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    ire -windows , blinds , and a canvas cover at the sides , sotliat we can regulate our light and lir as we choose . In the middle of the cabin is our table and two camp stools , while shawls , : apotes , pistols , sabve , and gun are suspended from the walls . A little door at the further md opens into a wash-room , beyond which is a smaller cabin with beds , which we have allotted to . Achmet ' s use . Our cook sleeps on deck , with his head against the provision chest . The ra'is and pilot sleep on the roof of our cabin , where the latter sits all day , holding the long arm of the rudder , which projects forward over the cabin from the high end of the stern . " Our manner of life is simple , and might even be called monotonons , but we have never found the greatest variety of landscape and incident so thoroughly enjoyable . Tlie scenery of the Nile , thus far , scarcely changes from day to day in its forms and colours , but only in their disjosition with regard to each other . The shores are either palm-groves , fields of cane and denrra , young wheat , or patches of bare sand , blown out from the desert . The villages are all the same agglomerations of mud-walls , the tombs of the Moslem saints are the same white ovens , and every individual camel and buffalo resembles its neighbour in picturesque ugliness . The Arabian and Libyan mountains , now sweeping so far into the

    foreground that their yellow cliffs overhang the Nile , now receding into the violet haze of the horizon , exhibit little difference of height , hue , or geological formation . Every new scene is tbe turn of a kaleidoscope , in which the same objects are grouped in other relations , yet always characterised by the most perfect harmony . These slight , yet everrenewing changes , are to us a source of endless delight . Either from the pure atmosphere , the healthy life we lead , or the accordant tone of our spirits , we find ourselves unusually sensitive to all the slightest touches , the most minute rajs of that grace and harmony which bathes every landscape ia cloudless sunshine . The various groupings of the palms , the shifting of the blue evening shadows on the tose-hued mountain walls , the green of the ¦ wheat and the sugar-cane , the windings of the great river , the alternations of wind and calm—each of these 3 s enough to content us , and to give every day a , different charm from that whicli went before . We meet contrary winds , calms , and sand-banks , witiiout losing our patience , and even our excitement in the swiftness and grace with which our vessel scuds before the north wind is mingled with n regret that our journey is drawing so much the more s-wiftly to its close . Apportion of the old Egyptian repose seems to be infused into our natures , and lately , when I saw my face in a mirror , I thought I perceived in its features something of the pataence and resignation of the Sphinx . "

    As a contrast to this , let us give the author ' s picture—drawn some hun dreds of miles farther on Bis journey—of

    X . 1 FE IN THE DESEED . _ "I fourid the : Desert life not only endurable but very agreeable . No matter how warm it might be at mid-day , the nights were always fresh and cool , and the wind blew strong from the north-west , during the greater part of the time . The temperature varied from 50 degs . to 55 degs . at 6 A . M , to 80 degs . 85 degs . at 2 p . m , Theextrem . es were 47 degs . and 100 degs . So great a change of temperature every day was hot so unpleasant as might be supposed ; - In my ease , nature seemed to inake a special provision in order to keep the balance right . During the liofc hours of the day I never suffered Inconvenience from the heat , but , up to 85 degs . felt sufficiently cool . I seemed to absorb tlie rays of the sun , and as night came on and the temperature of the air fell , that of my skin rose , ti £ l at last I glowed through and through , Jifce a live ¦ ¦ coal . It was a pecnliar sensation , which I never experienced before , but was rather p leasant than otherwise . My face , however , which was alternately exposed to the heat radiated from the sand , and the keen . morning wind j could not accommodate itself to so much contraction and expansion . The skin cracked and pealed off more than once , and I was obliged to rub it daily with butter . I mounted my

    dromedary with a' shining morning face , ' until , from alternate buttering and burning , it attained the hue and crispness of a well-basted partridge . " I soon fell into a regular daily routine of travel , which , during all my later experiences of the Desert , never became monotonous , I rose at dawn every morning , bathed my eyes ¦ Bg ith a handful of the precious water , and 4 rank a cup of coffee . After the tent had been struck and the camels laden , I walked ahead for two hours , often so far in advance that I lost sight and hearing of the caravan . I found an unspeakable fascination in the sublime solitude of the Desert . I often beheld the sun rise , when , within the wide ring of the horizon , there was no other living creature to be seen . Ho came up like a god , in awful glory , and it would have been a natural act , had I cast myself upon the sand and worshipped him The sudden change in the colouring of the . landscape , on his appearancethe lighting ap of the dull sand into a warm golden hue , and thtj tintings of purple and violet on the distant porphyry hills—was a morning miracle , which I never belield without awe . The richness of this colouring made the Desert beautiful : it was too brilliant for so far from

