34 NOTES FROM THE MISSION TO CENTRAL AFRICA. [Nov. 9, 1857. 
progress in one day scarcely exceeded 5 miles. Arrived on tlie 
bank of tbe river, I was obliged to leave my horse behind ; and 
after paddling abont for three days in a miserable canoe, I arrived at 
last at the Bona town of Chnbbun, where the Pleiad steamer had 
made a stop of a few days. I regret to say that I was nnable to 
reach Dkali, only 15 miles farther inland, on acconnt of the 
inundated state of the country. After stopping for some days at 
the aforesaid town, I went into the swamps of the river, living 
among the Eona in their miserable straw huts, in search of a 
curious fish, the ajuh , of which innumerable fables are told 
throughout the whole of Sudan. I found it to be a whale # about 
10 feet long; living entirely on grass, and leaving the river when 
the water falls. I suffered very much from exposure to the wet 
and from bad victuals ; nothing to be had but Indian meal and now 
and then a little hippopotamus and ajuh meat (the latter very rich). 
Enclosed is an accurate description of the ajuh, in German, to be 
translated by some zoologist in England, as I am not acquainted 
with the technical terms of English zoology. j - 
“ At the end of October I returned to Bautshi, having lost my horse 
on the road. On my return to Gombe the Sultan presented me with a 
very fine animal, on which I reached Kuka on the 1st of December. 
I found Macguire and all my servants well ; but it may give an idea 
of the difficulty of the roads I have travelled, that I lost no less 
than seven horses in the short space of ten months and twelve days. 
As soon as my papers and observations are sufficiently arranged, I 
will send them, and I hope that a caravan of the Ulad Solyman 
will start in about a month’s time. As soon as possible I will 
start for Eittre, and proceed, if possible, as far as Wara. Should 
I, on my return in the beginning of May, find no letters or mer- 
chandise from Murzuk, and should I be unable to hear any news 
of the starting of a caravan, I will proceed for the west coast, if 
possible by way of Adamawa, and hope, with God’s help, to reap- 
pear in the beginning of 1857, either at the mouth of the Cameroon 
or by way of Zalia on the Ebo, where I hope to find an English 
vessel to convey me to Fernando Po. But in case I should 
receive some supplies in the course of next year of merchandise, 
not exceeding 300 to 400 dollars in value, I will be able to follow 
up Dr. Barth’s operations in Bagirmi, and in October 1856 start 
for Adamawa and the W. coast. If not, I will leave this in 
May, after my return from Wadai. I have no msh to leave the 
* A manatee. — E d. 
t See Report of the British Association, 1856, p. 98 . — Ed. 
