SONG OF THE MOUNTAINEERS. 
153 
direction^ returning with the balceneceps in the course of two 
hours. 
At noon the doctors’ dahabyeh and consort arrived, all well; 
and our invalids were visited by Dr. Murie. Thermometer shows 
90° in the cabin. It was arranged that we, in company with rets 
Sur Katti’s boat, should start at once, whilst the two newly arrived 
boats remained for the night at this encampment. It was necessary 
to give the donkeys in these boats some change — they looked mise- 
rable. Most of our people seem to regard these poor beasts as an 
encumbrance, and they care not not to treat them well, when 
perhaps by-and-bye their services may be invaluable : two had died. 
I watched the landing of the remainder, and they appeared in a 
wretched plight ; the mosquitoes drive them almost frantic. 
At five p.m. we got off with our consort; a gentle breeze made 
pleasant our way until nine o’clock, when a leak was evident ; the 
water was rushing in violently. Made fast to the bank, and all 
helped to bale, the rets and the mastamel or mate exhausted them- 
selves, diving under the boat, until the leak was discovered and 
made tight. The divers discover a serious leak by the hissing 
sound of the water, as it rushes through its narrow passage between 
the planks into the boat. 
June 4ith . — A severe hurricane before dawn ; the Lady of the 
Nile” dragged her anchor, and she went on to the reeds. At 
nine a.m. a thunder-storm of great intensity, again a leak ; and 
Halima tells me confidentially that the reis declares the Lady of 
the Nile ” will never reach Gondokoro, and she also says that most 
of the men are becoming binaat ” girls ”) , because they want to 
give in, and return to Khartoum. 
The mountaineers, for so we call the rescued negroes, delight us 
