472 
SAIL FROM GONDOKORO. 
[chap. XVIII. 
were all on board, and Ibrahim and his people came to 
say good-bye. It is only justice to Ibrahim to say, 
that, although he had been my great enemy when at 
Gondokoro in 1863, he had always behaved well since 
peace was established at Ellyria ; and, although by 
nature and profession a slave-hunter, like others of the 
White Nile, he had frequently yielded to my inter¬ 
ference to save the lives of natives who would other¬ 
wise have been massacred without pity. 
I had gained an extraordinary influence over all 
these ruffianly people. Everything that I had promised 
them had been more than performed; all that I had 
foretold had been curiously realized. They now ac¬ 
knowledged how often I had assured them that the 
slave-trade would be suppressed by, the interference of 
European powers, and the present ruin of their trade 
was the result; they all believed that I was the cause, 
by having written from Gondokoro to the Consul- 
general of Egypt in 1863, when the traders had 
threatened to drive me back. Far from retaliating 
upon me, they were completely cowed. The report had 
been spread throughout Gondokoro by Ibrahim and 
his people that their wonderful success in ivory hunt¬ 
ing was chiefly due to me ; that their sick had been 
cured ; that good luck had attended their party ; that 
disaster had befallen all who had been against me ; 
and that no one had suffered wrong at our hands. 
With the resignation of Mahommedans they yielded to 
their destiny, apparently without any ill-feeling against 
us. Crowds lined the cliff and the high ground by the 
old ruins of the mission-station to see us depart. We 
pushed off from shore into the powerful current ; the 
English flag that had accompanied us through all our 
wanderings now fluttered proudly from the mast-head 
unsullied by defeat, and amidst the rattle of musketry 
we glided rapidly down the river, and soon lost sight 
of Gondokoro. 
What were our feelings at that moment ? Overflow¬ 
ing with gratitude to a Divine Providence that had 
