warm.

On the 3rd of December, having pushed on in spite of the attempts of the
friendly chiefs to detain them, they came in sight of what they supposed
to be Petherick's outposts, in north latitude 3 degrees 10 minutes 33
seconds. The Seedees immediately began firing away their carbines.
Directly afterwards bang, crack, bang! was heard from the distant camp,
when, in an instant, every height was seen covered with men. The
travellers and their attendants hastened on, when before them appeared
three large red flags, heading a military procession which marched out
of the camp, with drums and fifes playing. Speke's party halted, when a
black officer, Mahamed, in Egyptian regimentals, hastened from the head
of his ragamuffin regiment, a mixture of Nubians, Egyptians, and slaves
of all sorts, which he had ordered to halt, and, throwing himself into
Speke's arms, began to hug and kiss him.

Petherick was enquired for. "He is coming," was the answer. "What
colours are those?"

"Oh, they are Debono's."

"Who is Debono?" was asked. "The same as Petric," answered Mahamed.

Mahamed soon had dinner for them, and they enjoyed a better repast than
they had done for many a day. Then the greatest treat was to come--
water with which to wash their hands, and the luxury of soap. The
remains of their repast was then placed before their faithful Seedees.

On retiring to their hut at night they offered up a prayer of
thankfulness to the Almighty for having preserved them through so many
difficulties, and at length, by His all-protecting arm, brought them in
safety to the boundary of civilisation after twenty-six months of
unceasing toil and anxiety. They had still, however, a considerable
distance to march before they were to meet with civilised men.

Their host, Mahamed, was little better than a land pirate, who plundered
and shot down the natives without compunction. Among his troops there
was not a true Turk, wool predominating on their heads. They were
adventurers, born from negro stock in the most southern Egyptian
dominions. Numbers of such characters are found at Khartoum, ready for
any employment. The merchants engage them there, and send them into the
interior under the command of a chief to collect ivory and slaves. They
were all married to women of the country, whom they had dressed in
cloths and beads.

Mahamed, like the black chiefs, wished to detain the travellers, that
they and their party might guard