THE SURVEY CONTINUED 89 



their fowls, and another for their grain, shaped Hke a jar 

 with no entrance, to get at which they use a notched pole as 

 ladder. I found hanging up in one of their houses the skin 

 of an animal I did not recognise. I bought it at the price 

 of a handkerchief and gave it to Gosling. It turned out 

 to be a new animal, and to my great pleasure is called 

 " Procavia Goslingi " after him. 



On the 21st we marched to a collection of hamlets called 

 Purmi and found the place for a base which Alexander had 

 selected. The natives, who had taken away all the survey, 

 flags which he had planted there, were very hostile, and we 

 had to keep a sharp look-out. One of the soldiers climbed 

 a tree, so as to have a better view, and was just in time to 

 warn us that some natives were creeping up in the grass 

 towards us. When they saw that their presence was known 

 they retired to a distance without doing any damage, though 

 some of their arrows fell unpleasantly close. A man, whom 

 we had brought from Wase, bravely offered to try to explain 

 our peaceful intentions and induce some of them to come and 

 talk. They refused to answer his shouts, and when he tried 

 to approach them let off several poisoned arrows. One or 

 two of the bolder spirits also tried to rush a soldier, who 

 happened to be a little way off the others. To save himself 

 the latter was obliged to fire at them twice. The attitude of 

 these tribes was the more regrettable as our friendly inten- 

 tions had been clearly explained to the two chiefs whom we 

 had met, and must have been conveyed to them. 



A Httle later, my horse-boy, who had only gone out 

 about a hundred yards to cut grass for the horse came back in 

 great excitement with four freshly poisoned arrows which had 



