FAREWELL TO AFRICA 425 



and water trying to extricate the truck, but without 

 the assistance of fifteen natives who chanced by, we 

 never could have budged it. We had only moved 

 forward a few hundred yards when another rear axle 

 twisted in two, and for the first time on the expedition 

 I was somewhat discouraged. There was nothing to 

 do but leave the crippled truck and attempt to reach 

 Rahamma in the other, vrhich we finally succeeded in 

 doing after a trek that proved to be anything but a 

 pleasure jaunt. 



We found the framework of a bridge spanning the 

 river near Raliamma, but without any flooring yet in 

 place. Here I put Joe in charge of the equipment, 

 while Jones and I returned to the other truck. It 

 took us two and one-half days to transport the balance 

 of our goods and tow the disabled truck to the bridge. 

 Meantime Joe had moved us into some large dry huts 

 maintained as rest houses by the government; but we 

 found that the white construction foreman had failed 

 to keep his promise of placing planks across the struc- 

 ture so that we could pass, his excuse being that it 

 was a hohday and the natives refused to work. The 

 truth of the matter was that he had become paralyzed 

 di'unk on gin, entirely forgetting to give the native 

 workmen the necessary orders. When the planks were 

 finally provided and the trucks pushed across, we placed 

 the crippled one on a railroad flat car, and, putting 

 Maniki in charge, I dispatched it to Zaria. With the 

 balance of the equipment packed on the remaining 

 truck, we prepared to push tlirough to Kaduna. 



On the evening before our departure we were guests 

 of a British officer formerly of the Indian army. He 

 served us with a dish found only in this part of the 



