The Nile Tributaries of Abyssinia and the Sword Hunters of the Hamran Arabs | Page 2

THE CATARACT.
Sterility--Arrival at Korosko--Twenty-six Days from Cairo--The Nubian Desert--Nature's Pyramids--Volcanic Bombs--The Stony Sea-- The Camel's Grave--The Crows of Moorahd--A delicious Draught--Rocks of the Desert--The perished Regiment--Arrival at the Nile--Distance from Korosko--Gazelles of the Desert--Dryness of the Atmosphere--Arrival at Berber--Halleem Effendi's Garden--Halleem gives Advice--The Nile rising--Visit of the Ladies--The Pillars of Sand--The Governor's Friendship--Save me from my Friends.

CHAPTER II.
The Cairo Dragoman Mahomet--Mahomet forsakes his Pistols--The Route to the Atbara--The Dry Bed of the River--The Dome Palm--Preparation of the Fruit--Pools of the Atbara--Collection of Birds--Charms of the Desert--Suffering of Men and Beasts--Collodabad--Hippopotamus kills the Arab--Daring Feat of the Fish-Eagle--Hippopotamus-shooting--Hippopotami bagged--Delight of the Arabs--Fishing--Catch a Tartar--Lose my Turtle Soup--Gazelle-shooting--The Speed of the Gazelle-- Preparation of Water-skins--Tanning the Hides--Shoot a Crocodile--The River comes down--The mighty Stream of the Atbara--Change in the Season.

CHAPTER III.
WILD ASSES OF THE DESERT.
My First and Last--Appetite for raw Meat--The Bishareen Arabs-- Gozerajup--The First Rain--Limits of the Desert--The Hadendowa Arabs--The Wells of Soojalup--Antelopes--Antelope Stalking--Arab Migrations--The Arab's Prayer--The Barren Women--Difficulty in fording the River Gash--Arrive at Cassala--Hospitality of the Greek Merchant.

CHAPTER IV.
ROUTE FROM CASSALA TO SOUAKIM.
Facilities of the Port of Souakim--Fortifications of Cassala--Conquest of Nubia--Cruel Taxation--Extreme Cheapness of Corn--Cultivation of Cereals--Arab Bread--Military Position of Cassala--The Base--Prepare to start from Cassala--Mahomet's Family Tree--Mahomet meets Relations--We cross the Gash--Stalking the Ariel--Bagged the Game--Descent of Vultures--Change of Scenery--The Source of the Delta--The Parent of Egypt.

CHAPTER V.
THE STORM.
Cotton Farm of Malem Georgis--Ferocious Crocodiles--Shoot a Monster--The Public Enemy--Resistance of a Crocodile's Scales--Discover Gold--Heavy Action of the Camel--El Baggar selects a Hygeen--The Easy-goer, suitable for a Lady--Hooked Thorns of the Mimosa--We charge a Kittar Bush--The Scorpion's Sting--Sudden Deluge--A Regiment of Scorpions--Valley of the Atbara--The Migration of Camels--A Milk Diet--The Arab Exodus--The Desert Patriarch.

CHAPTER VI.
SHEIK ACHMET ABOU SINN.
The Arab Welcome--Abou Sinn's Advice--Arab Tribes of Nubia--A Hint to Octogenarians--The Arab Pomade--The Arab Lady's Perfumery--The fatal Mixture--The Coiffure of the World--The Arab Woman's Head-dress--"The Dust became Lice through all Egypt"--The Arab Charms--The Rahat or Arab Kilt--Arab Weddings--No Divorce Court--Anointing with Oil--Nomadic Habits of the Arabs--Unchanging Customs of the Arabs--The Hand of God--Religion of the Arabs.

CHAPTER VII.
THE DEPARTURE.
First-class Hygeens--Travelling Arrangements--The Evening Bivouac--The Junction of the Settite River--Sheik Atalan Wat Said--Abyssinian Frontier--Ismael Pasha burnt alive--Mek Nimmur--The Enemy of Egypt--Arrival at Sofi--The Reception--Position of Sofi--Florian, the German Settler--The Cattle Fly--Peculiarities of the Seasons--The New Camp--I become a Householder--Arrangement of our Establishment--My "Baby"--An African Elysium--No Pipe!--The Elements at Work.

