88 CANOES AND A VOYAGE 



and a paddler who is very much out of time with the 

 rest of the crew is greeted with yells of derision. 



The time is set by the two bow paddlers (" Balambi "), 

 usually picked men. In my big canoe one was nearly 

 blind from smallpox ; he was a native of the Sesse Isles, 

 as are all the best canoe men. 



The steersman (" Omugoba ") also is one of the best 

 paddlers, and in a high beam wind has all his work cut 

 out to prevent the canoe from falling off her course, as 

 I have often experienced ! For any slight correction 

 he uses a peculiar stroke ; putting the paddle into the 

 v/ater as far away from the canoe as he can reach, with 

 powerful jerking movements, all his body and arms rigid, 

 he pulls the paddle through the water towards him with 

 a succession of rapid strokes. In a very heavy wind and 

 sea, however, with a large canoe, this may not be sufficient, 

 and the steersman then has to make a rudder of his paddle 

 by using the projecting end of the thwart (" Empumi ") 

 as a fulcrum, whereby great leverage can be obtained. 

 The bowmen also help to pull the canoe's head round 

 into the proper course by putting the paddle well away 

 from the canoe and making the stroke towards the canoe, 

 on whichever side it is necessary. 



On March 1, 1913, I started off on a "joy ride " to 

 see Nkosi, the southernmost isle of all the Sesse group, 

 which I had long wanted to see. The party consisted of 

 twelve paddlers, three boys and myself, with food for 

 four days and camp equipment in one canoe. At 7' 30 w^e 

 got away, on a glorious, calm, sunny morning, in good 

 spirits at the prospect of a change after over a year spent 

 in the same camp on Bugalla. As we passed the north- 

 east cape of Bugalla there was a fine Situtunga buck on 

 the crest of the hill, but I could not see its horns, which 

 the men said were of a good size. We w^ent southwards 

 down the channel between Bugalla and Bunyama, and 

 it was so calm that one saw well the lung fish that came 



