DOWN THE NILE 
505 
As we steamed northward down the long stretch of the 
Nile which ends at Khartoum, the wind blew in our faces, 
day after day, hard and steadily. Narrow reed beds bor¬ 
dered the shore; there were grass flats and groves of acacias 
and palms, and farther down reaches of sandy desert. The 
health of our companions who had been suffering from 
fever and dysentery gradually improved; but the case of 
champagne, which we had first opened at Gondokoro, was 
of real service, for two members of the party were at times 
so sick that their situation was critical. 
We reached Khartoum on the afternoon of March 14th, 
1910, and Kermit and I parted from our comrades of the 
trip with real regret; during the year we spent together 
there had not been a jar, and my respect and liking for 
them had grown steadily. Moreover, it was a sad parting 
from our faithful black followers, whom we knew we should 
never see again. It had been an interesting and a happy 
year; though I was very glad to be once more with those 
who were dear to me, and to turn my face toward my own 
home and my own people. 
