They give a very clear idea of the difficulties and trials to be met with, and at the same time suggest a wide field for Gospel pioneers. With the wonderful interest now taken in the country which was the training-ground of God’s chosen people, which gave birth to Moses and provided a shelter for the Infant Saviour, we may well look forward prayerfully to the time when our missionaries will be able to pass from mission station to mission station on the Nile to the Victoria and Albert Nyanzas, as well as to Dr. Emen’s “ Paradise,” carrying the Gospel inland until they are met by their fellow-soldiers of the only “ ever-victorious ” army who are marching by way of the Niger and the Congo from the west coast, and from Zanzibar, through our own stations, Mpwapwa, Uyui, and Msalala. E. M. EASTERN EQUATORIAL AFRICA AND THE NILE BASIN. SUAKIN, BERBER, KHARTOUM, AND TO U-GANDA. In 1848, letters from the missionaries of the Church Missionary Society announced for the first time that a “ snow-capt moun¬ tain ” and a large lake were to be seen in Eastern Equatorial Africa. In 1876, in response to an invitation from Mtesa, the Emperor of U-Gfanda (on the northern shore of the Great Nyanza, or sea), the Society sent out a missionary party headed by Lieut. Sher- gold Smith, who followed the Zanzibar route to the south end of the Lake and then crossed it in boats. And again, in 1878, encouraged by General (then Colonel) Gordon, who was at that time residing at Khartoum as Governor of the Soudan, a small party was sent out by the Nile route to reinforce their brethren in U-Ganda. This party consisted of the Rev. G. Litchfield, Messrs. R. W. Felkin, C. W. Pearson, and J. W. Hall. Proceeding by steamer down the Red Sea to Suakin, which is now so well known as the seaport nearest to the Upper Nile, they there lost the services of Mr. Hall, who was compelled by ill-health to return. The experience of Mr. Eelkin as a medical student and Mr. Pearson as a traveller proved invaluable in their long voyage by land and water, which is so well described in the journal kept by Mr. Felkin. We need only endorse their expression of the liberality and thoughtful care of their generous protector, General Gordon, at whose suggestion the party went by this route. The two 6 letters from him inserted at page 25 are characteristic of the man. Those who knew his work at that time in the very heart of the still terrible slave-trade, must always follow his movements with the greatest interest, and with the most earnest supplications at the Throne of Grace that he may, in the providence of God, be allowed to continue and complete so grand and noble a task. We will leave the missionaries to tell their own story of their journey across the desert from Suakin to Berber, from Berber up the Nile to Khartoum, of their brief stay there, and of their further journey to U-Ganda ; only adding that the Journals and Letters were not written for publication, and lay no claim to literary excellence, I.—Suakin to Berber. Journal of Mr. R. W. Felkin. June 25th, 1878.—The evening before our departure from Suakin, I must confess that my feelings were of a very mixed character. I was glad to leave the hot, hot town, with its flies and other inconveniences, but then to what were we going ?—a long burning ride of some 300 miles on untried steeds, the road un¬ settled, and the memory of several robberies within a week or two. I could do nothing but commit my way unto the Lord. On the morning of the 25th we got up early, to finish packing and make our final preparations. At prayers I felt heavy and dull, and afterwards on trying to pack I felt it to be impossible, and I was obliged to lie down utterly prostrate. My head be¬ gan to ache and burn, and then I got the clue to what it was— a first attack of fever. I was very ill all the morning, but at three o’clock was a little better, and made up my mind to go on at any cost, as I felt sure, if I stayed, I should get worse. So making a great effort—and I can assure you it was hard work—I managed to dress with some help. They were all most kind to me, and wanted to wait a day or two, but I thought it better not. Alladin Pasha and Ali Bey and Captain Golding came to see me, and were most kind in their inquiries. Cap¬ tain Colding had invited us all to tea on board the Chloe before starting, and with some difficulty they got me on board. It was rather a sad tea as we took leave of poor Hall, who was going home in the Chloe next morning. Captain Colding tried 7 to cheer us all up, and I think he half-succeeded at last, and made no end of jokes, as we saw our camels loading in the Custom House yard. A boat came off from the Paslia to say that all was ready for the start, and we saw our long line of forty camels filing through the gate, so, wishing God-speed to Hall, we went on shore. We went to say good-bye and to thank the Pasha for all his kindness to us; he gave us coffee and cigarettes as usual, and told us that he had ordered donkeys to take us to our first lialting-place, a few miles out of Suakin. This was very good of him, as I was almost unable to mount a camel. At 6.30, as the sun was setting, we started, all wishing us a pleasant journey, and the soldiers presenting arms as we passed through the gate. Crowds of Arabs, men and boys, followed us out of the town. A brisk trot soon brought us over the bridge, through the Arab town, and out into the desert, and to a large tree under which we were to spend the night. A fire had been lit, and I lay down at once ; I could hold up no longer. As I lay half-conscious on my “augaril,” I thought I had never seen such a curious sight. The camels were stalking about in the starlight like great spectres, and the black men were gliding about in the fire-light; however, soon all was quiet, and I fell into a deep sleep. The dreams I had I can never desci'ibe, they were most unearthly. June 2 6th .—At half-past five coffee was brought to us, and we prepared for a start. The noise was confusing, but I felt better. A present of four sheep came from the Pasha to keep us on our way. At 6.30 all was ready, and I was helped on to my camel—a nice beast, and which has proved to be a good one. I found the mounting not so difficult as I had been led to sup¬ pose, and we were soon on our way, my camel being led in front, the others tied one after the other by their tails. Suakin looks very jjretty from the desert, as from the sea, and we saw the Chloe steaming out of the harbour, and did not lose sight of her for a long time. We rode for five hours, at about three miles an hour, in a northerly direction to llandob, the first station. The camels move at a swinging pace, tho rider’s body swaying to and fro about forty times a minute, which accounts for the back-ache one soon gets. The camels move the legs on the same side together. There is a nice well at Handob, and flocks of sheep, goats, and camels were being watered as we passed the well, and I could then better understand Jacob’s driving away the herdsmen and watering the flocks for Rachel. Indeed, each day some new light on the customs in the Bible narrative dawns upon me. 8 The station at Handob I will describe, as, whenever I mention stopping at a hut, it will be of the same sort. The huts are made of poles, over which mats are sewn. The only drawback is that the sun shines through them at times. There is a veran¬ dah in front, which is often the coolest place, unless the wind blows very hot. The hut is surrounded by a ring-fence to keep off wild animals; the door of the fence is formed generally by two branches, which are replaced after the traveller departs. The wells are generally some distance from the huts, and the camels have to be taken to water, and it is then that they often bolt with their drivers, or rather the drivers with them, and leave the poor traveller alone, or with too few camels to con¬ tinue his journey. The fires are made as follows : three stones are taken and placed in a triangle, and then the ends of three branches are lit and pushed on as they burn up ; and often on the road you see the three stones and a few ashes—the only remnants of an Arab encampment. I was thankful for the rest, as I was very shaky, and the quinine had made my head ache very much. Some good soup made of doves, which Litchfield kindly shot for me, and a good sleep, did me much good, While half-asleep our head kavass (soldier) came with an abscess on his foot, which I opened. This and a little ointment I have given him have made him most attentive ; in fact, all the men have a fancy for “ Hakim Pasha,” as they call me [ Iialcim, means doctor], and a good Strong pill now and then keeps them all very civil, which is a good thing, as, if you have careless, sullen men with you, it makes the journey very much harder. Little things go a long way with Arabs, and if you are kind and strict you get on well enough. I will now describe our men. First, then, our kavass and three soldiers given us to take care of us. They provide their own weapons, horses, or camels, and receive certain privileges and pay from Government. Our head kavass is a short, fiery little fellow, very dark, large moustache, bright eyes, turban, embroidered -waistcoat, and white coat and trousers. He carries a whip made of hippopotamus hide, and uses it, too, sometimes. The first day he cut a man over the head with it, laying open his cheek. It was dressed with coffee grounds, and well in four days. His