322 FROM THE NIGEE TO THE NILE 



of scraping ofi the thick, black mud afterwards. So we held 

 on throughout the day, always on the look-out for a passage 

 south, sometimes pressing in till the boat grounded in the 

 mud, and then sending out waders ahead, in fruitless efforts 

 to discover deeper channels where the boat might float. As 

 the sun sank past the meridian, the mirage vanished and the 

 island-headlands that had appeared shadowy and phantasmal 

 in its thrall, now stood out sharp and clear against the 

 opposing light. But their show of substance only mocked us, 

 for, one after another, as we touched, proved to be merely 

 a mass of reeds standing in the water, with no rest for the sole 

 of one's foot. Now we began to feel anxious as to where 

 we should find a camping-ground for the night, and pressed 

 on past point and point ever in the hope of finding firm land. 

 The sun was sinking fast and the headlands stood out black 

 and strong against a fiery, copper glow, beckoning us on like 

 siren rocks. 



Already the more frequent sounds of the polers slapping 

 their flesh warned us of the attendant terrors of the night, 

 and restlessly we -redoubled our efforts, aware that the 

 southern dark would leap upon us suddenly and hold us 

 benighted in the boat. Presently, on rounding a headland, 

 we spied through the gathering gloom a large Buduma fleet 

 of canoes about 500 yards distant across the bay evidently 

 engaged in pulhng up their nets. Here was our chance ; 

 they had not observed us, so under cover of the dusk we stole 

 silently along under the lee of the promontory in the shadow 

 of the reeds till we got within 400 yards of them. Then they 

 sighted us ; whereupon a great commotion followed and we 

 could see boats and Budumas darting about in all directions. 



