78 Seven Years in the Soudan.

" How are you, dear friend ? " be asked, taking my hand.

I gave liim a brief account of my journey, and of all its varying fortunes up to my arrival at Gondokoro, concealing from him, of course, the death of our friend Anson, which, however, he learned almost immediately from imprudent friends. Major Campbell and Mr. Witt fell ill again, from having left their bed too soon.

Mr. Witt seemed to be suffering from gastric fever, and grew worse and worse. On the morning of September Gth, before going to head-quarters, I wished to pass by the hut where he was lying, and found him stretched on a packing-case, his face downwards. I tried to raise him, but he made no movement ; he was dead. The next day he was buried beside the English engineer, Higginbottom, formerly in the emplo} of Sir Samuel Baker. The Colonel read the burial service, and we left in this sad spot the remains of another friend.

Gondokoro does not seem very healthy ; the water descending from the mountains from April to the middle of September cannot run into the river, and forms stagnant jdooIs all round the town, which then dry very slowly. The Arab troops suffered much from miasmatic fever, and very many soldiers died from it.

The town, composed of three or four hundred huts, is kept in pretty good order. Raouf Beydid everything in his power to ensure the comfort of the garrison. When the Austrian mission was settled there several lemon-trees were planted, which are now very beautiful, and most useful and agreeable in the time of the great heat, and in cases of illness. Several bananas were transported thither from the Sandeh, and have flourished excellentl}, producing fruit of wonderful size.

To avoid the inconvenience of too many soldiers assembled in the same place, the Colonel ordered huts to be built at Rejaf, twenty miles to the south of Gondokoro, which latter place he had the intention