"Tayib Agha's Boats Are In Sight, About Four Miles Distance, Bearing
North.
We cut through the small sudd, and in a quarter of a mile, we
arrived at an open water, very shallow:
In many places only three feet
deep. Stopped for the fleet, and upon arrival of the steamer and others,
I had marked out the channel to be cleared. The men set to work
immediately. I then passed ahead with the diahbeeah for about a mile and
a half, the depth of water, as usual, varying, but often as low as four
feet. We were at length stopped at the confluence of two channels, each
shallow. The sun was setting, therefore we halted for the night. A
buffalo crossed the river about 200 yards ahead.
"February 4.-I took the dingy early in the morning and explored both
channels; that on the right has no water beyond a depth of about two
feet. The left is the true stream, but the depth in some places is only
three feet; thus there is more work for the men upon their arrival. Had
we arrived here a month earlier, we could have just passed the shallows,
as our vessels draw an average of a little over four feet. No vessels
should arrive here later than 1st of January; the entire river is a
ridiculous imposition; a month later, the bed will be nearly dry. A mile
ahead, both channels are closed by a sudd of vegetation, we must thus
await until the boats arrive.
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