KODJ. 43 Here and there a stately palm stood out against the sky ; sometimes we passed a village nestling amid the wpoded banks; sometimes an island covered with papyrus and other beautiful grasses.

The low monotonous chant of the boatmen added to the enjoyment, though its soothing strain was rather provocative of sleep. It was long after sunset when we reached Kodj, and the last few hours of the journey having been made in the dark, we paddled close in shore, but could hear the hippopotami grumbling and splashing near us ; indeed, one just bumped us, but fortunately he did not seem to mind it, and was good enough not to upset the canoe. This reminds me that at Kodj I saw a boat constructed for the especial purpose of spearing these hippopotami. It is made of a bent tree. When the hippopotamus charges the boat his head comes straight into the hollow, and he gets speared. Hippopotamus hunting on the water is rather a dangerous amusement.

Kodj is a most lovely spot on the banks of the river, surrounded by a glorious forest, and I spent two very pleasant days there. Selim Aga el Mattah, the Mudir, whom I met there, was a very quiet man, and very devout ; he seemed to be always at prayers. He has a firm belief that the world is flat, and that the Nile begins and ends in space, dividing the earth into two equal parts.