RIVER TONDJ. 147 this neighbourhood. Our rest was disturbed at night by their roaring, mingled with the cries and songs of the natives.

A short and pleasant march the next morning brought us to Tondj, and we expected that in six hours we should arrive at Djour Ghattas ; but we were much delayed in crossing a river which is an hour and a half's good march from the Seriba.

Tondj was the only name I could discover for it.

It had overflowed its banks for a mile or more on the east side, and we crossed it in a most rickety dug-out canoe, which threatened each moment to capsize. If this had happened in the river itself it would have been very awkward, for the current is very swift, two and a half knots an hour, and the river was eighteen feet deep and sixty yards broad.

In crossing, although the men paddled with all possible speed, we drifted over 200 yards down the stream. We stayed at a small Bongo village, and had a very comfortable night's rest ; the doors of the huts were very low, and it was with some difficulty that we crawled into them ; but when once there, we found them very clean and pleasant. We heard afterwards that this village was attacked the very next night by the Dinkas, all the cattle carried off, the huts burnt, and several of the people killed.

A good road led to Djour Ghattas; although through jungle, it was broad, and was kept in good l2