418 PREPARATIONS FOR LEAVING KHARTOOM. 
ornamentation on the chest, had been broken off. The 
measurements were — 
Shoulder to plinth, 60 inches. 
Centre of chest to tail, . . . . 115 „ 
Greatest circumference of neck, . . 122 „ 
Over the saddle part, from plinth to plinth, 140 „ 
Over the rump, do. do. . 145 „ 
Length of the tail, 60 „ 
Although there were other ruins about Soba, we were 
informed that the above were the only remains worthy 
of note; so we re-embarked at noon, and returned to 
Khartoom. 
Preparations were making for our departure by 
boat to Berber, and thence by desert upon camels to 
Korosko. It was necessary, on account of the poverty 
of Berber, to lay in supplies of food at Khartoom for 
both these journeys. Ali Bey procured us a small 
diabeah which belonged to Government. "We had 
only to pay the hire of the crew to Berber, namely, 
twenty-eight dollars. We had twenty Seedees, and 
each required to have two goat-skins, or ' " girba," 
to carry his drinking-water ; Speke and I had two 
"rey," or cow-skins, each, for the same purpose, and 
water-bottles to hang from our camel-saddles. All 
these were purchased, the small ones for seven, and 
the large for thirty-eight koorsh each. It was neces- 
sary to grease and test these skins before setting out 
on the journey. A number of lads, each with the 
skin of a goat, blew into them with all their might, 
and then tied up the inflated skins for our inspection. 
Having arranged everything, we intended sailing at 
noon of the 15th April; but the hospitality of the 
Baroness, the Austrian missionaries, M. de Bono, and 