arms consist of a pair of old, long flint-lock pistols, for which he has just three charges of powder. On the whole he is a capital fellow, and looks after us well; if one of us goes ahead for a walk, either he or the sheikh trots after us on his camel to see that we are safe. He smokes cigarettes continually. The other three soldiers have long French guns, knives, and look very warlike ; their guns are slung behind the saddles. They fide with our goods, looking after them; this leaves us 9 free to go on a little faster. The camel-men are tall, well-built, handsome fellows; good features, high foreheads, and pearly- white teeth ; they are always chewing some kind of stick, which gives the peculiar whiteness to the teeth. The dress is simple, consisting only of a waist-cloth of white linen wound round and draped neatly enough. One man has the end of a piece of stuff with the maker’s stamp and “ British manufacture ” on it; of this he is very proud, and displays it to the best advan¬ tage, of course not knowing what it is. Each man carries a knife, shield of hippopotamus hide, and spear, and curved stick, which he carries with the curve up in a very jaunty manner; it is useful for defence, killing snakes, and guiding the camels, though rarely used for beating them. The hair is perhaps the most curious part, being jet-black, coarse, wavy, and straight up, in three divisions, one at each side and one in the middle; or else a crown of hair two or three inches long, straight up, and a sort of tail behind, all dripping with oil. In the early morning, at noon, and at night I noticed that a mark of sand was on many of the men’s foreheads, chins, and noses; I found out afterwards it was from bowing the head down to the ground in prayer. The mark is never brushed off, as it is said to be an ornament to a “believer’s ” face. Before praying, a Moslem must wash ; in the desert he does this with sand, as sand is said to have a cleansing effect, and the Koran allows it. They wear a necklace of beads which, when they pray, they count, saying “ Allah ” for each bead dropped. They have several charms, sewn up in a neat, leather case, and fastened round the upper arm. These are supposed to protect from sickness, wild beasts, the evil eye, &c. They use a good deal of snuff, carrying it in a round wooden ball; they place the snuff under the upper lip. But to go back again: the evening at Handob was cool, so I tried to go a stroll with my gun, but soon felt tired, and had to return after a few hundred yards. The howling of the hyenas disturbed my rest much, but next morning at five I Was up and felt rather better, and we left Handob at 5.30, travelling about N.W., and getting a last unexpected glimpse of the sea. Shall we ever see it again, I wonder ? June 2,7th .—We gradually ascended by an easy road into the mountains, the only drawback being the thorn-bushes, which kept one constantly on the look-out. I was very thankful not to have another attack of fever, which I was expecting; I had taken a large dose of quinine. As we moved along we saw on several mountain-peaks wild Arabs looking out for small or unprotected caravans, which they rob, not leaving their victims their clothes. Here is no vegetation but the thorn-trees, and a 3 10 no green leaves to be seen except a few near the wells. We saw a few small deer, and Pearson and Litchfield tried to get a shot, but without success. We arrived at Wotu, a hut as before, at 9.30, and rested there till 4.15, but, to our great disgust, the water was very salt and nasty. The filters cleared it of the dirt, but not of the salt or disagreeable taste. We had an awful march of eight and a half hours without getting off the camels to Olip, passing on the way Hambuclc, a pretty-looking well, around which was a small Arab encamp¬ ment ; it looked a very tempting place to rest at, but our kavass would not hear of stopping—he said the water was salt and there was no hut. The ride from Hambuck to Olip I can scarcely describe. It was very dark, very rough, and the camel shook me a great deal. My back hurt me much; I was very tired; my head ached very badly, and, added to all this, salt water made it misery. I nearly fell asleep with fatigue several times, but the “ He, he, hiss ” of the camel-drivers, combined with the jolting, kept me awake. How I got off the camel at Olip, I do not know; but I fell down on my augaril, a native bed which is very light and useful; it is a light, wooden frame, laced with red string, and can be slung over the luggage on the camel, and is always ready for use. There I lay, too tired to sleep, but unable to move, and though ants and beetles, and even two or three lizards crawled over me, I could do nothing. The noise of the camels was most trying ; but all must end some time, and at last I fell asleep. June 28th .—The first part of the ride to-day was pretty easy, four and a half hours only to DisaJle (?). We started at five o’clock, but the sun became hot. We marched through moun¬ tain passes still, and if I had not been so tired from the ride the night before, I might have enjoyed it. We met two very long caravans of ivory. We crossed the dry bed of a river, which we found out afterwards to be the Ariab. It must be a large and very swift river in the rainy season, and prevents this route from being used all the year. We passed over it subsequently some eight or ten times, sometimes travelling up its course for many miles. ! Hisalle is a hut of the same course as before, situated in a little valley about 2000 feet above the level of the sea. It was intensely hot, being for four hours 110° to 111 0 in the shade. The heat prevents sleeping, or, in fact, doing anything save lying on your rugs, restless, and trying to get a cool draught with your fan. We left at four o’clock, and the mountain scenery we passed through was truly splendid. The road was easy, and a cool breeze springing up made riding almost plea- 11 sant. I got a shot at an eagle with my revolver, but missed him. The echo was very fine, resounding for several minutes after I had fired. The sunset, too, was most magnificent, the sun going down like a great ball of fire, and then the piay of colours was marvellously beautiful. As another long ride was before us, we stopped for half an hour after sunset at the foot of Mount Jedrus, which is about 5000 feet high. We had coffee and a rest, and I noticed such curious faces made by the outlines of the rocks—one just like Punch from one side, and like Louis Philippe on the other. We got to JEdrus after nine hours’ riding, thankful that another hard day’s work was done. It is won¬ derful how well Arabs see —they lead the camels safely even in the most difficult mountain passes. I dropped my tobacco- pouch one night, and though it took some time to make them understand what I had lost, after a little time they found it again. June 29th. — We left Edrus at six o’clock, and had an easy ride of four and a half hours to Haritree, and found there two soldiers stationed. They were very pleased to have visitors, and gave us, on dismounting, a glass of cold, good water. Such a treat! I have never had colder water out here, though the porous leather bottles we hang on our saddle pommels cool the water nicely. By-the-bye, water is carried in sheep-skins slung on to the camels, and the water is generally warm and tastes of leather. The camels, too, when thirsty, have an awkward way of biting the bottles, and so, if you do not look out, you lose your water, which, as one drinks a great quantity, is not pleasant and might be dangerous. The tanks are really the best, for safety, but they are expensive ; and when the water gets low in them, it shakes about and becomes very hot. Haritree ■was almost unbearable. I wonder what you would think of this heat at home. It is like the heat before a furnace when they are casting. We left Haritree at four, and gradually ascended still higher; the mountains, too, were very high. The way was steep and difficult, but the camels are very sure-footed. At eight we had coffee at a place called “ Water-canal.” There is no hut or water there ; but, two miles off the road, water and a hut are to be found. The rocks here are very grand—a gi*eat deal of granite and some splendid pieces of white marble. The ride from here to Fohr, where we camped in a large valley, is down¬ hill and most difficult, and how the men find the way, which turns and twists, I cannot iniagine. The valley is surrounded by high mountains, and the camp-fires looked very nice. Of course we slept in the open, and the Arabs told us we should always sleep with our heads to the wind. The advice is good: a 4 12 and also we ought always to have a light covering on, as, how¬ ever hot it may he, a cold wind often, as on this occasion, springs up in the night. I was quite surprised on waking at about three o’clock to find a strong and really cold wind sweeping over us. I find sleeping in the open air very enjoyable, the air is so pure, so free and rare, as indeed it always is here. You have to sleep with your gun beside you and re¬ volver under your pillow, as it does not do to let these things be ever out of your own possession. If the people see you are careful, they are much less likely to seek a nearer ac¬ quaintance with your weapons; and prevention is better than cure in this as in most cases. It bad been a most curious day: a dull yellow haze seemed over everything, almost like a London fog. June 30ifA.