signifies lime. Formerly this was an important village
belonging: to Mek Nimmur, O O O but it had been destroyed by the Egyptians, and the renowned Mek
Nimmur was obliged to fall back to the strongholds
of the mountains.
“ I started off a man to recall Mahomet and my
entire camp from Ehétilla to Wat el Negur, as that
village was only seven hours’ march from Geera ; the
three points, Sherif el Ibrahim, Geera, and Wat el
Nêgur formed almost an equilateral triangle. We
reached the latter village on the following day, and
found that Mahomet and a string of camels from
Sofi had already arrived. The country was now
thickly populated on the west bank of the Atbara,
as the Arabs and their flocks had returned after the
disappearance of the serroot fly. Mahomet had had
an accident, having fallen from his camel and broken
no bones, but he had smashed the stock of my single-
barrel rifle ; this was in two pieces ; I mended it, and
it became stronger than ever. The wood had broken
short off in the neck of the stock, I therefore bored
a hole about three inches deep up the centre of either
piece, so that it was hollowed like a marrow bone ; in
one of them I inserted a piece of an iron ramrod,
red-hot, I then drew the other piece over the iron
in a similar manner, and gently tapped the shoulder-
plate until I had driven thé broken joint firmly
together. I then took off from a couple of old
boxes two strong brass hasps ; these I let neatly
into the wood on each side of the broken stock,
and secured them by screws, filing off all projections,
so that they fitted exactly. I finished the work by
stretching a piece of well-soaked crocodile s skin over
the joint, which, when drawn tight, I sewed strongly
together. When this dried it became as hard as
horn, and very much stronger; the extreme contraction
held the work together like a vice, and my
rifle was perfectly restored. A traveller in wild
countries should always preserve sundry treasures
that will become invaluable, such as strips of crocodile
skin, the hide of the iguana, &c. which should
be kept in the tool-box for cases of need. The
tool-box should not exceed two feet six inches in
length and one foot in depth, but it should contain
the very best implements that can be made, with
an extra supply of gimlets, awls, centre-bits, and
borers of every description, also tools for boring
iron; at least two dozen files of different sorts
should be included.”
Wat el Negur was. governed by a most excellent
and polite sheik of the Jalyn tribe. Sheik Achmet
Wat el Negur was his name and title; being of the
same race as Mek Nimmur, he dared to occupy the
east bank of the Atbara. Sheik Achmet was a wise
man, he was a friend of the Egyptian authorities,
to whom he paid tribute as though it were his
greatest pleasure; * he also paid tribute to Mek
Nimmur, with whom he was upon the best of terms,
therefore, in the constant fights that took place upon
the borders, the cattle and people of Sheik Achmet