Seven o’clock.—The wind had slackened after sunrise, and the sailors now sang at the rope; women and cows hallooed and lowed in opposition. I had forgotten to observe the thermometer, whilst we were passing by the burning reeds; but now, after seven o’clock, when we have the fire behind us, it shews 28° Reaumur. By reason of the great danger, we try to get out of the reeds; the men at the rope are in a very difficult position when darkness sets in, for they wound their feet on the reed-stubble. On the left are two gohrs for catching fish, near another small lake. A little village lies on the top of the third island, with nine summer tokuls. On the right shore extends the long tokul village, and opposite to it twinkles a gohr, near a village. Behind us, the reeds burn in full blaze, to an immeasurable distance. From the mast:—from W.S.W. to N.W., a marsh, with isolated ponds, stretching far and wide; on the left, to S.E., a vast lake, the edge of which vanishes with the horizon. It is already too dark, and we halt, after eight o’clock, in the neighbourhood of a herdsmen’s village on the left shore, where the river winds from E.S.E. to E. Suliman Kashef sends for me, because he is going to give a great fantasie, or feast to the sailors, as a reward for their strenuous labours in bringing us out of the reach of the fire. _9th January._—The thermometer, which yesterday evening remained at 28°, stood this morning, shortly before sunrise, at 16°. Our vessel dragged her anchor to-night, owing to a heavy squall of wind. Then arose again the usual noise, about which the captain troubled himself but little. I had felt a shock of the vessel, but did not think that it would be attended by any consequences; but as the hippopotami had already run against the vessels sometimes with such violence that they leaked, I paid some attention to what was going on. By way of precaution, the planks before the cabin were taken away, that we might be able to see when the water ascended into the lower hold. A gaffir (sentinel) had been placed there, but I had known for a long time how these night posts fulfilled their duty. I looked down, therefore, a short time afterwards into the hold, and saw that it was already full of water. The sentry gaped prodigiously when I woke him up by a vigorous blow. The powder-room under our cabin stood open, so that the gaffir might observe the better; therefore I could not be too quick in ordering water to be poured on the fire, which was burning furiously on the hearth, and which some one had kept up from fancy,—perhaps the sentinel himself, to light his pipe. Then I awoke the rest of the crew, for Feïzulla Capitan lay like a log, because when the habùb set in, he had fortified his courage too much with the araki brewed by himself.