    desolation . The scenery ^ depressing , inspired and exhilarated me . I never felt the sensation of physical health and strength in such perfection , and was ready to shout from morning till aright , from the overflow of happy spirits . The air is an elixir of lifeas sweet and pure and refreshing as that which the first man breathed on the morning of creation . You inhale tho unadulterated elements of the atmosphere , for there are no exhalations from moist earth , vegetable matter , or the smokes and steams which arise from the abodes of men , to stain its purity . This air , even more than its silence and solitude , is tho secret of one ' n attachment to the Desert . It is a beautiful illustration of the compensating care of that Providence , which leaves none of the waste places of tho earth without some atoning glory . ^ Vliere all the p leasant aspects of Nature are wanting—where there is no green thing , no fount for tho thirsty lip , scarcely the shadow of a rock to shield the wanderer u tho blazing noon—God has breathed upon tno wilderness his sweetest and tendorest breath , giving clearness to the eye , strength to tho frame , and tho most joyous exhilaration o the spirits . "

    LoaVmg thodesert , Mr . Taylor , as we have before said , embarks on the White Nile , sails on boldly into the heart of Africa , leaves behind him th e last relics venol Egyptian civilisation , and reaches the Primitive Negro Kingdom of the Shillooks . There is something very picturesque and striking in this brieflydescribed

    JUVEK SCENE IN CENTRAL AlfRICA . ' We sailed nearly all uiglib with a steady north wind , which towards morning became so strong that the men were obliged to take in sail and lot us scud under bare poles . When I xoae , in tho grey of early dawn , they were about hoiating tho little stern-sheet , which alone Bufficod , to carry ua along at tho rate of four miles an hour . W < s had passed tho frontier oi Egyptian Soudan soon after sunset , and vyere then deep in tho negro kingdom of tlio Sliillooks , The ocei ) ery had changed considerably sinco the evening . Tho foreats were taller and more dense , and tho river more thickly studded with islands , tho soil of which was entirel y concealed l > y tho luxuriant girdle of shrubs and water plants , in wliioli they lay imbedded . The arribak , a species of aquatic shrub , with loaves resembling tho sensitive plant and winged , bean-lilce blossoms of a rich yellow hue , grow on tho edge of tho ahore , with its roots in the water , and its long arms floating on the aurfuco . It formed impenetrable ramparts around the islands and shores , except where tho hippopotamus and crocodile had trodden put ha into tho forests , or tho lion and leopard Imu como down to tho river ' s margin 1 a drink . 1 {« - liind this flouting hem of foliage and blossom * uppo . irod other nnd larger shrubs , completely mattou vineswliien covered tiivin like iruuuie

    togctner wan cmnwiig , a , and li ung tram their branohoa < uw »(» ling streamer ;! of white aiul purple und yellow bloH&oma . They oven stretched to tho fcough . i of tlio largo mimosa , or » ont trees , which grow in tho contro of tlio islands , thus binding all together in romulod miisaos . Somo of tho smaller islands resembled flouting hills of vogutution , and thoir slopes and summits of impervious foliago , rolling in tho wind , appourcrt to k « op time with tlio rooking of tho wuven Unit uphold them . Tlio profusion of vegeUMo life reminded mo of tho Ohuin'os River . If not ho noli and gorgeous , it was on a far gr » ndor scnlo . Tho rlvor had still iv brumlth of n milo and n half , where his currant wnafrce , but wh « ro island crowded on inland , in u * viiHt nrchipchtgo of leafy shores , ho took a miicli widor sweep . Tho waves danced and gllatonod in tU cool norihoru wind , aa wo glided around his inujcatio curves , ami I stood on deck wutching tho wonderful panorama unfold on cither Hide , with a feeling ol ' oxultntiun to which I gave free vent . In no other rivor hmvo I aeon landscape ;) of larger or more imposing character , * ' AH tliq rich . animal world of tiiis region was nwako and stirring bi-foro tho nun . Tlio ¦ wildfowla loft thoir roosts ; tho tcifezafa How twittering ovor tlio w . ivus , calling up their make , tho sleepy crooodiloa ; tho herons atrotclicd ttioir wings asninst tho wind ; tho monkeys ic » nod anft clmUcrcd in tho woods i and » t l « at , whole hor < la of hippopotami , aportiiig

    near the short ) , came up spouting water from their nostrils , in a manner precisely similar to the grampus . I counted six together , soon after sunrise , near the end of an i .-land . They floundered about in the shallows , popping up their heads every few minutes to look at us , and at last walked out through the reeds and stood upon the shore . Soon afterwards five more appeared on the other _ side of the river , and thenceforth we saw them almost' constantly , andsometimps within fifty yar-d .-s . I noticed one which must have been four feet in breadth across the oars , and with a head nearly five feet long . He opened his mouth wide enough to show two round , blunt tusks , or rather grinders , one on each side . They exhibited a great deal of curiosity , and frequently turned about after we Lad passed , and followed fur some time in our wake . " Our traveller lands boldly among the Shillooks , and has

