A Narrative of the Expedition to Dongola and Sennaar | Page 7

villages. At this place, some of the boat's company attempted to shoot a hippopotamus, who had shown himself several times during the day. They succeeded only in slightly wounding him, after which he disappeared. The people of the country say that there are twelve that frequent this place in the river, which contains here some low islands, well adapted to afford them food and concealment.
16th of Safa. Parted from the land about two hours after sunrise, with a strong breeze. After continuing an hour and a half the wind subsided into a calm, which obliged us to make for the shore. We landed on a large island resembling those already mentioned, where we passed the remainder of the day and the night. The country we had passed resembled that below, beautiful, and as fertile as land can be.
16th of Safa. Left the land about an hour after sunrise, and in half an hour passed the southern boundary of the beautiful territory of Succoot, and entered the province of Machass. The country we were now passing is naturally fertile, but has not such a continued succession of villages as Succoot. About three hours after sunrise came in view of the ruins of an ancient temple on the west bank. With some difficulty engaged the Rais to put to shore for a few minutes, to give me an opportunity of visiting it. This temple is manifestly of Egyptian architecture; it is about two hundred feet long from east to west; ten of the columns only are standing; they are composed of separate blocks of a brown stone resembling that employed in the construction of the temples in the isle of Philoe. The walls of this temple are in ruins, except a part of the front which is in a very dilapidated state. The front faces the East; the pillars and the ruins of the walls are sculptured with hieroglyphics. It stands on the west bank of the river about two miles beyond the territory of Succoot. About an hour after leaving this place, the wind falling, our Rais was obliged to put to shore. We soon arrived at the western bank of the river, the Nile being in this place not a mile broad. The remainder of the day being calm, we staid here till next morning. Several of the Pasha's Cavalry passed along the west bank of the river yesterday and to-day, bearing repeated orders from Dongola to the commanders of the boats to hasten their progress.
17th of Safa. At an early hour started with a favorable wind, but in about two hours were obliged to put to shore. The river hereabouts makes several turns almost at right angles with each other. This circumstance brought the wind directly ahead in one of the bends and obliged us to remain there till next morning. The country we saw to-day is not equal to the territory of Succoot; the date trees, the villages, and the cultivation are not so continued; and the view from the river is bounded at a little distance from its banks by low rocky hills. Saw to-day a singular mode of navigating the river; a man, who apparently was traveling down the river with his whole family, had placed his youngest wife and her two young children on a small raft made of bundles of corn-stalks lashed together, he himself swam by its side to guide it, while he kept his old wife a swimming and pushing it by the stern, and in this way they proceeded down the river.
I have seen in this country small rafts made to carry one person, which are very well contrived. Three or four large empty gourds are fastened firmly to a small oblong frame made out of the branches of the date tree, the whole not weighing two pounds. A man may go safely down or across the river on this, either by fastening it to his breast and swimming supported by it, or by riding on it astride; and when on shore he can carry it with ease either in his hand or on his shoulder.
18th of Safa, In the morning found that the wind had changed a little in our favor, got under way, but after sailing for about two hours the winding of the river again brought it ahead. Put to shore and staid there till the middle of the afternoon, when the wind again hauled a little in our favor, and with some difficulty we got to windward of the shore and proceeded up the river. The river here is about half a mile broad, and makes several turns which somewhat retarded our progress. We observed some rocks and shoals, and on arriving at a place where the river is divided by a large rocky island, observed a