CHAPTER XV 



We reach the Pongo — I follow a wounded antelope and lose myself — And 

 find my party by the smoke of a fire — Elephant — I run for my life — 

 A useful lesson — Rubber vines — Our route — -My object attained — • 

 I return — Tibsherani has an adventure — A lion and a forest fire — An 

 "abode of love" — Dinka morality — Strange country. 



In the afternoon, after an early start, we passed a 

 stagnant khor, much like an English stream, near 

 which had been the village of a sheikh who now 

 lives ten miles west of Wau. 



Some miles further brought us to the Pongo, or 

 Ji as it is known in this reach. Dem Bekeir must 

 have moved miles north since Junker's day, perhaps 

 west too. 



This shows how deceptive even good maps may 

 become in wild Africa. I maintain that only moun- 

 tains and rivers, &c., should be inserted in maps 

 intended to serve as permanent records. A strong 

 argument against this is that often the name of a 

 village is carried to and fro in the vicinity where 

 first found, whereas each tribe, and even each 

 generation, has a different name for natural features, 

 e.g. a short river like the Pibor has, to my know- 

 ledge, the names of Pibor, Yayo, Nyanabec, Gnatila, 

 and most likely has more. 



The Ji or Pongo had sloping banks seven or eight 



189 



