420 ME. R. B. snARPE ON BIRDS 



destroy the town, whicli was in league with Suleiman aud the 

 rebels. The General generously provided the ruined traveller 

 with clothes, camels, and money to enable him to return to 

 Cairo. After an absence of many years from Europe, Mr. Bohn- 

 dorff was anxious to return to bis home in Mecklenburg ; but 

 on arriving at Cairo, he found tbat Dr. Junker, the well-known 

 Russian traveller, was about to project an expedition into Central 

 Africa, and, acting upon the solicitations of Dr. Schweinfurth 

 and other friends, Mr. Bohndorff agreed to accompany Dr. Junker 

 back to Equatorial Africa. The journey which he undertook, in 

 company with the last-named explorer, is shown in the map of 

 Central Africa by Dr, Joseph Chevanne. 



While Dr. Junker was pushing his way still further to the 

 westward in his explorations of the Welle Eiver, Mr. Bohndorff 

 stayed for two years at Deni Suleiman, the capital of the Gazelle 

 River Province, with our couiatryman Lupton Bey, its governor, 

 and made part of the collections here described. On receiving 

 notice of the danger which threatened the route to Khartoum by 

 the spread of the Mahdi's insurrection, he despatched a messenger 

 to Dr. Junker, urging him to join him in his retreat down the 

 Nile. Dr. Junker, however, preferred to remain along with his 

 large collections. Thereupon Mr. Bohndorff, accompanied by 

 his faithful negro servant " Yumma" (who is present with him this 

 evening), ran the gauntlet of the rebels in a Nile steamer, and, 

 after being twice attacked by the Arabs, arrived in safety at 

 Khartoum. There he stayed a few days with our beleaguered 

 countrymen. Colonel Coetlogon aud Mr. Power, and occupied the 

 room of the unfortunate General Hicks. He arrived in safety at 

 Berber ; and afterwards in the midst of the Korusko desert he 

 perceived an approaching cavalcade, which proved to be General 

 Gordon and Colonel Stewart with a small following, going post- 

 haste to Khartoum. This was in last Eebruary, and the surprise 

 was mutual ; but one can well imagine the delight with which Mr. 

 Bohndorff tells us he recognized his friend and preserver. Ten 

 years before, when General Gordon was in Cairo, on his way to 

 the interior as Governor of t!ie Bhar el Ghazal Province, he met 

 Mr. Bohndorff, then a young man anxious to explore Equatorial 

 Africa, and took him with him. Mr. Bohndorff was with the 

 General on several of his expeditions for the suppression of the 

 slave trade, when Gondokoro was destroyed and Lado founded 

 as a capital town ; while for a short period he was installed 



