"Having entered the lake, I went about a mile and a half ahead in my
diahbeeah, and anchored for the night in a broad and shallow portion of
the water, a forest being about a mile distant on the east bank: this
was a good sign of terra firma, but there was no dry spot upon which we
could land.
"The river winds to the S.E., and apparently then turns to the west. The
effluent through which we joined this lake or river meets it at right
angles, and the river continues its course to the N.N.W., as though it
were the main channel of a far more important stream than the horrible
ditch by which we arrived. The guide, however, assures me that it is
blocked up, and loses itself in boundless grass and reeds.
"In the evening I spied a hippopotamus which had just come out of the
high grass into the open river. It snorted loudly at the strange sight
of the handsomely-painted diahbeeah. I took the boat, and upon my near
approach it was foolish enough to swim towards us angrily. A shot from
the Reilly No. 8, with one of my explosive shells, created a lively
dance, as the hippopotamus received the message under the eye. Rolling
over and over, with the legs frequently in the air, it raised waves that
rocked my little boat and made shooting difficult; but upon a close
approach, taking good care to keep out of the reach of its struggles, I
gave it a quietus with a hardened spherical ball from the same rifle,
which passed right through the head. By sounding with the long
boat-hook, I found the body at the bottom in about ten feet of water. My
excellent captain of the diahbeeah, Faddul-Moolah, dived to the bottom,
and secured the leg of the hippopotamus by a rope. We towed it to the
diahbeeah, from the deck of which my wife had had a capital view of the
sport. This is a fine feast for the people. My explosive shell is
frightful in its effects.
"March 29. - Wind strong from the south; the steamer is not yet out of
difficulty. My men are busy cutting up the hippopotamus. I sent off the
iron boat with three quarters of the animal to the troops astern. During
the night a crocodile took away all the offal from the stern of the
diahbeeah. The weather is much cooler, owing to the south wind and the
clear space in which we are now anchored.
"March 30.-The river is now clear and unmistakable. We travelled about
ten miles by poling; this is the best day's work that we have made since
we entered this chaotic region. Lieutenant Baker came on board my
diahbeeah, having brought up the steamers.
"The country began to look more hopeful. A forest at a few miles'
distance on both the right and left bank of the river betokened dry
land. The river flowed between actual honest banks, which although only
a few inches above the water were positive boundaries. The flat plain
was covered with large white ant-hills, and the ground was evidently
firm in the distance, as we could distinguish a herd of antelopes.
"As we were quietly poling the diahbeeah against the sluggish stream, we
observed wild buffaloes that, at a distance of about 400 yards, appeared
to be close to the bank of the river. I accordingly stopped the
diahbeeah, and, accompanied by Lieutenant Baker, I approached them in
the small boat, rowed by two men. A fortunate bend of the river, and
several clumps of high rushes, concealed the boat until by a sudden turn
we came within sixty yards of two bull buffaloes. Having told Mr. Baker
to take the first shot, he sent a spherical No. 8 through the shoulder
of the nearest bull, which, after a few plunges, fell dead. The other,
startled at the shot, dashed off; at the same time he received a shell
from my rifle in the flank, and a shot from the left-hand barrel in the
rear. With these shots he went off about three hundred paces, and lay
down, as we thought, to die. I intended to stalk him from behind the
white ant-hills, but my sailors, in intense excitement, rushed forward,
supposing that his beef was their own, and although badly hit, he again
rose and cantered off till lost in high rushes.
"March 31.-As we proceeded, the banks became drier. The two steamers had
arrived during the night, and the whole fleet is coming up astern. The
river is now about fifty yards wide, but I am getting nervous about the
depth; the water is very shallow in some of the bends, and I fear there
will be great difficulty in getting through with the steamers and heavy
vessels. My diahbeeah, which is of iron, although roomy, is exceedingly
light, and only requires two feet three inches of water. We have been
fifty-one days from Khartoum. Never have I known so miserable a voyage.
Wind fresh from the south."
CHAPTER III
THE RETREAT
"April 1. - All the vessels are stuck fast for want of water! This is
terrible. I went on in advance with my diahbeeah, accompanied by Mr.
Baker, for about three miles to explore. Throughout this distance the
greatest depth was about four feet, and the average was under three
feet. At length the diahbeeah, which drew only two feet three inches,
was fast aground! This was at a point where two raised mounds, or
dubbas, were on opposite sides of the river. I left the vessel, and with
Mr. Baker, I explored in the rowing boat for about two miles in advance.
After the first mile, the boat grounded in about six inches of water
upon firm sand. The river, after having deepened for a short space, was
suddenly divided into three separate channels, all of which were too
shallow for the passage of the diahbeeah, and two were even too shallow
to admit the small boat.
