The difficulty
of clearing a passage is extreme. After cutting out a large mass with
swords, a rope is made fast, and the raft is towed out by hauling with
thirty or forty men until it is detached and floated down the stream.
Yesterday I cut a narrow channel from above stream in the hope that the
rush of water would loosen the mass of vegetation. After much labour, at
12.30 p.m. the whole obstruction appeared to heave. There was soon no
doubt that it was moving, and suddenly the entire dam broke up. Immense
masses were carried away by the rush of water and floated down the
river; these will, I fear, cause an obstruction lower down the stream.
"We got up steam, served out grog to all the men, and started at 2 P.M.
In half-an-hour's steaming we arrived at another block vegetation. In
one hour and three-quarters we cleared a passage, and almost immediately
afterwards we arrived at the first piece of dry ground that we have seen
for days. This piece of firm land was a few feet higher than the maximum
rise of the river, and afforded about half an acre. We stopped for the
night.
"March 1. - Started at 6.30 A.M., the river narrowing immediately, and
after a run of half a mile we found ourselves caught in a trap. The
river, although fourteen feet deep, had entirely disappeared in a
boundless sea of high grass, which resembled sugar-canes. There was no
possibility of progress. I returned to our halting-place of last night
in a small rowing-boat, and examined it thoroughly. I found marks of
occupation by the slave-traders, about three months old. Among the
vestiges were the remains of fires, a piece of a lucifer-match box, a
number of cartridge cases - they had been fired - and a piece of raw hide
pierced with bullets, that had evidently been used as a target.
"I shot two geese and five plover, and returned to our vessel. My
opinion is that the slave-hunters have made a razzia inland from this
spot, but that our guide, Bedawi, has led us into a wrong channel.
"I attempted to seek a passage ahead, but it was quite impossible for
the smallest rowing boat to penetrate the dense vegetation.
"An advance being impossible, I ordered the steamer and two diahbeeahs
to return down the river about eighty miles to our old wooding-place at
the last forest, as we are nearly out of fuel. We thus lose time and
trouble, but there is no help for it.
