CHAP. V.] 
BBLLAAL . 
185 
my men were even more sullen than usual since I had 
joined Ibrahim; however, I succeeded in convincing 
him that he would benefit so decidedly by an alliance 
with me, that he now frankly told me that I should 
receive no opposition from his party. So far all had 
b 
prospered beyond my most sanguine expectations. We 
were fairly launched upon our voyage, and now that 
we were in the wild interior, I determined to crush 
the mutiny with an iron hand should the rascals 
attempt to carry their murderous threats into execu¬ 
tion. Two or three of the men appeared willing, but 
the original ringleader, “ Bellaal,” would literally do 
nothing, not even assisting at loading the animals; 
but swaggering about with the greatest insolence. 
After a fatiguing march of eight hours and ten 
minutes through a perfectly fiat country interspersed 
with trees, we halted at a little well of excessively bad 
water at 7.35 p.m, The horses were so much in 
advance that the main party did not arrive until 11 p.m. 
completely fatigued. The night being fine, we slept 
on a hillock of sand a few yards from the well, rejoiced 
to be away from the mosquitoes of Gondokoro. 
On the following morning we started at sunrise, and 
in two hours' fast marching we arrived at the Kanieti 
river. Although there had been no rain, the stream 
was very rapid and up to the girths of the horses at 
