GOIIU-EL-OASFT. 213 CHAP. Xll.

Gohr-cl-Gash.— Dam across the great Gohr.— Kasscla-el-lus. — Elephants.

Lion and P'lephant Hunt.— Mohammed Din.— Murder of his Nephew and Friends.—Sheik Mussa resolves to starve himself.—The Faki-el-Kebir.—Faki Village.— Faki Plot.— Narrow Escape.

The liatred of the natives among themsc4ves goes so far, that it has caused " divide ct impera " to be the rule of Egypt's policy. Mohammed Ehle, who is appointed by the Divan Sheik of the Hallenga, has taken it into his pious wise head to drive the Haddenda out of their land, if not totally extirpate them, with the supjwrt of the Turks. The great Gohr-el-Gash goes in full force from here, and sends its arms— such, for instance, as the gohr at El-Sofr — through the lands of the Haddenda ; and it is this that gives abundance of Avater to this great tribe and their fruitful lands, as well as, here and there, to the impenetrable Chaaba, that land of free tribes so much dreaded by the Turks. Tliis life-vein is now, on the advict of Mohammed Ehle, who already before tried it, to be cut oft" without mercy ; and I, as engineer and conlidential adviser to the Pascha, have been at the same time comi)elled to lend a helping hand in it. Mohammed Ehle, the Pascha, and I, mounted dromedaries, and rode, followed at a distance by an escort, towards the south, for about an houi-, passing by the village of Kadmin. On our way our beasts suddenly shied, and I fancied 1 saw a hulk of a bear ; but it proved to be sonu' large baboons, who Avere hurrying past us from the dom-palm forest, where they find their food, to the barren rocks, over which dangerous road they made their Avay with great speed and agility. We tiien came to the western rocks of the Kassela-el-Lus, which extend to the gohr Here the gohr was pretty deep, and at the same time narrower both above and below, and this place seemed suitable for forming a dam slanting across it. The Pascha at once gave the order, that a part (jf the army, with 4000 axes, should cut down the palms, which ;u'e only to be found in the neighbourhood of the gohr, and as far