88 
TKAVELS IN CENTRAL AFRICA. 
(in the name of God) I have had more money than any of them, 
and now I have more paper ! 
March 27th . — All repairs having been effected satisfactorily — the 
donkeys travelling by land having arrived — we were again to make 
a start; and to my infinite satisfaction the Neam Neams^ wives 
were removed to the boat in which Abderachman was. At eight a.m . 
the doctors’ boat sailed onwards, and at ten a.m. the Lady of 
the Nile ” was off, the two other boats having previously started 
during the night. 
At noon we were scudding before the wind. To the east was 
the territory of the Lechaween ; large herds of cattle were reposing 
beneath the shadow of trees close to the river, and the girls 
were there, washing their ferdas and bathing ; others were fill- 
ing w'ater-skins, whilst some fifty donkeys were waiting to 
convey them to the village some distance off. An hour’s sail 
brought us to an island of the Bagaras : on it were flocks of 
sheep. The scenery was now beautifully varied, the river winding, 
and on the banks were forests of the mimosa; beneath these 
trees gazelles were bounding, whilst monkeys leaped from branch 
to branch. 
The nebbuk, distinguished by its leaves of delicate green, stood 
in relief to the hitherto constant mimosa. Occasionally, trees 
which had died, or been partially destroyed, were clothed with 
luxuriant creepers, and the tendrils clung so fantastically, that 
often forms were presented like to our ancient castles draped in 
their maiitles of ivy. Several islands appeared to the west, called 
Wallad Ibrahim: they were wooded. Large rafts, of the pithy 
ambage tree (light as cork), were in readiness to convey down stream 
the sont timber, so heavy that, unassisted, it will not float. Sailing 
