AN ASCENT OF THE NILE. 435 



to add another ; we could not land anywhere without running 

 the risk of being attacked, and neither soldiers nor arms were 

 on board, so we steamed direct to Kawa, which is the last 

 telegraph station and wooding-place for all the Khartum 

 steamers. 



The woods of acacias (Acacia nilotica), which extend for miles 

 along the banks of the river, have been considerably thinned ; 

 still they will last for many a long year to come, especially if 

 the present stupid waste of wood is somewhat curtailed. Of 

 course no one ever thinks of planting fresh trees. The traveller 

 from the north meets in these woods for the first time very 

 numerous long-tailed monkeys (Cercopithecus griseo-viridis), 

 screeching swarms of green parrots (JPalceomis torquatus), and, 

 as rare visitors, and therefore all the more welcome, the small 

 Galago (Galago se?iegcdensis), beautiful, easily tamed animals. 



After taking on board a sufficient quantity of wood, and 

 receiving the last telegrams from Khartum, we steamed to the 

 south, soon left the last mountains behind us, and reached 

 Fashoda, where we received the almost crushing intelligence 

 of the nearly total annihilation of Yussuf Pasha's army ; of 

 about five thousand men, hardly two hundred had been able to 

 escape. This, then, was the end of an expedition which had 

 been placed upon the stage in such a pompous manner. The 

 chief causes which led to this catastrophe were the thorough 

 incompetence of the leader, who scorned the advice of the 

 regular officers placed under his command, a carelessness and 

 heedlessness almost bordering on insanity, the indispensable 

 beer-jars, and the use of the beasts of burden for transport- 

 ing goods and courtesans from Fashoda, instead of carrying 

 water for the soldiers, who were half killed by thirst. The 

 town (Fashoda), in which only a few soldiers remained, was in 

 the greatest danger of being captured by a sudden blow, in 

 addition to which, the Shiluk, angered by the death of their 

 chief, who had accompanied the Governor of Fashoda in his 

 unfortunate expedition, refused to obey orders, and remained 

 at a distance from the town. 



After steaming about twelve hours, we reached the station 

 of Sobat, which is situated upon the high south bank of the 

 river of the same name. It was erected by Gordon Pasha for 



