GARUA AND THE NORTH KAMERUN 35 



reversed : she frugally ate the Benger, while Mr 

 Talbot ate the tart. Some of both dishes were left, 

 and were put away in the canteen, together with 

 half a chicken, for next day's lunch, but in the 

 night a hungry thief repaired to the chop-box and 

 ate the chicken. He tasted the Benger and tart, 

 but left them both, — a comment on their lack of 

 excellence that relieved us of the necessity of finish- 

 ing them ourselves, of which we were glad, for the 

 pastry had been made on a lumpy board, with a 

 bottle for roller, and was not good. 



Our principal occupation was the manufacture of a 

 khaki shirt, which Mrs Talbot cut out, and which we 

 worked at with zeal, despite the fact that there was 

 a bright red trade-mark with the No. 430 on one 

 sleeve, and that there was not enough of the same 

 material to complete the other. Our domesticity was 

 ended by the arrival of Mundonng carriers — a black 

 wild-looking lot of men, though one was humanised 

 by lovely ringlets all round his head and a plentiful 

 supply of yellow bead necklaces. Their advent put 

 a full stop to our work, and I had to fall back upon 

 the Lokoja-made shirt, which henceforth I wore as a 

 sack-coat. 



