an would consider it strange indeed were the terms he first
asked to be accepted. But at last an arrangement satisfactory to both
parties was concluded. It was arranged that the start should take
place early on the following morning, and Chigron then proceeded with
Jethro to make the purchases requisite for the voyage--mats, cushions,
and curtains for furnishing the boat, cooking utensils and provisions
for the crew and passengers. Of these, however, it was not necessary
to take a very large quantity, as the boat would lie up to the bank
every night near one of the frequent villages, and here there would be
no difficulty in purchasing provisions of all kinds.

Some jars of good wine were, however, among the stores purchased, and
in addition to these were several bales of costly merchandise and a
large stock of such articles as would be useful for trade with the
natives of the wilder parts of the country. A supply of arms--bows,
arrows, and lances--was also placed on board. It was late in the
afternoon before all these things were got on board the boat and
everything arranged in order. Having seen all complete, Chigron
returned with Jethro to his house. Jethro, after seeing the girls, who
had just woke up and partaken of a meal, went up to the hiding-place
on the hill and found that Amuba had just joined Chebron there.

"Is all going on well?" the lads asked as he entered.

"Everything is in readiness. The boat is hired and furnished. I have a
good store of merchandise for trading in Meroe, besides trinkets of
many kinds for the peoples lying between Meroe and the Red Sea. So far
everything promises well. The boatmen belong to the Upper Nile, and
their dialect differs too widely from that spoken here for them to be
able to distinguish that I do not talk pure Egyptian. I wondered why
it was that Chigron was such a long time in making his choice between
the boats, when, as far as I could see, there were scores that would
have equally suited our purpose. But I found afterward that it was the
boatmen rather than the boat which he was selecting, and that he chose
those coming from far up the river, partly because their speech
differed so widely from that of Thebes that they would not detect the
roughness of my tongue; and secondly, because they would be more
likely to continue the voyage further to the south than would the
boatmen of this port, who would regard it as a serious undertaking to
proceed beyond Ibsciak. Therefor