The vessels are washed out and cleansed; the bread-corn, which had become somewhat damp, is brought out on hand; and we leave our goods and chattels out of doors, relying on the good-natured Keks, who have not hitherto shewn themselves armed. Towards evening I went a tolerable distance to shoot, and had nearly lost my way in returning; for in seeking the nearest road to the vessels, I fell into the marshes. I had not one of my servants near me, because they were occupied in preparing the birds. Scarcely had the sun set, when a mist rose up around the great plain on which the reeds were burnt away, but that magnificent luminary remained free from it; for the ground here, being dried up by the fire, has no exhalations. Even at a little distance, the trees appeared of a dark blue colour. On the second morning, however, even the burnt place was wet, and my feet were as black as coals, when I returned from it. _30th December._—Abd-Elliab, the Kurd, had had the watch on shore, except the night posts on the ship, whilst we were asleep, and sixteen men from the Nuba, and the surrounding country, had deserted from him. These unhappy creatures being so far from their home by water as well as by land, with only a small stock of munition, must fall sooner or later into the power of an enemy, and had, therefore, as it were, surrendered themselves to death; for hunger, thirst, and ignorance of the road, could only prepare for them a very deplorable fate. An unbounded love for home could alone have induced them to expose themselves to such jeopardy; and they instinctively hastened to it, like a horse taken from the chase. I had already been in the morning on a shooting expedition, but was obliged to return, in order to clean my gun, which Sale, in spite of my constant admonitions, only very carelessly attends to, because he is always hoping that it will not miss fire. It was now determined that the deserters should be pursued, and First Lieutenant Hüssein Agà commanded on this occasion. In order to see something of the country, I joined with two of my servants, though I wished the blacks, who had only run away from slavery, a happy return to their native country. Even Hüsseïn Agà, though a Turk, agreed with me, for he did not wish to come upon them. The sun rose higher and higher, and we left the Haba, affording us here and there for a moment a shady tree. I determined not to expose myself any more to this forced march, and to return; but Hüsseïn would not let me go from him, because he must be answerable for my safety;—however, he offered me half of his men as a protection on my road back, which I refused, not believing that there was any danger. When the ground permitted, I stayed behind with my huntsmen in a dry gohr, and followed it upwards; whilst Hüsseïn, with his Egyptians, who would have murdered without mercy the run-away soldiers, or rather the slaves seeking again their freedom, was soon out of our sight with his long legs.