GEBEL DOSHA it. The ascent is made by means of a path cut in ancient days, and this leads to a sort of platform, whence a magnificent view of the surrounding country is obtained. From the platform the visitor steps into a cave hewn out of the rock after the manner of an ancient Egyptian tomb, and at the far end of this are the remains of three seated statues of gods. At the present time these are so much mutilated that they cannot be identified. On the walls are the remains of the cartouches of Usertsen III. and Thothmes III., kings of Egypt of the Xllth and XVIIIth Dynasties respectively, but the general look of the cave gave me the impression that it was not older than the XVIIIth Dynasty. The appearance of the cartouche of Usertsen III. proves nothing to the contrary, for we know that Thothmes III. was in the habit of placing his name side by side with that of the first great Egyptian conqueror of the Sudan. On the rock, above the cave, or tomb, are sculptured a relief in which a king is represented making offerings to a god, and a tablet inscribed in hieroglyphics which are too much mutilated to read. On the south side of the cave is another relief, wherein a king is seen making offerings to Amen-Ra ; the name of the king has been hammered out. When I came down from the rock I found that several men had come from the village of Sulb with two stones, which they believed to be antiquities of the greatest value ; these objects were of a flinty nature and were certainly marked in a fantastic manner. With difficulty I explained to the owners of the stones that the markings were not writing, and they were greatly disappointed when I refused to buy the objects. It seems that they were regarded in the light of fetishes in the village, and whilst some of the natives were ready to sell them, others were strongly opposed to such a course.

Meanwhile the sail had been repaired, and as the day was turning to sunset, we started once more for Suwarda ; the wind was still blowing with some force, and we made very little headway. About two hours after sunset, when the wind had dropped, the river became covered with mist, and as we were continually hitting rocks and running aground, we decided to tie up for the night. There was no village wherein to take shelter, and we therefore cooked our evening meal in the boat, and made the best arrangements we could for sleeping there. About midnight the