A Narrative of the Expedition to Dongola and Sennaar: Under the Command of His Excellence Ismael Pasha, undertaken; by Order of His Highness Mehemmed Ali Pasha, Viceroy of; Egypt, By An American In The Service Of The ViceroyEnglish, George Bethune
History
A Narrative of the Expedition to Dongola and Sennaar: Under the Command of His Excellence Ismael Pasha, undertaken; by Order of His Highness Mehemmed Ali Pasha, Viceroy of; Egypt, By An American In The Service Of The Viceroy
English, George Bethune
Dunqulah (Sudan) -- History; Sennar (Sudan) -- History; Sudan -- History -- 1821-1881; Sudan -- History -- To 1821
16th of Safa. Parted from the land about two hours after sunrise, with
a strong breeze. After continuing an hour and a half the wind subsided
into a calm, which obliged us to make for the shore. We landed on a
large island resembling those already mentioned, where we passed the
remainder of the day and the night. The country we had passed resembled
that below, beautiful, and as fertile as land can be.
16th of Safa. Left the land about an hour after sunrise, and in half an
hour passed the southern boundary of the beautiful territory of Succoot,
and entered the province of Machass. The country we were now passing is
naturally fertile, but has not such a continued succession of villages
as Succoot. About three hours after sunrise came in view of the ruins
of an ancient temple on the west bank. With some difficulty engaged the
Rais to put to shore for a few minutes, to give me an opportunity of
visiting it. This temple is manifestly of Egyptian architecture; it is
about two hundred feet long from east to west; ten of the columns only
are standing; they are composed of separate blocks of a brown stone
resembling that employed in the construction of the temples in the isle
of Philoe. The walls of this temple are in ruins, except a part of the
front which is in a very dilapidated state. The front faces the
East; the pillars and the ruins of the walls are sculptured with
hieroglyphics. It stands on the west bank of the river about two miles
beyond the territory of Succoot. About an hour after leaving this place,
the wind falling, our Rais was obliged to put to shore. We soon arrived
at the western bank of the river, the Nile being in this place not a
mile broad. The remainder of the day being calm, we staid here till next
morning. Several of the Pasha's Cavalry passed along the west bank of
the river yesterday and to-day, bearing repeated orders from Dongola to
the commanders of the boats to hasten their progress.
17th of Safa. At an early hour started with a favorable wind, but in
about two hours were obliged to put to shore. The river hereabouts makes
several turns almost at right angles with each other. This circumstance
brought the wind directly ahead in one of the bends and obliged us to
remain there till next morning. The country we saw to-day is not equal
to the territory of Succoot; the date trees, the villages, and the
cultivation are not so continued; and the view from the river is bounded
at a little distance from its banks by low rocky hills. Saw to-day
a singular mode of navigating the river; a man, who apparently was
traveling down the river with his whole family, had placed his youngest
wife and her two young children on a small raft made of bundles of
corn-stalks lashed together, he himself swam by its side to guide it,
while he kept his old wife a swimming and pushing it by the stern, and
in this way they proceeded down the river.
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