CHAPTER XX 



Wau — Its future — When Greek meets Greek — Local colour — Giant elaml 

 — Administration of justice at Wau — A judgment of Solomon and a 

 cure for suicide — The day's work at Wau — An old cock ostrich — 

 Building operations at Wau — Yambio's war-drum — Impressing the 

 "politicals" — A native elephant-slaying machine — A modern John 

 Baptist — Patrol work — The value of missionary enterprise — Success 

 of my gramophone — My orders. 



The Wau buildings were truly awful. I started making 

 burnt bricks as soon as I could. However picturesque 

 a hut may be, it is a danger and expense if it needs 

 rebuilding every year. Shortly after my arrival I found 

 that the Governor, Major Sutherland, Argyll and 

 Sutherland Highlanders, had spent one night, when 

 down with fever, in moving his bed from place to 

 place in his hut to dodge the dripping of the roof. 

 Another time I visited a sick native clerk. The beams 

 of the roof of his hut had been eaten through by 

 " sus," and it was kept up by a scaffolding inside. 

 Two umbrellas protected his head and feet, and he 

 stoically remarked that only his middle got wet ! No 

 wonder that, to the native officer or clerk, being sent 

 to the Bahr el Ghazal, stupidly held up as a punish- 

 ment by a few who should have had more sense, 

 seemed a sentence of death. 



The road to Meshra er Rek from Wau will be the 

 chief channel of communication later on, when a 



26l 