    A . K INTERVIEW WITH A . KEGKO SUEKH . " The shekli of the island , a tall , handsome man , rose to greet me , by touching the palm of his right hand to mine and then raising it to his forehead . I made a like " salutsition , after which he sat down . The vizier (; ns he called himself ) , an old man excessively black in complexion , then advanced , and the olher warriors in succession , till all liad saluted me . The conversation was carried on in the Arabic jargon of Soudan , which the shekh and some of his men spoke tolerably well , so that I could understand the most of what was , said . 1 Why don't you bring the sultan ' s carpet that he may rest ? ' said the shekh to one of my sailors . The carpet and pillows were immediately brought , and I stretched ¦ myself out in front of the shekh and vizier , who sat upon a fallen tree , while the others squatted upon the ground . The shekh at first took no part in the conversation , but sat looking at me steadily from under his heavy eyebrows . Our negotiations were conducted in genuine diplomatic style . Whenever his Majesty of the Shillooks lwd anything to say , he mentioned it to his vizier , who addressed A-chmet , my vnzier , who communicated it to me , the sultan . The spectators observed tho most profound silence , anil nothing could surpass the gravity and solemnity of the scene .

    " In the meantime the other warnois had come up and taken their seats around us , each one greeting me before lie sat dpwn -with ' ow-wow-toobba . " ( probably a corruption of the Arabic ' wiar-habba ? ' ' how d ' ye do ?} The vizier , addressing me through Achmet , said : * Tell us what you want ; if you come to fight , we rue ready for you . ' I assured the shekh through him that I cam « as a friend , and had no intention of molesting them , but he was not satisfied , and repeated three or four times , drawing a marie between us on the ground 'If you are really friends , we will be friends with you ; but if you are not we are ready to fight you . ' Achmet at last swore by the Prophet Mohammed , and by the wisdom of Allah , that we had « orne in peace ; that the sultan wished to pay him a visit , and would then return home . At the request of the nils we had come , on shore : unarmed , but it had not the anticipated effect . ' Why have you no arms : ¦? ' said the shekh . ; ' are you afraid of xis ? ' I told him that it was in order to ^ show ih . at I had no hostile intentions , but the people seemed to consider it as a mark of either treachery or fear . I brought some tobacco with me , whicli I gave to the shekh , but he received it coldly , and said : 'f Where is the dress which the sultan has brought for me ? ' This icminded me that I had . entirely neglected to provide

    myself m HLUartoum witlt musim and calico tor presents . 1 remedied the deficiency , however , by going on board and t-aking one of my shirts and a silk handkerchief , as well as some beads and ear-rings for the wives of the two dignitaries . Achmet added a shirt and a pair of Turkish drawers , nnc 3 brought a fresh supply of tobacco for the warriors . The shekh took the presents with evident gratification , and then came the work of clothing him . He was entirely at a loss how to put on the garments , but Achmet and the rals unwound the cotton cloth from his loins , stuck his Ieg 3 into tie drawers , his arms into the shirt-sleeves , and tied the handkerchief about his head . Once clothed , he paid no further attention to his garments , bat wore them with as much nonchalance as if he had never possessed a scantier costume . The vizior , who had shown manifest ill-humour at being passed by , was quieted by the present of a shirt , which was put upon , his shoulders in like manner . Hegaveine his name as ' Adjeb-Seedoo' (' H « pleases his Master' ) , a most appropriate name for a vizier . The shekhVname , Abd-en-noor (' the Slave of Light' ) , was hardly so befitting , for he was remarkably dark . I was much amused at my servant AH , who had shown great terror on tlie first appearance of the savages . He had already become so

    familiar , that when the shekh did nc-t seem to understand the use of the beads and ear-rings , All pinched his ears very significantly , and took hold of his neck to show how they must be worn . " By thia time coffee had been pi-epared , and was brought to them . But they had been so accustomed to inhumanity and deception on the part of the Turks , that they still mistrusted us , and no one would drink , for fear that it contained poison . To quiet them , therefore , I drank a cup first , after which they took it readily , and mnny of them , who then tasted coffee for the first time , did not seem to relish it . A drove of sheep happening to pass by , the shekh ordered ono of the rams to be caught and put on board tho vessel , for the sultan's dinner . The men soon began to demand tobacco , clothes , and various other tilings , and grew so importunate that Aehmot became nlurmcdj and even the rals , who was a man of some courage , Seemed n little uneasy . I thought it time to give a change to affairs , and therefore rose and told the shekh I was ready tp visit his village . We had intended returning on board and sailing to the place , wliieli was at the southern extremity of tlio islnnd , about a mile distant , but reflecting that this might occasion mistrust , and that tho best way of avoiding danger is to appear unconscious of it , I called Achmet and the rals to accompany me on foot . While th < sse things were transpiring , a numburof other Shillooks had arrived .

