The official parting was
accomplished. I had had to embrace the governor, then a black pacha, a
rara avis in terris, and a whole host of beys, concluding the affecting
ceremony with a very fat colonel whom my arms could not properly
encircle.
A couple of battalions lined the shore; the guns fired the usual salute
as we started on our voyage; the flotilla, composed of two steamers,
respectively of thirty-two and twenty-four horsepower, and thirty-one
sailing vessels, with a military force of about 800 men, got away in
tolerable order. The powerful current of the Blue Nile quickly swept us
past Khartoum, and having rounded the point, we steamed up the grand
White Nile. The wind blew very strong from the north, thus the entire
fleet kept pace with the steamers, one of which was towing my diahbeeah,
and the other that of the colonel, Raouf Bey. Thank God we were off;
thus all intrigues were left behind, and the future would be under my
own command.
On reference to my journal, I find the following entry upon 8th
February, 1870: -
"Mr. Higginbotham, who has safely arrived at Berber with the steel
steamers in sections for the Albert N'yanza, will, I trust, be provided
with vessels at Khartoum, according to my orders, so as to follow me to
Gondokoro with supplies, and about 350 troops with four guns.
