The River Had Now Begun To Rise, Although
It Was Still Low, And The Water Was Muddy, As The Swelling
Torrents of Abyssinia brought impurities into the main channel.
It was at this same time last year, when at Berber,
That we had
noticed the sudden increase and equally sudden fall of the Nile,
that was influenced by the fluctuations of the Blue Nile, at a
time when the Atbara was dry.
From Abou Harraz throughout the route to Khartoum there is no
object of interest; it is the same vast flat, decreasing rapidly
in fertility until it mingles with the desert; and once more, as
we journey to the north, we leave the fertile lands behind, and
enter upon sterility. The glare of barren plains and the heat of
the summer's sun were fearful. Bacheet had a slight coup de
soleil; my Tokrooris, whose woolly heads were shaved, and simply
covered with a thin skull-cap, suffered severely, as we marched
throughout the burning hours of the day. The Arabs were generally
very inhospitable, as this was the route frequented by all native
merchants, where strangers were of daily occurrence; but towards
evening we arrived at a village inhabited by a large body of
Fakeers, or priests. As we entered, we were met by the principal
Faky, who received us with marked attention, and with a charming
courtesy of manner that quite won our hearts; he expressed
himself as delighted at our arrival, hoped we were not fatigued
by the heat, and trusted that we would rest for a few minutes
before we departed to the enchanting village "just beyond those
trees," as he pointed to a clump of green nabbuk on the yellow
plain, about a mile distant; there, he assured us, we could
obtain all kinds of supplies, together with shade, and a lovely
view of the river.
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