utterly unknown regions situated upon one of the great tributaries to the Nile, and tenanted by the Jur and Dur and the Niyam-Nam tribes.

It

The way these explorations were brought about appears to be as follows: After the death of his protector, Muhammad Ali Pasha, vulgarly called Mehemet Ali Pasha, Mr. Petherick left the service of the Egyptian government, and took advantage of the abolition of the monopoly of the produce in the Sudan, or Negroland, to establish himself in the gumarabic trade at Al Ubayid, or Il Obeid, where he resided five years. was not, therefore, until the year 1853, when that trade had become paralysed by native competition, and a greatly increased export from the west coast to the English markets made such trade no longer remunerative, that Mr. Petherick turned his attention to the far interior, the high road to which was the White Nile.

The journeys up this river were accomplished by means of a commodious boat, a trustworthy Arab crew of twelve men, twenty other variously-coloured Arabs trained to the use of fire-arms, and some tons of glass beads, cowry-shells, and a variety of trifles in request by the negroes. Crocodiles and hippopotami abounded as they proceeded up the river. A curious escape of an Egyptian fellah from one of the former is related:

One of those adventurous fellows but recently, whilst working at his "shadoof" (a lever for raising water), had been watched by a crocodile, which suddenly darted at him from out the river, allowing him barely time to jump into the excavation in the embankment formed for the working of his lever. Singing out lustily for help, he was followed by the open-jawed reptile, the onslaught of which was so furious that it jammed its shoulders so effectually between the sides of the pit-partially open towards the river side-that, notwithstanding all its efforts, it could neither advance to seize its prey nor retire. The position of the man, as he forced himself to the utmost limits of his small prison, roaring for assistance, and invoking the Prophet and saints, may be imagined; whilst the fearfully-armed mouth of his enemy, threatening instant death, was extended within a span of his chest. His cries were unheard; but his comrades, attracted at length by the interruption of the water, came to his assistance, and, spearing with a lance the helpless reptile, the fellah was released.

The ravages committed by the hippopotami in the fields, by feeding on and trampling under foot the produce, exasperated the poor Arabs even more than the onslaughts of the crocodiles, their only means of defence, consisting in fires and shouts, being treated with the utmost indifference by the unwieldy trespassers.

Small

Two tall, naked black figures, with lances used walking-stick fashion, stalking carelessly with a few Arabs on the shore, were the first Shillukhs they beheld. The banks and islands were now beautifully wooded. Water-fowl abounded, the Nile goose building its nests on trees. blue monkeys bounded from tree to tree, and now and then raced playfully along the open beach. Antelopes and gazelles trooped along these imposing wilds, whilst here and there a veteran lion, or a female with her cubs, would slink away on their approach from the confines of the stream into the underwood.

The Dinka, a negro tribe, dwell higher up, but they are driven from the river in the lower portions by the Shillukhs and Bagara, both predatory and slave-capturing tribes. The Bagara hunt the giraffe and elephant on horseback. Their progress was momentarily arrested by the assault of an hippopotamus.

Towards evening, while we were making but very slight way up the sluggish stream, a violent rush in the water, and the cries of the men-"A hippopotamus! a hippo!" caused me to seize my rifle, and bound from my cabin on deck. The brute had just dived, passing within a yard of the boat, and a bang and a crack announced the staving in of the small boat in our wake, and the rupture of the rope by which it was attached. Half a dozen of the crew, unbidden, leaped into the stream, and were up with the boat when gunwale deep in the water; they found its occupants, a few sheep, swimming about in it. Conducting it to the shore, we also made fast, when, hauling up our little craft, we discovered a hole a foot square in its bows.

