that had so well assisted in the stalk. Hardly had
I led the animal to the body of the ariel, when I
heard a rushing sound like a strong wind, and down
came a vulture with its wings collapsed, falling
from an immense height direct to its prey, in its
eagerness to be the first in the race. By the
time that I had fastened the ariel across the back
of the camel, many vultures were sitting upon the
ground' at a few yards’ distance, while others were
arriving every minute; before I had shot the ariel,
not a vulture had been in sight; the instant that I
retreated from the spot a flock of ravenous beaks
were tearing at the offal.
In the constant doubling necessary during the
stalk, I had quite lost my way. The level plain to
the horizon, covered with scattered mimosas offered
no object as a guide. I was exceedingly thirsty,
as the heat was intense, and I had been taking rapid
exercise; unfortunately my water-skin was slung upon
my wife’s camel. However unpleasant the situation,
my pocket compass would give me the direction, as
we had been steering due west; therefore, as I had
turned to my left when I left my party, a course
N.W. should bring me across their tracks, if they
had continued on their route. The position of the
Cassala mountain agreed with this course; therefore,
remounting my dromedary, with the ariel slung
behind the saddle, I hastened to rejoin our caravan.
After about half an hour I heard a shot fired not far
in advance, and I shortly joined the party, who had
fired a gun to give me the direction. A long and
deep pull at the water-skin was the first salutation.
We halted that night near a small pond formed
by the recent heavy rain. Fortunately the sky was
clear; there was abundance of fuel, and pots were
shortly boiling an excellent stew of ariel venison
and burnt onions. The latter delicious bulbs are the
blessing of Upper Egypt: I have lived for days upon
nothing but raw onions and sun-dried rusks. Nothing
is so good a substitute for meat as an onion; but
if raw, it should be cut into thin slices, and allowed
to soak for half an hour in water, which should be
poured off: the onion thus loses its pungency, and
becomes mild and agreeable; with the accompaniment
of a little oil and vinegar it forms an excellent
salad.
The following day’s march led us through the
same dead level of grassy plains and mimosas, enlivened
with numerous herds of ariels and large
black-striped gazelle (Dorcas), one of which I succeeded
in shooting for my people. After nine hours’
journey we arrived at the valley of the Atbara, in
all sixteen hours’ actual marching from Cassala.
, There was an extraordinary change in the appearance
of the river between Gozerajup and this
spot. There was no longer the vast sandy desert
with the river flowing through its sterile course on
a level with the surface of the country, but after
traversing an apparently perfect flat of forty-five
miles of rich alluvial soil, we had suddenly arrived