African Buffalo Shooting. 167 



creek, and be devoured all night by mosquitoes, and, 

 what is far worse, sandflies ; but all things have an 

 end, and we reached our landing place the following 

 midday. The overseer (a West Indian, with rather a 

 pretty wife, more like an Indian than an African) in 

 charge put me up, and sent off a letter for me to the 

 recruiting officer, requesting him to send down a pony 

 and porters. Money is useless in this part of the 

 world ; everything is done by barter, the chief thing 

 in demand being salt. This is sewn up in sacks of 

 100 Ibs., and at times 120 Ibs, and as the men will do 

 nothing, the carriers are women, both young and old. 

 Everything they carry on their heads, and once a load 

 is placed on a female, her head seems to sink between 

 her shoulders, and she has to toil nine or ten miles 

 before she can rest, or be relieved, for as every one is 

 similarly loaded they cannot assist each other, as no 

 single person could lift such a load off and replace it. 

 I did pity the poor creatures, but there was no help 

 for it. 



About ten next day the pony and porters arrived, 

 and I started for the large town of Bida, 1 the residence 

 of the principal chief in that part of Africa south of 

 Sacota ; but as I did not know the way to it I had to 

 go at a walk, as the beast I bestrode wanted to say 

 its prayers every few minutes ; such a broken-down 

 " yahoo " I never saw in all my life. I got to Bida 

 about 2 P.M., and received a friendly reception from 

 L., the recruiting officer; B., his adjutant; K., a 

 Swede ; P., and a medica] officer. 



The houses are circular in shape, with conical, 

 extinguisher-like roofs, and are surrounded by walls 



1 Capital of the Nupe Country. 



