HOMEWARD BOUND 297 



ordinary saloon cars, and for the first time in their 

 lives they saw a carpet, for which, after licking and 

 scratching it to test whether it had any practical 

 recommendation, they conceived immense contempt. 

 The natives stood on boxes and climbed up telegraph 

 poles outside to see them ; a crowd always gathered 

 thickly at the windows, and the officials and other 

 superior persons came in. Lamy and Kusseri were 

 both quite alive to their attractions, and generally 

 bestirred themselves to box together, or pose in some 

 bewitching way for the benefit of their admirers ; and 

 time and again as we steamed out of the stations a 

 deafening cheer would be raised for the zakis. Only a 

 few of the travelled natives from that part had ever 

 seen a lion, and we were not unfrequently asked if they 

 were " dawgs." 



We reached Lagos on the ninth day from leaving 

 Kano, and were kindly welcomed by the Governor of 

 Southern Nigeria, Sir Walter Egerton, and his wife. 

 Our time with them was, however, short, for the home- 

 ward bound steamer, the Dakctr, called at Lagos on 

 the second day after our arrival there, and I embarked 

 on her. 



It was very grievous to me that my companions 

 should have to remain in Africa while I went home, 

 but Mr Talbot had his work to do as District Com- 

 missioner in Southern Nigeria, and his wife stayed 

 with him. We had now spent close on nine months 

 in complete intimacy, and it was hard to part, but 

 the time for good-byes had come. 



Big wooden cages had been made for the zakis, and 

 with howls and yells of protestation the little pair 

 were subjected to their first real imprisonment. Once 



