Up the Congo to Banm Nokki. 141 
“port-town ” had long been sold off; the same had 
been the case, even in Tuckey’s day, with the next 
settlement, “ Condo Sonio ” (the Baobab of Sonho), 
formerly the great up-stream mart, where the 
slave-traders transacted their business. All the 
population was now transferred inland and, like 
our predecessors, we were promised a two hours’ 
climb over the rough, steep highland which lay in 
AFRICAN MESSAGE. 
front. Then we understood that “Nokki” was 
the name of a canton, not of a settlement. Its 
south-eastern limits may have contained the “ City 
of Norchie, the best situated of any place hitherto 
seen in Ethiopia,” where Father Merolla (p. 280) 
baptized 126 souls,—and this is rendered probable 
by the crucifixes and coleworts which were found 
by the First Congo Expedition. 
Here, then, at 97*50 miles from the sea, ended 
our day’s cruize. We could only disembark upon 
