IVORY 205 



gun-running, and — slave-trading. The government 

 monopoly in ivory which had existed, and practically 

 did still exist, was the cause of much unpleasantness. 

 When Sultan Nasr Andal came to see the Sirdar, 

 Wahbi Eff., who knew that he was a " fancy man," 

 sent with him all the ivory he (Nasr) had recently 

 sold. He was seen arriving, followed by about eighty 

 men carrying ivory. " See what a magnificent present 

 that ' pukka ' sultan is bringing the Sirdar," was the 

 remark of the older officials. When the Sirdar had 

 left it was discovered that this ivory had already been 

 paid for by Wahbi Eff., but that Nasr Andal wished 

 to complain of the price he had got ! An instance of 

 his underhand practices is this. I had been told to 

 purchase all ivory collected before a certain date — 

 that of promulgating the ivory ordinance in the dis- 

 trict — so asked Nasr Andal to sell all he had. He 

 declared that he had none ; but next day sold 1600 

 lbs. to the Greek, Pantazogli, to whom I had given a 

 permit. This Greek, by the way, bought a great 

 quantity of ivory in the French Congo. Unlike that 

 on our side of the watershed, which is short and thick, 

 the tusks he bought were shaped like those of a mas- 

 tadon, and much lighter built and longer for the same 

 weight. 



Among the complainants I remember was a 

 woman, whose principal complaint was that her hus- 

 band had married a young new wife. She appeared 

 in court with a bundle of short straws, quite four 

 inches thick. When asked what she had to say, she 

 dramatically pulled out one straw, flung it on the 



