APPENDIX A. 
121 
to consider inferior to themselves in intellect_, but immeasurably 
beneath them in point of courage and endurance. My wife was 
equal to the emergeney, and on the roll being ealled I instantly 
assisted her into the saddle^ and forthwith^ with an eneouraging 
eheer and a wave of the hand_, she pushed her horse into the swamp 
and ineited them to follow. The example^ instantly followed by 
myselfj communicated itself^ as if by eleetrieity, to our men^ and^ 
as they afterwards good-humouredly explained to us_, they were 
irresistibly foreed to abandon all thought of their preconcerted 
revolt^ and for very shame^ against their dearest wishes^ at least 
follow where a woman led. Had the attempt been made without 
the assistance and presenee of mind of my wife^ it would eertainly 
have resulted in signal failure,, and perhaps have cost me my life ; 
as it was^ we were all on the best of terms. 
The boats had started very shortly afterwards for Khartoum^ and 
at our next bivouac the men^ relieved of the presenee of the siek 
thus sent home,, feeling it now more than ever their interest to stiek 
to me^ eheerfully promised to eneounter every difficulty that might 
present itself on our new mode of progress. 
After six weeks’ disastrous toil through marsh, mud, and water, 
eneounters with the natives, entailing loss of life and mueh valuable 
property, ineluding photographic apparatus and a host of necessaries, 
we sueeeeded in reaching Adael in the Khol, the extreme point to 
which the inundation had reached at right angles from the Nile, 
in latitude North 6° 35' 53" and longitude East 30° 8' 4"; in other 
words, 170 miles of tortuous travel from Lolnun or Aboo Kuka, and 
within about three miles of the river Nam. Our inability to obtain 
porters so soon as we expeeted, and serious illnesses, entailed a sad 
delay, and on the 13th November our departure took place, now in 
a southerly direetion, and about parallel with the Nile, through the 
