CHAP. I.] 
AMIABLE BOY! 
21 
lence of Turkish government officials is beyond descrip¬ 
tion—my oars were smashed, and this insult was the 
reparation * so, stepping quickly on board, and brushing 
a few fellows on one side, I was obliged to come to a 
physical explanation with the captain, which termi¬ 
nated in a delivery of the oars. The bank of the river 
was thronged with people, many were mere idlers 
attracted by the bustle of the start, and others, the 
friends and relatives of my people, who had come to 
say a last good-bye, with many women, to raise the 
Arab cry of parting. Among others, was a tall,.. de- 
bauched-looking fellow, excessively drunk and noisy, 
who, quarrelling with a woman who attempted to 
restrain him, insisted upon addressing a little boy 
named Osman, declaring, that he should not accompany 
me unless he gave him a dollar to get some drink. 
Osman was a sharp Arab boy of twelve years old, 
whom I had engaged as one of the tent servants, and 
the drunken Arab was his father, who wished to extort 
some cash from his son before he parted; but the boy 
Osman showed his filial affection in a most touching 
manner, by running into the cabin, and fetching a 
powerful hippopotamus whip, with which he requested 
me to have his father thrashed, or “ he would never 
be gone.” Without indulging this amiable boy's desire, 
we shoved off; the three vessels rowed into the middle 
of the river, and hoisted sail; a fair wind, and strong 
current, moved us rapidly down the stream; the 
English flags fluttered gaily on the masts, and amidst 
the shouting of farewells, and the rattling of musketry, 
we started for the sources of the Nile. On passing the 
steamer belonging to the Dutch ladies, Madame van 
Capellan, and her charming daughter, Mademoiselle 
Tinne, we saluted them with a volley, and kept up a 
mutual waving of handkerchiefs until out of view; 
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.'* 
* The entire party died of fever on the White Nile, excepting 
