amafraidthenorthwindhasdesertedusfortheseason。”Havingenteredthelake，Iwentaboutamileandahalfaheadinmydiahbeeah，andanchoredforthenightinabroadandshallowportionofthewater，aforestbeingaboutamiledistantontheeastbank：thiswasagoodsignofterrafirma，buttherewasnodryspotuponwhichwecouldland。”TheriverwindstotheS。E。，andapparentlythenturnstothewest。Theeffluentthroughwhichwejoinedthislakeorrivermeetsitatrightangles，andtherivercontinuesitscoursetotheN。N。W。，asthoughitwerethemainchannelofafarmoreimportantstreamthanthehorribleditchbywhichwearrived。Theguide，however，assuresmethatitisblockedup，andlosesitselfinboundlessgrassandreeds。”IntheeveningIspiedahippopotamuswhichhadjustcomeoutofthehighgrassintotheopenriver。Itsnortedloudlyatthestrangesightofthehandsomely-painteddiahbeeah。Itooktheboat，anduponmynearapproachitwasfoolishenoughtoswimtowardsusangrily。AshotfromtheReillyNo。8，withoneofmyexplosiveshells，createdalivelydance，asthehippopotamusreceivedthemessageundertheeye。Rollingoverandover，withthelegsfrequentlyintheair，itraisedwavesthatrockedmylittleboatandmadeshootingdifficult；butuponacloseapproach，takinggoodcaretokeepoutofthereachofitsstruggles，I
　　gaveitaquietuswithahardenedsphericalballfromthesamerifle，whichpassedrightthroughthehead。Bysoundingwiththelongboat-hook，Ifoundthebodyatthebottominabouttenfeetofwater。Myexcellentcaptainofthediahbeeah，Faddul-Moolah，divedtothebottom，andsecuredthelegofthehippopotamusbyarope。Wetowedittothediahbeeah，fromthedeckofwhichmywifehadhadacapitalviewofthesport。Thisisafinefeastforthepeople。Myexplosiveshellisfrightfulinitseffects。”March29——Windstrongfromthesouth；thesteamerisnotyetoutofdifficulty。Mymenarebusycuttingupthehippopotamus。Isentofftheironboatwiththreequartersoftheanimaltothetroopsastern。Duringthenightacrocodiletookawayalltheoffalfromthesternofthediahbeeah。Theweatherismuchcooler，owingtothesouthwindandtheclearspaceinwhichwearenowanchored。”March30-Theriverisnowclearandunmistakable。Wetravelledabouttenmilesbypoling；thisisthebestday’sworkthatwehavemadesinceweenteredthischaoticregion。LieutenantBakercameonboardmydiahbeeah，havingbroughtupthesteamers。”Thecountrybegantolookmorehopeful。Aforestatafewmiles’
　　distanceonboththerightandleftbankoftheriverbetokeneddryland。Theriverflowedbetweenactualhonestbanks，whichalthoughonlyafewinchesabovethewaterwerepositiveboundaries。Theflatplainwascoveredwithlargewhiteant-hills，andthegroundwasevidentlyfirminthedistance，aswecoulddistinguishaherdofantelopes。”Aswewerequietlypolingthediahbeeahagainstthesluggishstream，weobservedwildbuffaloesthat，atadistanceofabout400yards，appearedtobeclosetothebankoftheriver。Iaccordinglystoppedthediahbeeah，and，accompaniedbyLieutenantBaker，Iapproachedtheminthesmallboat，rowedbytwomen。Afortunatebendoftheriver，andseveralclumpsofhighrushes，concealedtheboatuntilbyasuddenturnwecamewithinsixtyyardsoftwobullbuffaloes。HavingtoldMr。Bakertotakethefirstshot，hesentasphericalNo。8throughtheshoulderofthenearestbull，which，afterafewplunges，felldead。Theother，startledattheshot，dashedoff；atthesametimehereceivedashellfrommyrifleintheflank，andashotfromtheleft-handbarrelintherear。Withtheseshotshewentoffaboutthreehundredpaces，andlaydown，aswethought，todie。