VIEW OF THE CATARACTS.

477

water is so loud that the whole region round appears to be shaken by continual thunder, the ears being incessantly filled with this sound, which mingles itself with the conception of what is beheld, and powerfully influences the decision of the judgment. But the principal charm of the landscape consists neither in the savage rocks, nor in the eternal dashing and roar of the waters; but in that utter solitude, sterility, desolation, which everywhere prevail, and suggest the idea that in all that vast region you alone are breathing the breath of life. This, at least, was the idea which rushed upon my mind, as I looked towards the north and towards the south, towards the east and towards the west, and, except my own companions, beheld no living thing, no habitation or trace of mankind, the distant village of Wady Halfa being hidden by date trees, and heard no sound but the voice of the river, bursting in monotonous cadence on the ear. Whatever was the cause, I have seldom experienced, in the presence of mere brute matter, emotions more powerful than those I experienced on the rock Abousir. Towards the south, beyond the ast extent of the barren desert, were the kingdoms of Dongola, and Sennaar, and Abyssinia, and the sources of the White River, upon which, circumstances I could in no degree control, compelled me to turn my back. I had now reached the most southern point I was to attain, and could no farther pursue the course of that mighty river which I had followed with increasing interest for more than a thousand miles. Comparatively a few weeks more would have

478

ROCKS OF THE CATARACT.

carried me to its source, and those sunny regions where the rigours of winter are entirely unknown. I regretted to take my farewell of the south, but curbed the vain longing that would have carried me, with the White River, into unknown countries, reserved for the discovery of others more fortunate than I. Next moment, the recollection of Europe, with those whom it contained, turned my thoughts into a different channel, and caused me to look forward with unaccountable pleasure to the descent of the Nile.

CCCLVI. Nevertheless, we wandered about for several hours among the rocks of the cataract, proceeding southward along the edge of the stream. It was a truly wild and extraordinary scene. Piles of dark green or black rocks, smooth, shining, and slippery, over which it was exceedingly toilsome to climb, alternating with small hollows or smooth patches of sand, invisible at a distance, where a few bushes were nourished by the moisture oozing in through the rocks, in many places running in long jetties into the river. One of these little promontories leads out to the brink of the principal fall, and from its extremity, where we sat to view the prospect, we could have put our feet into the whirlpools. In the little sandy hollows above described, we everywhere observed the fresh tracks of the gazelles, which would seem to come hither from the desert in troops, to drink and crop the few green herbs found among the rocks, unscared by the noise of the cataract. Here our little party separated, each wandering as his fancy led him.

RUINED GREEK CHAPEL.

479

I continued to advance towards the south, ascending and descending over the broken crags close to the Nile, admiring the black and green islands, tufted with slender tamarisks, or veined with sparkling sand, and extending north and south as far as the eye could reach, in the midst of the troubled and rapid waters. From the top of one of these eminences, I observed on the very edge of the horizon, towards the southeast, the pointed summit of a vast isolated mountain, and, at a considerable distance westward, another solitary cone, lower and much nearer than the former. Returning northward, I found my companions collecting specimens among the rocks; and having added our names to the list of those few travellers who have penetrated thus far into Nubia, and left a record of their journey on the foot of the rock Abousir, returned to Wady Halfa. On the way back we entered a small Greek chapel, built with sun-dried bricks, in the early ages of Christianity. The interior walls are covered with paintings, rude, but in bright colours, which, -so dry and pure is the air,-would have been still perfect, had they not been purposely mutilated

These names we copied, and I subjoin them here: 1. Juliana Brooke. 2. J. G. Wilkinson, April 14. 1822. 3. Belmore (Lord) 1817. 4. Dr Richardson. 5. E. J. Cooper, 1821. 6. D. Baillie, Jan. 4. 1819. 7. John Christie. 8. Capt. Armar. 9. Lieut. Carry, R. N. 10. C. Bradford. 11. R. Holt. 12. G. Ducane. 13. W. Graham. 14. J. Brooke. 15. Ospray. 16. P. Rainier. 17. B. L. Gros. 18. Vidua, 1820. 19. A. Armstrong, 1822. 20. J. Covery. 21. C. Barry, 1819. 22. J. Cook, 1824. 23. J. Hyde, 1819. 24. M. J. Cohen, 1832. 25. J. S. Wiggett, April 23. 1822. 26. Amiro. 27. J. S. Cherubini, 1828. 28. Bolano. 29. Vediapi (A Greek). 30.- -Fergusson. 31. T.Greg. 32. H.Baillie. 33. E. Hogg, M.D. 34. Abdallah. 35. V. Monro. 36. J. A. St. John.

by the Mussulmans. On passing the island, south of Wady Halfa, an Ababdé youth crossed over to meet us, and observed that his father, having learned our desire of proceeding to Dóngola, would be glad, for a moderate sum, to furnish us with dromedaries. As we expressed our readiness to treat with him, he arrived soon after us at our boat, and the price being agreed on, it was arranged that he should be on the eastern bank with the dromedaries, early on the following morning.

Tuesday, January 29th. Faras.

CCCLVII. It was late, however, before the Ababdé arrived, and, as is usual among barbarians, being utterly regardless of truth, he seemed to have forgotten the arrangement of the preceding evening, and demanded for his beasts a much larger sum, insisting moreover that the whole should be paid in advance. To all this our only answer was, the command to unmoor, and drop down the river; upon which he altered his tone, and consented to abide by the original agreement. The next step was, to try the dromedaries, or rather camels, for they were in reality too heavy, lumbering, and slow, ever to have been used for the saddle. Suleiman mounted the whole number, one after another, but found them so rough that he declared it would be utterly impossible to perform the journey with such animals. Meanwhile, ere our decision was known, a curious scene took place between the Ababdé chief and the old Nubian camel-driver, who had followed

the Arabs to the river side. They made a show of quarrelling violently, and fiercely abused each other, the Nubian pretending that the Ababdé was an interloper, who having no right, without his permission, to furnish travellers with camels, was, by undertaking the present journey at an under price, grievously injuring his interests. As we appeared utterly regardless of the affair, the quarrel was dropped; and, shortly after, the old Nubian was busily employed about the camels, arranging the saddles, loosing or tightening the girths, and giving orders to the slaves, so as to convince us of what we had before suspected, that the animals were his own, and the whole quarrel a mere trick to impose upon us. They seemed by no means surprised on finding the camels were considered unfit for the road; but, conscious of the fact, would no doubt have been astonished had their barefaced attempt at imposition succeeded. The Ababdé chief was a fine robust man, about six feet high; and among his followers, nearly all stout muscular men, there were some still taller. Their ordinary arms are large broad-swords; but one of their number, who, probably, was to have been the guide, carried a musket. Their dress resembles that of other Bedouins, excepting a kind of sandal, consisting of a thick sole strapped on the foot with thongs; the sands of the desert, in these latitudes, being probably too much heated to be traversed with the naked foot. Before our departure, the chief came on board to beg a little soap and gunpowder.