GARUA AND THE NORTH KAMERUN 31 



plenty of stabling. They are well situated near 

 water and under shady trees, and are far enough 

 from the village to avoid inconvenience of smell or 

 noise, but are easily supplied thence with food. One 

 of the inhabitants is appointed by Government as 

 camp caretaker, and receives the regular fee of -^d. 

 per carrier. 



The land is little cultivated, for the people are 

 pastoral, and it was difficult to get a sufficient 

 supply of corn for so large a party as ours. In 

 fact, the chiefs were decidedly stingy about it, but 

 w^hen they received a dash (a present) in addition 

 to payment their liberality increased. We required 

 two or three extra carriers to supplement our knock- 

 kneed lot, and they came without a murmur, but to 

 our astonishment fled in the night without payment 

 rather than risk being asked to come on another 

 march. 



Mr Talbot headed our little procession, and behind 

 him walked Aji his horse-boy, Kukaua his gun-boy, 

 and Momo the interpreter ; then Mrs Talbot, with 

 Jimba Giri her horse-boy pushing or thrashing her 

 sedate steed from the rear ; and I, followed by 

 Moussa my horse-boy, whom I checked from the 

 same offices because I felt sure my pony was weak 

 from famine and not from ill-will. Moussa was the 

 youngest of the party, and proved to be an excellent 

 fellow, whose one weakness was vanity. He frankly 

 adapted his standard to that of the natives through 

 whose country we passed, and was alternately be- 

 decked with bead necklets or gorgeous robes, as their 

 taste demanded. 



Jimba Giri, Mrs Talbot's boy, had many evil 