—We had intended to rest all to-day, but as there was no hut or shelter of any kind, and, above all, no water, we decided to continue the journey, which we did at half-past five o’clock in the morning. The first part of the way was very nice, over a plain and good road, and a refreshing breeze. I got down and had a four-mile walk, which rested me much, as my back ached badly; by nine o’clock the heat of the sun was unbearable, and the wind was so strong that umbrellas could not be used; but there was no help for it, so on we went. My lips were all cracked by the heat, and I felt dried up, which feeling lasted several days. We entered the mountains again at ten, and passed Mount Beddab (P), a very high and noble-looking mountain. Through deep mountain passes, beside small precipices, the way wound up and down, until twelve o’clock, when we arrived, completely done up, at KoJcrib, telling our men we would not budge an inch further that day. There were cows, sheep, goats, and camels at the well, and we got some splendid new milk—the first new milk I had tasted since leaving England, and I can assure you it was a treat. We had a nice dinner of hare soup, rice, and strawberry jam, and then had the Morning Service, which we all much enjoyed. We saw here a small Arab encampment, and our men soon made friends. The Arabs do not take money, but sell their goods for bread. We gave our men a sheep to keep them quiet, and they soon killed it, cutting its head almost off at one stroke of a sharp knife. This is the law of the Koran, and when an Arab kills a beast he must cut the windpipe and carotids, saying the name of God. The women mostly offer up a short prayer : “ O God, give this animal patience to endure the suffering Thou hast ordained for it! ” A fire was made and covered over with stones, the meat was cut from the bones and placed on the hot stones to fry, 13 the entrails and tit-bits from the bone eaten raw. The evening was most beautiful, and repaid us for the hot day ; the stars magnificent, and the background of dark mountains very grand. Truly one must wonder at the vastness of creation in this desert. I sent letters home by an Arab caravan, and hope they will get there safely. To-day I saw the women grinding grain for the first time. They rub it between two stones, and keep on for hours together, singing a low chant—not very musical, but still not unpleasant —all the time. I did wish that some one could come and edu¬ cate these people, they are so nice and sharp. Surely some good could be done with them. An old man came and paid us a visit. He was the picture of old Time, and said he was 110 yeai's old. He was a nice old fellow, and seemed greatly amused at us and our ways. July 1st—We started from Kokrib at 6 a.m., and had a pretty easy ride to Mattah, which place we reached about eleven. The sun was very hot, but a nice cool breeze made things pleasant. I did not feel the riding so much to-day, and my back-ache was better. I am getting used to packing my saddle myself, and making it rather more comfortable. We saw a caravan of a merchant this morning. They were just upon starting. He is a jolly-looking man with four wives. I saw one or two of them before they pulled their veils over, and they were very good-look¬ ing—one was white enough to be English. They seem to get on well together. We left Mattah at 3.30., and had a splendid ride across the plain of Kokrib, about fifteen miles broad. After sundown we walked and had a race over the plain. Litchfield shot a vulture —an immense bird—the wings about five and a half feet from tip to tip. He also shot some more doves for dove soup. We joke him about his dove soup ; he manages to get us some nearly every day. The doves are very small, and one could eat twenty of them easily. There is a tradition that over the plain of Ko¬ krib a girl danced without stopping the night before her marriage. Kather a long dance, was it not ? Our kavass assures us the tale is true. We saw the mirage for the first time this afternoon : it looked like a river with trees along its banks, and I had great difficulty in bringing myself to believe my sense before my eyes, it looked so real; but when we got nearer, it vanished away. After leaving the plain we entered a dark mountain gorge, and it was just like going into a fiery furnace, the wind was so hot it dried one up completely. At 10.30 reached Yungub. Half our journey is over, but the worst half has to come ; scarcely any water, long and very hot stages being promised ,us. 14 July 2nd .—At 5.30 we mounted, and had a very hot and uninteresting ride to Ariab, at which place we arrived at 10.30. There is a small Arab village of about twelve huts here. The huts are made of bent poles covered with mats ; no windows or doors—a space of about two feet is left at the ground, which serves the purpose. The Arabs here are great thieves, and we had to keep a sharp look-out for our things. At night the soldiers keep watch. The boys and girls run about quite naked, the girls having only a string of beads round the neck, arms, waist, and ankles. The boys’ hair is shaved off part of the head, giving them the appearance of young clowns, which is very amusing. There are herds of cows, goats, sheep, and camels. We bought two sheep ftu 3s. 6d. each (about) ; and, to give you an idea of Arab cuteness, soon after the sheep had been driven to our tent, the Arab who had sold them came and said he wanted the skins, as he had only sold the sheep, and not the skins. We told him we were not going to kill them, so after a long time he went. Another man came and asked for dinner, saying “ he had dreamt the night before that some people came and gave him some food.” We told him in England people said dreams went by the contrary, so he should have none. We got some very good milk. What the cows feed on I cannot imagine, as there are only tufts of dry grass to be seen. We tried to buy a goat, but the people felt quite insulted at the idea. They never sell goats. We stayed here till next day, as there is no water for the next two stages, and the journey must begin at noon, and our camels and ourselves were too tired to go on without rest. I was soothed to sleep by the grinding of the grain, and the voice of our kavass singing of the wives he hopes to have when he shall have shuffled off this mortal coil, and have arrived in heaven. Poor fellow ! would I could make him understand a different creed. The temperature in the evenings is between 90° and 95°, so, you see, it is pretty warm the whole time. I shall be very thankful when we get to Berber. The monotony of the way is very great; you cannot talk much from one camel to another. When in a hut, we usually occupy one corner each with a bed ; have our guns, filters, and bags hung up at our bed’s head; our revolvers are under our pillows. We rig up our tables in the centre of the hut. The first thing that we do on arriving at a station is to begin and filter water; we fill a bucket full of water, put a few filters in, and soon draw off enough water for drinking purposes. Then we have a wash if there is enough water, then prayers, and then food. The groups of soldiers round our hut- door are always picturesque; they lie about, smoking, singing, 15 or mending their clothes, and one of them sews very well indeed. Their food consists of a kind of millet-seed, which they eat very hot with their fingers ; a little curry-powder is added sometimes as a luxury. The head camel-man has his food from us, only stipulating that we shall not give him pork, as his religion for¬ bids him to eat it. He likes our tea very much, but drinks it without sugar. Our cook is a first-rate fellow so far, falling into our ways very well; but new brooms generally sweep well, and how he will turn out I do not know. Our dragoman gets worse instead of better ; he can eat and sleep as much as you like, but he makes more mistakes now than be did when we first engaged him, and does not seem able to understand the most simple things. He gives us plenty of amusement, but tries our temper very much—mine, at least. July 3rd .