ed the most dangerous of
all for shooting. The river is wide and there are many islands and
rocks, the rocks are high, and there are many channels to choose from,
and as I had noticed coming up, many of these channels are too crooked
for shooting especially with a keel boat, all of which makes this rapid,
a dangerous one to shoot. The rocks hide each other and if you clear the
first one you find yourself close on the other. A narrow escape I had on
the east side of Tangur island. The boat following me had taken a sheer
and was obliged to take another channel, which having a swifter current
than the one I had taken, brought this boat up with me below the rock so
close as nearly to cause a disaster.

Colonel Alleyne ordered lunch near the place, where the steamer Gizeh
was wrecked. We could see her high and dry on the rock, where she had
laid some time as I was told. After lunch we started for Ambigol
cataract. On our way we met several large nuggars with their peculiar
sails, going at good speed. These nuggars never track but go up with a
strong breeze. We shot Ambigol cataract between three and four o'clock
and met five whalers at the foot of it. Colonel Alleyne ordered me to go
ashore to speak to them. They were manned by Royal Engineers with
foreman Graham and his voyageurs. We started again downwards and made
Semnah cataract after sunset shortly before dark. Shooting Semnah gate,
finished our day's work and we camped. We had made this day 61 miles.

Dal cataract 5 miles.
From the foot of Dal to the head of Akaska 9 "
Akaska cataract 1 "
From the foot of Akaska to Tangur 14 "
Tangur cataract 3 "
From the foot of Tangur to Ambigol 9 "
Ambigol cataract 1 "
From the foot of Ambigol to Semnah 17 "
Semnah cataract 2 "
---
61 "

This day's experience decided my opinion about the boats. Many of my men
had been portaging on the Ottawa for different lumber firms and all
agreed with me, that whilst the Nile river boats would have been of no
use on the Ottawa, they could not be improved upon for the Nile service
on account of the nature of the river. For the ascents of the river as
well as the cataracts,