d their luggage on board.
I had the honor to start in boat No. 1 with Col. Alleyne on board, the
officers taking a boat each of different numbers, reached Sarras about 5
p. m. a distance of eighteen miles. The river here is very narrow, in
some places about a thousand feet and the current very swift. I had to
get a line out only once. At Sarras each boat took on nearly two tons of
ammunition and stores, also additional passengers. We proceeded two
miles up and camped. There were many islands and rocks both in sight and
sunken, but room enough to go anywhere. The shores are barren rock.
Starting next day with a light breeze, I soon found that I wanted more
wind to proceed under sail as the current grew swifter and my boat had
now on board, besides Col. Alleyne, his servant, his interpreter, one
corporal and one native swimmer, then myself with five men and about two
tons of freight. This was the time to find out what we could do with our
boats, the north wind had freshened, which gave us more speed and with
the help of five good oars we dodged the swift currents, catching eddies
and after two hours trial the captains congratulated each other upon
being masters of the situation. We soon began to race, each captain
using his own judgment as to which channel to take, which gave each a
chance to be ahead or behind according to his luck. When I signalled for
dinner all headed for shore and it was here that Louis Capitaine was so
unaccountably lost, within sixty feet from shore. Louis had the bow oar
in Peter January's boat and he rose when nearing shore. While standing
in the bow he fell over, the headway of the boat made the distance a
hundred feet before he was seen to rise. Lieut. Perry threw a
life-preserver and ordered the Arab swimmer, which this boat carried, to
assist him, the swimmer jumped immediately and swam towards the spot but
Louis disappeared before assistance reached him. My boat was about sixty
yards behind Peter's boat coming up in the eddy behind a rock. When
striking the current I noticed Louis' helmet and the Arab swimmer. We
went ashore to prepare dinner and I really believe that Colonel Alleyne,
the officer in charge of this convoy, felt so badly about this accident,
that he did not take anything. He hired natives to search for the body
and give it decent burial, if found. After dinner we proceeded with one
man short. The water not being so bad we made the Semnah cataract that
afternoon. This cataract wa