It took some time to repair the damage done, but the loss was made up for by killing a fine dark-brown bull-giraffe, and very nearly bagging" an immense elephant with tusks five feet long, who charged the boats. On the eighth day they reached Kaka, the chief town of the Shillukhs. It consists entirely of reed-huts, and is surrounded by groups of tamarind and dum palm. Many Arabs live here to purchase slaves and ivory. The Shillukhs are a fine, tall, and well-made race, perfectly black, with short woolly hair, but no negro features-not even an approach to flat noses or thick lips. They are, in effect, a transition race. Their chief is called Mak; probably an abbreviation of "malik," king.

On the fifth day after their departure from Kaka they arrived at the mouth of the Sobat, about one hundred yards wide and thirty feet deep at its junction; but Mr. Petherick does not add to the previous information we have acquired concerning this remarkable river, which drains so large an extent of country to the east. He notices the Bari, or Berry, who live on its south-eastern tributary, as a dark-brown, well-made race, above the average height of stature in this country. In latitude 9 deg. north they passed another river, called Giraffe river, flowing from the south, but not more than half the size of the Sobat. A large island at its mouth is covered with thick bush, and is a favourite resort for vast herds of elephants, rhinoceroses, giraffes, buffaloes, and various descriptions of antelopes. Beyond this point, the Nile, whose course has hitherto been from the south, takes a sudden bend, and flows from the west, after expanding into the great lake known as that of the Gazelles. The Nuwars, or Nouaers,* succeeded here to the Shillukhs and Dinkas. Like them, the unmarried men and women were perfectly naked, and their mode of salutation was not of a very conciliatory character, according to our anti-Nilotic or Bahr al Ghazal notions:

Scores of negroes, up to their middles in water at our boat's side, made fruitless and laughable attempts at conversation with the men. At last a large party of men arrived, amongst whom was the chief. On approaching the boat the crowd made way for him; and, on the first invitation, he fearlessly sprang on board, accompanied by three of his attendants. Inviting him into the cabin, and seating myself on a couch, I beckoned to him and his attendants to sit down on the floor. The sight of our fire-arms and hunting-knives (the only cabin de

It is much to be regretted that Mr. Petherick has, throughout, adopted the French orthography for Oriental names, as it is calculated to mislead. The French pronounce ou soft, as in Saint Cloud we say "cloud." Hence Soudan for Sudan, Khartoum for Khartum, Nouaers for Nuwar, Djour for Jur, and omoo for umu, "mother," are the more to be regretted, as Mr. Petherick has been in communication with the Royal Geographical Society, where a correct system of orthography is in full vogue.

corations) excited his attention, and, looking meaningly at his men, he rose on one knee to salute me. Grasping my right hand, and turning up the palm, he quietly spat into it; then, looking into my face, he elaborately repeated the process. Staggered at the man's audacity, my first impulse was to knock him down; but, his features expressing kindness only, I vented my rage by returning the compliment with all possible interest. His delight seemed excessive, and, resuming his seat, he expressed to his companions his conviction that I must be a great chief. Similar salutes followed with each of his attendants, and friendship was established.

In this lake they also first met with the royal Balæniceps, after the ostrich the most remarkable of the feathered tribes of Eastern Africa. The great difficulty in navigating the lake is to find the way. It has baffled all travellers, and on this occasion they navigated for six days without being able to reach the shore or find an outlet, so dense was the marsh vegetation. The natives, when met with, will not act as pilotspossibly they are unequal to the task. At length, a fisherman was found who conducted them to Kyt Island, in latitude 8 deg. north. Unluckily, the natives proved hostile, and not a man volunteering to land with Mr. Petherick, he had no alternative but to return.

