82 FROM THE NIGER TO THE NILE 



were reported to have been killed in this raid, but Jose counted 

 more than that number. 



On April 27 Jose returned to Kaddai, but the sight of his 

 one bullock carrying corn was not very encouraging. There 

 wore still some twenty loads to be removed from Kaddai, 

 besides the sections from the camp of the boats to the Kowa- 

 Baga, and my heart sank at the thought of the tedious 

 journeys backwards and forwards all over again. However, 

 Fortune smiled broadly upon us and on the morrow a 

 wonderful thing happened. It was towards mid-day and we 

 saw a large cloud of dust about two miles off, coming up from 

 the south. At first we thought it must be horsemen, but, 

 after steadily watching for a few minutes, a dark, slow 

 moving mass appeared out of the cloud which, with the aid 

 of my glasses, I made out to be a party of oxen and their 

 drivers. At first I could hardly reahse what a piece of good 

 luck this might mean for us. Then it flashed on me suddenly 

 and I determined to have the oxen at all costs. In a moment 

 we had all dived out of sight into the huts and the camp 

 once more assumed a deserted aspect. Nearer and nearer 

 they came, the drivers all unsuspicious of the trap into which 

 they were walking. When they got to within 500 yards, 

 Jose with several of the " boys " sprang out on them, and so 

 sudden was the surprise, that the capture was effected with 

 little difficulty. The headman, who came to see me, said 

 that they were Kanembus, belonging to my old enemy 

 the Lowan of Kowa, and had come to get potash from the 

 neighbourhood. I told him that I wanted his men and oxen 

 for the next two days to take my baggage to the Kowa-Baga, 

 and that after that they could go. I added that I should pay 



