dness to begin the ascent of the White Nile, and carry
out the objects she had proposed to herself. It was pleasant to gaze on
the fair landscapes which lined the banks of the great river. Its serene
loveliness charmed her, and she compared it, not inappropriately, to
Virginia Water, the picturesque miniature lake which shines amid the
foliaged depths of Windsor Forest. Pleasant to look upon were the dense
groups of shapely trees: palms, mimosas, acacias, the gum-tree--which
frequently rivals the oak in size--and the graceful tamarisk. Myriads of
shrubs furnish the blue ape with a shelter; the air sparkles with the
many-coloured wings of swarms of birds. On the broad bright bosom of the
stream spread the large leaves and white flowers of colossal lilies,
among which the crocodile and hippopotamus pursue their unwieldy
pastime.

How marvellous the effects of colour, when this romantic scene is
flooded in the glowing sunshine. Through the transparent air every
object is seen with a sharp, clear outline, and the sense of distance is
overcome. When a shadow falls it is defined as boldly as on canvas; no
generous mist softens or conceals it; everything is shown as frankly as
in a mirror. In the noontide heats all nature is as silent here as in
the virgin forests of the New World; but when the cool breath of evening
begins to be felt, and that luminous darkness which is the glory of a
summer night in Central Africa folds softly over the picture, the
multiform life of earth swiftly re-awakens; birds and butterflies hover
in the air, the monkeys chatter merrily, and leap from bough to bough.
The sounds which then arise--song and hum and murmur, the roll of the
river, the drone of insects, the cries of the wild beasts--all seem to
blend in one grand vesper harmony--one choral hymn of thanksgiving to
the Lord of life. These are generally hushed as the night advances; and
then swarms of fire-flies and glow-worms light their tiny torches and
illuminate the dark with a magical display; while the drowsy air hangs
heavy with the sweet and subtle odours exhaled from the corollas of the
plants which open only in night's cool and tranquil hours.

Such a landscape as this, with its gorgeous colour and its novel life,
harmonized admirably with Miss Tinne's poetical and dreamy temperament.
She had realized her visions; the romance of the East was around her,
and she the most conspicuous figure in it. Through the different Nile
villages the