chap, xix.] CHARACTER OF THE OBSTRUCTION. 4Q\ 
At daybreak we manned the oars and floated down 
the rapid stream. In a few minutes we heard the rush 
of water, and we saw the dam stretching across the 
river before us. The marsh being firm, our men imme¬ 
diately jumped out on the left bank and manned the 
hawsers—one fastened from the stern, the other from 
the bow * this arrangement prevented the boat from 
turning broadside on to the dam, by which accident 
the shipwrecked diahbiah had been lost. As we ap¬ 
proached the dam I perceived the canal or ditch that 
had been cut by the crews of the vessels that had 
ascended the river; it was about ten feet wide, and 
would barely allow the passage of our diahbeah. This 
canal was already choked with masses of floating vege¬ 
tation and natural rafts of reeds and mud that the 
river carried with it, the accumulation of which had 
originally formed the dam. 
Having secured the vessel by carrying out an anchor 
astern and burying it on the marsh, while a rope fas¬ 
tened from the bow to the high reeds kept her stern to 
the stream, all hands jumped into the canal and com¬ 
menced dragging out the entangled masses of weeds, 
reeds, ambatch wood, grass, and mud that had choked 
the entrance. Half a day was thus passed, at the expi¬ 
ration of which time we towed our vessel safely into the 
ditch, where she lay out of danger. It was necessary 
to discharge all cargo from the boat, in order to reduce 
her draught of water. This tedious operation completed, 
and many bushels of corn being piled upon mats spread 
upon the reeds beaten flat, we endeavoured to push 
her along the canal. Although the obstruction was 
annoying, it was a most interesting object. 
The river had suddenly disappeared; there was 
apparently an end to the White Nile. The dam was 
about three-quarters of a mile wide ; it was perfectly 
firm, and was already overgrown with high reeds and 
grass, thus forming a continuation of the surrounding 
country. Many of the traders' people had died of the 
plague at this spot during the delay of some weeks in 
