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Now came the tug of war! Taher Sheriff came close to me and
said, "You had better shoot the elephant, as we shall have great
difficulty in this rocky ground:" this I declined, as I wished to
end the fight as it had been commenced, with the sword; and I
proposed that he should endeavour to drive the animal to more
favourable ground. "Never mind," replied Taher, "Inshallah
(please God) he shall not beat us." He now advised me to keep as
close to him as possible, and to look sharp for a charge.

The elephant stood facing us like a statue; it did not move a
muscle beyond a quick and restless action of the eyes, that were
watching all sides. Taher Sheriff and his youngest brother
Ibrahim now separated, and each took opposite sides of the
elephant, and then joined each other about twenty yards behind
it; I accompanied them, until Taher advised me to keep about the
same distance upon the left flank. My Tokrooris kept apart from
the scene, as they were not required. In front of the elephant
were two aggageers, one of whom was the renowned Roder Sheriff,
with the withered arm. All being ready for action, Roder now rode
slowly towards the head of the cunning old bull, who was quietly
awaiting an opportunity to make certain of some one who might
give him a good chance.

Roder Sheriff rode a bay mare, that, having been thoroughly
trained to these encounters, was perfect at her work. Slowly and
coolly she advanced towards her wary antagonist, until within
about eight or nine yards of the elephant's head; the creature
never moved, and the mise en scene was beautiful; not a word was
spoken, and we kept our places amidst utter stillness, which was
at length broken by a snort from the mare, who gazed intently at
the elephant, as though watching for the moment of attack.

One more pace forward, and Roder sat coolly upon his mare, with
his eyes fixed upon those of the elephant. For an instant I saw
the white of the eye nearest to me "Look out, Roder! he's
coming!" I exclaimed. With a shrill scream, the elephant dashed
upon him like an avalanche!

Round went the mare as though upon a pivot, and away, over rocks
and stones, flying like a gazelle, with the monkey-like form of
little Roder Sheriff leaning forward, and looking over his left
shoulder as the elephant rushed after him.

For a moment I thought he must be caught. Had the mare stumbled,
all were lost; but she gained in the race after a few quick
bounding strides, and Roder, still looking behind him, kept his
distance so close to the elephant, that its outstretched trunk
was within a few feet of the mare's tail.

Taher Sheriff and his brother Ibrahim swept down like falcons in
the rear. In full speed they dexterously avoided the trees, until
they arrived upon open ground, when they dashed up close to the
hind-quarters of the furious elephant, who, maddened with the
excitement, heeded nothing but Roder and his mare, that were
almost within its grasp. When close to the tail of the elephant,
Taher Sheriff's sword flashed from its sheath, as grasping his
trusty blade he leapt nimbly to the ground, while Ibrahim caught
the reins of his horse; two or three bounds on foot, with the
sword clutched in both hands, and he was close behind the
elephant; a bright glance shone like lightning, as the sun struck
upon the descending steel; this was followed by a dull crack, as
the sword cut through skin and sinews, and settled deep in the
bone, about twelve inches above the foot. At the next stride, the
elephant halted dead short in the midst of its tremendous charge.
Taher had jumped quickly on one side, and had vaulted into the
saddle with his naked sword in hand. At the same moment, Roder,
who had led the chase, turned sharp round, and again faced the
elephant as before; stooping quickly from the saddle, he picked
up from the ground a handful of dirt, which he threw into the
face of the vicious-looking animal, that once more attempted to
rush upon him. It was impossible! the foot was dislocated, and
turned up in front like an old shoe. In an instant Taher was once
more on foot, and again the sharp sword slashed the remaining
leg. The great bull elephant could not move! the first cut with
the sword had utterly disabled it; the second was its death blow;
the arteries of the leg were divided, and the blood spouted in
jets from the wounds. I wished to terminate its misery by a
bullet behind the ear, but Taher Sheriff begged me not to fire,
as the elephant would quickly bleed to death without pain, and an
unnecessary shot might attract the Base, who would steal the
flesh and ivory during our absence. We were obliged to return
immediately to our far distant camp, and the hunters resolved to
accompany their camels to the spot upon the following day. We
turned our horses' heads, and rode direct towards home, which we
did not reach until nearly midnight, having ridden upwards of
sixty miles during the day.

