Once more I must return to Freind Arnaud, and his insipid account, for we could not expect anything else from him, as he did not keep any descriptive diary wherein he could note down his dreams about Làkono’s body-guard of women, and things of the same kind; but he has filled up his journal with lion and elephant hunts, and other fabulous circumstances, like a pictorial newspaper. He says (_Vide_ Bulletin de la Société de Géographie deuxième série, t. xviii. p. 376) that the Nile is navigable from Bari for thirty hours further, but forms here different arms, the most important of which comes from the east, and flows past the great country of Berri, which is fifteen days’ journey towards the east, from the mountain-chain of Bellenia (Pelenjà). I also am of opinion that the river, one arm of which, where we lay near the island of Tshànker, was three hundred metres broad, and afforded only a shallow stream of about three feet in depth to the vessels, which had become light by reason of the provisions being consumed, notwithstanding it had two miles’ rapidity, may be navigable for a considerable distance further when the high water covers the rocks, provided no cataracts of consequence oppose the course. Therefore he gives thirty hours for the southern direction of the river before he makes an arm go to the east. We could only have settled how far the river was navigated, by proceeding on our course, if that had been possible at the time. However, there has never been any talk of these thirty hours; and Arnaud has, of his own will, reduced the distance of thirty days, repeatedly given to us by the king of Bari and his attendants, as the time required for navigating the different arms, in order to pretend that he was _closer_ to the sources. But the division of time into _hours_ must be known on the White Nile first, before such a flippant substitution can take place. It seemed also incredible to me that Anjan should be a month distant, but thirty days were plainly represented to us. If we reckon only eight hours to be a day’s journey, the distance would be _eight_ degrees, half of which we should have to deduct naturally for local impediments, to bring the geographical position of Anjan under the equator. That we had not misunderstood the word “month” was proved besides by Làkono clenching his fist three times, to denote thirty days, and also by the expression that after _two months_ (therefore at the end of March or beginning of April) the rains commenced. Lastly, the circumstance that several other tribes were said to dwell on the shores towards the south, bespeaks a considerable distance. It is, however, still a question, whether the country of Berri is ten or thirty days’ journey off. Làkono, in whose eyes the copper so abundant there has an extraordinary value, might have feared, at the commencement of our acquaintance, that we wanted to spoil his trade with Berri, and to enrich ourselves with its treasures: