before they could get through. We were more fortunate; for suddenly, I know not how, our boat shot out of the uncanny gulf, and we drifted away.
On October the 3rd we went down the Kaibar cataract, which presents no serious difficulties, and on the 4th reached the large village of Kub-el-Selim on the west bank, a thriving-looking settlement surrounded by great groves of date-palms. This was the country of Oshea, and he was to leave our service here, so we put him on shore. He insisted on taking us to see his house. I now realised that our camel-driver was a man of considerable importance when at home. He was a member of the chief family of the place, and his brother was sheikh of the village. Oshea owned many date-trees and cattle. He possessed a spacious house of many chambers, wherein dwelt his wife and children. He had a second wife at some place further north, and told us that he now intended, despite his years, to invest a portion of the wages he had received from us in the purchase of yet a third and younger wife, for whom he intended to set up an establishment in Dongola. He would thus never be far removed from some home and family during his wanderings up and down the Nile. Hospitable as behoves an Arab, Oshea regaled us with coffee, cakes, and dates from his own palm-groves, and gave us a fat sheep to take on board with us.
