MY SECOND VOYAGE ON THE LAKE 45 



take cover in bed. And then followed hours of wakeful- 

 ness and longing for the morning to appear. 



By February 23, Jose had returned and the boats were 

 ready for our voyage across the Lake. The crews consisted 



KADDAI BAGA 



of Galadima, Lowi, Quasso, and a small Kanuri boy (a. 

 new recruit), and eight polers under Audelai. We took 

 with us enough " chop " to last a month. The few remaining- 

 Hausa carriers who had been with me from Lokoja were 

 paid off ; two of them had charge of boxes containing bird 

 skins for shipment to England. The boxes arrived at 

 Lokoja in perfect condition after having been carried by 

 these men a distance of 500 miles ; which speaks well for 

 the reliability of the Hausa carriers. 



In this second attempt to cross the Lake to the Shari 

 mouth, I determined to try and follow the influence of the 

 water from the Yo river, so we retraced our course along; 

 the familiar western shore. Almost everywhere we found 



