90 Bird Hunting on the White Nile. 



blood from Mahomet. The moderate fee of one piastre 

 (2jd.) was charged, but we were told with some pride 

 that the proper doctor would have charged two piastres. 

 We had always considered Mahomet wanting in blood, 

 but on the morning after the operation he said that he 

 was now perfectly well and we cheerfully believed in 

 the efficacy of the leech. 



We rather thought that so primitive a doctor should 

 have a primitive fee, such as an old bottle or tin, or 

 even a bit of cloth, for his own was of the scantiest. 

 But the natives as far as we travelled would take 

 nothing but money. We had provided ourselves with 

 knives, razors and the like for barter, but these would 

 never be accepted as payment although they were de- 

 manded, but not given, as baksheesh. Hassan's ex- 

 planation of the use to which the money was put, ran 

 as follows : " Dey do put it in hole in ground and 

 ebery six months or year dee faber ob dem do go to 

 next big billage and buy in bazaar all tings for ladies 

 and him and ebery ting." 



