A BANDA VILLAGE 207 



Two days after I heard this, I got a letter to say that 

 he was very ill, and a few days later that he was dead. 

 I had known Boiilnois for only a short time, though 

 serving under his orders for some months. He struck 

 me as a man full of energy and resource. He knew 

 his own mind, and was afraid of no responsibility. 

 He had a lucky star. In him the army lost the 

 makings of a great leader. ' 



A Dem Zubeir " character " was the elephant-hunter, 

 who regularly brought tusks to the Mamur for sale. 

 Armed with a muzzle-loading gun, filled with as much 

 gunpowder, bits of iron, stones, &c., as it would hold, 

 he would doggedly follow a herd till a bull separated 

 himself from it. When his intended victim was asleep 

 at midday he would approach to within ten yards, set 

 the gun on a tripod, and pull the trigger. When he 

 recovered consciousness he would crawl home and 

 send his pals to fetch the spoils. 



While at Dem Zubeir this time I paid a visit to 

 Sultan Yango's village. The Banda houses are far 

 better built than those of other Fertitaui, and not on 

 piles as are most of the latter. The walls were of 

 mud, or wattle plastered with it, and on them were a 

 number of rude drawings ; one represented a British 

 officer talking to a native one. 



In this tribe the boys and unmarried men live 

 together in large sheds, in the building of which they 

 take great pride, and so have the best residences in the 

 village. Other tribes have much the same customs. 

 The girls sleep in their parents' huts. Among the 

 Dinkas, it might be mentioned as of interest, the 



