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Who knows, if we should

of a most formidable encampent. The diversity of colours correspond to the different monture of their regiments; the immense crocodiles, laying between them, seem to be the colonels, and their discordant tattling and flying from one to the other shore, in flights of fifty, sixty, or a hundred, is like the ringing and echoing of the fire arms. "Oh !" exclaimed I, "why do we not go up this delicious river? Will we not be more happy? Who knows where we go? not die of hunger or thirst? Who knows that we should not be a prey and victim to the lions or tigers? Well, let us go ala bab allah (to the gates of God), to leave our skin in some part of this Desert; let us go in search of death." After having bathed myself, I leant upon a tree to contemplate that white water, the most beautiful and delightful sight of that island; then I bade good bye to the White Nile and its beauties, and returned to our station, looking behind at the Nile at every step. Arrived at the Hagilid tree, I found the cook had prepared, with the help of Isa, a dish of rice mixed with maccaroni, but I could not eat at all. As we were far from the Holla, the Arabs had nothing to eat, and they recommended Isa to pray me to give them some pieces of bread, with a few onions, to fortify themselves a little, otherwise they should be disheartened on the way. I said to the cook, "Give them some bread and onions;" but I told Isa, "they must think next time to provide themselves from the Holla, because we had not sufficient bread, and

we could not live like the Arabs on onions and salt. At two p.m., we resumed our journey, and the heat was 108° by the thermometer in the shade. We travelled till eight at night, and arrived at a beautiful square; we halted to spend the night. Our supper consisted of a few roasted onions, bread, and water.

At four o'clock in the morning of the 31st of October, we began our journey, passing from one to another amphitheatre. All that land is desert. There are very few inhabitants. Passing by a field of dora, we saw a black slave, who was the keeper of it. The cawas ran up to him, and brought his water skin full of sour milk and water to the Arabs to drink. He was inclined to take it; but the captain commanded him to give it to the poor slave, who was entreating us to drink all the liquor, and render him the skin only, otherwise his master would have beaten him for its loss. At half-past ten we arrived at a grove, and halted to defend ourselves from the heat; we found numerous turtle doves and other birds, concealing themselves from the heat between the branches. At noon, the heat was 103° in the shade, at three p.m., when we resumed our journey, 116°. We went on till seven,

The next morning, we

and halted to pass the night. set off at five, and we arrived at noon at Abucrat, first Holla of the province of Cordofan. As we entered it, my dromedary was frightened by a black boy, who came out of the hut to look at us and our umbrellas, and ran at once, and threw me down on the sand near

to an empty well.

could not catch the

149

As I was sitting on its back, I halter and stop it; but I thanked

God that I was not hurt at all, though that fall was the fifth I had received. The dromedary was stopt

and brought to me, I would not mount, but walked on to the hut prepared for us.

CHAPTER XXII.

RESIDENCE AT ABUBRAT FOR HALF A DAY-INCIDENTS THERE—DEPARTURE ON THE SECOND OF NOVEMBER.

THANK heaven we have arrived at Abucrat, and shall not be martyred more this afternoon by the excessive heat, for we have determined to remain the rest of the day and the night here. The cawas had prepared a good hut for us, when we threw ourselves upon the ancaribs. The cook was very busy with a couple of fowls we had bought, which embarrassed him greatly, for they could not be made into cobab, as he thought, and he knew not what to make of them. He came to me, and with a very weak voice, asked what he was to do with them. I told him to make cobab. He said they could not be made into cobab; so I sent him off to the cawas to be taught how to cook them; as I did not know whether they could be made into cobab or not. I went out of the hut, and met the cawas, who was bringing us some milk, so I recommended him to teach Ali some manner of preparing the two hens. He abused the cook for his ignorance and stupidity, and then went into the adjoining hut, which was con

verted into a kitchen. Having got rid of this, I went into another hut, where were assembled several people of both sexes, negroes and negresses. After greeting them, I enquired the name of the Holla, who had been its first inhabitant, the nature of the cultivation, &c. One of the most anxious to reply, told me it was called Hollat Abucrat; that Abucrat was a Mograbi Shiek, (that is from the West of Africa,) or from Tunis. He was the first to build a house here, and then others came from his country, and established themselves here also. I asked where they got water at first; and he replied, they brought water from the White Sea (Nile). "Then the White Sea is not far from here ?" "Ha, ho, ha, ho, (here just here);" then rising, and pointing with their hands, they showed me the coasts of it towards the East. I took my telescope to look, which frightened them very much, thinking it some warlike instrument that would burst. I told them not to be afraid, for that by means of the instrument, I could see the trees and verdure by the sea." They all exclaimed, "Do you see Torat Ilkadra ?" I asked "What! Torat Ilkadra there ?" "Eh, Wallah (yes by God), we see with the eyes." with eyes," I rejoined. They said, it would require half a day to go and return from there. quired if they brought water from there? no Shiek Abu-Crat, (Abu means father; Crat is a proper name, and was his son, for they knew not the father's name), dug several wells, from which we drink; and there is a great pond near here."

"And I also see

I en

"Oh,