—-We spent a quiet forenoon at Ariab, and were not sorry for the rest, though I felt rather home-sick all the morning. At 4 p.m. all was ready for a start, and all our water-skins, tanks, flasks, and zemzimiers (?) carefully filled with water, for there is only one well before we get within two hours of Berber, and that is salt water. I do not think I have told you how the camels are loaded. The saddle is N-shaped, with two pommels, one at each end; girths are not usually used, but if anything is used, it is a thick rope made of grass. The goods are slung over the saddle with ropes, two ropes going round each case and ending in a loop, through which a wooden peg is put, which secures them. All that is required in unloading the camels is to steady the cases on either side, then withdraw the pegs, and the cases slide down to the ground. The camel of course lies down for loading and unloading. We have on the camels we ride our bags containing our clothes for the journey, buckets, washing-basin, &c.; and on the pommels our small bags, filters, guns, and water-bottles are slung. The rugs on which we ride require very careful packing, as the least uneasiness causes great discomfort. When a halt is made, most of the camels are hobbled, and then turned loose. They are strung together on the march by a rope behind the teeth, round the lower jaw, and if they should chance to get loose, stop at once till re-tied. We rode eight and a half hours to Matio, a rather dilapidated hut, without ring-fence, and no water. About eight we halted for twenty minutes, and had coffee by moonlight, and then our men lit up a lot of tufts of long dry grass, causing an immense light, and lighting up the rocks and hills in a re¬ markable manner. We met a long caravan of some fifty camels ; they looked so weird, silently winding their way through the darkness, and soon vanishing. The silence of the desert is very impressive, but we often sing, 16 both to keep ourselves awake, and to pass the time away. When starting, and often on the road, our men cry out in a long shrill cry, “ Sheikh Abdullah el Khudthis is to invoke protection from some old sheikh of the desert long since gathered to his fathers. The men annoy us much in telling us distances. When asked, “ When shall we halt ?” they always say, “ God knows,” —perfectly true, but that does not give us the required infor¬ mation, and an extensive conversation has to be held before an idea can be formed as to the length of a stage. After march¬ ing six or seven hours one gets tired, and asks how long to the station. “ Oh, we are very near,” or, “We shall soon be there this generally means in an hour or two we may get there. One of their “ soons ” meant three hours’ march. We were glad to get to Matio, and were soon asleep; but I had no sooner got to sleep, as I thought, than I was conscious of a great noise, and on looking round saw them lading the camels. I had slept three hours, and we were to start again, they not even giving us time for coffee. July 4 th. —For the first two hours I had the greatest difficulty to keep on my seat, falling asleep every few minutes, till a jerk would rouse me again. It was, however, delightfully cool. About nine the sun was very hot, and then began three hours of the most intense uneasiness. My water was all gone, and the sun was so hot, and the wind so strong, I could not shade myself. It Avas too hot to speak, the wind drying one up completely. Silently on we went, each half-hour getting worse and worse. I was quite dizzy, and each minute expected to fall down; but all things have an end, and at twelve o’clock we arrived at Alame, another hut. We had not tasted food for sixteen hours, except a few dry biscuits, which I could hardly eat, because I had no water; you can imagine better than I can describe how we felt. And, to make matters worse, we could not get a wash, as the water was too precious for that pur¬ pose. We could not sleep—it was 108° in the hut—so we lay and melted until 6 p.m., when off we were driven again. A march of five hours brought us to a place called Aletsliu —no hut, but a nice plain at the foot of some hills. I was indeed thankful for a rest, as it was fairly cool. July 5 th .—We started at five this morning; they tried hard to get us up at four, but it was no go—we would not stir. We soon left the mountains, and entered into the sandy desert, for which I am not sorry, as mountains, nothing but mountains, get tedious at last. The sand is so fine and soft, it is almost alive with insects, some of which are very curious. We arrived at Obuch at nine o’clock, and have stayed here all day, killing 17 a sheep, for which our men are always thankful. Obach is a hut in a very fallen-down condition on the top of a lot of sand¬ hills, the camels sinking deeply at every step, and going in con¬ sequence very slowly. There is a well here—but oh, what water ! very salt, and full of sand. It is a good thing we have still some water left, and I hope that with care it will last us the remainder of the way. It has been very hot to-day—110°; could get no sleep, so I am not sorry for the halt. It has also enabled me to write up my account, which I feel is very poor, but if you knew the difficulties under which it is written, you would excuse that. The sunset has been beautiful, and now, as I write, the moon and stars are brilliant, but still the saine hot wind. I am getting tired of the word hot; but what else can one write, when one is burning for twenty hours out of the twenty-four? We start at three to-morrow morning, which means getting up at two o’clock. There are now only three more stages, and I shall be thankful when they are over. I wish you could see our camp—five or six watch fires, around which the men are lying, dark forms flitting about in the firelight, camels stalking silently, but at the same time with an air of quiet dignity, about, and all backed up by the steel colour of the sky and the silver light of the moon and stars. July 6th .—We left Obach at six, and had at first to cross the sand-hills. These are very soft, and the camels sank deeply at each step ; they are a series of mounds, and so very steep that sometimes we nearly overbalanced ourselves. It took us about an hour to cross the hills, and then we entered the sandy desert, a flat plain, which extends from here to Berber. We saw here a few sand-pillars formed by the wind, and one or two sand- showers passed over us, but we have seen no sand-storms. The largest lizard I have ever seen was caught by one man here ; it was two and a half feet in length. They say that the leaves of some tree are an antidote for its bite, but I cannot find out what tree it is. We rode on till twelve, and as we approached the hut we saw a few camels and a man in a helmet like ours, so we thought it must be a European. As soon as we got to the hut he ran out and said, “ Good day, gentlemen and he turned out to be the Indian servant of Mr. Wild, who used to be consul at Jeddah. On alighting, Mr. Wild came and gave us a hearty welcome, and you can imagine how glad we were to see a jolly English face again, and to get a downright British shake of the hand. We soon became friends, and he told us he had just come from Khartoum, where Colonel Gordon was expecting us. He gave us three fowls, which were a great treat, and a good deal of general information. He had a terrible journey to Berber three a 5 18 weeks ago. The monsoon blew against him for eight days, and he met several sand-storms, so bad that his camels could not stand against them. His guide ran away ; his men had one or two fights on the road ; at one place he had great difficulty with the people : this news made us all the more thankful that we had got through safely. He had with him a young lion and two mon¬ keys, which he was going to send to the Zoo, and a Nyam-Nyam, a boy who is a cannibal, and said he only wished he could get a bit of human flesh now ! He gave us some Nile water : it was almost like cafe-au-lait, so thick with mud. After a few very pleasant hours with him we left at 4.40, and arrived at 1.40 a.m. at Abailot, a broken-down hut without any water. We were very tired, having ridden fifteen hours in the day. On this part of our journey we passed many dead camels ; in fact, one could almost find the way from Suakin to Berber by the skeletons and dried-up remains of camels, so very numerous are they. July 7th .-—We had hoped for a good sleep after the long ride and fatigue of the previous day, but were sadly disappointed when our men woke us at four, and told us we must get ready for a start. It was hard work, but Mr. Wild had told us that five hours from Abailot there was a very large tree, where we could rest during the heat, so we got ready, and were oft at five. The first three hours were beautiful, so cool and pleasant; but at 9 a.m. it became very hot, and we looked out eagerly for the tree with its promised shade. No tree, however, appeared ; sand, sand, nothing but sand in sight, with the mirage in the distance, which proved to be a great source of discomfort to us, as the view of what looked to be beautiful water only increased the heat and thirst. On, on we went, our sheikh saying we should soon be there ; our water was thick, hot, and nasty, the heat getting worse, and we were so tired. Several times we thought we must give up. We felt as though we could go no further. We tried walking, but each step was like putting one’s foot into boiling water. There was no shade to be seen. At last, after going through a season of discomfort I look back upon with horror, we saw in the distance what seemed to be a hut. Nearer we came. Was it the mirage? No, that could not be; a hut, yes ! truly a hut, and to our intense relief we found out that we had missed the tree, and by a forced march got to Molieber, the last station, and were only two hours from Berber! Thank Gtod, it is over, and our dangers and difficulties past, at least for the present, and you cannot think with what joy we dismounted and sought the shade of the friendly hut. We were 19 all completely done up, but a wash—the first for several days— revived us somewhat, and we then tried for sleep, which, how¬ ever, I could not get, for the temperature was 114|°, and the large flies and mosquitoes, our old friends, had made their re-appear¬ ance. The poor camels were quite done up, as were the men, and though we gave them a sheep, they were .too tired to cook if. July 8th .