FORTUNATE TRAVEL. 219 CHAP TEE XVII.

THE ETHIOPIAN NILE.

Fortunate Travel — The America— Ethiopian Scenery — The Atbara River — Damor — A Melon Patch — Agriculture — The Inhabitants — Change of Scenery — The First Hippopotamus— Crocodiles — Effect of My Map — The Eais and Sailors — Arabs in Ethiopia— Ornamental Scars — Beshir — The Slave Bakhita — "We Approach MeroS.

"Fair is that land as evening skies, And cool — though in the depth it lies Of burning Africa." — "Wordsworth.

The voyage from Berber to Khartoum was another link in my chain of fortunate travel. The Ethiopian Nile seemed to me more beautiful than the Egyptian ; at least, the vegetation was richer, the air milder and sweeter, the water purer, and to crown all, the north-wind unfailing. Day and night there was a fresh, steady breeze, carrying us smoothly against the current, at the precise rate of speed which is most pleasant in a iailing craft — three to four miles an hour. The temperature was that of an American June, the nights deliciously mild and sweet, and the full moon shone with a splendor unknown in northern latitudes. I was in perfect health of body, and suffered no apprehension or anxiety for the future to disturb my happy frame of mind.

El Mekheyref looked very picturesque in the soft clear