To the strong grass growing behind
it; the rotten stuff has no adherence, and a channel closes up almost as
fast as it is made, thus our labour does no permanent good. I am in
great anxiety about Mr. Higginbotham; it will be impossible for him to
proceed by this route, should he arrive with a comparatively small force
and heavily-laden vessels.
"As the channel closes so rapidly, I must wait until the steamers can
form a compact line with the fleet.
"The black troops have more spirit than the Egyptians, but they are not
so useful in clearing channels, as they are bad swimmers. They
discovered to-day a muddy spot where they had a great hunt for fish, and
succeeded in capturing with their hands about 500 pounds weight of the
Prolypterus, some of which were above four pounds. We caught for
ourselves a number of very delicious boulti (Perca Nilotica) with a
casting-net.
"March 15. - Having probed the marsh with long poles, I found deep water
beneath, which denoted the course of the sub-vegetal stream. All hands
at work, and by the evening we had cut a channel 300 yards in length.
The marsh swarms with snakes, one of which managed to enter the cabin
window of the diahbeeah.
