44 Seven Years in the Soudan.

captain to tell him that I did not intend to risk the safety of the vessel any longer, with the danger of being stranded so as to be obliged to await the rising of the river ; and that I had decided to land with ten men while the others could follow with the boats and most necessary objects.

Poor Hussein, all bewildered, asked what he should do if he were attacked by two or three thousand savages ?

"As to you," he said, "you may be sure you will be killed as soon as vou land. Let me ofo on : vou will see there Avill be water enouo'h."

r sent on the boats to take soundings, but the water always decreased in depth. The crew of the Sajjhia consisted of tAventy men, so I gave the captain twenty guns and two thousand cartridges.

Towards evening a boat appeared manned by three natives, all smeared with ashes, one of whom said that he was the brother of the Sheik of Meshra, where our niigars go to complete their cargo. He wore two wings of birds to the right and left of his head, and had a kind of tail fastened behind him, made of goat's skin. I obtained from this man the information that I desired as to the distance that still lay between us and our place of destination. According to him, pointing to the east and south, there were six good hours by way of the river and three b}" land, but only with a good escort of men. "With a few," he said, "it was impossible to go there, because the Dinka would oppose the passage." I asked him if there were villages in the neighbourhood, and learnt that the}' were all very distant, excepting one, so I thought that with twelve soldiers, Haggi and a slave, all armed with Remingtons, I might attempt the land way. The vessel was to follow us closely, and in case of need we should have ten other soldiers and four sailors, in all twenty-six men.

On the evening of the 23rd T ordered the boat to