    so that there were now upwards of fifty . All were armed—the most of them with ironpointed spears , somo with clubs , and somo with long poles , having knobs of hard wood on the end . Thoy were all tall , strong , stately people , not worn than two or three under six feet in height , while the most of tlnem were tlirue or four inches over that standard . Some had a pieco of rough cotton cloth tied around tho waist or thrown ovor tho shoulders , but most of tliom were entirely naked . Their figures were largo and muscular , but not symmetrical , nor was there the least grace in their movements . Their faces resembled a cross between tlio negro of Guinea anil tho North American Indiivm , having tin ) high cheek-bones , tho narrow forehead and pointed head of tho hitter , with the flat nosound . projecting lips of tho former . Thoir teeth were so long as to appear liko tusks , and in most ot them ono or two front teeth wero wanting , whicsli gavo their faces a wolrish expression . Their eyes wore small and had mi inflamed look , which might have l > i ; nn occasioned by the damp exhalations of tho soil on which tlioy slept . Every one wore an armlet alovo tho elbow , either a segment of an cloplunt ' a tusk , or a thick vim of plaited hippopotamus hide .. Tho most of them ha . l a string of glass bonus around tho neck , n-nd tho sbrkh wore a necklaco of tho lurgo wliito variety , called ' pigeon eggs' by th « traders on tho White Nile , Thoy had no boards , mul their hair was seared or plucked out on tho forehead and t « mp ! cs , leaving only a . circular crown of crisp wool on tho ton of Hho head . Somo had rulibotl their faces and heads with rod nahca , which imparted n livid , ghastly cfll-ct to thoii bluclc skinm . "

    At length ho arrives at tho final point of his journey , beyond which it is hopeless to think of penetrating . His attendants will venture no farther with him , and ho takes ono wistTul lust look , before ho returns , at

    TIIK OATHWAV T 3 TMI 3 UNKNOWN SOUTH . " An we weighed anchor , I found that tho inon had tukon down both Huils and ahipp ^ l tho oars for our return to Khartoum . Wo had reached the southern point of tlio island , in about lat . 12 dog . SO inin . north , and tho north wind wiia still blowing strongly . The roundod tops of tlio mimosa , fonwts bent southwardn « thoy tossed ; tho llowcry ivrma of tho ambuk-trcea waved to the south , Lrniling against tho current , and my heart sank ¦ within nni itt the thought of retracing my stt'p . s . Wo lind suilml 2 f > 0 milua in forty-eight hours ; ll » gateway to tlio unknown woulh wu ^ s open , mid it seemed a tieuson against fortune to turn my face towards tho Mediterranean . ' Achuiutf said 1 , ' tell tlio men to sot tlio trinkeet !> w * in Wo will sail to thu JinUv « I-Gh « z . l » l . ' Tho Thobnii ' d fuuo baenmo ghnutly nt tho bare idea . 'Omnutorl' ho exohiimoil , ' aro you not untUtii-d with your good fortune ? W ( i nrc now nearly at tlio eml of iho «« rth , auii if wo ^ o further it will bu impossibly to return . ' JM ' Abou-ll . immed dcchwo'J that , ho land kept lu » word , ami lh ;» t howhould j » ow return , » ia it h « J boon agreed , before wo loft Khartoum . 1 knuw thuro was certniii < l : uigm * in goliijg furtlnT , and thut 1 find no n ^ lit to viola to my ngrooinunt itiul peril olliorn us well a . 4 iiivmuII ; I '" there lny tlto grout riyur , holding in fib lap , to ti'inj . t m « on , isles of bright or bloom "" 'I Hprc » dii » g out uhoroa of yet richmr loliugo . 1 w . ih in tho centro of thu contiuunt . Hovoinl mo all -was atrango and unknown , and tho Gulf of Guinea vns lcaa diotunt than tli « o Mcilitwi - rarjo « n , wl »} jh I lol ' t not throe months befgro . Why not push on ami uttompt to gru ^ l' v ^

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    904 THE LEADER . [ Saturday , -

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 23, 1854, page 904, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2057/page/16/