380 
REJOIN THE TURKS’ DETACHMENT. [chap. xiii. 
to remain in camp instead of returning to Shooa Moru 
according to my orders, Lut they had delivered my 
message to Kamrasi, who- had, as I had supposed, sent 
two leaves out of a hook Speke had given him, as a 
reply. An immense amount of news had to he ex¬ 
changed between my men and those of Ibrahim; they 
had quite given us up for lost, until they heard that 
we were at Shooa Moru. A report had reached them 
that my wife was dead, and that I had died a few days 
later. A great amount of kissing and embracing took 
place, Arab fashion, between the two parties ; and they 
all came to kiss my hand and that d of my wife, with 
the exclamation that, “by Allah, no woman in the 
world had a heart so tough as to dare to face what she 
had gone through/' “ El hamd el Illah ! El hamd el 
Illah bel salaam! ” (“Thank God—be grateful to God"), 
was exclaimed on all sides by the swarthy throng of 
brigands who pressed round us, really glad to welcome 
us back again; and I could not help thinking of the 
difference in their manner now and fourteen months 
ago, when they had attempted to drive us back from 
Gondokoro. 
On entering the village I found a hut prepared for 
me by the orders of my vakeel : it was very small, and 
I immediately ordered a fence and courtyard to be 
constructed. There were great numbers of natives, 
and a crowd of noisy fellows pressed around us that 
were only dispersed by a liberal allowance of the stick, 
well laid on by the Turks, who were not quite so mild 
in their ways as my people. A fat ox was immediately 
slaughtered by the vakeel commanding the Turks' 
party, and a great feast was soon in preparation, as our 
people were determined to fraternize. 
Hardly were we seated in our hut, when my vakeel 
announced that Kamrasi had arrived to pay me a visit. 
In a few minutes he was ushered into the hut. Far 
from being abashed, he entered with a loud laugh 
totally different to his former dignified manner. “Well, 
here you are at last! ” he exclaimed ; apparently highly 
