UNCANNY COOKERY 



ammunition across it. One huge trunk swerved round, 

 and, driven by the rushing waters, was carried along at a 

 great pace. The struggling boys in the water had great 

 difficulty in keeping clear of the mass of timber and 

 branches as it swept down upon them. 



At the next village the natives brought a number of 

 dried and half-smoked fish up to my camp. It was the 

 first and last day of fish diet that the boys had with me. 

 No attempt could ever convey on paper any idea of the 

 awful aroma that emanated from this form of food. I 

 gave orders that in future no one was to have fish in the 

 camp. The next day on march I happened to be in the 

 rear of the safari with a gentle breeze blowing on my 

 face, when suddenly an awful smell struck me ; calling 

 a halt I made every boy put down his load ; all faces 

 were turned towards me with an expectant air. 



" Now then," I shouted. " Some one has got fish 

 here; out with it." 



They looked at each other and then at me — 

 " Fish, oh no, Bwana, the fish was eaten yesterday." 

 I had every load untied and examined, and as I 

 suspected, pieces of fish, black and putrid and hard as 

 a board, were hidden away in three or four loads, one 

 piece was actually tied on my kit-bag wrapped in the 

 boy's blanket. To my very face he had the audacity 

 to say — 



" That is not fish, Bwana, it only smells like it." 

 " Only " — was there ever such a smell, that I could 

 possibly have been mistaken ? Certainly not, and when 

 he unfolded his blanket there lay before my eyes another 

 consignment. Other boys had pieces wrapped in large 

 leaves and cunningly stowed away in the loads. I dis- 

 covered afterwards that Salem had the largest stock of 

 this delicacy. Seeing that they were so fond of this form 

 of food I suggested that they should sit down there and 

 then and finish off the offensive stuff. They were all 



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