The sun was in the zenith. The "Victoria" approached the island.
The negroes, who appeared to be of the Makado tribe, uttered discordant cries. One of them waved his bark head-covering in the air. Kennedy took aim, fired, and the hat was knocked to pieces. There was a general stampede. The natives precipitated themselves into the river, and swam across. From both banks there came a hail of bullets and a shower of arrows, but without any hurt to the balloon, whose grapnel had become fastened in a fissure of a rock. Joe let himself slide down to the ground.
"The ladder, the ladder," cried the doctor. "Follow me Kennedy!"
"What are you going to do?”
"To descend. I want a witness."
"Here I am, then."
"Joe, keep guard, mind."
"All right, sir; I am responsible for everything."
"Come, Dick," said the doctor, putting his foot on the ground.
He led his companion towards a mass of rock that rose up at the extremity of the island. There, after searching for some time, hunting about amongst the brushwood till his hands were cut and bleeding, suddenly he grasped the Scot's arm.
"Look there!" said he.
"Letters!" cried Kennedy.
In fact, two letters engraven in the rock appeared in all their pristine sharpness of outline. They distinctly read:
A. D.
"A. D.," said the doctor. "Andrea Debono! The initials of that very traveler who mounted to the highest point of the course of the Nile."
"That is unimpeachable evidence, friend Samuel."
"Are you now convinced?"
"It is the Nile; we can have no doubt about it."
The doctor took a "last fond look" at the precious initials, of which he made a tracing.
"Now," said he, "for the balloon!"
"Quick, then, for there are some natives preparing to cross the river."
"That does not matter much to us now. If the breeze
