Bound for Khartoum Once More 



and my servant for a load, to see what would 

 happen. The idea proved excellent, so we 

 returned and strengthened the contrivance with 

 stout cross - pieces of wood. Now the true 

 value of a really good servant showed itself. 

 The man, a Swahili, knew me and trusted me, 

 having been in my service for four years. He 

 took charge of one bank of the river, whilst I, 

 on the other, saw the things loaded up and 

 despatched. If there was any nonsense or delay 

 on his bank the men " knew all about it," with 

 the result that, starting at dawn, I found a com- 

 fortable camp with a huge fire, and dinner, ready 

 after the last man had been got over. It was 

 a hard day's work, and nearly spoilt by the bull- 

 terrier jumping overboard half-way across and 

 being washed away down stream in his efforts 

 to rejoin his master. Bull-terriers are the most 

 affectionate animals I know. 



The other two rivers, the Uma and the Kit, 

 were only waist high when we met them, so they 

 were mere child's play as compared to this one. 



We had been obliged to cross the Assua on the 

 cart-road, at the place where Churchill had made 

 the passage, as lower down near the Nile it was 

 deeper and quite impassable. Next day we made 

 tracks for the Nile once more, so as to hit off the 

 village of my old friend Kuyu, the hero of the 

 hippo incident. There might be elephant there, 

 so they thought, but it was impossible say with 



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