366 
OUR MEETING WITH BAKER. 
and were informed that a gentleman had been there 
only a few minutes before. The inmates offering to 
conduct us, we proceeded in quest of the gentleman 
referred to, and soon had the happiness to see a sturdy 
English figure approaching. With a hearty cheer, we 
waved our hats and rushed into the arms, not of Pe- 
therick, but of Baker, the elephant-hunter of Ceylon, 
who had bravely come in search of us. All England, 
he said — nay, all Europe — believed that we should 
never get through the tribes ! Here we were, however, 
grateful for our preservation, and grateful also for the 
sympathy of our kind friends and countrymen. Baker 
led us to his " diabeah," or Nile pleasure-boat, and we 
found him surrounded with many of the comforts of 
civilised life long denied to us — tea, sugar, coffee, 
bread, wine, &c. We had had no English news later 
than August 1860, and now it was February 1863; 
so that there was much for us to hear of national af- 
fairs, as well as matters of private interest. But where 
was Petherick ? Had he made no preparations for us ? 
or, finding we had not been able to keep to time, had 
he despaired and given up the search ? A handsome 
diabeah and luggage-boat of his were here, but there 
were neither letters nor instructions for us. He him- 
self was not at Gondokoro, and had never been there. 
Instead of co-operating with our expedition, he had 
gone to his own ivory depot in the west, and only 
arrived at Gondokoro four days after ourselves. We 
learned from Baker that kind friends in England had 
placed £1000 in the hands of Mr Petherick for our 
succour, and were doubly surprised that he had made 
no effort to meet us. It was to M. de Bono s men, 
and not Mr Petherick's, that we were indebted for our 
