THE DEPARTURE. 
[chap. I. 
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 
White 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 White Nile I 
now extract verbatim from my journal. 
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 housekeepers 
absconded before daybreak ; sent after him. 
The junction of the two Niles is a vast flat as far as 
the eye can reach, the White Nile being about two 
miles broad some distance above the point. Saati 
my vakeel (headman) is on board one noggor as chief; 
Johann on board the other, while I being on the diah- 
biah, I trust all the animals will be well cared for. I 
am very fearful of Johann's state of health : the poor 
fellow is mere skin and bone, and I am afraid his lungs 
are affected; he has fever again to-day; I have sent 
him quinine and wine, &c. 
2 Oth Dec .—The whole of yesterday employed 
in splicing yard, repairing mast, and re-rigging. At 
8.30 a.m. we got away with a spanking breeze. The 
diahbiah horridly leaky. The “tree” or rendezvous 
for all boats when leaving for the White Nile voyage 
consists of three large mimosas about four miles from 
Mademoiselle Tinne. The victims to the fatal climate of Central 
Africa were Madame la Baronne Van Capellan, her sister, two 
Dutch maidservants, Dr. Steudner, and Signor Contarini. 
