The New British Empire of the Sudan 



257 



raising of cotton, using the best Egyptian 

 cotton seed for stock, sweet potatoes 

 and other crops adapted to the rich soil 

 and kindly climate of the Sobat, with ex- 

 cellent prospects of desirable results. The 

 Sudan has promised to allot the mission 

 a considerable tract of land along the 

 river. 



WILD GAME OF MANY KINDS 



Animal life on the White Nile is abun- 

 dant, and hunters are constantly travers- 

 ing it for what they call sport. "Hippos" 

 are so numerous that after the first few 

 days only an exceptionally large or fully 

 exposed herd will induce the unlimbering 

 of cameras ; crocodiles are likely to be 

 sunning themselves on every sand spit and 

 are the only game which may be shot 

 from the steamers without penalty. The 

 presence of ivory tusks at the trading 

 stations proves the proximity of ele- 

 phants, and early risers may be fortunate 

 enough to see two of the big fellows 

 smashing along in the tall grass within 

 easy rifle shot. Waterbuck in droves, 

 antelopes in herds, gazelle singly but in 

 great numbers, and monkeys too numer- 

 ous to mention may all be observed in a 

 single morning by sharp eyes, and once 

 in a while the stately and ungainly giraffe 

 makes his way with the rest of the animal 

 creation to the Nile for water. All of 

 these animals can be hunted only upon 

 payment of heavy license, and the giraffe 

 is absolutely protected against sportsmen 

 on any terms — conditions which in 

 British territory are rigidly enforced. 

 Birds of many species familiar to the 

 north wintering in the tropics; frequent 

 flocks of geese flying in military forma- 

 tion ; of ducks feeding on the aquatic 

 plants, and a great variety of all the 

 water fowl — cranes, herons, divers, ibis, 

 and others — are frequent, while on the 

 topmost branch of many a lonely tree the 

 stately fish eagle in solitary dignity is a 

 familiar figure. In the river also are 

 treasures of life, as the continual succes- 

 sion of fishermen's huts, almost hidden 

 among the reeds, proves. Hither the na- 

 tives come and catch and cure, while the 



season is on, supplies for a long time — 

 the only thing resembling work which 

 they are known voluntarily to undertake. 



FASHODA 



Fashoda has the deserved distinction of 

 being historically by far the most inter- 

 esting place on the Nile south of Khar- 

 tum. Physical circumstances have much 



A Sudanese Policeman, Khartum 



to do with this, for it is the last place on 

 the west bank which can by any courtesy 

 be called high land, on which a town 

 could be built, before the great swamp of 

 the "sudd" and the but lately unexplored 

 country of the savages to the south is en- 

 countered. Here Baker, in 1871, found 

 an Egyptian force and station, and on 

 returning three years later, at the end of 

 his campaign for the suppression of the 



