406 
OUR RECEPTION BY M. DE BONO. 
daughter. The Baron Von Ablaing was on board, and 
was to return with stores and baggage -donkeys, to 
enable the party to prosecute their journey as far as 
Fernando Po. Since then we have learned how fatal 
has been the result of this expedition. Poor Madame 
Tinne has died, and their labours at exploration have 
thus been suddenly arrested. 
We were hospitably entertained at a large reception 
by M. de Bono, whose ivory-hunters at Faloro were 
the first to welcome and render us aid on the Egyptian 
side. There were present four ladies and upwards of 
twenty gentlemen, French, Italian, Austrian, German, 
and natives. After dinner our health was proposed, 
and a toast by M. Thibaut, French consul, " The alli- 
ance of France and England," was cordially pledged 
and applauded. Our twenty Seedees were introduced, 
and, to amuse the party, went through a number of 
antics they had learned in Uganda. 
Ali Bey, Effendi — or, to give the address written by 
himself, Ally Fud(h)lee bek, Wakeel, Hokumdariut, el 
Soudan bil Khartoom (minister, Government House, 
country of the blacks, Khartoom) — was most constant 
in his attentions to us. He was the first to receive us 
and the last to part with us — showing us over the 
Government House, the schools, manufactures, and 
magazines, giving us horses to ride, parading the troops 
for our amusement, and doing numerous other acts of 
kindness. He had a white Gulf Arab, the most docile, 
at the same time fiery, creature I had ever beheld. 
When caparisoned in blue velvet trappings, richly 
embroidered in gold, and a Busserah bridle of silver 
chains and hanging tassels, the animal looked the 
most perfect and picturesque of steeds. The bit was 