The hunting of Taher Sheriff and his brothers was superlatively
beautiful; with an immense amount of dash, there was a cool,
sportsman-like manner in their mode of attack, that far excelled
the impetuous and reckless onset of Abou Do; it was difficult to
decide which to admire the most, whether the coolness and courage
of him who led the elephant, or the extraordinary skill and
activity of the aggahr who dealt the fatal blow.

On the following day, the hunters started to the dead elephant
with camels and sacks, but they returned at night thoroughly
disgusted; the nimble Base had been before them, most probably
attracted to the carcase by the cloud of vultures that had
gathered in the air. Nothing remained but the bones and skull of
the elephant, the flesh and the ivory had been stolen. The tracks
of a great number of men were left upon the ground, and the
aggageers were fortunate to return without an attack from
overwhelming numbers.

After hunting and exploring for some days in this neighbourhood,
I determined to follow the bed of the Royan to its junction with
the Settite. We started at daybreak, and after a long march along
the sandy bed, hemmed in by high banks, or by precipitous cliffs
of sandstone, we arrived at the junction; this was a curious and
frightful spot during the rainy season. The entire course of the
Royan was extremely rapid, but at this extremity it entered a
rocky pass between two hills, and leapt in a succession of grand
falls into a circular basin of about four hundred yards diameter.
This peculiar basin was surrounded by high cliffs, covered with
trees; to the left was an island formed by a rock about sixty
feet high; at the foot was a deep and narrow gorge through which
the Settite river made its exit from the circle. This large river
entered the basin through a rocky gap, at right angles with the
rush of water from the great falls of the Royan, and as both
streams issued from gorges which accelerated their velocity to
the highest degree, their junction formed a tremendous whirlpool:
thus, the basin which was now dry, with the exception of the
single contracted stream of the Settite, was in the rainy season
a most frightful scene of giddy waters. The sides of this basin
were, for about fifty feet from the bottom, sheeted with white
sand that had been left there by the centrifugal force of the
revolving waters; the funnel-shaped reservoir had its greatest
depth beneath the mass of rock that formed a barrier before the
mouth of the exit. From the appearance of the high-water mark
upon the rock, it was easy to ascertain the approximate depth
when the flood was at its maximum. We pitched our camp on the
slope above the basin, and for several days I explored the bed of
the river, which was exceedingly interesting at this dry season,
when all the secrets of its depths were exposed. In many places,
the rocks that choked its bed for a depth of thirty and forty
feet in the narrow passes, had been worked into caverns by the
constant attrition of the rolling pebbles. In one portion of the
river, the bottom was almost smooth, as though it had been paved
with flagstones; this was formed by a calcareous sediment from
the water, which had hardened into stone; in some places this
natural pavement had been broken up into large slabs by the force
of the current, where it had been undermined. This cement
appeared to be the same that had formed the banks of
conglomerate, which in some places walled in the river for a
depth of ten or fifteen feet, with a concrete of rounded pebbles
of all sizes from a nutmeg to a thirty-two pound shot.

I fired the grass on the west bank of the Royan, and the blaze
extended with such rapidity, that in a few hours many miles of
country were entirely cleared. On the following morning, the
country looked as though covered with a pall of black velvet.

