368 
THE NILE AT GONDOKORO. 
ured six to nine inches in length, with pointed head 
and tail. This happened several times to him ; but 
he thought that until he got rid of the great one, 
which he called their "mother," the disease would 
stick to him. On our arrival at Khartoom I prescribed 
half a tumbler of salt dissolved in water ; but having 
once tried my remedy, the Seedees pronounced it too 
nauseous to try a second time. Speke, half-a-dozen 
of our twenty Seedees, and myself, were the only men 
of our expedition who escaped this disease. 
The Nile at Gondokoro is in two branches; the 
main one lying on the right, and a small low island, 
on which cattle feed, divides it from the left branch. 
The old banks were at this season fifteen feet above 
the alluvial deposit of the river, which again was four 
feet out of water. There seemed a greater body of 
water, because it was spread over a larger surface, than 
when we had seen it thirty miles farther up. Here 
the strongest current, bearing to the right, was about 
three miles an hour, and the breadth a hundred and 
fifty yards. Standing upon the bank, and looking 
around, the country presents a flat Egyptian aspect, 
with the solitary hills of Eujub, Beeleenja, &c, to the 
N.W., S.W., and S. The water was full of lake debris, 
making it muddy and disagreeable to drink until al- 
lowed to settle. All day long parties of three and 
four natives swam across, resting upon a log of the 
pith tree or ambadj. They do not swim as we do in 
England, but stretch out their arms alternately over 
the water, crowing loudly " ow, ow," as they go merrily 
across. Although there were small canoes on the 
river they were not often used, even when produce was 
to be conveyed from one bank to the other. They got 
