AN ASCENT OF THE NILE. 435 to add another; we could not land anywhere without running the risk of being attacked, and neither soldiers nor arms were on board, so we steamed direct to Kawa, which is the last telecraph station and wooding-place for all the Khartum steamers.

The woods of acacias (Acacia nilotica), which extend for miles along the banks of the river, have been considerably thinned ; still they will last for many a long year to come, especially if the present stupid waste of wood 1s somewhat curtailed. Of course no one ever thinks of planting fresh trees. The traveller from the north meets in these woods for the first time very numerous long-tailed monkeys (Cercopithecus griseo-viridis), screeching swarms of green parrots (Paleornis torquatus), and, as rare visitors, and therefore all the more welcome, the small Galago (Calago senegalensis), beautiful, easily tamed animals.

After taking on board a sufficient quantity of wood, and receiving the last telegrams from Khartum, we steamed to the south, soon left the last mountains behind us, and reached Fashoda, where we received the almost crushing intelligence of the nearly total annihilation of Yussuf Pasha’s army; of about five thousand men, hardly two hundred had been able to escape. ‘This, then, was the end of an expedition which had been placed upon the stage in such a pompous manner. ‘The chief causes which led to this catastrophe were the thorough incompetence of the leader, who scorned the advice of the regular officers placed under his command, a carelessness and heedlessness almost bordering on insanity, the indispensable beer-jars, and the use of the beasts of burden for transporting goods and courtesans from Fashoda, instead of carrying water for the soldiers, who were half killed by thirst. The town (Fashoda), in which only a few soldiers remained, was in the greatest danger of being captured by a sudden blow, in addition to which, the Shiluk, angered by the death of their chief, who had accompanied the Governor of Fashoda in his unfortunate expedition, refused to obey orders, and remained at a distance from the town.

After steaming about twelve hours, we reached the station of Sobat, which is situated upon the high south bank of the river of the same name. It was erected by Gordon Pasha for