152 SERVICE AND SPORT IN THE SUDAN 



I determined to return to Kossinga by a new route. 

 The Sultan gave me his eldest son as a guide and his 

 youngest as a gun-bearer, and I set off. That night 

 we crossed the Chell again, and slept in a big village. 

 The lowing of the cattle and the smell of innumerable 

 dung fires, invariably lighted to ward off mosquitoes, 

 &c., did not succeed in keeping us awake. Our start, 

 however, was delayed till about dawn. My escort con- 

 sisted of four men and two carriers. In one place the 

 lady of the house, clad in a flowing jupon of ox-skin, 

 scarcely veiled her contempt for us. Our guide was 

 being continually cross-examined, for the Dinka is 

 as suspicious as a jealous wife ; and, except perhaps 

 Lupton in his campaigns, I was the first white 

 man to penetrate this densely populated bit of 

 country. 



We halted late at night, foodless, on the Boru River 

 at the village of Dow Marial (wicked David). He did 

 not turn up to meet us, so I sent for him and presently 

 he came. He was a charming old boy. We became 

 such friends that it was with difficulty that he was 

 persuaded to go back to bed. 



Close at hand was the junction of the Chell (Kuru) 

 and Lol (Boru). At one time it was supposed that 

 the latter was the Bahr el Arab. I wrote very fully 

 about this to the Royal Geographical Society, and 

 my determination of the western sources of the Nile 

 has since been proved correct by other explorers. 

 Dow Marial, and another important headman, Dow 

 Nigol, insisted on accompanying me next morning. 

 First of all they tried every inducement to persuade 



