44 



FROM THE NIGER TO THE NILE 



in his mouth. Then, after a short while, when the pores 

 had been opened, the horns were removed and incisions made 

 with a small knife. The horns were then stuck on again 

 and sucked as before. After a little they were taken off 

 and found to contain a lot of thick blood that had been drawn 



THE SACRED CROCODILE POOL 



from the skin. The last operation was to rub the incisions 

 with butter. This man was having his back done and did 

 not seem to enjoy it." 



At Wukari, some fifteen miles south of Ibi, where Gosling 

 and my brother had occasion to go, hunting and collect- 

 ing grain for the projected survey expedition, which would 

 be passing through country where food was scarce, there is 

 a little pool just outside the village, only about 20 ft. long 

 and very deep, which the natives say springs from a sub- 

 terranean river. It is the home of a number of crocodiles 

 that have been there as long as the memory of man and 

 are believed to have come up through the sources of the 