CHAPTER VIII.
THE PLAGUES OF EGYPT.
Go into Half Mourning--"Child of the Fever"--The Arab M.D.--Arab Fondness for Relics--The Pest Spots of the World--The Dangers of Holy Shrines--Arrival of the Holy Body--The Faky's Grave--Arab Doctoring--Delights of Arab Surgery--The Pig and the Koran--Sword Hunters of the Hamran Arabs--The Arab Shields--Hints for carrying the Sword--Keenness of the Edge--Arab Swordsmanship--The Aggageers--Elephant-hunting with the Sword--Arab disabled by his own Sword--Maria Theresa--Great Failure--The Baboons and the Crocodile--The drowned Elephant--Game on the East Bank--Capabilities of the Soil--Tanning of Leather--Native Baskets and Matting--Bacheet is too attentive--"Oh Bacheet! you Ignoramus!"--Ferocity of the Seroot Fly--Cross the Atbara--The Impromptu Raft--Stalking Giraffes--Within Range--The First Rush of the Herd--The Retreat of the Giraffes--Death of the Giraffes--Passage of the River-- The Giraffe Sentry--A difficult Stalk--The Seroot Fly takes possession--Giraffe Steaks--A Hunt for the Tetel--Floating Meat across a River--Buoy for Men and Cargo--Scare the Crocodiles--The Lions devour the Giraffe--Arab Music--Arrange to cross the River.

CHAPTER IX.
FORM A RAFT WITH THE SPONGING BATH.
The Impromptu Ferry--Achmet is tempted by Satan--Mahomet's Relative absconds--End of the Rainy Season--The Seroot Fly disappears--The "Till"--Preparations for Fishing--"That was a Monster!"--The "Bayard"--Masara the Slave--Cross the Peninsula to Settite--Jungle Cooking--A miserable Night--Shoot badly--Fishing in the Atbara--A good Run--Another Monster--Bacheet lands him--The Baboons visit us--The Coor--Wild Vegetables--Death of Atalan Wat Said--Catch a Baggar--Fish-salting--The Arbour.

CHAPTER X.
A FEW NOTES AT EHETILLA.
Fire the Valley--Arrival of Birds--Seized by a Crocodile--Audacity of the Buzzard--The Abomination of Thorns--Boa Constrictor--The Baboons hunt for Berries--Masses of small Birds--Cunning of the Crocodile--Method of seizing its Prey--Horse-dealing--Arab Saddles and Bits--Arrive at Sherif el Ibrahim--Arrival at the Settite--Recall of Mahomet--Sheik Achmet Wat el Negur--Mansfield Parkyns--Advantages of a "Sweet Name"-- Elephants destroy the Crops--An Invitation to shoot--The Hippo challenges Bacheet--A good Shot--A Rush at the Carcase--Elephants at Night--Kill an Elephant.

CHAPTER XI.
THE FORD.
Girls carried away by the Rapids--An amphibious Arab Girl--Search for the drowned Girl--The Corpse recovered--The Sheik lays down the Law--"The Fact is simply impossible"--The Sheik's Idea of Matrimony--The Duties of his Four Wives--The Maimed, the Halt, and the Blind--The Arab Fakeers or Priests--"All the Same with a little Difference"--The Cure for Frendeet--Arrival at Katariff--The Market Day--Scenes at the Fair--Custom of scarifying the Cheeks--The Galla Slave--Purchase her Freedom --Singular Misunderstanding--Mahomet's Explanation--Mek Nimmur invades the Frontier--Mek Nimmur's Tactics--Insecurity of the Country--Mek Nimmur sends me his Compliments--Roder Sheriff's withered Arm--The Aggageers--Mixture for Bullets--We make Arrowroot--Florian's Hunter--Arrive at Geera--Follow a Herd of Elephants--Track up the Elephants--A tremendous Crash--A critical Position--The Forehead Shot--The Half-pound Explosive Shell--Recover my old wounded Elephant--Fraternize with the Sword Hunters.

CHAPTER XII.
OLD NEPTUNE JOINS THE PARTY.
The Arab Centaurs--Wild Arab Horsemanship--Discipline of the Gun-bearers--Off goes the Gun, and its