WAU 129 



my seizure, for I could not move a limb. I do not 

 think that it was till afterwards that I fully realised my 

 marvellous escape. 



The much-abused headquarters, Wau, proved on 

 reaching it a most picturesque spot. Before there 

 was any chance of my going there it had been 

 described to me as a hideous swamp. The describer 

 said that he had to keep a dry suit in the mess as 

 he was compelled to wade there from his own house. 

 This is the measure of some travellers' yarns ! 



The present Wau is the Fort Desaix of the Marchand 

 expedition — that known to Gessi was further south. 

 It is built on the side of a low and beautifully-wooded 

 hill on the left bank of the Jur or Sueh. On the right 

 bank of the river is an open plain a mile or so wide, 

 which in very rainy years is swampy. The dwellings 

 were native, or adaptations of native huts. 



As I later became inspector of the district, I will not 

 dwell on my first sojourn there. 



The place was in a turmoil, "whitewashing the 

 sepulchre " for the visit of the Sirdar. Every one 

 had a job, and all worked with a will — the main thing. 

 In mess the chief subject of conversation was the 

 coming "tagrida" (expedition) to the south, and I was 

 pretty disgusted to hear that I was to go to the western 

 district where there was small chance of fighting — as 

 it turned out there was none in the expedition, as the 

 one volley of about twenty rounds, which killed the 

 cannibal Sultan as he hid with a few wives in a bush, 

 can scarcely be considered such. 



It was the rule that the names of the principal 