To my astonishment there were the fresh tracks of a rhinoceros
within a quarter of a mile of the camp: this animal must have
concealed itself in the bed of the Royan during the fire, and had
wandered forth when it had passed. I followed up the tracks with
Bacheet and two of my Tookrooris. In less than half a mile from
the spot, I found it lying down behind a bush, and creeping under
cover of an ant-hill, I shot it through the shoulder with a
Reilly No. 10; it immediately galloped off, but after a run of a
couple of hundred yards it lay down on the edge of thick thorny
jungle that bordered the margin of the Royan. I waited, in the
expectation that it would shortly die, but it suddenly rose, and
walked slowly into the thorns. Determined to cut off its retreat,
I pushed through the bushes, intending to reach the dry bed of
the Royan and shoot the rhinoceros as it crossed from the narrow
belt of the jungle, into which it had retreated; but I had hardly
reached half way, when I heard a sound in the bush upon my right,
and I saw the wounded beast coming straight for our position, but
evidently unconscious of our presence, as we were to leeward. I
immediately crouched down, as did my men likewise, lest the
animal should observe us. Slowly, but surely, it came on exactly
towards us, until it was at last so near as to be unpleasant: I
looked behind me, and I saw by the expression of my men that they
were thinking of retreat. I merely shook my fist, and frowned at
them to give them confidence, and I waited patiently for my
opportunity. It was becoming too ridiculous; the rhinoceros was
within five or six yards, and was slowly but steadily advancing
direct upon us. At the next step that he made, I raised my rifle
gently to my shoulder, and whistled sharply: in an instant it
tossed its head up, and seeing nothing in front, as my clothes
matched with the leafless bushes, it turned its head to the left,
and I immediately pulled the trigger. It fell as though smitten
by a sledge hammer, and it lay struggling on the ground. Bacheet
sprang forward, and with an Arab sword he cut the hamstring of
one leg. To the astonishment of us all, the rhinoceros jumped up,
and on three legs it sprang quickly round and charged Bacheet,
who skipped into the bushes, while I ran alongside the rhinoceros
as it attempted to follow him, and, with Fletcher No. 24, I fired
through the shoulder, by placing the muzzle within a yard of the
animal. It fell dead to this shot, which was another feather in
the cap of the good little rifle. The skull of the rhinoceros is
very curiously shaped; I had fired for the temple, and had struck
the exact point at which I had aimed, but, instead of hitting the
brain, the bullet had smashed the joint of the jaw, in which it
stuck fast. I never have been able to understand why that
powerful rifle was thus baffled, unless there had been some error
in the charge of powder. This rhinoceros had no ears, they had
been bitten off close to the head by another of the same species,
while fighting; this mutilation is by no means uncommon.

From this point I traversed the country in all directions; upon
one occasion I took a large supply of water, and penetrated into
the very heart of the Base, half way between the Settite and the
river Gash or Mareb, near the base of the mountain chain; but,
although the redoubtable natives were occasionally seen, they
were as shy as wild animals, and we could not approach them.

Having explored the entire country, and enjoyed myself
thoroughly, I was now determined to pay our promised visit to Mek
Nimmur. Since our departure from the Egyptian territory, his
country had been invaded by a large force, according to orders
sent from the Governor-General of the Soudan. Mek Nimmur as usual
retreated to the mountains, but Mai Gubba and a number of his
villages were utterly destroyed by the Egyptians. He would, under
these circumstances, be doubly suspicious of strangers.

My camel-men had constantly brought me the news on their return
from Geera with corn,* and they considered that it was unsafe to
visit Mek Nimmur after his defeat, as he might believe me to be
a spy from the Egyptians; he was a great friend of Theodorus,
king of Abyssinia, and as at that time he was on good terms with
the English, I saw no reason to avoid his country.

* Among other news I was glad to hear that my patient
Jali could walk without difficulty.

We arrived at Ombrega, but, instead of camping among the thick
jungle as formerly, we bivouacked under four splendid tamarind
trees that formed a clump among the rocks on the left bank of the
river, and which shaded a portion of its sandy bed; this was a
delightful resting-place. We were now only one day from Geera,
and we sent a messenger to the sheik of the Hamrans, who shortly
returned with a young girl of about seventeen as a corn-grinder
in the place of Barrake; she was hired from her owner at a dollar
per month.

My camel-men had determined not to proceed to Mek Nimmur's
country, as they were afraid that their camels might be stolen by
his people; they therefore came to me one evening, and coolly
declared that they should return to Geera, as it would be folly
to tempt Mek Nimmur. It was in vain that I protested, and
reminded them that I had engaged them to accompany me throughout
the exploration. They were afraid of losing their camels, and
nothing would satisfy them; they declared that they required no
wages, as the meat and hide, &c. they had received were
sufficient for their services, but through Mek Nimmur's country
they were determined not to go. Taher Noor was the only man who
was willing, but he had no camel. We had constructed a fence of
thorns around our camp, in which the camels were now reposing,
and, as the argument had become hot, the Arabs expressed their
determination of starting homewards that very instant, and we
were to be left alone, unless they could persuade other men of
their tribe to join us with their animals. Accordingly, they at
once proceeded to saddle their camels for an immediate start.
Without saying another word, I quietly took my little Fletcher
rifle, and cocked both barrels as I sat within ten yards of the
exit from the camp. The men were just ready to depart, and
several had mounted their camels. "Good bye," I said; "give my
salaams to the sheik when you arrive at Geera; but the first
camel that passes the zareeba (camp) I shall shoot through the
head." They had heard the sharp click of the locks, and they
remembered the firing of the grass on a former occasion when I
had nearly burnt the camp;--not a camel moved. My Tokrooris and
Taher Noor now came forward as mediators, and begged me not to
shoot the camels. As I had the rifle pointed, I replied to this
demand conditionally, that the Arabs should dismount and unsaddle
immediately: this led to a parley, and I agreed to become
responsible for the value of the camels should they be stolen in
Mek Nimmur's country. The affair was settled.

