THE ALBERT NYANZA 



a sandbank — an experience not unknown in the past 

 few years to the crew of the launch Kenia — which after 

 all is nought but a crazy little steam launch. 



Bennett, one of the elephant hunters, formerly 

 engineer of the Uganda Marine at Butiaba, was camped 

 close to us and gave me a full account of his adventure 

 in the Mullah country, In a district under the chief 

 Njoro. The Mullah is in the neighbourhood of the 

 mountains which form the boundary between Belgian 

 and Soudanese territory, at the south-western extremity 

 of the Lado Enclave. As Bennett was sitting in his 

 camp one afternoon, the local natives brought food and 

 laid it at his feet. He stooped down to inspect some 

 matama in a gourd, when he was suddenly seized by two 

 fellows from behind. In a wink he was bound from head 

 to foot, and surrounded by an armed mob of savages. 

 His cook was dragged away and seen no more. Bennett 

 was kept in a grass hut until sundown, when he was 

 taken before a native court for trial. As he did not 

 know the language he was entirely ignorant of the 

 sentence passed on him. That night he was again im- 

 prisoned in the hut. Next morning he and his boys were 

 blindfolded and led over rough paths for miles, hatless 

 and practically devoid of clothing. Eventually the 

 bandages were taken from their eyes, and they were free 

 to go. Some few days later they reached Mahagi. 

 Since that period I believe Njoro's people have learnt 

 better. 



On the third morning of our stay here the Semitita 

 arrived with Mr. Britlebank, who had brought over one 

 hundred tusks of ivory down from the Congo. We were 

 told we would probably leave Butiaba the next morning 

 at nine. There was great excitement among the boys 

 at this news, they were all eager to get ahead. Accord- 

 ingly on Tuesday at daybreak we were all ready for 

 the next stage of the trip. The carriers and mules were 



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