The War against the Slavers. 191 rebels, who would certainly have destroyed it. The captain could give us but little information about the progress of the rebels. He only knew that the native families had taken refuge with their herds on the banks of the Balir-el-Ghazal, in the neighbourhood of the Nuers. His sailors had been about to take to flight in the boat, which he prevented by threatening to shoot anyone who even touched it.

They had been already several days without doora.

A few hours after the arrival of the Ismailia came a second steamer, which I supposed to be the Sapliia, but it turned out to be the Talahaii in, coming from Ladd with Dr. Emin Bey, and Idris Bey, Governor of the province of the Gazelle, on board. The mails were delivered to Emin Bey, where he found his appointment to the governorship of Equatorial Africa. I presented to him the order to put himself at my disposal, in consequence of which he had to go back. I entrusted the dahabia to the care of the captain of the Talahauin, who took it in tow to deliver it and its cargo to the authorities at Khartoum.

From Idris Bey I obtained some little information respecting events in Bahr-el-Ghazal. He had been at Jur-Gattas when his seriba was attacked by Suleiman, and without waiting for further news had fled precipitately, leaving the ammunition in the custody of his clerk, Vekil Babeker, who, instead of securing everything, had delivered the ammunition to Suleiman.

Idris Bey continued on his way to Khartoum, while . Emin Bey and I went on to Fashoda with the Bordeen and Ismailia. Travelling on the Bordeen was disagreeable, for the cabin Avas small, and the wood for fuel encumbered the whole deck ; the Ismailia very soon passed us.

Near Fashoda I saw a great number of natives disembarking. Emin Bey, who had arrived in the Ismailia a quarter of an hour before me (July 15th),