"October 10.--Set Fire To The Low Spear Grass Of The Valley.
The
river is now very low, exposing in many places large beds of
shingle, and rocks hitherto concealed.
The water level is now
about thirty feet below the dried sedges and trash left by the
high floods upon the overhanging boughs. The bed of the Atbara,
and that of the Settite, are composed of rounded pebbles of all
sizes, and masses of iron ore. Large oysters (Etheria),
resembling the pearl oysters of Ceylon, are very numerous, and,
from their internal appearance, with large protuberances of pearl
matter, I should imagine they would most probably yield pearls.
"The wild animals have now deserted this immediate neighbourhood;
the only creatures that are to be seen in numbers are the apes
and monkeys: these throng the sides of the river, eating the
tamarinds from the few large trees, and collecting gum from the
mimosas. These hungry animals gather the tamarinds before they
ripen, and I fear they will not leave a handful for us; nothing
is more agreeable in this hot climate than the acidity of
tamarind water. I remarked a few days ago, when walking along the
dry sandy bed of the Till about five miles from the river, that
the monkeys had been digging wells in the sand for water.
"Many changes are now taking place in the arrival and departure
of various birds according to their migrations; immense numbers
of buzzards and hawks have arrived, and keep my fowls in
perpetual alarm. Ducks fly in large flocks up stream invariably,
every day; storks of different kinds are arriving. Among the new
comers is a beautiful little bird, in size and shape like a
canary, but of a deep bluish black, with an ivory white bill and
yellow lips. The beasts of prey are hungry, as the game has
become scarce:--there is no safety for tame animals, and our
goats will not feed, as they are constantly on the look-out for
danger, starting at the least sound in the bushes, and running to
the tents for security: thus their supply of milk is much
reduced.
"The Sheik of Sofi, Hassan bel Kader, swam across the river with
a present of fowls; these he had tied upon his head to prevent
them from drowning. This man is a celebrated hippopotamus hunter,
and I look forward to accompanying him upon a harpooning
expedition, when the river is lower. His father was killed by a
bull hippo that he had harpooned; the infuriated animal caught
the unfortunate hunter in his jaws, and with one nip
disembowelled him before his son's eyes. Accidents are constantly
occurring in this dangerous sport, as the hunters are so
continually in the water that they are exposed, like baits, to
the attacks of crocodiles. During the last season one of the
sheik's party was killed; several men were swimming the river,
supported by inflated skins, when one was suddenly seized by a
crocodile. Retaining his hold upon the support, his comrades had
time to clutch him by the hair, and beneath the arms; thus the
crocodile could not drag the buoyant skins beneath the surface.
Once he was dragged from their grasp, but holding to his inflated
skin, he regained the surface, and was again supported by his
friends, who clung to him, while he implored them to hold him
tight, as the crocodile still held him by the leg.
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