_Tuesday, Dec, 13._——Up about 5 A.M., roused the crowd, and pushed things as fast as possible. We expected to find the camels waiting on the bank, but not a living being was in sight. Hours went by and nobody appeared; we sent two men in different directions after the sheik of the camel-drivers, but he was not! Finally patience was exhausted. We went to the Governor’s house to see if we couldn’t start things up a little. He was pretending to hold court, but dismissed the case when he saw us. Then it being the proper thing to do we raised a row with His Majesty over our delay. It had the desired effect. The sheik was speedily produced, and we rode back to the boat on donkeys, with the whole crowd at our heels. Here we soon discovered that the governor, the sheik, and every other man in the crowd was determined to have a finger in the pie, and make us pay double the proper prices for all our camels. We talked and reasoned till 1 P.M. without avail. Then we grew righteously indignant. We laid down our terms——refused to listen to another word——gave orders to have everything put back on board the boat if they were not accepted, and threatened to go on to Wady Halfa and denounce the whole crowd of them as miserable rascals. Our terms were then accepted, and they thought a good deal more of us for standing for our rights instead of yielding to their exorbitant demands. Part of the money was paid and part held in reserve; the papers were made out, the baggage weighed and loaded, and at 1.30 P.M. we started out. We went about a mile or two into the desert, and camped in a rocky ravine, and here we got everything into good shape, looked to everything connected with our water supply, and made ready for the real business of the long desert before us; and here begins our tent life.