DEATH OF VAUDET. 
91 
was speared as he attempted to reach the dahabyehj dying instantly. 
His nephews were on boards the few men who were with them pushed 
ofiP; and they thus escaped. The other boats and the stores would 
have fallen into the hands of the negroes, hut that an Arab called 
Daoud (afterwards in Petherick^s service), who was in command of 
the advanced party, hearing the disturbance, returned and gallantly 
fought his way, with his men, through the negroes, who, terrified 
at the deadly eflPect of their firearms and the presence of Daoud, 
fled. Daoud was regarded with awe by them : he was an excellent 
shot. But a short time previously he killed a lion, which had for a 
long time committed great devastation, carrying oflP child after child 
from the surrounding villages. It was his great delight to show 
what he could do with his firearms, and so he was held in high 
repute. 
March 2^th. — Soon after sunrise, came to the ford Mochada 
Aboo Zaet — so called from its having been erossed by Aboo Zaet, 
an Arab chief, who with his tribe, from Arabia, passed over, and 
formed a settlement to the west. The water here is usually shallow, 
but now, owing to last yearns high Nile, it was said to be deep ; 
however, we soon got on a reef, and there remained fast. The 
crew were overboard in an instant, sheets let go, men pushing and 
tugging to get off, when, in some fifteen minutes, their efibrts were 
rewarded, and the dahahyeh floated again. Petherick pointed 
out whereabouts a boat of his went down in 1854. At this time 
passed the doctors’ boat, and exchanged greetings. The wind was 
favourable, and we scudded swiftly on. The windings of the river 
were beautiful, and the islands right and left were wooded luxu- 
riantly. In the river were trees so near, that I plucked, as we flew 
past them, blossoms of the ambage, like yellow butterflies. At 
