CHAPTER XLVIII. 



Roosevelt's Return to Civilization 



ON the closing day of February, 1910, Colonel Roosevelt and 

 his hunting party left Gondokoro, the extreme outpost of 

 the white man in the wilderness of the Soudan, on his return 

 journey to civilization, the first important stopping place in which 

 would be the city of Khartum, 900 miles to the north; the second the 

 city of Cairo, 1,350 miles still farther northward. Thus he had still 

 2,250 miles to travel along the Nile before the end of his long journey 

 in Africa would be reached. 



But this long route was to be made under very different circum- 

 stances from the preceding one. Hitherto he had been "on Safari," 

 footing it over the African soil, or if at times on horseback, unable 

 to go faster than his long line of laden porters could walk. Thus 

 he had spent nearly a year in going over much less space than he now 

 expected to traverse in a few weeks. For the Dal, the Soudan Gov- 

 ernment steamboat, lay ready to take him over the first lap of his 

 journey and land him in Khartum. From there northward the rail- 

 road, that other handmaid of civilization, would bring him in a brief 

 interval to Cairo and Alexandria, and set him down at the gateway 

 of Europe. 



The Dal is a comfortable river boat, fitted with all the conve- 

 niences the white man has brought into the wilderness, and its ofBcers 

 were prepared to do all in their power to make the journey of their 

 distinguished guest an agreeable one. It was an event in their some- 

 what humdrum life to have the great Nimrod of the African hunting 

 fields as their guest. 



Early on February 28 Colonel Roosevelt was up and abroad, 

 and Gondokoro was awake and ready to bid him an enthusiastic fare- 

 well. Every man in the settlement, black, brown or white, cheered 



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