—How thankful for a goodnight’s sleep I was, and I awoke like a new man ; all was excitement to get ready for our entry into Berber. The best clothes we could muster were looked up, and our camels loaded as neatly as possible. The last cup of coffee in the desert was consumed, and we left Moheber at 6 a.m. For two hours we rode, nothing to be seen. Can we really be so close to our journey’s end ? What do I see? the tower of a mosque? yes, just above the horizon the tower appeared. We urged our camels on, “ He, ho, hiss,” and soon Berber came in sight. Oh, how delightful to see the mud-houses and palm-trees ! Soon after, a kavass from the Mudir met us, conveying his welcome, and he was to show us the way to our house. Berber looks like a string of mud-houses, extending for about two miles, with here and there most beautiful clusters of palm-trees. Another quarter of an hour, and we entered the town—narrow ways—you cannot call them streets, and we were soon in the courtyard of the house appointed for us. It is the largest house in Berber, once the residence of the French consul. The distance travelled is, as near as we can make out, 330 or 350 miles, as the route is so winding. The camels go about two and three-quarters or three miles an hour. No European should ever attempt this journey in the middle of summer. In the cooler parts of the year it must be a most delightful ride, but in these months almost unbearable. Surely God has been good to us, and to Him be all the glory ! We have been in perils enough, but His arms have been round us, and no harm has come to us. II. —Berber 'jo Khartoum. Journal of Mr. FelJcin. Berber, July 21s/, 1878.—At about 5 a.m. the men came with two camels to take our personal goods down to the steamer, though after all the delays I should not even have then been surprised if another delay had occurred. On the shore several hundreds of people were waiting to see the boat off. As we rode up, the soldiers cleared a large space for us, and we saw our old friend the Mudir, his son, and several a b 20 others, who had come down to hid us good-bye. We were all very sorry to say good-bye to the old Mudir, he had been so hind to us, and I think he was sorry too. After a great deal of shouting and whistling we left at 8.30 a.m., towing five large barges and the steamer’s boat. Berber was certainly very pretty as we had approached it by land, and the river-view of it is not bad, the queer mud-houses and the palm-trees looking very nice; but after a desert journey the sight from the desert side is the best. How muddy the Nile looked ! We soon got our filters at work. The steamer is like a London Bridge steamer. Very full of luggage, fifty prisoners, twenty soldiers, sailors, and a few women. We have the stern cabin to ourselves ; on deck there is very little room. Many of the prisoners came with us from Suez to Suakin ; they are as noisy and dirty as ever. They are chained in couples by the feet with heavy chains, and each foot chained to the other, and their hands, or at least most of them, are hand¬ cuffed in wood, as in old pictures of slaves. This is too hard, I think, but some of them are very bad. The Mudir and captain both promised that we should be in Khartoum in five days. How their word was kept shall be seen. We took provisions for seven. The fowls were put in a little room next our berths, and afterwards gave us much trouble. On deck some twenty other fowls were tied by the leg to a long string and getting continually trodden on. We stopped at three, and in the evening went a very nice walk thx*ough the trees and to a village. We saw a woman drawing water at a well, and got some water from her ; but, poor woman, she had a scolding from her lord and master for giving it us. Our steamer and the boats took an hour and a half to make fast. When they near a landing-place four or five men take off their only garment, make it into a turban, take a rope round the shoulder, and swim off to the shore; then they pull the boat in. Sometimes the current is so strong that they cannot reach the shore, and have to be pulled back again. Meu wanting to go by one of the barges swim from the banks. They go on a long way before the steamer, and by hard swim¬ ming manage to grasp a rope which is thrown to them. Some¬ times this is very exciting, as men have to swim off the steamer with a line to extricate the swimmers. This afternoon a man tried to bring a goat off, but it would not swim, so was taken back, killed, tied on a log of wood, and pushed before three men to the barge. July 23rd.—Our engine broke down twice to-day. We cannot pull so much, so we are leaving two barges behind, and will have to come back for them; this will make our journey 21 much longer. No chance of getting to Khartoum in five days now! About 7 p.m. a terrible affair occurred. We were in our cabin when loud cries were heard. We got a lamp, and went and found that the hatch covering the prisoners had been dropped on to them. It was really awful. There was hardly any light, and on looking down you saw the dusky, naked forms moving about; heard chains clanking, and yells, curses, and screams; it was like a hell. Our light showed that several men were injured, so I felt I must go down. I did so, and found two with compound fracture of the skull, and several others badly hurt. In one corner of this hole a poor woman was sitting, enduring all these sights and cruelties for love of her husband. She must indeed be brave to face the dangers of the White Nile, which soon kills them, I am told. July 24f7i.—More cries from the prisoners’ hatch called our attention. They had made a most determined effort in the night to get free from their handcuffs, and nearly all had succeeded in partly doing so. But they were found out, aud received twenty-four stripes on the bare feet from a hippo-hide whip. The soldiers seemed to enjoy this very much, but I felt as if I should like to turn the tables a little, as some old men who did not lie down quickly enough were most cruelly struck on the head, causing blood to flow. Passed the Atbara, a splendid river about 400 yards wide. After passing it the current was less strong. In the evening I sit on the bridge with the captain, airing my Arabic and my¬ self, and always get a cup of coffee from the old captain. It is very cool and nice there generally. We see the women cooking. They get the durah, a small grain ; it is first washed three times, and then ground between two stones, then mixed with water, and baked on an iron plate like Passover .cakes. We shall get to this kind of bread soon, but as yet we have biscuits. From the bridge we see the men performing the evening ablutions before prayer. A boy pumps the muddy Nile water over them, and they wash first the right arm, then left, then face and back of ears, lastly feet. They must be very particular. July 2 5th .—A doctor’s fame spreads very rapidly here, but if the income does as fast I do not know ; any way I get patients enough at every place we stop at, but they are mostly old cases wanting to be cured at once. I am sorry I can do so little for them. Saw our first crocodile, which Pearson shot, causing great delight to all on board. This evening saw a village of bee-hive huts burnt down ; it was all over in half an hour. July 2 6th .—Taking in wood all the morning, so took a nice 22 walk along the river under the date-trees. The men worked very slowly. Four Englishmen could have done the work twenty of them took five hours to do in the same or less time. At twelve we started, glad to get on, but in seven minutes our engines broke down, and we were driven across the river forcibly against the other bank, where we stopped till 2.15 p.m. Our captain cannot read or write. The way he reckons if tbe steamer is going fast enough is, when he sits on the paddle-box, he looks at the ship’s bow ; if she makes three good-sized waves, she is going all right; but if only four small ones, he blows up the engineer. He does not think about the current. July 30 th .—Went on shore to see if we could buy anything. As we had come to the end of our provisions, visions of eggs, milk, and meat or fowl passed before us; but we were doomed to disappointment, for all we could see was a bowl of milk and some durah. The women who had the milk wanted threepence for a small tea-cup full, and when we were going to buy all she had, asked for the money first. We gave her silver money, such as we had used in Berber, but it was no good. After being passed round amongst the people, it was said to be worthless, and so we got no milk. As we were coming away a beggar offered us two fish for Is. 6d., but even he would not take our money, and we returned empty-handed. At 5.30, as we were just finishing tea (or rather coffee, as our tea is long since done), we heard a noise on deck, and ran up to see what was the matter. There was a lot of shouting, and we saw they were making fast to the bank as quickly as they could. We asked why, and they said a sand-storm was coming. On looking to the north we saw a roll, about as thick as a rolling-pin, at the horizon; but it soon became larger, and the whole northern heavens became dark with sand, a deep-yellow hue spread over everything, the clouds were broken in the centre with a bit of blue. At six it was over us; on either side we could hardly see, but just over the river a slight break appeared to be formed. It passed over us with a roar in seven minutes, and then came an awful gust of wind and a torrent of rain (really the first drop of rain since leaving old England). We dived down below, and soon appeared in waterproof from top to toe. It was the first time we had had our thick boots and waterproofs on. We caused quite a sensation. After the heavy l'ain had stopped we went a walk; it was cool, and the lightning most splendid. July 31s£.