Lake Victoria to Khartoum 



I found that I was to travel in company with 

 friends once more — a great relief to the mono- 

 tony of the journey — as Captain Edwards, the 

 Inspector-General of Police, accompanied by Mrs. 

 Edwards, " blew in " from the annual inspection 

 of his men in the north. The small steam-launch 

 would be somewhat crowded, and an extra man 

 would doubtless somewhat inconvenience a lady 

 in the cramped accommodation at our disposal ; 

 but we were great friends and looked forward to 

 a most cheery time. Captain Edwards was full 

 of disgust with himself, as he had come across 

 elephants on his trek, had hit a magnificent 

 tusker, and had pursued it through swamps and 

 jungle for two days from early morn till dewy eve, 

 only to track it up into unfriendly country where 

 the chief was a well-known ivory thief and had 

 refused to aid him in its further pursuit. What 

 annoyed him most, however, was that, just before 

 embarking on the steam-launch, a man came in, 

 hot foot, with the news that this hoary old robber 

 had actually "collected" the tusks and had 

 refused, point-blank, to give them up to the 

 Government. This was adding insult to injury, 

 but there was nothing for it but to journey on 

 without them. That evening — the first out from 

 Nimule — we tied up and landed at the old 

 deserted Belgian station of Dufile. We found 

 the paths overgrown with grass and weeds. Of 

 the houses, made of brick and thatched with 



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