on the West bank, and halted there for some time. The sailors wanted to remain the whole night, but the captain made them drag the boat till we had passed the Mount of the Leopardess.* Working hard we passed this difficult place, and rested at five near the Mount. Not far from us, was a hippopotamus swimming, and opposite on a little island lay two others; but the finest sight was a crocodile,† stretched in the

The second is built thus:

wood, and are of two kinds. The first has the usual shape of a little boat, with a seat at each end for the two sailors who row. This kind of boat is called, "moaddie" (passing from one to the other shore.) Three or four thick Dom branches are bound together, and form the basis or the keel. A quantity of other smaller branches, and less worked (to say the truth more rude than the former), are placed one upon the other, and instead of being nailed, are bound with cord made of palm fibres, and the interstices are stopped with dry grass and mud to make it watertight. The oars of both kinds of boats are more simple and rude than the boats and the boat makers themselves. They are a stick or branch of sant, four or five feet long, having a round piece of table fastened to one extremity. When the Nubians wish to pass the Nile from one shore to the other, a man sits at each end of the thick and wonderful boat, and paddles along, each pulling the water towards him or pushing it from him, according as he is sitting at the bow or the stern.

* Mountain of the Leopardess is situated on the Western bank of the Nile. It is properly a large and high rock of sand stone, and the inhabitants call it giabal (mountain.) It lies several yards in the water, and rises to the height of about thirty yards above the surface, and in the middle of it there is a cavern. Tradition says that a leopardess came in diebus illis, and brought forth her young in that cavern, and since then it has been called "giabal oldabaa (mountain of leopardess.)

+ The crocodiles are of different kinds, and possess different habits. Some a fond of human flesh, others are not. In Upper Egypt they are very numerous but not so large as those of Nubia superior. They, nevertheless, are very large, and ferocious-looking animals. Their skin is very hard, and has a few spines on it; their heads are wide near the neck, and taper off to the mouth; their eyes very small. Their back bone is of one piece, beginning at the neck, and ending near the tail, and if they are turned over on their back, they lose all their

sun, on an island, on the Eastern side, although very near the bank where the men were with oxen turning a wheel for drawing water, it appeared to despise them; for more than half an hour we gazed on, as it lay motionless like a long great pine; taking our spyglasses, we saw its den of a mouth, and its sharp white teeth like bayonets. It was surrounded by a troop of birds, and certainly could not be less than thirty-five or forty feet long, its sight at a distance was frightful, the enormous head was enough to frighten any one, the Raies of the caiase assured me he had never passed by without seeing it. I inquired if it was not disturbed by the noise around it? He replied; "The brute is very old, the great long accursed animal;

strength, and are unable to right themselves. Their legs resemble, to a certain extent, those of the monkey. They have great power in striking with their tails, and are very sensitive to the slightest pain. They all are either carnivorous or piscivorous, and like to be always warm. They bask in the sun during the day, and sleep under water at night; because the muddy bed of the Nile is warm at night. This information was given to me by two crocodile hunters, one from Upper Egypt, the other from Nubia. When the crocodiles get out of the water to enjoy the heat of the sun, they are surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of birds. These rest also on their backs, as I often saw; but never enter their mouths (the crocodile has generally its mouth open when it lies in the sun), as some travellers have asserted. I investigated this assertion very carefully from the inhabitants of Upper Egypt and Nubia, and found it false, and that they had been misled. There are many European travellers who write about Egypt and Syria so much nonsense and "castelli per aria," which their ignorant dragomens tell them that will excite to laughter even the Eastern gypsies, who are considered the most sad creatures in the globe, and the hippopotamus and crocodiles. But no more of this. The Nubians and Negroes derive two benefits from killing the crocodiles and the hippopotamus. They eat their exquisite flesh, and make their shields and corbage of their skins The largest crocodiles are seen in Nubia Superior.

and if the bank was not very high it would seize any one that passed there, beast or man, who dare approach. I doubt whether a cannon ball could move it." We watched it till twilight; then sat down talking for some time, and after retired to rest.

CHAPTER XVI.

DEPARTURE ON THE EIGHTEENTH TO KARTUM.

As

WE opened our eyes on the 18th in a perfect calm; the sailors, accustomed to the rope, put it round their necks, and singing gaily, drew on the caiase. The captain and I returned to the Mount of the Leopardess to see a petrified tree in the midst of the rock. another boat was passing there, we asked its master to lend us the tug rope and four sailors; for Captain Peel wished to descend the precipice to examine the tree. The master of the boat was very civil, and only begged us to wait till his boat was drawn out of the current, which the sailors quickly did, and came to us hoping for backshish, conditio sine qua non, in consequence of such an event. The captain, having a rope fastened round his waist, descended the precipice, we lowering the rope by our hands till he reached a safe place. After he had examined and measured the tree duly, we drew him up, and after remunerating the sailors, we departed, accompanied by their good wishes. We rejoined our caiase with a favourable wind, which filled the sail, and we went forward till

eleven a.m., when the sailors had to take their turns, and they continued till six in the evening.

When we reached a little island opposite to a rock called, Hagiar Olasal, (Honey Rock), we anchored for the whole night. This rock divides the province of Barbar from Kartum. The next morning the poor weary sailors had to resume their labours at halfpast four, which continued till nine a.m., when we were obliged to wait, as on account of the thorns, the spot was impassable to the naked sailors. We anchored near a Sacchia (or wheel for irrigating). The Nile was very pretty here, from the numerous green little islands, and the rocks that raised their heads above the water, and the numerous birds of various species that covered both banks. We saw several nests in the haraz trees, they were very pretty in form, and the

* Hagiar Olasal (stone of honey) is called so because the bees used it for their hive. The inhabitants went to gather the honey from it. and as they did not know the manner of gathering it without being hurt by the diligent and wise little creatures, they expelled them and gained the honey. called it hagiar olasal (stone of honey.) It is properly a little the Eastern shore of the Nile, and is a little distant from it. from the boat, and distinguish its beautiful yellowish stone. It is the boundary of the provinces of Barbar and Kartum. From thence upwards belongs to Kartum, and below to Barbar.

Since then they rock, situated on We could see it

+ These nests are round like huts, and are fastened to the extremity of the tenderest branches of the haraz tree in order that no snake or mouse should be able to damage the eggs or the little ones. Their hole, or door as we may term it, is from below, and it is worked wonderfully. The female is a little creature of a deep black colour, her beak only is yellow. Though black, she is very graceful and beautiful. The male is a little larger, and is extremely handsome. He is of a crimson colour, spotted on his wings with a deep blue; his head is red and black. He is continually chattering; but the female answers with a sweet voice