—Aground twice to-day ! Ho meat, only a few boxes of sardines left. Litchfield tried his hand at making a pudding, and succeeded in making one of flour and water for paste and biscuits and our last pot of raspberry jam. It was boiled for two hours, and when finished had two advantages, for it satisfied 23 hunger, and no one went for a second helping! But it was very good considering. We are just coming to the sixth cataract of the Nile. The most beautiful scenery, almost like English. Pearson and I agree in thinking one view we have had of the river with the islands and the mountains in the background is like Windermere. It is splendid. The bits of foam on the swift current tell us to what we are coming. Aug. 3rd .—When we shall arrive I do not know ; to-morrow we shall have been in this steamer fourteen days. We got to the beginning of the Great Cataract about 5 a.m. Left our two boats there and went back for the others, running back in twenty minutes. About 2 p.m. we caught up our two boats, and after nearly losing them, through a line breaking, towed all four again. The river soon widened out into a large lake, a splendid expanse of water, about a mile and a half broad and three or four miles long. At the end a range of mountains 400 or 500 feet high, and there appeared to be no opening at the end of the lake; but at four we saw a small opening in the mountains, and turning at right angles behind an island we had not noticed, we entered the pass. The pass at entrance was 400 yards, but narrows down to 100 yards or less, was very winding and difficult to steer m—current very strong. On entering the pass the moun¬ tains jutted up almost perpendicularly on either side. Aug. 5tli. —We are still 100 miles from Khartoum. Scarcely any one has any food, and so the captain has sent a man to walk to Khartoum for another steamer to help us on. Many of the poor people on the boats walked on too, as they have nothing to eat. It is about fifty miles by land, as near as I can make out—along distance on empty stomachs and a hot sun overhead. Our meat smelt so badly that Litchfield contrived a splendid dish so that we could have something to eat. He got a frying- pan, sliced some onions into it, over these he put a layer of broken biscuits, then covered it with oil, next he chopped the meat up with an axe to make it tender, put it in, and then broken biscuits and oil again, and onions and plenty of pepper. It made a very good dish. Aug. 6th .—Hardly any dinner. Nearly all food finished, Litchfield had some chutney, which made our mouldy bread go down better. At a quarter to four a cry was heard, “A steamer comes ! ” We rushed on deck. Can it be true ? Can our troubles have come to an end ? Yes, surely. Up went the flag—the Crescent and Star—and a steamer came quickly round a bend of the river, Quick work, wasn’t it? We sent yesterday morning, and by 24 four to-day a steamer comes. She was not finished building, but just enough. The captain came on board, and said Gordon Pasha had sent him off at a moment’s notice on the unfinished steamer to bring us at once to Khartoum. Gave us half au hour to get ready our things, just what we wanted for a day. We went on board, to the envy of the others, as the captain had orders to tow no boats. We are to leave to-morrow morning before sunrise, and to be in Khartoum about 10 a.m. For breakfast to-morrow we have a handful of biscuit-crumbs and a few sardines. I shall try and beg a bit of coffee. Aug. 7 th .—Hope to be in Khartoum in six hours. We are awfully hungry ! Our dinner consisted of millet-seed and a bit of hard bread soaked to make it eatable. Our old ship nearly caught us in the meantime, and now a stern chase is going on as to which shall be in Khartoum first. Our wood ran short, so we had to stop. When we reach yonder hill Khartoum will be in view, said the captain ; but it was not, and we steamed on till 3 a.m., when the wood was exhausted. Aug. 8th .—After the men had had two hours’ rest, they were sent to fetch wood and some water-wheels, and two boats were partly demolished, and we started at seven. Soon after, the palace of the Governor of the Soudan and Khartoum came in sight. It is like the picture in Keith Johnston’s Africa, which you have. We then cut off our boats and steamed at full speed up to the town. A kavass or two met us with a letter from Colonel Gordon, saying how sorry he was we had been so long, that a house was prepared for us, and that he would see us at two o’clock. Here we are, and I close this portion of my Diary with thanks to God for His great goodness to us and protection over us. III.— At Khaktotjm. Journal of Mr. Pearson. Aug. 8th .—On going to the palace at two o’clock of course the guard turned out, and several kavasses ushered us upstairs, and in a large corridor we saw a table laid for lunch, and a little man in his shirt-sleeves walking about. I took him for the butler. On looking through the open doors opposite saw a very splendid divan with a round table in the middle, on which was a bunch of flowers, several looking-glasses on the walls. But on catching sight of us the “butler” rushed up and said, “ How d’ye do F So glad to see you; excuse shirt-sleeves, so hot! 25 awful long voyage. I’ll make a row about it. Are you very angry with me ? ” A hearty grasp of the hand to each, a piercing glance of small sharp eyes accompanied this flow of words, spoken in a clear, sharp, but pleasant tone of voice. Yes ! it is he indeed, the liberator of the slaves, the ruler of a country half as big again as France, the Chinese Gordon! It is hard to describe him ; he is short, thin, well-moulded face, slightly grey hair, his eyes calm, but at times light up with great fire and energy, thin, nervous hands, and a peculiar smile. We have had some glorious talks with him, which have strengthened me. I only wish I could stay with him longer. Aug. 9 tli. —He changes rapidly from one subject to another. In the middle of a conversation he suddenly stopped and said, “ You wrote to your mother did you ? ” “ Yes,” said I. “ That’s right, always let your mother know how you are. How my mother loved me! ” Again, he said, “ I say, Mr. Pearson, look after those fowls, will you P see that they get fed and not ill-treated.” These fowls he had ordered for us for the voyage. He is very anxious for us to take care of our people. During the whole of our stay here he has been like a father to us, and most generous in his presents. Aug. 11 th, midnight. —I will send you a line, though fearfully tired. We have been so busy getting stores and things Colonel Gordon wished us to take, and he has kept us each night till 11.80 or 12, that we have really had no time for letters. He is such a splendid man, and such a Christian, it has done me much good to meet him. [Gordon Pasha writes from Khartoum, under date Aug. 11th, 1878, a long letter, from which we extract the following:—] “ The three gentlemen arrived here safely, and are in very good health and spirits ; they had a long steam-boat voyage from Berber here ; but it is a good thing, for the delay enables them to get to Lado at the tail end of the rainy season, and it is as well they spent the time in the voyage than here at Khartoum, which is not very healthy. I have no doubt but that they will get on well together ; and they seem to have proper feelings as to the work they have to do, and the troubles they will have to meet with—not too sanguine ; and with a belief that all will work out well, though different from what they may have expected. They leave here on the 13tli for Lado, will be there (d.v.) about 15th September, and may be at Mtesa’s by 20th or 28th October. “ . . . . Do you know that Europe owes a very heavy moral debt to Egypt ? Do you know that all these slave-traders were 26 brought up to their metier by English, French, &c., adventurers ? they, the Arabs of this side, only took advantage of the energy of those European leaders. “ Never, in any part of the globe, could you have a virgin people open to you with such very small disadvantages as you would have by locating on the west coast of Lake Albert. “ . . . . You need not come to Africa for the martyr’s crown, there are plenty to be given in England. Speak out and you will find sharper pricks than you will get from the native lances, and plenty of poison to envenom the wounds.” [We may here insert a later letter from Colonel Gordon to the Society :—] Khartoum, Feb. 9th, 18 79. My dear Mr. Wright, —Thank you for your letter and kind wishes, and ^ore so for your prayers, for I declare 1 have lost all hope of any help in man. You ask me for my advice about the Lake Albert. I am sorry that, for the moment, I can say nothing, except that any¬ thing that my people at Equator can do, they will do. I v/ill now give you the information which Emen Bey, the Governor of Equator, has written to me about your people, and my sister will send you the letters of Felkin and Pearson to me. Do not be discouraged at Emen Bey’s remarks, which I give you as I received them. Emen Bev says :— 1. It is impossible for the missionaries to go and see Kaba Eega before they go to Mtesa, forMtesa will, from jealousy of Kaba Eega, be angry with them. N.B.—At Emen Bey’s advice, they will not go to Kaba Eega. 2. The embassy of Mtesa, which were at Khartoum when the missionaries arrived there, and with whom the missionaries went up to Lado, are evilly disposed to the missionaries. 