Litchfield enquirer., 1852-11-11
Am Attempt at Burning Ont Lions The Scenery OE tho White Nile-Al Arab Welcome.
On the White Nile, Central Africa,
 Monday, January 26, 1852.

the river was rough and agltated. We all went to, sleep therefore, feeling certain that no predatory canoes would venture to follow us. Yesterday evening at sun set we passed the Island of Hassaniyeb, and are now beyond the frontier of the negro kingdom. The wind has fallen and the sailors are rowing lustily down stream singing the while a barbaric chorus which they learned fro m the slaves brought from
 Fazogl.
 Yesterday morning there was strong head wind, and the temperature was so cold that 1 was obliged to wear my thick capote of camel's hair while Lsatondeck, looking respectfully at the beautiful islands was leaving 5so'';"A me. Acbmet heat ed and strained the honey given me by the Shillooks, which yielded. between g. and 4, quarts of rich liquid. Weile the men made fast to the bank for breakfast. l went on shore to get a glimpse of the country behind the.torests. Paths trod- den by wild beasts led through the walls of tangled vines that elsewhere were inl- penet:able. and Lcrept along them, under the boughs of strange trees, ,yand,through lhickets of luxuriant shrubs. At length AreacEed. an. open patch of grass, four or, five feet, in. height, and so dry and yell low, that it. snapped like glass under my feet. Il was dotted with c!umps of high shrubs, knotted all over with wild, flow ering vines, which formed admirable lairs for the lions and leopards., There was strong smell of lions. about the place, and l deemed it prudent not to venture tar' since the ,ank animal odor peculiar to that beast grew more marked tue further I went The jungle in, which | stood covered tongue of land inclosed be- tween two coves ofthe river, and through the openings in the thickets l. saw that Il led to others further inland. The wind was blowing towards. the river,- and as stood in the midst, contemplating the
 wind, lawless grouping of the different trees and shrubs, some imp of darkness whispered in my ear: "What magu.6, ;cent conAagration this would make and Ethcn, perhaps. you might have the satis-
 faction of burning out a brace ot iinn' l-
 M;thou ..,vIc auO, whlpped out Do> of matches and struck fire Tn one of tho Ethickest tufts. t.... F The effect was instan taneous, and st
 was my repentance. There was a cracl and crash. like the explosion of powder ,and sheet of red flame leaped into the Eair In few seconds it had spread tt
 a broad swathe of fire, rolling rapidly
 before the wind, and leaving the eartl 'behnd it as bear as the palm. of my hand
 The rank grass roared and snapped al
 the terrible power I had so thoughtless'
 ly awakened. licked it away :and not tho
 grass alone. It seized on the vines ant bore them down, swung, itself by then
 into the boughs of the trees, and fount richer ailments and juices. ltspread oI
 both sides and against the wind. and sool
 the iong spires of scarlet flame. twisting in the air. rose high and. hot above th'
 dome. like tops of the amback forest.-
 Before we left the place. the volumes o smoke reached nearly to the other sid of tue Nile. As heard. its releniles leet trampling down tine thickets. tor , mented myself with pictures of the eyl : which I had perhaps originated. fan , ced it spreading from day to day, lap ping the woods in coils of flame an Ringing their burning boughs from islam . to island. till of all the glory of vegeta , Lion. which had filled me with such rap .. ture, there was nollhsg but few char red trunks standing in beds of ashes.
 saw the natives withtheir hocks and herd flying before it, tie wild beasts leapInl into the flood for refuge ftomits ed fangs and all this glorious region given up C 7 terror and desola,ion. As we moved
 slowly away, against the wind. l watch . ed its progress with troubled conscienc [ and an anxious heart Now it paused ) ami 1 fattered myself that there was tn end but the next moment the black cloud rolled up denser than ever. Thus 1t wa vered for some time, but at last, tLan God it seemed io'fade gradually away and gave myself the hope that 1t ha' uot extended beyond the jut of lan' . whereon it was kindled. a... II
 At noon we passed the locality mark
 ed on D'Arnaud's map as El'Ais. bu there was no sign of lIabitation. The ral said there was town some distance In land. but it is now deserted. The rive
 here makes curve to the west. and ou
 small stern sail was bound to the fore mast, in order to use the side. wind. M.
 sailors were all unremitting in their la
 borg. and rowed, poled and tackled th
 whole day. ! sat in the sun all the wh lle
 looking on the incomparabls shores. w saw multitud ss of gazelles along the wa
 ter's edge. on both sides. They were Il
 companies of forty and fifty. and so Iittl
 shy, that they often allowed Us to ap.
 proach within fifty yards. Wild fowl are as abundant as ever, and l eontinu
 ally regret having brought no rifle an tow ling piece. When we reached th N