Northern Nigeria 



supplied with clothes, while the Company's men 

 were in rags. This caused much jealousy. 

 Again, money was unknown in Borgu, and the 

 men had to be paid in cloth. Transport was a 

 fearful difficulty, with the result that they could 

 only be given advances. It was impossible to get 

 up enough to pay them in full. We could give 

 them no definite promises as to when they could 

 return to the Niger, when their wives could be 

 sent up, or when the Company would provide 

 them with something to wear; and discontent 

 grew till it only required a little " Dutch 

 courage " to turn it into something more 

 serious. 



This was duly supplied in the shape of trade 

 gin, which, I regret to say, was at this time 

 brought up by native traders, as the pioneer 

 of the white man's civilization, in this part 

 of Africa. Some came into Kiama, as we after- 

 wards ascertained, one morning, and that after- 

 noon the Baribas could have wiped us out, as 

 those of our men who hadn't the luck to be too 

 drunk were mostly openly mutinous. Our newly 

 raised Waffs stood by us well ; but it was a 

 big trial for them, and there were very few of 

 them, while, after all, the others were their 

 countrymen, so that one hardly liked to think 

 what would happen if the worst came to the 

 worst. To make a long and very unpleasant 



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