3. Emen Bey says, I have written twice to Eev. Wilson, and have no news from him. 4. Emen Bey says he has recommended the missionaries not to put themselves in Mtesa’s hands till they can communicate with Eev. Wilson. From this I gather that the missionaries will not go up to Mtesa till they hear from Wilson ; they will be well looked after by our people. I think I told you I meant to evacuate the stations marked, and thus get away from Mtesa and Kaba Eega, keeping a strong force on Lake Albert and Dufli; of course my evacuation will relieve Mtesa of any fear of Egypt. I have told the missionaries this, and they will act according to what Wilson may tell them, and perhaps they may return to Lake Albert. I cannot keep these useless stations up. This evacua- 27 tion will not affect the post to Mtesa or Kaba Rega. I have left Emen Bey in command of the Equator, and his second in command is Mr. Lupton, a friend of Litchfield’s. It may be that Mtesa will attribute the evacuation of the territory to the Mission’s efforts, and may be more tractable. You need not fear for the safety of the Mission. Mtesa knows we are not going far off. The great Ruler, so often ignored, is still ruling every¬ thing, and in spite of our forgetfulness, He does not forget or slumber. (Signed) C. E. Gordon. IV. —Khartoum to Lado. Journal of Mr. Felkin. Aug. 13 th. —Mtesa’s embassy consists of two chiefs—one a thin sharp fellow, the other a very fat one, who keep their eyes open—and fifteen men, a dreadful-looking lot of fellows. One’s heart sank when one saw them ; they do indeed need the Gospel to elevate them. They cannot talk much, but wanted brandy, which of course they did not get. Gordon Pasha has bought and given to us with their freedom five slaves, a boy each, and a man cook, and a young woman to grind durah, wash, &c. This is a personal present to us. Aug. 14 ill. —A dismal sight met my eyes this morning. All was wet, the rain dropping down, and I wet through. All the morning spent in getting things dry, and a waterproof sheet put up to preserve our goods. Land all flooded on each side of river ; nothing to be seen except trees submerged in water. Aug. 1 6th. —Got books out to-day ; hope to do some work, especially Arabic. Our girl bitten by a scorpion, which we caught on her dress. Mosquitoes have made their re-appear¬ ance ; are very large. River water very nasty. Aug. 17th .—At 5.30 the cook brings coffee and a bit of bread; get up and read privately till eight; breakfast; dinner at 12.30; tea at six; prayers at eight, and then to bed soon after. We have now left off ties and shirts, with collars, &c., and are dressed in blue serge trousers and jacket, made like a Garibaldi shirt, only with military collars; under this we wear a thick under-vest. Our bread is mouldy, and has to be soaked in water before we eat it; so, if you want to eat as we eat, keep your home-made bread till it is dry and mouldy, then soak it in cold water and eat it wet. Aug. 18 th. —A great many grass islands passed us to-day; they are formed by the water undermining the banks, and then they float down-stream. The grass is six to eight feet high ; 28 sometimes wild beasts are on them ; huts, too, have been known to float off in like manner. Aug. 22nd .—On going on deck this morning Fashoda lay- before us. It is a fortified town, and the gate is about 200 yards from the river. The walls and Government houses are built of baked bricks, rest of the town of mud or wooden huts, thatched with sugar-cane. We had towed up a new Mudir to this place, the other being dismissed for slave-dealing. He was on board to pay his respects to us, and ask us to go on shore with him ; all the soldiers were in two lines from the fort to the ship to receive him. He wore the Cross of the Legion of Honour, having fought in Mexico, and two other French medals. We refused, however, and he went off. The troops presented arms, and the drum and bugle band played very well as he walked up the lines to his new home. This is a great garrison, generally 800 or 1000 men, as the “ Shillooks ” (a neighbour¬ ing tribe) used to attack this place every night. The people crowded round and were very much amused. Most of them were naked, or nearly so, here. We then went and paid a visit to the Mudir, and then I inspected the hospital and prison. They have no idea of letting light or air into these places. After this we went and bought some things from a Greek merchant, the last chance we shall have. We bought a native-made bell for our church in U-Gandafor 15s., some penny looking-glasses for 3s. each, and half a dozen cakes of Windsor soap for Is. 3d. a cake. This will give you an idea of the prices. In the afternoon we saw a war-dance. The captain, mayor, and the commandant of the town came on board for us, and we put on our best helmets and dresses to make as imposing a show as we could. On entering the fort the company of soldiers on guard presented arms, and the cannon were fired. We were conducted to a raised platform before the Mudir’s house, where seats were prepared for us, and that worthy and his numerous attendants were assembled. On taking our seats, the drum and trumpet band, stationed below on our left, began to play, and the music was good, but it was too near to be enjoyed. A wide square was formed by soldiers, their wives and child¬ ren, and some people from the town. Soon a noise of bells was heard, and a band of Shillooks rushed pell-mell into the square, yelling and leaping in a remarkable manner; at the same time their young chief, Kakkum by name, came up and kissed hands and sat with us. He is a splendid young man, tall and well built, and his beautiful face not spoiled by the numerous cuts which so much disfigure the men and women generally. He gives one the idea of great power, both of body and mind. His interpreter was quite six feet four inches, a most massive- 29 faced man, a regular study for an artist. Well, the warriors came up in a sort of line to the platform and saluted us, drop¬ ping their lance points to the ground and half bending the right knee; it is very graceful. Hound each head a band of leather was tied, into which was woven long grass, forming a sort of “ glory ” round the face, and waving with each move¬ ment of the head or wind. Round the left arm another leather was tied, to which hung a long black sheep’s tail; the ankles and fore-arms were adorned with rings of copper or brass, and small bits of metal were loosely tied round, or rather below, the knee. Some also had belts tied above the right elbow. Some were dressed in leopard-skins just tied over one shoulder ; others had a skin round the loins; others nothing but a belt round the waist: from these belts rows of iron rings hung. Their arms are simple, but very good—a 7 ft. lance, with broad sharp head, shields made of skins oval in form, bows, arrows carried in the hand, and clubs, being all they possess. A drum, however, I must not forget, as they keep splendid time to the beat of it, made by one hand and a stick. The noise is not pleasant even to my unmusical ear. A circle was formed by the men round the drum, and they danced or rather went round it in long strides, sinking the whole body at every stride and covering it with the shield, at the same time making a lunge forward with the spear ; yells and cries as unearthly as you like to imagine were uttered at regular in¬ tervals, and the whole had a certain rhythm about it. The dance lasted about two hours, coffee and sherbet (water, sugar, and lemon) being handed round. It appears to be a rule here to marry your servants ; the prin¬ cipal reason being that if the man wishes to run away, his wife gets to know of it and tells you, so the flight can be prevented. We left early next morning for Sobat. Aug. 23rd .—Soon after leaving Fashoda we saw the old en¬ campment of Baker on the right side of the river, marked by a remarkable tree, the name of which I cannot find out. At this place he lost more than half of his men from sickness. This was almost the last tree, as all round they had been cut down for fuel for the steamers. There is difficulty now in getting wood, and it will soon be much worse. On coming to the Sobat we noticed the great difference in the waters, the Sobat water being a dirty red-white—the White Nile is blue. The village of Sobat is composed of bell-shaped huts, thatched with sugar-cane, and surrounded by very strong stockades. There are some sol¬ diers here and lots of woodmen. Aug. 25th .