The thermometer was, at sunrise, 18°, at noon, 26°, and from three to five o’clock 28°, Reaumur. The flower island continues on the right and left, and we have four miles course. The grass and reed tract of islands appears on the left shore like pasture-ground, closed by shady trees in the distant background. At six o’clock, sunrise, we sailed past the mountain of the Dinkas, which I was glad I had delineated before, for it presented here nothing picturesque. The people of the Dinkas (sing. Dinkauï) were not to be seen, because they had betaken themselves to the interior, to sow their fields with durra and dòghen. These fields are said to lie in the Chaba; and it seems probable to me that this forest is situated in a basin, as in Taka, wherein the rain and effusion of mountain-streams must be long retained, because otherwise the land would be too dry for sowing; or the inundation of the Nile seizes those partially, on old beds of the river, which have been dammed up on the lower side, and would therefore be dried up if there were no effusion of water. At some distance from us I was shewn tops of trees, which were scarcely perceptible, marking the island of the late great Sheikh, or Mek Abdurachman (Abd el Rahman), who was a chief of the Shilluks (sing. Shilkaui), and a sworn enemy to the Arabian intruders. On the former expedition, Suliman Kashef, who had made the acquaintance of this dreaded chief, and had lost many men by his predatory expeditions, wanted to convince himself whether he was really dead; and, in the savageness of his heart, ordered the body to be dug up, in order that he might convince himself of the fact. They were all not a little rejoiced at finding the truth confirmed. Darkness prevented us from distinguishing the complication of islands which were still continuing. We lay to about eleven o’clock at Ambak, an island towards the left shore; and the sails being clewed, we make only two miles and a half in the hour, in order to wait for the Sandal, which was behind-hand. Immediately close to or down by these trees, we had four fathoms in depth; and yet they stood some fifteen feet above the water, which extraordinary height they are said to attain in one year, for they fall down and wither away when the water recedes. Towards evening, a hippopotamus bellowed from the reeds quite close to us. An old sailor, partaking of the superstition which I have already mentioned, bid him immediately “Salam aleikum” (peace be with thee), but he answered not a word; whereupon a peculiar silence reigned among the crew, who believe in a possible voluntary or involuntary transformation into beasts by sorcery.