On a second excursion a landing was effected on the island of Kyt, the Nuwar who opposed them before having been replaced by the more friendly Rayik, or Raik. Hence a start was made for the interior, two days' journey taking them to the Lau, and three more to the Wadj Kuing, whose reception proved so inhospitable and hostile as ultimately to force the small party back. The account of the ruses played to conciliate the savages are very amusing. On sailing back down the lake, Mr. Petherick says:

The attacks on our boats by the hippopotami were as ridiculous as they were exhilarating. Upon one occasion, no less than five huge monsters beset us at once; and, raising their ungainly bodies half way out of the water, attempted to board us, whilst, their capacious jaws extended to the utmost, they were actually terrifying. No end of bullets were fired into them by myself and the men, but with what result I cannot describe: falling in deep water, they were lost to us, as, sailing before a favourable wind, we were loth to lose time upon them. In shallower water, however, I succeeded in killing one by a shot between the eyes, as was shown by his suddenly sinking. I was induced to search for him with a pole from a small boat; and feeling his carcase about two feet under water, the boatmen, diving, managed to attach ropes to his legs, and by the efforts of my whole force, consisting of some eighty men, he was successfully drawn on shore.

The quantity of wild-fowl inhabiting these islands was considerable-varieties of geese, ducks, teal, &c.-affording us excellent sport.

Toward the extremity of the lake, a most unlooked-for and melancholy catastrophe happened to my cook, who, whilst sitting on the gunwale of the boat, with his back to the stream, was attacked by a hippopotamus, which, unexpectedly rising out of the water, crushed the poor man between his enormous jaws. This sad occurrence, at the same time that it cast a gloom over all on board, was a warning for the future.

On a third occasion, being now somewhat familiar with the intricacies of the lake, they reached Kyt in eighteen days from Khartum. Mr. Petherick deems it to be one hundred and eighty miles long by sixty in its widest part. He had, on this occasion, forty well-armed Arabs with him. Thus protected, he traversed the country of the Rayik, the Awan,

and the Ajak without misadventure, reaching the territory of the Neanglau (Niyam-lah), or bustard tribe, and thence that of the Jur, who welcomed them with volleys of musketry and acclamations of joy. To this point the tribes had been all of Dinka origin, and knew no other language. These Dinkas possess large herds of cattle, and numerous flocks of sheep and goats. They are great hunters, and what little land is cultivated is looked to by the women. Having no salt, they use the urine of cattle. The upper lip is perforated, and decorated with a straw and beads. Commencing with the Jur, however, different habits prevail, which are solely attributable to the presence of the tsetse-fly: goats being the only domestic animals which escape its bite. The Jur are strictly agricultural. The Jur are a shade lighter than the Dinkas, and are of a different origin. They are also good smiths and workers in iron. The iron is obtained from sandstone rocks in the same vicinity. From the Jur, Mr. Petherick proceeded still farther southward to the country of the Dur, or Dor, who received him most hospitably. He was now among far superior races to the Dinkas and Shillukhs. The Dur were even more industrious, and, if the expression may be permitted, more civilised than the Jur. Their habitations were better, their fields and granaries attested greater skill, their furniture and utensils in advance of anything yet met with. They do not go about utterly naked. They also excel the Jur in smithery. Their arms were bows and arrows, fearfullybarbed lances, and a variety of clubs. The women, unfortunately, insert circular pieces of wood in the under lip, and eat rats, mice, and snakes. The dress of the married women consisted of evergreens and creeping plants, renewed every day. In the centre of the village was a large circus, where, on a tree, their war trophies, the skulls of the slain, were suspended. Beneath were large tom-toms, beat only on occasions of rejoicing or war, for the Dur are at constant feud with their neighbours, or rather among themselves, the fights being, it is said, mostly attributable to encroachments on hunting-grounds, as also to their acknowledging no superior chief, the tribe is thus divided into separate communities, who, although living in close proximity, hold little or no communication, look upon one another as almost separate tribes, and indulge in too frequent hostilities. Mr. Petherick relates an instance while he was there:

The village was prettily situated at the foot of a hill, around which were two or three other villages, this forming the entire community of a large district. From its summit a beautiful view of the surrounding country was obtained. Surrounding the village, at a moderate distance, were the unfenced gardens of the villagers, in which cucurbits, vegetables, and seeds were grown; and beyond, to the eastward, was a large plain of cultivated dourra fields; southward, at about one mile distant, a winding brook was to be seen, bordered with superb trees and flourishing canes. The bush supplied a variety of game, consisting of partridges, guinea-fowl, a large white boar, gazelles, antelopes, and giraffes. Elephants and buffalo I did not encounter, and I was told they only frequented the locality during the rainy season.