— We had started at six, and were going up the White Nile. Just as we sat down to breakfast a tremendous 30 torrent of rain came down, which soon stopped the steamer, all hands taking refuge in the paddle-boxes or the engine-room. (In the paddle-box we have our only chance of a bath. When the steamer stops we get through a little door, climb down the wheel, and it is very jolly, as the crocodiles can’t get in.) Mv nice clean things got a good soaking; I got to my cabin and sat under a wateproof sheet until the rain left off. It is fear¬ fully damp and steamy; we all feel it much. May God keep us from all harm ! Aug. 2 7th. —Finished taking in wood; piles as high as possible on deck. Aug. 28th. —Passed the Bahr-el-Ghazel, or Gazelle River, which has numerous branches, and was mapped out by Schweinfurth. It is about two hundred yards wide; before the mouth of the river a barrier exists across the Nile proper, and is formed of floating islands. There is the greatest difficulty in getting along, and sometimes the river is quite blocked up. The water channel is often only ten or twenty yards broad, though the real banks of the river are from six, eight, and ten miles off, the space being filled with floating marsh, as it is called. The grass is from fifteen to twenty feet high, and you can’t think how curious it is to be steaming through it, turning about so often and so sharply that water is only seen a few hundred yards at a time. Often and often the steamer had to stop till the current carries away the blocks of grass. The wood does not burn well, so we don’t make much pro¬ gress, though we steam night and day. How the men manage to keep up is a mystery, for they work harder than I have ever seen men work. Aug. 2 9th. —One of the Wa-Ganda died in the night; the others said nothing to the captain, but just threw him over¬ board. Nothing to be seen all day but grass, grass. Have been working hard all day Hying to make myself a pair of trousers of some strong cloth they use here, and when nearly finished found I had made a mistake and had to undo them. Don’t I wish I had a wife, or a sewing machine!— which ? The river curves very much. To-day we steered N.E. and N., which is good when going to a place S. What a wonderful river it is ! Saw several large expanses of water, but not in connection with the watercourse. Had to stop at night; men tired out. Wood getting short. Aug. 30th. —Rather an exciting day. Wood is nearly finished, and if we do not get more to-day shall have to stay till a steamer comes from Khartoum, perhaps six weeks ; as the wood got lower the excitement got intenser. However, at 6 p.m., 31 we arrived at two trees growing together in a remarkable manner in the marsh ; they serve as a landmark. The captain, after a good deal of pressure, consented to cut doAvn enough to go on a little way. The noise the mosquitoes make is like what the buzzing of all the flies in all the butcher’s’ shops in Wolverhampton collected on the hottest day would be, if you can imagine-that. I fear you will think I have mosquitoes on the brain ; well, I have, they are so very trying ! Colonel Gordon told us, and we find it almost true, that we should have to stay in curtains fourteen hours out of the twenty-four. Aug. 31st .—After tea we went on the bridge, and found to our horror the wood would only last another hour. Neither the captain nor pilot know where they are, they keep no reckoning. Our anxiety ,was very great, for although we have been well so far, a long stay in such an unhealthy marsh is not desirable. It got darker and darker ; from where we are they say it is still two days’ journey to Shembeh. At about 8 p.m. we got into a large lake, and then could not find the way out, and no more wood either, so we dropped anchor and waited for the day. We tried to get the captain to cut down parts of woodwork, but he refused. Sept. 1st .—We can now truly say we are in Central Africa, for if we were to walk N., E., S., or W., it would bring us to almost the extremes of the continent. Sept. 2nd .—-After working two days the men have enough wood to burn three hours. They have to go three-quarters offa mile up to the neck in water to the fast ground, and then it is knee-deep. For this reason we cannot get on shore. Sept. 3rd. —I must tell you of last night. By the way, the nights are very damp, and although 80°, are very cold to us. We dress up in blankets, and handkerchiefs tied over our ears— old woman’s dodge—to keep off our enemies. Big gloves pre¬ serve my hands, though I have forty bites on one; waterproof leggings, but they are not much good, as the mosquitoes get in at top and bottom. At eight it was so misty we went down from the bridge, as the malaria is supposed to be in this mist. At last, after a battle royal to get into my curtains, I lay down, just getting to sleep when a splash of water in my face told me something was up. In a few minutes a storm was over us, torrents of rain coming down; so in a short time I was soaking, and a dark cabin reeking hot and lit up by lightning is, I assure you, no place to sleep in, especially when you are wet. At last I did sleep, rocked by the swing of the boat, and sung to by mosquitoes and waves, occasional drops of rain on my face beating time. 32 Read Isa. liii. this morning. What did not our Lord bear for us, and shall I complain at these little things ? No, never, by His help. Sept. 6th .—At 12.30 our wood was finished, so five days’ work was burnt in four and a half hours. Sliembeh still about 100 miles off by river, and no wood near, nothing but marsh. The captain will not burn the mast, &c., so there is nothing for it but to send our boat on. Seeing her got ready was quite an excitement; she has only two oars, and is a very heavy boat, and does not look as if she will make the journey. The tide, or rather current, is very strong, and the number of floating grass islands is very great. Six men went to row, taking it in turns, the pilot, and second engineer. They took with them coffee and durah, a box with a small charcoal fire, and three guns, which were very rusty and blocked up with dirt, so we cleaned them. They much fear for the safety of the boat, as several villages of Natives have to be passed, some of whom are not over friendly [the Dinka tribe, see the illustrations in the Gleaner for Aug. 1879, p. 87]. The captain took the anchor out of the boat so that they could not stop (a questionable proceeding). After repeating two verses out of the Koran, which they always do on starting on a journey, they pushed off. The note they took we put in a bottle sealed up to keep from the wet. Poor fellows ! what a time they will have of it, as it must take them six or seven days, unless a strong wind comes from the north. Now we must wait. We have been obliged to open a case of English provisions, and have no bread but durah; this is ground between two stones, mixed with water, and baked on an iron plate. It is not nice. Sept. 8th .—Just finished breakfast, when P— saw a Native, who was soon joined by another. L— ran for his telescope to look at them ; no sooner did they see it than they vanished. The captain told him to put it to his mouth and lick it, as if you lick your gun (which they thought it was), it is a sign of peace. He did so, and they appeared again. All was done to get them to come across in their boat, but it was no use, they were too frightened. This was a great pity, as they could get to Shembeli in two days in their light boat. Sept. 11th .—Our boat came back. They told the following story. That after rowing three days and nights they had found the river blocked up with grass islands, and could not force their way through because they had seen some Natives who had threatened them, and they found, although they had guns, powder, and balls, they had forgotten to take any caps with them. But this is like the Natives. We came to the conclusion that they were frightened, and so 83 they came back, as if the river is blocked up, as they say, where do all the islands come from which pass each day ? They say they come from the lakes, but we can hardly believe it, as in all the lakes we have seen there is no current at all. We asked the captain what we should do. Oh ! nothing at all, but wait till a steamer comes from Khartoum; but as there is only food for the men for two more days, and in all likelihood the river is blocked behind us, that will not do. So we held a consultation, and have sent him a letter saying we think it his duty to burn the wood of the ship, and if he will not we shall take the com¬ mand. Litchfield has gone in the boat to see if they can force a passage to some trees we see in the far distance. Sept. 12th. —Boat gone to try and get wood. Worked hard all day, and got out eight large cases for them to burn, in each case three small cases of provisions. We have now to use English meat every day, as we have nothing else to eat. The boat came back at six with a good load of wood. We had hard work to pull her in; the men were quite done up ; we had to throw them a rope and haul them in, a bad thunder¬ storm going on at the same time. Sept. 13th. —We shall stay here till we get enough wood to take us to Shembeh (perhaps). The men unload the wood in perfect time, singing a song which translated means, “ Give wood, take wood, oh yes, oh yes ! oh God ! oh God! all the wood we see must come on board the safir. Give wood, take wood, oh yes,” &c., &c. Sept. 15th. —We were all ill to-day. If we could get out of this marsh! But God is very good to us in keeping us thus far in health. Sept. 17th. —Another bad night for all of us., The captain says he shall still stay five more days in this place. The marsh is full of snakes and leeches. One of the men had a lot on his leg; they were surprised to see how we took them off with salt. Sept. 18th. —Bad night. Several men ill. I much worse. The boat brought a lot of wood to-day. The poor fellows have to work up to their necks in water to bring the boat through the marsh. Sept. 19th. —Better to-day. Half the men of the ship are ill one way or another, and if we do not go soon we shall not be able to do so. Sept. 21st. —Started at last this morning at six, but made very slow progress—partly on account of the immense quantity of “ toffs,” as the grass islands are called, partly because the engine does not work well, and also the wood does not give much heat. Sept. 23r