Iintendedtostalkhimfrombehindthewhiteant-hills，butmysailors，inintenseexcitement，rushedforward，supposingthathisbeefwastheirown，andalthoughbadlyhit，heagainroseandcanteredofftilllostinhighrushes。”March31-Asweproceeded，thebanksbecamedrier。Thetwosteamershadarrivedduringthenight，andthewholefleetiscomingupastern。Theriverisnowaboutfiftyyardswide，butIamgettingnervousaboutthedepth；thewaterisveryshallowinsomeofthebends，andIfeartherewillbegreatdifficultyingettingthroughwiththesteamersandheavyvessels。Mydiahbeeah，whichisofiron，althoughroomy，isexceedinglylight，andonlyrequirestwofeetthreeinchesofwater。Wehavebeenfifty-onedaysfromKhartoum。NeverhaveIknownsomiserableavoyage。
　　Windfreshfromthesouth。”
　　CHAPTERIII
　　THERETREAT”April1——Allthevesselsarestuckfastforwantofwater！Thisisterrible。Iwentoninadvancewithmydiahbeeah，accompaniedbyMr。
　　Baker，foraboutthreemilestoexplore。Throughoutthisdistancethegreatestdepthwasaboutfourfeet，andtheaveragewasunderthreefeet。Atlengththediahbeeah，whichdrewonlytwofeetthreeinches，wasfastaground！Thiswasatapointwheretworaisedmounds，ordubbas，wereonoppositesidesoftheriver。Ileftthevessel，andwithMr。Baker，Iexploredintherowingboatforabouttwomilesinadvance。
　　Afterthefirstmile，theboatgroundedinaboutsixinchesofwateruponfirmsand。Theriver，afterhavingdeepenedforashortspace，wassuddenlydividedintothreeseparatechannels，allofwhichweretooshallowforthepassageofthediahbeeah，andtwowereeventooshallowtoadmitthesmallboat。Theboatmenjumpedout，andwehauledheruptheshallowsuntilwereachedthemainstream，abovethethreechannels，whichranfromtheS。S。E。，buthavingnogreatermeandepththanabouttwofeetsixinches。”Wecontinuedforsomedistanceupthestreamwiththesameunfortunateresults。Thebanks，althoughfloodedduringthewetseason，werenowdry，andaforestwasaboutamiledistant。Havinglefttheboatandascendedawhiteant-hill，abouteightfeethigh，inordertotakeaviewofthecountry，Iobservedaherdofverybeautifulantelopes，ofakindthatwerequiteunknowntome。”Bycarefulstalkingontheflatplainfromoneant-hilltoanother，I
　　obtainedafairshotatabout140yards，andkilled。Bothmaleandfemalehavehorns，thereforeIfounditdifficulttodistinguishthesexatthatdistance。Iwasdelightedwithmyprize；itwasafemale，weighing，Ishouldestimate，abouttwentystone，clean。Thehidewasadeepreddishyellow，withblackshouldersandlegs，alsoblackfromthehindquartersdownthehindlegs。Itbelongedtothespecieshippotragus，andhadhornsthatcurvedbackwards，somethingsimilartothehippotragusniger，butmuchshorter。[*]
　　[*Footnote：VideAppendix。Thisantelope，whichIconsideredtobeanewspecies，provedtobetheDamalisSenegalensisofWesternAfrica。]”Wesooncutitintoquarters，andcarriedittotheboat。Thislittlesuccessinsporthadcheeredmeforthemoment；butthehappyexcitementquicklypassedaway，andwereturnedtothediahbeeahquitedisheartened。Itissimplyimpossibletocontinuethevoyage，asthereisnomeansoffloatingthevessels。”To-morrowIshallexplorethechannelNo。3，whichrunsfromtheW。S。W。”April2——Iexploredthewestchannel。Thisisverynarrow，andovergrownwithgrass。Afteraboutamilewearrivedatashallowplaceonlytwofeetdeep。Thewholeriverisabsolutelyimpracticableatthisseason。Duringtherains，andeventotheendofDecember，whentheriverisfull，thevesselscouldpass，butatnoothertime。Allmylabourhasbeenuseless，butitwouldbeutterlyabsurdtoattemptafurtheradvance。IhavethereforedeterminedtoreturnatoncetotheShillookcountry，andestablishastation。Mr。Higginbothamandpartywillthenunitewithus，andIwillcollecttheentireforcefromKhartoum，andstartwiththeexpeditioncompleteintheendofNovember。
