76 CONTINUE UP THE RIVER. 



cock did crow, and they had not made their ap- 

 pearance. We therefore commenced the ascent 

 of the river without them, following the track 

 of the Alburkah at the distance of a few hun- 

 dred yards, in order to have sufficient time to 

 stop or reverse the engine, in case the Alburkah 

 met with any shoal or hidden danger, as she 

 drew so much less water than the Quorra. 



Immediately above King Boy's barracoon the 

 river divides into several wide and shallow 

 branches, the principal one leading to the east- 

 ward to Brass Town and Bonny. That which our 

 pilot conducted us through appeared at first to be 

 most unlikely to lead to the magnificent stream we 

 were fast approaching : it ran about N.W., and for 

 about half a mile was not more than thirty yards 

 wide, with an average depth of about two fathoms, 

 after which we found ourselves in comparatively 

 more open water. The navigation for the first 

 ten miles was difficult and dangerous, and I 

 must confess that I was not without suspicions 

 of the pilot's intentions, particularly when I found 

 that he took us through a channel in which there 

 was only a depth of eight feet. This, however, 

 proved to be only a bar of mud ; for, directly 

 after we had passed it, we had two and a half, 



