Lake Victoria to Khartoum 



fikia, we reach the Bahr-el-Zeraf, not a river 

 as it appears to be, but the Cloaca Maxima, or 

 main drain, of the whole sudd district, flowing 

 north. This is the route that Sir Samuel Baker 

 pursued when he first steamed up to Gondokoro ; 

 though what is known as " Baker's Passage," 

 right up at the south end of the sudd, where he 

 cut his way through, is now silted up and choked 

 with the dense masses that have formed long 

 since across it at its outlet into the White Nile. 



This affluent is about forty yards wide, with a 

 fairish current. During our voyage on it we 

 much enjoyed the splendid effect which the dying 

 glow of the sun, the variegated tints of the 

 evening, and the pale light of the moon, produced 

 on the dark water over which we glided under 

 the shadow of dark papyrus walls. 



We panted and puffed slowly but steadily up 

 the stream. Our plan was to steam up to the 

 first wood station, and whilst we took fuel on 

 board, I was to sally forth and shoot. We hadn't 

 overmuch time to cut to waste, as my host had to 

 be back on a certain date, and I had my Gondo- 

 koro boat to catch. 



I landed in a thorn forest, very dense and thick, 

 on the western bank, and after a short trek came 

 across waterbuck. By dint of a careful stalk 

 (much peering between the tree trunks and under 

 the low spreading branches was necessary to dis- 

 tinguish the buck from amidst the herd of females), 



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