14 CHIEFS & CITIES OF CENTRAL AFRICA 



but that my pace had been too fast to please Mastaba. 

 Then we had an excellent cook, who always went by 

 the title of his profession, with the addition of one 

 syllable, without which no one knew of whom we were 

 speaking — cookoo. He received by far the biggest 

 wages of the party, 50s. a-month, and he deserved them, 

 for however long the march, and whatever the scarcity 

 of utensils, he never failed to cook us a good meal. 

 Situ was the Admirable Crichton of the establishment, 

 and did everything that we required personally, with 

 the assistance of Small Boy, who is an invariable 

 adjunct of every household. Ours was a pleasant, 

 sharp little fellow, and a favourite with every one. 

 Once we were asked to name our retinue for official 

 purposes, and summoned the lad to answer for himself, 

 but he only knew himself as "Small Boy," and was 

 troubled when we pressed him for another name. He 

 received the modest wage of 10s. a-month. These 

 three remained with us to the end, and are still 

 with the Talbots in Southern Nigeria. Kukaua, an 

 ex-soldier, was engaged as gun-boy for 25s. a-month. 

 His home was at Maifoni, where he wished to return, 

 and he brought his piccan with him from Lokoja, a 

 very small girl of philosophical disposition. She had 

 been scuffled on board the Sultan at the last moment 

 without leave, and now at Yola it seemed unsuitable to 

 expose the child to our long land marches. Her father, 

 however, pleaded so hard that he was given permission 

 to bring her if he would engage a man to carry her. 

 Thus peace was restored, but not for long : the inter- 

 preter came raging to ask if it was indeed our wish 

 that he should carry the child, for Kukaua had given 

 her to him with that announcement ! A cook's mate 

 and washerman completed the party. The latter, a 



