hung upon the wall, which, although the exterior of
the house was straw, we had lined with the bright
coloured canvas of the ’tent. Suspended by loops
were little ornamental baskets worked by the Arabs,
that contained a host of useful articles, such as
needles, thread, &c. &c.; and the remaining surface
was hung with hunting knives, fishing lines, and a
variety of instruments belonging to the chase. A
travelling table, with maps and a few books, stood
against the wall, and one more article completed
our furniture,—an exceedingly neat toilette table, the
base of which was a flat-topped portmanteau, concealed
by a cunning device of chintz and muslin ;
this, covered with the usual arrangement of brushes,
mirror, and spent-bottles, &c., threw an air of civilization
over the establishment, which was increased
by the presence of an immense sponging-bath, that,
being flat and circular, could be fitted underneath a
bed. In the draught of air next the door stood our
filter in a wooden frame, beneath which was a
porous jar that received and cooled the clear water
as it fell.
Our camp was a perfect model; we had a view
of about five miles in extent along the valley of the
Atbara, and it was my daily amusement to scan with
my telescope the uninhabited country upon the opposite
side of the river, and watch the wild animals;
as they grazed in perfect security. I regret that at.
that time I did not smoke ; in the cool of the eveningO
we used to sit by the bamboo table outside the door
of our house, and drink our coffee in perfect contentment
amidst the beautiful scene of a tropical sunset
and the deep shadows in the valley; but a pipe !—the
long “ chibbook” of the Turk would have made our
home a Paradise ! Nevertheless we were thoroughly
happy at Sofi;—there was a delightful calm, and a sense
of rest; a total estrangement from the cares of the
world, and an enchanting contrast in the soft green
verdure of the landscape before us to the many hundred
weary miles of burning desert through which
we had toiled from Lower Egypt. In those barren
tracts, the eye had become so accustomed to sterility
and yellow sand, that it had appeared impossible to
change the scene, and Africa afforded no prospect
beyond the blank hitherto shown upon the chart of
the interior ; we were now in a land of rich pastures,
and apparently in another world, after the toil of a
hard life;—it was the haven of a pilgrim, rest!
While we were enjoying a few months’ repose,
the elements were hard at work. Every day, without
exception, and generally for several hours of
the night, the lightning flashed and thunder roared
with little intermission, while the rain poured in
such torrents, that the entire country became perfectly
impassable, with the exception of the hard
ground of the Atbara valley. The rich loam of
the table-land had risen like leavened dough, and
was knee-deep in adhesive mud; the grass upon
this surface grew with such rapidity that iii
a few weeks it reached a height of nine or ten