my movements while in the Basé country had been
watched by his spies, until he had felt assured that
I had no sinister motive. I laughed at the idea ; he
replied, that we were most fortunate to have escaped
an attack from the natives, as they were far worse
than wild beasts, and he immediately pointed out
several Basé slaves who were present in the crowd,
who had been captured when children; they appeared
to be the same as the woolly-headed natives
of the south bank of the Blue Nile, and not at all
peculiar in appearance. He cautioned me against
bathing in the stream, or drinking the water in the
neighbourhood of our camp, as it was extremely
poisonous, and would produce an irritation of the
skin. I told him that I had discovered copper, and
that I attributed the poisonous quality of the water
to the presence of that mineral. This announcement
was received with a general expression of approbation.
“ That is very curious,” he said, “ that we who live
in this country are ignorant, and that you, a stranger,
should at once explain the cause of the poison.” He
at once agreed to the suggestion, as he said, that
during the rains, when the torrents were full, the
water was not unwholesome, but in the dry weather,
when the supply was scanty, and the stream feeble,
the strength of the poison was necessarily increased.
He assured me that, although the pasturage was excellent,
all cattle that drank in that hor or stream,
became as thin as skeletons.
Mek Nimmur had been ignorant of the existence of
copper, but he informed me that gold dust was
common in the sand of most of the ravines, and that,
if I would remain in his country, I might discover
considerable quantities. I informed him that I had
already discovered the existence of both gold and lead.
He requested me to give him every information
respecting the lead, as he should prefer it to gold, as
he could manufacture bullets to shoot the Turks (as
the Egyptians are called by the neighbouring tribes).
After a long and satisfactory conversation, I made my
salaam, and retired. Immediately on my arrival at
the camp, I despatched Wat Gamma on horseback with
Taher Noor, in charge of a pair of beautiful double-
barrelled pistols, with the name of Tatham as the
manufacturer; these were loaded, and I sent a polite
message, begging Mek Nimmur’s acceptance of the
present; they were accompanied by a supply of
ammunition.
In the evening Wat Gamma returned with the
pistols; —they had burst! Mek Nimmur had requested
him to fire at a'mark, and one barrel of each pistol
had given way ; thus, the double rifle and the pistols
of the same name, “ Tatham,” had all failed;
fortunately no one was injured. I was afraid that
this would lead to some complication, and I was
much annoyed ; I had never used these pistols, but
I had considered that they were first-rate ; thus I had
given them to Mek Nimmur as a valuable present,
and they had proved their utter worthlessness. I
immediately mounted my horse, and with my revolver