On March 16th, the day following this argument, as we were
sitting in the evening beneath our trees in the river's bed, I
suddenly heard the rattle of loose stones, and immediately after,
a man on a white hygeen appeared from the jungle on our side of
the river, followed quickly by a string of Arabs, all well
mounted, who silently followed in single file towards the ford.
They had not noticed us, as we were close to the high rocky bank
upon their left, in the deep shade of the tamarind trees. I
counted twenty-three; their shields and swords were slung upon
their hygeens, and, as their clothes were beautifully clean, they
had evidently started that morning from their homes.

The leader had reached the ford without observing us, as in this
wild spot he had expected no one, and the whole party were
astonished and startled when I suddenly addressed them with a
loud "Salaam aleikum" (peace be with you). At first they did not
reply, but as I advanced alone, their leader also advanced from
his party, and we met half way. These were a troop of Mek
Nimmur's people on a foray. I quickly explained who I was, and I
invited him to come and drink coffee beneath the shade in our
camp. Taher Noor now joined us, and confidence having been
established, the leader ordered his party to cross the ford and
to unsaddle on the opposite side of the river, while he
accompanied me to our camp. At first he was rather suspicious,
but a present of a new tarboosh (cap), and a few articles of
trifling value, quickly reassured him, and he promised to be our
guide to Mek Nimmur in about a couple of days, upon his return
from a marauding expedition on the frontier; his party had
appointed to unite with a stronger force, and to make a razzia
upon the cattle of the Dabaina Arabs.

During the night, the marauding party and their leader departed.

There was no game at Ombrega, therefore I employed the interval
of two days in cleaning all the rifles, and in preparing for a
fresh expedition, as that of the Settite and Royan had been
completed. The short Tatham No.10 rifle carried a heavy cylinder,
instead of the original spherical ball. I had only fired two
shots with this rifle, and the recoil had been so tremendous,
owing to the heavy weight of the projectile, that I had
mistrusted the weapon; therefore, when the moment arrived to fire
off all the guns preparatory to cleaning, my good angel whispered
a providential warning, and I agreed to fire this particular
rifle by a long fishing-line attached to the trigger, while the
gun should be fastened to a tree. It blew all to pieces! The
locks were blown entirely away, and the stock was shattered into
fragments: nothing remained but the thick end near the
shoulder-plate. I had received a mysterious presentiment of this;
had I fired that rifle in the usual manner, I must have been
killed on the spot. The charge was five drachms, which was small
in proportion to the weight of the cylindrical projectile. This
may be a warning to such sportsmen who adopt new-fashioned
projectiles to old-fashioned rifles, that were proved with the
spherical bullet, which in weight and friction bears no
proportion to the heavy cylinder; nevertheless, this rifle should
not have burst, and the metal showed great inferiority, by
blowing into fragments instead of splitting.

The leader of Mek Nimmur's party returned, as he had promised, to
be our guide. I extract from my journal, verbatim, my notes upon
that date.

"March 19, 1862.--Started at 1.30 P.M., and halted at 5 P.M.
There is no water for about thirty miles; thus we had watered all
the animals at the usual hour (noon), and they will accordingly
endure until to-morrow evening. Upon ascending the slope of the
Settite valley, the country is an immense plain of fertile soil,
about two hundred feet above the river. While on the march, I
espied a camel wandering without an owner; this was inmmediately
secured as a lawful prize by our guide. This fellow's name is
Mahomet; he is, doubtlessly, an out-and-out scoundrel; he is
about five feet ten inches in height, and as thin as a live man
can be; he is so crafty-looking, and so wiry and eel-like, that
if I were to lock him up I should secure the key-hole, as he
looks capable of squeezing through anything. We slept on the
plain.

