chap, xvii.] PREPARATIONS FOR STARTING HOMEWARD. 457 
the night. This was a planned affair to “ spoil the 
Egyptians :" a combination had been entered into some 
months before by the Madi and Shooa tribes, to receive 
payment and to abscond, but to leave the Turks help¬ 
less to remove their stock of ivory. The people of 
Mahommed Wat-el-Mek were in a similar dilemma; 
not a tusk could be delivered at Gondokoro. This was 
not my affair. The greater portion of Ibrahim's im¬ 
mense store of ivory had been given to him by Kamrasi; 
I had guaranteed him a hundred cantars (10,000 lbs.) 
should he quit Obbo and proceed to the unknown 
south—in addition to a large quantity that he had 
collected and delivered at Gondokoro in the past year, 
he had now more than three times that amount. Al¬ 
though Kamrasi had on many occasions offered the 
ivory to me, I had studiously avoided the acceptance 
of a single tusk, as I wished the Turks to believe that 
I would not mix myself up with trade in any form, 
and that my expedition had purely the one object that 
I had explained to Ibrahim when I first won him over 
on the road to Ellyria more than two years ago,—“ the 
discovery of the Albert Lake." With a certain number 
of presents of first-class forty-guinea rifles and guns, 
&c. &c., to Ibrahim, I declared my intention of starting 
for Gondokoro. My trifling articles of baggage were 
packed ; a few of the Lira natives were to act as 
porters, as, although the ivory could not be transported, 
it was necessary for Ibrahim to send a strong party to 
Gondokoro to procure ammunition and the usual sup¬ 
plies forwarded annually from Khartoum;—the Lira 
people who carried my luggage would act as return 
porters. 
The day arrived for our departure;—the oxen were 
saddled and we were ready to start. Crowds of people 
came to say “ good bye," but dispensing with the hand- 
kissing of the Turks who were to remain in camp, we 
prepared for our journey towards home . Far away 
although it was, every step would bring us nearer. 
Nevertheless there were ties even in this wild spot, 
