I repaired now to the foot of the next mountain-group, and was soon convinced that it was of the same species of stone; however, to be quite sure, I had pieces or specimens of stone brought me from the highest peak, and my servants have confirmed me in my opinion, that there are only two mountains, although Arnaud asserts that he has seen sixteen, without putting on magnifying glasses. Some of these specimens consist of pink feldspar, white albin, grey quartz, and black mica; others of dark red feldspar, but without albin, with white quartz and black mica. I stumbled upon Suliman Kashef on my way back, who had collected his halberdiers around him, and was enthroned on a rock where he could be seen at a distance. He set out this afternoon to make observations, which he might have done yesterday evening. The heat is very great, and I bathe for the first time since a long while, having left it off from fear of catching fever. The Frenchmen think that they shew great courage by going into the water; but it is always full of men the whole day long, and no accident has happened from the crocodiles. My men had not shot any of the gazelles that appeared near the rocks, to take a hasty draught; the Baghàras, however, paid us a visit, and brought sheep; they thought that we were come to make war in their favour, yet no Dinkas dwell near here, but more up the river. Thermometer 27·30°; 32·31°. _14th April._—This morning we proceed at last with a favourable south-east wind to north, with easterly deviations; but we soon came to a flat in the Nile, formed by a granite shelf partly visible, which crosses the river. It is called Gisser—the same as wall or dam, analogous to Tschellal—and was once perhaps really a dam and breast-work, of which only the foundations remain. Who can estimate its future form, and its present ramifications! We scrape along it a little, but then all went right, and we passed in the afternoon, N. by W., the very dangerous Machada—el ans, and Machada Abu Seid mentioned in the ascent, where there was an eternal grating of the vessels, as if over a gravelly bank: first we, then the others stuck fast, and the sailors had very troublesome work. We halted at the left shore, where an incredible number of monkeys were sitting on the trees. I took my gun, and in searching through the forest, remarked a she-monkey, among numerous others, the young one sitting on the lower branches. As soon as she perceived us, she sprang quickly to her young, took it under her arm, and set herself on the highest bough of the tree. Who could shoot at the mother for the sake of getting the young? There was another monkey-like animal there which can only be taken at night; I forget the name of it. An arm of the Nile, the ends of which are now closed, appeared to be a favourite pond of the gazelles, though not one of them fell to our lot.