446 THROUGH AFRICA FROM THE CAPE TO CAIRO. 



by poking my empty rifle in the pit of his stomach, and the ensuing 

 pause oTRve me time to slip in a cartrido-e and finish him. The rest 

 then drew ofl' to about 800 yards, which they evidently considered a 

 safe distance. An enormous man, of about 6 feet 6 inches, who had 

 caused most of the trouble in camj), tried to lead them on again, and 

 if he is still alive he knows more alH)ut the eti'ects of a dumdum bullet 

 than most men. I shoidd niiuh like to have given them a severe les- 

 son, but, as 1 had very few cartridges, T knocked another gentleman 

 oil' an ant-hill at long range, and, having thus given them an idea of 

 -the uses of a gun, made forced marches out of the country, fearing 

 that they might return in ovei'whclming numbers. One of my boys, 

 who lagged behind for a fe^^ moments despite m^- repeated warnings, 

 vanished completely. 



The Nuers are similar in ap])earance to the Dinkas, but rather 

 smaller; they wear iron earrings, some of which were a foot in diam- 

 eter, and cultivate their hair with the greatest care, binding it up with 

 rings of cowries. TluMr method of showing respect, as with the Dinkas, 

 is spitting on the object of their attentions. The last ten days of the 

 march were terrible. Far as the eye could reach, one vast shimmering 

 waste of burnt reed, sun-l)aked nuid. and marabout storks; the Zaraf 

 flowing between parallel nuid ))anks, lined with crocodiles; never a 

 native, never a living beast, with the exception of the dismal hoppos, ' 

 solenm mara])outs, and screaming kites; no trees, no bushes, no grass; 

 nothing even to boil a cup of tea, and our diet of liippo meat or pelican 

 steak, with no bread or even grain, was rapidly telling on our health; 

 so that it was a moment of intense jo}' when I unexpectedly met Major 

 Dunn, of Major Peake's sudd-cutting expedition, who was up the Zaraf 

 shooting. 



It was diificult to realize that it was at last over. From Sobat to 

 Cairo was covered in a fortnight of wild hospitality, a distance equal 

 to that which had necessitated eighteen months of weary toil. The 

 maps were worked out with a watch and prismatic compass and ane- 

 roid; to regulate my errors, I took Usaml)ara, Vichumbi, and Katwe 

 as fixed points. We were unfortunate in having to leave our theodo- 

 lite behind for lack of transport, and in losing our sextant and l)oiling- 

 point thermometer in a raid that the Waruanda made on us one night 

 at the beginning of our trip. The exceedingly bill}" nature of part 

 of the country traversed added to the difiicult}" of judging distance 

 covered. However, I trust that the maps will more or less serve the 

 purpose for which I intended them — that of clearly showing what dif- 

 ficulties the railway and telegraph will have to contend with — such as 

 physical features, labor, and supplies. The immense difiiculties of 

 transport and the work entailed in keeping a caravan thoroughly in 

 hand, which is so essential when traveling without an armed force, 

 precluded all possibility of making collections; and our photographic 



