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RETURN TO THE COUNTRY OF THE

NYAM NYAMS. 1864.

On the twent)'- ninth of April I departed from Khartoum, with intent to journey to the land of the Nyam-Nyams. And we ceased not upon our way

until we met, near the village of Shol (i), a European

lady, who may have been an Austrian or a French woman. She was beautiful as the moon in Ramadan, or as the fruit of the mango tree, and was rich beyond telling (2). She went by the name

of Senhora and, when first we saw her, she was

killing fowls and plucking out their feathers; at which we wondered greatly. She had with her a hundred and fifty soldiers armed with rifles : and

as we had just killed eleven elephants we persuaded

her to exchange the arms for them. Here v.e

continued for a length of days, and she desired

(i) A wealthy Dinka woman, who is thus described by Schwein-

tiuth. "My pen fails in any attempt to depict her repulsiveness. Her naked negro skin was leathery, coarse, wrinkled ; her figure was tottering and knock-kneed, she >.was utterly toothless, her meagre hair hung in greasy locks, round her loins she had a greasy

slip of sheepskin, the border of which was tricked out with white beads and iron rings; on her waist and ankles she had almost an arsenal of metal, links of iron, brass and copper, strong enough to detain a prisoner in his cell, about her neck were hanging chains of

iron, strips of leather, strings of wooden balls, and heaven knows what lumber more." See Schw. i. 38., 41, etc.

(2) This must have been Miss Tinne, although Nur Angara denies it. See Schw. 2. 200. Brown, the Story of Africa 2. no, and Miss Tinne, Travels in the region of the White Nile, etc.