McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1885-01-01
UP THE NILE.
tourney Of the Canadian voyageurs to wady
haifa-Unfortunate Trouble With the Ma
ttves-The First Canoe on the Nile.

L OhloIttIute lrOuDlc W lLu the NJ
uves-The First Canoe on the Nile.
I A Montreal Star correspondent, who
rs with the Canadian voyageurs, writ
1ng from Korosko, Nubia, under date
81 Oct. "a, says: A good many of our
friends at home may have heard I'M
favorable reports concerning the eff
cheney as boatmen of large proper
ton OF our number. Individuals I'M
friendly to us and our expedition have,
1or reasons best known to themselves,
cndeavored to diffuse these Injurious
and false impressions among the peo-
pie with regard TO us. None of us are
angels, but on this occasion the large
majority of us wish to do well. to gain
credit and honor for ourselves, and
satisfy our employers. Some of the
more turbulent and thoughtless may
compromise the honor of the whole, it
as true, but the sins of the few should
not be saddled on the MANY, who
frown on misconduct. AS to the eff
cheney of our men as boatmen j have
no more doubts whatever; personal
conversation with nearly every indi-
vldual man in the corps, whom had
reason to suspect of incapacity, have
convinced me of that. 1t must be re-
membered that the force was recruit
ed, equipped, partially organized, and
sailed within eleven days from the
time the first enlistment was made.
Under these circumstances if few in
siividuals of limited experience as voy-
ageurs have slipped in, this will gen.
orally be admitted to have been next
to unavoidable. Or this class l feel
positive that there are not more than
b per cent of the whole.
! 1t took the Bearah and tow twenty
six hours to traverse the distance from
Edfou to Sohag, the first point of i'm
portance reached above Stout. 1t
must be remembered that the muddy
current of the Nile is vely swift, rum
ming in many places at the rate of over
live miles an hour. The average daily
run was, think, about three and a
half miles. Sohag has the reputation
of being the dirtiest town upon the
Nile. Sohag can boast of mudir. or
governor, who speaks French, and re-
eeived some of our men with much
ooliteness and treated them to coffee.
There is also an infantry branch with
u company or two of Egyptian soldiers,
wearing neat, white, twill uniform
and crimson fez. Our stay in Sohag
was short. Just as we were about
leaving, small launch, coming from
below, steamed up smartly to our side.
IA young Englishman of fair appear
hnce but slight proportions came on
board to see our officers. We learned
afterward that he was a Mr.. Ingram,
one of the proprietors of The Illustrated
London NeaOs. Some of your readers
may remember that his father, the
founder of the paper, and member
of the house of commons of England,
perished at the time of the visit of the
prince of Wales, on Lake Michigan,
while crossing from Grand Haven to
Milwaukee. Mr.. Ingram, Jr., hopes
to reach the Soudan in his very tiny
launch, and intends joining there his
artist, Melon Pryor.
i Beyond Sohag, we tarried for the
night opposite Beiges, place of no
considerable note. There happened
here a rather serious accident. which
caused. we subsequently heard, the
death of an unfortunate native, and
anay yet get some of our party in Sc
-ious trouble before their visit to
Egypt is over. 1t was still daylight.
Several men started for the neighbor-
ing hills. Among them were two
Young fellows named respectively Da-
Wis and Mathieson. One of them car
-ied a small revolver in his pocket.
While passing near cultivated fields
.hey noticed a curious stone figure
near by, put up perhaps as fetish or
scarecrow. They thought it would be
good fun to try few pot shots at this
image, which they did accordingly,
and then continued on their way.
Later on they returned to the barges,
quite unconscious of having done any
harm. In the meantime another party
composed of soldiers and voyageurs
started in an opposite direction. They
were not long before they stumbled
on a melon patch. Natives, however,
were watching it, as they did not wish
to be plundered without remonstrance.
An alteration ensued, in whic he
natives were worsted, and one of them
was then supposed to have been Sc
verely handled. In consequence of
this our officers caused an order to be
issued that on no pretext whatever
would the men be again allowed to
land without official leave. Three or
four days after that special came
from the commandant at Assouan to
Col. Denison to the effect that the
mudir of Girgeh had reported that a
native had been killed while watching
mis- fields, by men who were firing at
an image, and that considerable ex-
element existed in that locality over
the outrage, and requesting that steps
De taken to bring the guilty parties to
account. This accusation created
great surprise and Indignation among
Is all. A board of officers was assem-
,led to inquire into the matter, and
he facts as related above came to
light. Both occurrences were very
Unfortunate and much to be reg tied.
The killing of the man appears to have
,een puerly accidental. The other af-
lair has not been brought officially to
The notice of the authorities, but was
severely condemned. The apparently
ruilty parties have not been placed
3ndeI arrest, but are under surveil-