248 CHIEFS & CITIES OF CENTRAL AFRICA 



off, and he broke his wrist. Luckily for him, he was 

 received in hospital. 



Dr Inness and Captain West were both very kind 

 to us. The former has a really nice bungalow, and the 

 flowers in its big garden are a great feature. He gave 

 us each a sprig of mignonette. The scent brought 

 back my thoughts to home, and there flashed upon 

 me the picture of many English gardens, and even 

 conversations of no particular import which yet were 

 associated with that fragrance. 



The doctor had a disagreeable task before him, that 

 of shooting pariah dogs, for hydrophobia was suspected, 

 and on a previous occasion cases had been reported. 

 He sought in vain for a companion in this task, but no 

 one would accompany him. 



Mr Talbot had to return with all possible haste to 

 his duties in Southern Nigeria, so we doubled marches, 

 and pressed on down the broad sandy road on our first 

 stage to Nafada. The regulation length for a march 

 in Northern Nigeria is seventeen miles, a lesser speed 

 than the French habitually travel, but then we have 

 not got their superior bullock-transport. 



It was the height of the dry season, and most of 

 the trees had lost their leaf, though some remained in 

 foliage in defiance of the general law. Ebony grows 

 here, though not to a size to be of commercial value, 

 but it is sometimes used to support the roofs of houses. 

 Huge-trunked squat baobabs were landmarks in the 

 dull level of sand and burr -grass, and their thick 

 mauve -shaded trunks and dull -green fruit were of 

 exquisite colouring. 



A great deal of trafiic goes along this road, and 

 we often passed big and small caravans of oxen and 