　　AlthoughIamgrievouslydisappointed，Iamconvincedthatthisisthewisestcourse。Duringtherainyseasonthetroopsshallcultivatecorn，andIshallexploretheoldWhiteNileinasteamer，andendeavourtodiscoveranavigablechannelviatheoriginalroutebytheBahrGazal。”Iwasobligedwithaheavyhearttogivethesadordertoturnback；at3p。m。wearrivedattheassembledfleet。”Isummonedalltheofficers，andinthepresenceofRaoufBeyI
　　explainedthenecessity。Thevesselsimmediatelycommencedthereturnvoyage，alltheofficersandmenbeingdelightedattheideaofaretreatwhichtheyimaginedwouldtakethemtoKhartoum，andterminatetheexpedition；thusIhadlittlesympathy——However，Ideterminedtomakearrangementsforthefollowingseasonthatwouldenablemetocutthrougheverydifficulty。Ikepttheseintentionstomyself，oronlysharedthemwithmywifeandLieutenantBaker。”April3——Washeddecksearly，andsentoffthreesoldiers，thusreducingtheescortonthediahbeeahtosevenmen。”Theentirefleetwasinfullretreatwithwindandstreaminfavour。I
　　wouldnotpermitthediahbeeahthathadalwaysledtheadvancetoaccompanythemintheretreat；thereforeIallowedthemtopushonahead。”Ashowerofrainfellto-day；alsoyesterday。”Afewminutesafterstarting，boththesteamersstuckfast。AsIwaswalkingthepoopofthediahbeeah，Inoticedwiththetelescopeanantelopestandingonthesummitofanant-hillaboutamileandaquarterdistant。Thereisnochangesodelightfulasalittlesportifyouareinlowspirits；thus，takingtherifle，Iroweduptheriverforabouthalfamileinthesmallboat，andthenlanding，Iobtainedtherightwind。Itwasexceedinglydifficulttoapproachgameintheseextensivetreelessflats，anditwouldhavebeenquiteimpossible，haditnotbeenfortheinnumerablehillsofthewhiteants；thesearethepeculiarfeaturesoftheseswampycountries，andtheintelligenceoftheinsectsdirectstheirarchitecturetoaheightfarabovethelevelofthehighestfloods。Theearthusedintheirconstructionisthesubsoil，broughtupfromaconsiderabledepth，astheant-hillsareyellow，whilethesurfacesoilisblack。Theearthisfirstswallowedbytheinsectandthusitbecomesmixedwithsomealbuminousmatterwhichconvertsitintoacementthatresiststheactionofrain。Thesehillsweregenerallyabouteightfeethighintheswampydistricts，butIhavefrequentlyseenthemabovetenfeet。Theantelopesmakeuseofsuchant-hillsaswatchtowers，fromwhichloftypositiontheycanobserveanenemyatagreatdistance。Itisthecustomofseveralvarietiestoplacesentrieswhiletheherdisgrazing，anduponthisoccasion，althoughthesentrywasalonevisible，Ifeltsurethattheherdwassomewhereinhisneighbourhood。Ihavenoticedthatthesentriesaregenerallybulls。OnthisoccasionIresolved，ifpossible，tostalkthewatchman。Iwasshootingwithaveryaccurateexpressrifle，aNo。70
　　boreofPurdey’s，belongingtomyfriend，SirEdwardKerrison，whohadkindlylentittomeasafavouriteweaponwhenIleftEngland。Thegrasswasverylow，andquitegreen，asithadbeenfiredbythewanderingnativessometimesince；thus，inplacestherewerepatchesofthetallwitheredherbagethathadbeenonlypartiallyconsumedbythefirewhileunripe：thesepatcheswereanassistanceinstalking。