Our Rais put to land about noon, the wind falling, and rocks and rapids
of formidable appearance being right ahead.[13] We have made about eight
miles to-day. Saw about two miles above us a number of boats lying to
the shore, apparently obstructed by the rapid just mentioned. About the
middle of the afternoon, in walking along the shore, saw a crocodile;
it was small, about three feet in length. When I came upon him, he was
sunning himself on the shore; on seeing me, he ran with great rapidity
and plunged into the river.

7th of Safa. Got under way about two hours after sunrise, to pass the
rocks and rapids already mentioned. The passage was dangerous, and the
boat thrice in imminent peril. We struck once on rocks under water,
where the current was running probably at the rate of six knots an hour.

The current, after about ten minutes, swept the boat off without having
received a hole in her bottom, otherwise we must probably have perished.
Shortly after we were jammed between a great shallow whirlpool and a
large boat on our starboard beam. This boat was dashed by the current
against ours, and menaced to shove her into the whirlpool. The long
lateen yards of the two boats got entangled, and I was prepared to leap
into the other boat, in anticipation of the destruction of ours, when
the wind freshened, and the large boat was enabled to get clear of ours.
Not long after, the same boat fell aboard of us the second time, in
a place where, if our boat had drifted twice her length to leeward or
astern, she must have run upon rocks. All these accidents befell us,
having under our eyes, at no great distance from us, the wreck of a boat
lost in this passage three or four days ago.[14] After being for about two
hours in danger, the boat arrived at the west bank of the river, where
we found many more waiting a sufficient wind to be enabled to clear the