Eight o’clock.—We have felled wood, brought it on board, and continue our voyage by towing. The river soon forms an angle from S.S.E. to W.S.W. but it is only to go immediately again to S.S.E. As we remarked on the shore, the water now visibly falls. Selim Capitan and Arnaud cannot conceal their fear at having to surmount these obstacles, so as not to be devoured by the natives on our return voyage, which they would rather now commence. Such shallows are certainly disagreeable; but as they merely occupy certain tracts, it is only necessary, surely, to leave behind a portion of the freight on the other vessels, and to fetch them afterwards by degrees: this is evident, even to the commander. Sandbanks stretch from hence to the middle of the river. At nine o’clock to S.; on the left an island. The wood continues cheerfully on the right shore; on the left, however, it has disappeared. Half-past nine o’clock, S.S.W., and on the left a village. The shores are strata of mixed humus, and the sand layer is quite clear. I remarked on the lower margin of a steep and broken shore a stratum of burnt reeds, and the intersection of a large hill of ashes, which proves clearly, like the tombs in the rocks of Silsili, in Egypt, that the stream here also sunk deeper formerly. The custom of making beds on the ashes is, therefore, very ancient, and the burning of the reeds is compelled by necessity. We halt near a village of about forty tokuls, and again wait for meat. There were only a few people to be seen, who stood, or squatted there quietly: at last they collected together, and formed a large column. Stretching up their hands in the air, holding a reed, or an ambak-tree, which is as light as a cork, though it looks like a fearful club, they made short quick marches up and down, and a sudden simultaneous facing about, in honour of us. The women ran behind this chorus, shouting and screaming as in Germany. About eleven o’clock we set out to S.W. by S. A gohr cuts off an island equally narrow, overgrown with grass, at our left hand. At the head of the little island the river winds to S. On the right here is a pastoral village. At twelve o’clock, S.E. by E., and round the left by S.E. The north-east wind freshens a little, and we go without libàhn, if not quicker, yet more comfortably. A large semicircle is formed, and we go, at half-past twelve o’clock, from an easterly direction again to S.W. On the left shore, a troop of some twenty negroes squat, holding cows and calves for us by a cord. Beads are dear to them above everything. These blameless Ethiopians will not even receive gold and silver, the chimerical value of which they know not; and it is only stupidity that laughs at them in pity.