HUNTING AND HUNTED IN BELGIAN CONGO 



about forty miles, taking anything from twenty-eight 

 hours and over to accomplish. 



On the day of our sojourn here we ran short of sugar. 

 Rather than open up the loads in the sheds, we decided 

 to ride over and visit an Indian store. It was about nine 

 in the morning when we dismounted in front of a broken- 

 down grass and mud hut. Except that it was a square- 

 shaped building, there was nothing to distinguish it 

 from the native huts around. I knocked at the door, 

 but as no response came after repeated kicking and 

 hammering, I pushed the door in. It was the store right 

 enough, but the sight of a filthy scraggy piece of Eastern 

 humanity, lying fast asleep amidst the very sugar we had 

 come to buy, at once prejudiced us against the place. 

 The store was in semi-darkness, rats scampered away 

 to the corners as the filthy brute sat up and stared 

 vacantly at us, rubbing his eyes with both fists, and at 

 the same time expectorating all over his wares. Need I 

 say that we rode away without purchasing the sugar ? 



On the Sunday afternoon the entire population, some 

 seven Europeans all told, came to our camp, and we had 

 a very enjoyable time. The gramophone delighted all 

 as we listened to the strains of " Oh ! Oh ! Antonio," 

 and other familiar songs. It seemed strange to be there 

 listening to Harry Lauder, Marie Lloyd, etc., in the heart 

 of Africa. Our porters and the local natives were all 

 eyes and mouths at this innovation. It was at once 

 dubbed by them as a " Kinanda," which in the Swahili 

 language means apparently anything that makes music. 

 Pianos and mouth organs are alike named Kinanda. 

 We had several French records, and " Chez le dentiste," 

 a duologue with the screams of the unfortunate patient, 

 created roars of laughter. Another gave selections of 

 bugle calls of the British Army, at which my syce, who 

 had heard the bugler at Kampala, and was himself 

 frequently subject to fits of " army fever," would jump 



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