"March 20.--Started at 5 A.M., and in three hours we reached the
chain of lofty wooded hills that bound the plain. In a march of
four hours from this point, we arrived at a hor, or ravine, when
we halted beneath a large tamarind tree, and pitched the tent
according to the instructions of our guide. The plain from the
Settite to the base of the hilly range that we had crossed, is
about twenty-two miles wide by forty in length, and, like all the
table-land in this country, it is well adapted for cotton
cultivation. Were the route secure through the Base country,
loaded camels might reach Cassala in six days and from thence to
Souakim. All this country is uninhabited. On arrival at the base
of the first bill, a grove of tamarinds shades a spring, at which
we watered our horses, but the water is impregnated with natron,
which is common throughout this country, and appears in many
places as an efflorescence on the surface of the ground. From the
spring at the eastern base of the hills, we ascended a rugged
pass, winding for some miles among ravines, and crossing elevated
shoulders of the range. Upon the summit we passed a rich mass of
both rose-coloured and white limestone, similar to that we had
seen at Geera; this was surrounded by basalt, and the presence of
limestone entirely mystifles my ideas of geology. Immense
quantities of very beautiful spar lay upon the surface in all
directions; some of this was perfectly white, and veined like an
agate--I believe it was white cornelian; other fragments, of
sizes equalling sixty or seventy pounds weight, were beautifully
green, suggesting the presence of copper. Large masses of
exquisite bloodstone, the size of a man's head, were exceedingly
numerous. Having crossed the hills, we descended to a rich and
park-like valley, covered with grass, and ornamented with fine
timber. Much dhurra was cultivated, and several villages were
passed, that had been plundered by the Egyptians during the
recent attack. This country must be exceedingly unhealthy during
the rainy season, as the soil is extremely rich, and the valleys,
surrounded by hills, would become swamps. From the Settite river,
at Ombrega, to our halting-place beneath the tamarind-tree, at
this spot, is about thirty-five miles south, 10 degrees east."

Our camp was in a favourable locality, well shaded by large
trees, on the margin of a small stream; this was nearly dry at
this season, and the water was extremely bad, having a strong
taste of copper. I had remarked throughout the neighbourhood
unmistakeable evidences of the presence of this metal--the
surface of the rocks was in many places bright green, like
malachite, and, upon an exploration of the bed of the stream, I
found veins of a green substance in the perpendicular cliffs that
had been cut through by the torrent. These green veins passed
through a bed of reddish, hard rock, glistening with minute
crystals, which I believe to have been copper. There is no doubt
that much might be done were the mineral wealth of this country
thoroughly investigated.

The day following our arrival was passed in receiving visits from
a number of Abyssinians, and the head men of Mek Nimmur. There
was a mixture of people, as many of the Jaleen Arabs who had
committed some crime in the Egyptian territory, had fled across
the country and joined the exiled chief of their tribe.
Altogether, the society in this district was not creme de la
creme, as Mek Nimmur's territory was an asylum for all the
blackguards of the adjoining countries, who were attracted by the
excitement and lawlessness of continual border warfare. The troop
that we had seen at Ombrega returned with a hundred and two head
of camels, that they had stolen from the west bank of the Atbara.
Mounted upon hygeens, Mek Nimmur's irregulars thought nothing of
marching sixty miles in one day; thus their attack and retreat
were equally sudden and unexpected.

I had a quantity of rhinoceros hide in pieces of the size
required for shields; these were much prized in this fighting
country, and I presented them to a number of head men who had
honoured us with a visit. I begged them to guide two of my people
to the presence of Mek Nimmur, with a preliminary message. This
they promised to perform. Accordingly, I sent Taher Noor and
Bacheet on horseback, with a most polite message, accompanied
with my card in an envelope, and a small parcel, carefully
wrapped in four or five different papers; this contained a very
beautiful Persian lance-head, of polished steel inlaid with gold,
that I had formerly purchased at Constantinople.

During their absence, we were inundated with visitors, the
Abyssinians, in their tight pantaloons, contrasting strongly with
the loosely-clad Arabs. In about an hour, my messengers returned,
accompanied by two men on horseback, with a hospitable message
fronm Mek Nimmur, and an invitation to pay him a visit at his own
residence. I had some trifling present ready for everybody of
note, and, as Taher Noor and my people had already explained all
they knew concerning us, Mek Nimmur's suspicions had entirely
vanished.

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