the hand was a man of great influence and importance.
As yet we had no interpreters, and it was difficult for
us to guess what was ultimately to be done. However,
the Wukeel soon rejoined us, and, more mysterious
than ever, he beckoned and led us into the first
or outer room of his house, where we were shown a
quantity of seedy old-fashioned clothes, and told that
we must put them on,—they were his. I don’t know
what possessed me—whether affection for my own tatters,
or a natural repugnance to put on clothes that had
been worn by another—but I shrank from wearing the
garments, and objected strongly to a thick cloth sur-
tout, stating that it was too hot for 94° in the shade.
The Wukeel then commenced to put his fingers into the
holes and rents of my ragged old flannel friend, and
said, that I must really oblige him, because these holes
were “ ibes” or blemishes, which the expected visitors
would observe. I accordingly submitted to being
stripped by Bombay and our host, who seized my arms,
pulled off my old coat, and replaced it by an extraordinary
sky-blue paletot. Speke’s costume was ludicrous;
he looked as if dressed up for some boyish frolic.
His trousers, in front, though short, were passable,
being of English blue cloth and cu t; but when he
turned round we saw an immense piece of calico let
in, so as to enlarge them for a figure of twenty stone.
The next difficulty arose from his unwillingness to
change his comfortable plaid waistcoat for a chintz
jacket, which buttoned to the throat and had tight
sleeves. He objected, because there was no watch-
pocket, but one was found, and he yielded. Over this
garment a tight-sleeved frock-coat was pulled on by
the good little Wukeel. There was great trouble in
squeezing him into it, but it was effected, and I thought
all was completed. No; Ali Bey took the wideawake
off, and placed instead a tasseled fez on the back of
Speke’s head ; and then, fully equipped, Ali Bey stood
back, examined him from top to toe, clapped his hands,
and pronounced the whole get-up highly becoming!
The ingenuity of the Wukeel was not yet over. Tying
a knot on each leg of the cast-off trousers, he crammed
into them coats, waistcoats, wideawakes, &e., making
a decapitated Guy Fawkes, and bundled them over to
Bombay. I thought I had escaped all further dressing,
but my toilet was not considered complete until an attempt
was made to fit a fez upon my head; and this
proving hopeless, we were ushered into a room with
sofas all round, to partake of coffee, brandy, and cigars.
About twenty fashionably-dressed gentlemen in European
and Turkish costumes then came rushing in to
welcome us. They had heard of our approach the previous
day by a letter which we had forwarded from
Gutoena, and they had already despatched the message
that first reached England regarding us, announcing
that the “ Nile was settled.” It was the intention of
these gentlemen to have ridden out on horseback
and camels up the bank to bring us into Khartoom in
triumph, but their messenger had failed to find us, and
they politely expressed regret at being taken unawares.
However, their welcome was most enthusiastic. M.
de Bono, commonly called Latiffe by the natives,
whose trading depot we had found at Faloro, took the
lead in offering us hospitality. We all adjourned to
his beautifully fitted-up house, and enjoyed the “ chi