proved would support a hundred and ninety
pounds, thus the only danger in crossing, was the
chance of a crocodile making a dash either at
the inflated skins in mistake for the body of a man,
or at the swimmers themselves. All the usual necessaries
were safely transported, with the tents and
personal baggage, before I crossed myself, with a
number of Arabs. We quickly cleared the grass
from the hard pebbly soil of a beautiful plateau on
the summit of a craggy sandstone cliff, about eighty
feet above the river ; here we pitched the tents, close
to some mimosas of dense foliage, and all being in
order, I went down to the river to receive the next
arrival. My wife now came across the ferry, and
so perfectly had this means of transport succeeded,
that by the evening, the whole of our stores and
baggage had been delivered without the slightest
damage, with the exception of a very heavy load
of corn, that had caused the sponging-bath to ship
a sea during a strong squall of wind. The only
■person who had shown the least nervousness in
trusting his precious body to my ferry-boat,, was
Mahomet the dragoman, who, having been simply
accustomed to the grand vessels of the Nile, was
not prepared to risk himself in a voyage across the
Atbara in a sponging-bath. He put off the desperate
attempt until the last moment, when every other
person of my party had crossed ; I believe he hoped
that a wreck would take place before his turn should
arrive, and thus spare him the painful necessity, but
when at length the awful moment arrived, he was
assisted carefully into the bath by his servant Achmet
and a number of Arabs, all of whom were delighted
at his imbecility. Perched nervously in the centre
of the bath, and holding on tight by either side, he
was towed across with his travelling bag of clothes,
while Achmet remained in charge of his best clothes
and sundry other personal effects, that were to form
the last cargo' across the ferry. It appeared that
Achmet, the dearly beloved and affectionate relative
of Mahomet, wTho had engaged to serve him for simple
love instead of money, was suddenly tempted by
Satan, and seeing that Mahomet and the entire party
were divided from him and the property in his charge,
by a river two hundred yards wide, about forty feet
deep, with a powerful current, he made up his mind
to bolt with the valuables; therefore while Mahomet,
in a nervous state in the ferry-bath, was being towed
towards the east, Achmet turned in another direction
and fled towards the west. Mahomet having been
much frightened by the nautical effort he had been
forced to make, was in an exceedingly bad temper
upon the arrival on the opposite bank, and having
at length succeeded in climbing up the steep ascent,
in shoes that were about four sizes too large for him,
he arrived on the lofty plateau of our camp, and
doubtless would like ourselves have been charmed
with the view of the noble river rushing between
the cliffs of white sandstone, had he only seen Achmet
his fond relative with his effects on the opposite bank.