ON THE NILE AGAIN. 317 rakoubah, is always built near them, in which the people lie and smoke. As the water retires they sow the grain in the mud, and we saw both sowing and reaping going on within a very short distance. No water-melons are seen near here, but very fine dhurra, or maize, was given to us. In some of the Arab encampments the children were very pretty, having quite light skins.

On the next day, February 13, we struck the Nile, and crossed it in a flat-bottomed ferry-boat. Two camels and eight men appeared to be considered a boatload. The animals were made to lie down, and had their legs tied to prevent their rising. The river was about 600 yards broad, and as the current was very strong it took us all day to cross, and we camped on the other side. The morning was very cold, the thermometer registering only 51" Fahr.

A march of three days, or seventy-five miles, brought us to Khartoum ; we rested at El Gettineh, a small neatly-built town on the high bank of the river. It is at this place that the slave? are landed from the ferry-boats before arriving at Khartoum, and sent thence across to the Blue Nile. Large herds of camels, goats, and oxen were seen ; and dhurra, maize, and sugar-cane were growing luxuriantly.

On February 16 we started early in the morning, and urging on our tired camels to the utmost of their failing powers, we soon caught sight of Khartoum. Grlad indeed were we to see the tall mina-