270 SERVICE AND SPORT IN THE SUDAN 



The " politicals " at Wau consisted of the baby son 

 of Sultan Rikta (A'zendie), sent by him as a hostage. 

 Little N'biir'mba was about eight years old, a jolly 

 little man. He had, as following, an aged servitor 

 and a frisky nurse. We had also two cannibal sheikhs 

 of importance, Bazimbi and Bokoti. 



By way of impressing them, I sent these two to Khar- 

 tum. The former's son, not to be left behind, stowed 

 himself away in the steamer they were on. On their 

 return they swaggered more than if they had discovered 

 the North Pole. I have no doubt that when these 

 two intelligent chiefs are allowed to return to their 

 people they will be a great factor of peace. Imagine 

 the workings of a mind to whom a riding animal is 

 unknown, a gun one of less than an inch in bore, 

 a straw hut a palace, and the British race four or 

 five officers, being allowed to travel on a steamer in 

 unknown comfort and speed for days, passing post 

 after post, to arrive in Khartum to see the cavalry 

 exercising, the, to him, monster buildings, to hear 

 cannons roaring salutes, and to lose count of the 

 white faces that pass him. Will a man with this 

 experience go back to his people, jeer at our make- 

 shifts at Wau, sacrifice a chicken, and say, " there are 

 but five white men to lead the men whose fathers have 

 been our slaves for generations." 



Little by little we got into touch with more distant 

 natives. Some of the Dinkas under Sultan Rob on the 

 river Kir arrived one day. They wore a belt of hide, 

 cut like a closed letter V. It was about three inches 

 wide at the ankles, and when about half-way up the 



