HIPPOPOTAMI BECOME MORE RAKE. 383 
but, from the impossibility of quickly lowering the 
yard, to which the immense sail is securely fastened, 
the boat was often very unmanageable. The crew 
found the yard so unwieldy, pivoted as it was on the 
top of the mast, catching the wind and nullifying 
their rowing, that it had to be finally lowered, the 
operation taking three-quarters of an hour ! 
Our course improved after we were joined by the 
Sobat ; instead of sailing east, we were going north-east. 
The river varied in width from two hundred and fifty 
to five hundred yards ; sometimes it branched round 
long stripes of islands, or a beautiful reach of water 
was presented. We had no longer the low swamp on 
either side ; the banks rose boldly ten feet above the 
water ; we could land anywhere, — either in the Shil- 
look country, which was a plain clear of all vegetation, 
or on the opposite or right bank, the country of the 
Denka, where firewood might be obtained. Hippo- 
potami in such a locality were scarcer than where there 
were reeds, but they were met with even here ; and at 
night, between those steep walls, their lowing reverbe- 
rated pleasantly from bank to bank. An oarsman by 
chance struck one while sleeping in the water. The 
sport it afforded caused quite a commotion in our boat, 
for after being touched, the animal arched his back in 
self-defence, sending himself half out of the water. 
On the wooded banks of the Nile, about 1 0° N. lat., 
opposite the Sultan of Dainab's territory, we found 
thirteen boats at anchor. They had come to demand 
redress from the sultan, and to settle some political 
matters regarding the annihilation of a whole zariba, or 
station of Arabs, in the interior. Their commander, 
we understood, was one Ibraheem. He and his part}^ 
