THE WORLD'S WONDERS. 117 



cattle. During the time that Speke guarded the camp he was 

 surprised to see an entire village of Madi people removing their 

 habitations from the vicinity. They had suffered enough from 

 Mohamed, and when they saw their opportunity, they literally 

 took up the frames of their houses and went off to found another 

 village, where they hoped the brutal Turk would not find them. 

 Shortly after Mohamed's arrival with his spoils of victory, 

 there came into camp the head man of a village which the Turk 

 had assisted Blongain destroying, carrying with him a large tusk 

 of ivory with which to ransom his daughter, who was one of the 

 five o-irls seized for slaves. As girls were numerous and of no 



O " 



value, Mohamed accepted the ransom. On the following day 

 his villainous character was again illustrated. Some men who 

 had fled from their village when his plundering party passed by 

 them, surprised that he did not stop to sack their homes, now 

 brought ten large tusks of ivory to him to express the gratitude 

 they said they felt for his not having molested them. Mohamed, 

 on finding how easy it was to get taxes in this fashion, instead of 

 thanking them, assumed the air of the great potentate, whose 

 clemency was abused, and told the poor creatures that, though 

 they had done well in seeking his friendship, they had not suffi- 

 ciently considered his dignity, else they would have brought 

 double that number of tusks, for it was impossible he could be 

 satisfied at so low a price. " What," said these poor creatures, 

 "can we do, then, for this is all we have got?" "Oh, "says 

 Mohamed, ** if it is all you have got now in store, I will take 

 these few for the present but when I return from Gondokoro I 

 expect you will bring me just as many more. Good-by, and 

 look out for yourselves." Impatient of delays, and disgusted 

 with Mohamed's barbarity, Spekeat length procured two guides 

 from him, and pushed ahead for the Nile, which they reached 

 after several hard marches, at a place called Jaifi. Here they 

 were overtaken by the advanced guard of the Turks, who killed 

 a crocodile and ate him on the spot, much to the amusement of 

 Speke's men, who immediately shook their heads laughingly, and 

 said, " Ewa Allah ! are these men, then, Mussulmans? Savages 

 4n ur country don't much like a crocodile." 



