232 FROM THE NIGER TO THE NILE 



French and the Belgians. It is covered with tropical vegeta- 

 tion, and the rubber vine grows in abundance. It is the re- 

 sort of elephants and red river-hogs, while the birds I found 

 there belonged to the forest region ; the screeching cries of 

 the flocks of grey parrots coming to roost in the tall forest 

 trees were loud enough to call one's imagination back to 

 Regent's Park. 



Here I stayed a day to collect while Gosling again went 

 forward to work another island ahead. Above Luma the 

 river makes a bend to the south ; on either side chains of 

 gentle, rounded hills, devoid of trees save in the hollows and 

 ravines, loop sometimes close to the river line and sometimes 

 wind away to the distance of a day's journey. As one 

 travels on, the aspect of the river changes ; it is now some 

 1000 yards wide, and large, wooded islands divide the 

 stream, which winds past sylvan headlands forming a 

 succession of bays 800 to 1000 yards in length. The 

 islands are inhabited by elephant, buffalo, lesser bushbuck 

 and pig. 



From Luma onwards to within a day of Mobbai, both 

 banks are populated by the Blakka or Sakka, a section of the 

 Sungo and bearing the tribal mark of that race, three or more 

 blisters like warts down the centre of the forehead. Their 

 upper teeth are filed to a point, and both men and women, 

 but more especially the latter, ornament their bodies with 

 patterns cut by a knife, an operation which is performed at 

 all ages. 



They speak the same language as the Banziri, but Sungo 

 is also used by them ; in fact the Banziri, Blakkas, anr^ 

 Yakomas are all sections of the Sungo race. The Yakomas, 



