KHARTOUM AT MIDNIGHT. 371 I recognized the spot where Dr. Keitz took leave of rue, on the upward voyage. The evening on the broad river was glorious ; the half-moon, being just overhead, was unseen, yet filled the air with light, and my natal planet burned white and clear in the west. At ten o'clock we reached the island of Onidurman, and wheeled into the Blue Nile. The camp-fires of Kordofan merchants were gleaming on the western bank. The barking of the dogs in Khartoum and the creaking wheels of the sakias were welcome sounds to our ears, as we slowly glided past the gardens. Ere long, the minaret of the city glimmered faintly in the moonlight and we recognized the buildings of the Catholic Mission. " God is great ! " said Achniet, devoutly ; " since we have been so near the end of the world, Khartoum appears to me as beautiful as Cairo." It was nearly midnight when we came to anchor, having made a voyage of about five hundred miles in nine clays. My friends were all abed, and I lay down for the night in the little cabin of my boat, exclaiming, like Achmet : " God is great ! "