The wind has left us, and we advance with the assistance of oars, about five o’clock, from S.S.W. to W.S.W. Towards S.W. the oars were obliged to assist the hoisted sails, owing to the faint wind. A small lake shews itself again, as before, on the left, where it goes round in the obtuse corner from S.W. to N.E. This announces here the old direction of the once majestically flowing river, parallel with the forest, to the brink of which these lakes are arranged in a line, one by the other. We go from S.W., around the before-named corner, to N.E., leave the lake mentioned behind us, and have, at sunset, a long row of low tokuls, near which a thick cloud of smoke extends to a distance. Our blacks perceive through the smoke a large herd of cattle. We have wood enough, but for several days have been deficient in meat, and the crew cannot apparently pass without tasting the flesh of these animals. No human form, however, is to be seen on the shore any more than on the right, where we had remarked isolated huts, as well as by the lakes. To the west, behind this village, extends an immeasurable meadow, having mists rising over it, like clouds, whilst a thick layer of mist lies round the whole horizon, which we may consider as an exhalation from the dried-up country. The new moon is seen and heartily greeted by the Reïs, as a sign of our fortunate journey. Nevertheless, it was two days old, and there was but little merit, therefore, in its discovery by the Arabs, who themselves discover immediately the fine sickle of the new moon, even when the sun is still in the heavens. We moved up to eight o’clock a short distance in S.W., and anchored in the middle of the river to wait for the morning, and with it the hospitality of the herdsmen. _26th December._—We looked in vain this morning for an oblation of flesh, and an embassy on the part of the herdsmen. Therefore, even before sunrise, we moved on with a faint wind from S.W. to N.W. On the left of the right shore a village, but no human beings, and, somewhat forward, a lake in the corner, from N.W. to W.: they told me from the mast that even behind the village there was a lake. It is the very same case with this lake as with the preceding ones. The range of these lakes of _the more straight tract_, which the river previously followed as the direction most worthy of it, and even now at high-water may renew for a short time, is plainly manifest. Solitary trees stand right and left, more or less removed from the shore; but no high shore is to be seen here, such as the line of the horizon, covered with trees, had deceived me to believe. This dry pasture-land is, at the most, three feet above the water; and even from the trees and high ant-hills yesterday, I could not discover any other tract of shore than that which the separated trees afford, and in the direction of which the lakes follow behind one another.