Sentry Post 



the light of a generous moon. A sentry post on 

 the extreme left of the position is shown in the 

 illustration. The volcanoes are in the distance. 

 The native seen in this photograph is a small local 

 chief called "Jew," and he looked very like one 

 of the chosen. He never did anything without 

 "backshish," but, on the other hand, he would do 

 anything for money, so that his services were of 

 great value for acquiring information necessary to 

 the expedition as to the movements of the Belgian 

 Congolese troops. Another view shows a sentry 

 post guarding a flank of the position held by 

 friendly auxiliaries under their chief "Jew" (the 

 native holding the black spear in the centre of the 

 picture). He is describing to the corporal com- 

 manding the post all that he and his men had been 

 able to ascertain regarding the disposition and 

 movements of the Belgian Congolese troops. 



I did not obtain any sleep that night, and even 

 if I had desired to do so, I should have found 

 great difficulty in obtaining the slightest cover on 

 that bare ridge. In the meanwhile the intense 

 cold added to our extreme discomfort, and it was 

 with a sense of real relief that I welcomed the faint 

 glow of the next day's light. As soon as the sun 

 was well up, after finishing my camping arrange- 

 ments, I climbed to the highest point of our position 

 and scanned the ridge taken up by the Belgian 

 force, some miles away across our front. I could 

 descry the Belgian soldiers falling in on parade, 

 dressed in their blue uniform with scarlet tarbushes 



171 



