His body was a mass of frightful scars, the
result of continual conflicts with bulls of his own species; some of
these wounds were still unhealed. There was one scar about two feet in
length, and about two inches below the level of the surface skin, upon
the flank. He was evidently a character of the worst description, but
whose madness rendered him callous to all punishment. I can only suppose
that the attack upon the vessels was induced by the smell of the raw
hippopotamus flesh, which was hung in long strips about the rigging, and
with which the zinc boat was filled. The dead hippopotamus that was
floating astern lashed to the diahbeeah had not been molested.
We raised the zinc boat, which was fortunately unhurt. The dingy had
lost a mouthful, as the hippopotamus had bitten out a portion of the
side, including the gunwale of hard wood; he had munched out a piece
like the port of a small vessel, which he had accomplished with the same
ease as though it had been a slice of toast.
I sent the boat to the English shipwrights for repair, and these capital
workmen turned it out in a few days nearly as good as new.
The success of the dam was most complete. The river rose so as to
overflow the marshes, which enabled us to push all the vessels up the
channel without the necessity of deepening it by spade labour.
"March 14. - Should we succeed in reaching Gondokoro without serious
loss, it will be the greatest possible triumph over difficulties, which
no one can understand who has not witnessed the necessities of the
journey.
"A diahbeeah arrived in the lake, breaking her yard in a sudden shift of
wind, and giving a man a fall from aloft, which was fatal.
"The steamer and fleet are coming through the sudd as fast as the troops
clear the channel.
"March 15. - The steamer arrived in the lake at 3.30 P.M.
"March 16. - Thermometer, 6 A.M., 61 degrees; noon, 82 degrees. Eleven
vessels entered the lake last night. The wind has been very variable for
the last few days, and the true north wind appears to have deserted us;
the absence of a fair breeze delays us sadly in pushing through the
narrow channels against the stream.
"Dysentery and scurvy are prevalent among the Egyptians. Four Egyptian
soldiers and two Soudanis have deserted. Where these wretched fools
intend to wander is quite a speculation; - they appear to have yielded
to a temptation to run away upon the first dry land that they have seen
for months.
"The fleet assembled in the lake.