The Dor acknowledge no superior chief, and the tribe is divided into separate communities; and these, although living, as in this instance, in close proximity, look upon each other as almost separate tribes, holding little or no communication. They live in a state of continual feud, attributable to encroachments on hunting-grounds. Their battues consist in driving the game into strong

nets, which, suspended to the trunks of trees at right angles, cover a space of several miles. During my stay at Djau, a hunt of this description, in which the inhabitants of a village some miles distant joined, took place, and as usual ended in a quarrel. Sitting under my habitation at noon, several boys returned to the village for extra weapons for the use of their fathers. The alarm spread instantly that a fight was taking place, and the women en masse proceeded to the scene with yellings and shrieks indescribable. Seizing my rifle, and accompanied by four of my followers, curiosity to see a negro fight tempted me to accompany them. After a stiff march of a couple of hours through bush and glade, covered with waving grass reaching nearly to our waists, the return of several boys warned us of the proximity of the fight, and of their fear of its turning against them-the opposing party being the most numerous. Many of the women hurried back to their homes, to prepare, in case of emergency, for flight and safety in the bush. For such an occurrence, to a certain extent, they are always prepared; several parcels of grain, and provisions neatly packed up in spherical forms, in leaves surrounded by network, being generally kept ready in every hut for a sudden start.

Accelerating our pace, and climbing up a steep hill, as we reached the summit and were proceeding down a gentle slope, I came in contact with Djau and his party in full retreat, and leaping like greyhounds over the low underwood and high grass. On perceiving me they halted, and rent the air with wild shouts of "The white chief! the white chief!" and I was almost suffocated by the embraces of the chief. My presence gave them courage to face the enemy again; a loud peculiar shrill whoop from the grey-headed but still robust chief was the signal for attack; and, bounding forward, they were soon out of sight. To keep up with them would have been an impossibility; but, marching at the top of our pace, we followed them as best we could. After a long march down a gentle declivity, at the bottom of which was a beautiful glade, we again came up with them, drawn up in line in pairs, some yards apart from each other, within the confines of the bush, not a sound indicating their presence. Joining them, and inquiring what had become of the enemy, the men whom I addressed silently pointed to the bush on the opposite side of the glade, some three hundred yards across. Notwithstanding my intention of being a mere spectator, I now felt myself compromised in the fight; and although unwilling to shed blood, I could not resist my aid to the friends who afforded me an asylum amongst them. Marching accordingly into the open with my force of four men, I resolved that we would act as skirmishers on the side of our hosts, who retained their position in the bush.

We had proceeded about a third of the way across the glade, when the enemy advanced out of the wood and formed in a long line of two or three deep, on its confines opposite to us. I also drew up my force, and for an instant we stood looking at each other. Although within range, at about two hundred yards' distance, I did not like to fire upon them; but in preference continued advancing, thinking the prestige of my fire-arms would be sufficient. I was right. We had scarcely marched fifty yards, when a general flight took place, and in an instant Djau and his host, amounting to some three or four hundred men, passed us in hot pursuit.

After reflection on the rashness of exposing myself with so few men to the hostility of some six hundred negroes, and in self-congratulation on the effect my appearance in the fight had produced, I awaited the return of my hosts. In the course of an hour this took place; and as they advanced I shall never forget the impression they made upon me. A more complete picture of savage life I could not have imagined. A large host of naked negroes came trooping on, grasping in their hands bow and arrow, lances and clubs, with wild gesticulations and frightful yells proclaiming their victory, whilst one displayed the reeking head of a victim.

I refused to join them in following up the defeat of their enemies by a descent on their villages. With some difficulty they were persuaded to be content