144 
TRAVELS IN CENTEAL AFEICA. 
The moonless night was not so dark, as myriads of stars were 
visible — the lovely Southern Cross in front, and, looking round, 
the Pointers were to he seen — but not our own North Star. It 
was beneath the horizon, and we wished it a long good bye. 
It was such a relief to be calm and quiet and apart from the 
turmoil on and near the Lady of the Nile.^^ A serene and 
grateful feeling filled my heart. There was a bird in a sycamore 
close by, whose ‘^‘^qua, qua ! seemed questioning my intrusion. 
Occasionally a hippopotamus would snort. Then there were many 
talkative, and I think they must have been shrewish, frogs, such a 
noisy conversation was kept up in different tones. A lantern had 
been placed in a tree some little distance ofip, and to this bats were 
constantly flying, and large moths were attracted, and the insects 
held a noisy revel ; so that, by-aiid-bye, the place I had imagined 
a solitude became animated and full of sound. 
In the distance the voices of the men would rise cheerily as they 
dragged some heavy package on shore in answer to Petherick^s 
encouraging directions ; then perpetually fell the water from the 
baling-pails, splashing again to its element. 
In the course of two hours I was allowed to return to the boat, 
and then had a brief time of most refreshing repose ere morning 
dawned. 
A rat, it was supposed, had occasioned the mishap, by scratching 
away the tow that had stopped a previous leak. 
May 27th . — A glorious sunrise: the sky, golden and purple, 
gave promise of a beautiful day. The leak having been stopped, 
the baggage was removed back again to the Lady of the Nile,^^ 
as there was no possibility of its being dried amongst the damp 
long grass. The loss sustained was now evident : provisions. 
