THE SUDD 
261 
thereby. In the more severe collisions a crash and a 
quiver permeates the whole fabric of the ship, and the 
sudden jerk sends all loose furniture flying-. Frequently 
one hears an ominous scrunch and scrape as breaking- 
canes grind along the bulwarks outside ; presently through 
an open port intrudes a great bushy papyrus-head, with 
plumes a yard across. Should such event happen at 
meal-times, look out for the whole paraphernalia of the 
table —- bottles and glasses, cups, dishes, plates — the 
whole outfit is swept in common ruin to the floor. 
Naturally these excitements are accentuated on the 
downward voyage, when the speed of the steamer is 
accelerated by that of the stream, and steerage-control 
is less effective. 
Yet worse still is the plight of the traveller whose 
gyassa is under “towage”—a local euphemism which 
implies his vessel being lashed, broadside-on, alongside 
the steamer, the wretched gyassa thus acting the part of 
a fender or buffer. The lesser craft receives the full force 
of each recurring impact; her beams and timbers creak 
and crack under the compression, while everything out¬ 
board is swept to destruction. Even ordinary deck-fittings, 
such as companion-ways, side-rails, shrouds and the like, 
oft share the general wreckage. 
Such drawbacks are, after all, the merest trifles ; sinking 
into absolute insignificance as compared with the comfort 
and enormous advantage of being enabled to travel by 
steam right through the heart of Africa. 
From a naturalists point of view the Sudd is equally 
uninteresting —a dreary, lifeless desolation. Day after 
day the diary contains such records as:—“Not a single 
note to be made to-day”—or, “Spent the whole day 
passing through what resembles a hideous canal, the 
towering papyrus blocking our view on either side. Not 
even a hippo or a crocodile to be seen; there is neither 
food for them nor landing-places.” Again:—“Wildfowl 
are all but non-existent in the Sudd. I have watched 
