132 SERVICE AND SPORT IN THE SUDAN 



That evening there was a great " diluka " (native 

 dance). Every available man and woman was ordered 

 to take part in it, and certainly, once there, enjoyed 

 themselves. We all went round, accompanied by a 

 couple of men carrying acetylene lamps. By the 

 bright light one saw one race doing the belly dance 

 pure and simple, another a sort of cake walk, and 

 others barn dances and polkas. In only the latter did 

 the two sexes touch. It would have been of interest 

 to study the different forms and the reasons of their 

 adoption. The Sirdar had to hurry back. The guests 

 were hurried home, and shortly after, having heard as 

 much as Fell could tell me of my new district, I left 

 for it. 



En route I was to make rest-houses and dig wells, so 

 my progress over the 150 miles of road was slow. At 

 the first halting-place I found that the women wore 

 the most primitive of clothes, viz. a bunch of leaves 

 fore and aft. Near the river Pongo I came across the 

 first of the tsetse fly, which, eight months later, one 

 found in Wau itself. 



I had reached Khor " Ganna " (of the bamboos) and 

 was there engaged in building the usual three conical 

 huts and long shed inside a stockade and in sinking a 

 well, when an incident occurred which frightened me 

 a good deal. I developed all the symptoms of black- 

 water fever. In order not to aggravate whatever it 

 was, I sent back word to the medical officer at Wau, 

 and determined to retire to one of the newly-built huts 

 till the answer came from him. I was feeling very 

 bored next morning, so, in spite of feeling a bit off 



