THE DEPARTURE. 
[chap. I. 
32 
little did we think that we should never meet those 
kind faces again, and that so dreadful a fate would 
envelop almost the entire party* 
It was the 18th December, 1862, Thursday, one of 
the most lucky days for a start, according to Arab 
superstition. In a few minutes we reached the acute 
angle round which we had. to turn sharply into the 
AVhite Nile at its junction with the Blue. It was 
blowing hard, and in tacking round the point one of 
the noggors carried away her yard, which fell upon 
deck and snapped in half, fortunately without injuring 
either men or donkeys. The yard being about a 
hundred feet in length was a complicated affair to 
splice ; thus a delay took place in the act of starting, 
which was looked upon as a bad omen by my super¬ 
stitious followers. The voyage up the AVhite Nile I 
now extract verbatim from my j ournal. 
Friday , 1 9 th Dec .—At daybreak took down the 
mast and unshipped all the rigging ; hard at work 
splicing the yard. The men of course wished to visit 
their friends at Khartoum. Gave strict orders that no 
man should leave the boats. One of the horsekeepers 
absconded before daybreak ; sent after him. 
* The entire party died of fever on the White Nile, excepting 
Mademoiselle Tinne. The victims to the fatal climate of Central 
Africa were Madame la Baronne Yan Capellan, her sister, two 
Dutch maid-servants, Dr. Steudner, and Signor Contarini. 
