FOUH WEEKS IN FIKA 261 



upon him. Probably this is a relic of the primitive 

 fear lest evil should enter the open mouth and thus 

 reach the soul. This was the reason that, in old days, 

 caused many African chiefs to wear a cloth in front 

 of their mouths : now, though the habit often re- 

 mains, the explanation is lost.^ 



Next day Mr and Mrs Talbot rode in to visit the 

 town. When in Nafada two days previously we had 

 bought a new horse, recommended as suitable for 

 women. Its price was only £5, but we attributed its 

 cheapness to the fact that it had no intermediate pace 

 between a crawl and a gallop. After its purchase was 

 completed, Aji, the gun-boy, said that he had had care 

 of it for five months, and that he still bore the marks 

 of its teeth upon his arm — also that it reared if checked 

 with undue vigour. It had not proved untractable the 

 first day, and as Mr Talbot was a very good rider, we 

 had no fear for him, but the question was whether his 

 wife and I could manage it. He took this further 

 opportunity, therefore, of testing the matter by riding 

 it himself. 



All went well till he was on his way home ; then it 

 started off at full gallop, and, before he could pull up, 

 charged into a cow which suddenly entered the road 

 from a side street, and all three went down together. 



The accident happened about 5 p.m., and I was 

 quietly reading in camp when two horse-boys dashed 

 back in great excitement. They went straight to Situ, 

 who understood their language, and asked for the 

 hammock. Situ told me at once, *' Massa fall for 

 horse." It did not take long to see that everything 

 was made ready for him, and then I too started out, 



1 This is, I am told, the ordinary Fulani practice. . 



