GAKUA AND THE NORTH KAMERUN 17 



water washing clothes ; others wrung them out upon 

 the shore ; others again were bathing, and swam with a 

 splashy, over-arm action ; while the path was dotted 

 with girls who, with easy, graceful poise, carried on 

 their heads big water-pots, which they came to fill 

 at the river. Farther on horses were being watered, 

 fine animals in splendid condition. They were supplied 

 to the German fort by the Chief of Garua, who takes 

 back each horse by arrangement, as it gets past the 

 perfection of its strength, for great importance is 

 attached to their speed and fitness for gun practice. 



Numbers of British, French, and Germans were at 

 the wharf directing operations ; and when the Nigeria 

 steamed up, and they saw that she had ladies on 

 board, they instinctively raised their helmets. This 

 imprudence brought before our eyes a vision of sun- 

 struck men, stretched dead and dying on the beach ; 

 however, they not only survived, but came on board 

 to greet us. We pressed Mrs Talbot forward as 

 linguist of the party, but she brought dumbness on 

 us all by addressing a fluent German sentence to a 

 man who unluckily proved to be French, and ignorant 

 of all but his mother-tongue. He seemed much dis- 

 tressed to be the cause of our confusion, and hastened 

 to relieve it by the statement that his Government 

 were sending an ofiicer to meet us, who was expected 

 to arrive next day. Filled with wonder, we pointed 

 out that our visit to Garua was unpremeditated 

 and that we had made no tryst ; but he politely 

 informed us that our coming had been foreseen for 

 many weeks. 



Our first act was to call and report ourselves to 

 the military resident. A short, steep incline brought 



B 



