THE SURVEY CONTINUED 119 



— we should not have been able to take any azimuth for- 

 ward. We therefore decided to double back to a hill which 

 we saw in the south-east on the other side of the Gongola. 

 Another inducement to do this was the fact that our food 

 had given out, and that for the last five weeks we had 

 been practically living on the country, a course which was not 

 very satisfactory to European taste. 



At Ashaka on the Gongola we hoped to find Gosling 

 with the steel boats and the main body of the stores, from 

 which we could refit. The stock of cloth, which was the 

 principal article of barter, had also nearly run out. So, 

 on August 14, I left for the Gongola, and, after a long march 

 through bush country, arrived at Baruo on the other side 

 of the river just as darkness was setting in. 



Alexander, who had been making a great effort to get a 

 large supply of food for the carriers, arrived too late to cross 

 the river that night. We had heard that a very severe famine 

 was raging in the neighbourhood, so it was necessary to get 

 a stock of provisions to carry us through. Some of the 

 Kerri-Kerri had refused to sell anything, but from others 

 he got a fair supply. 



On August 15 we had an interesting march to the town 

 of Biri, through a thick bush country between two rows of 

 hills, and next day reached Bagi, the principal Fulani town 

 of the district. It lies at the foot of the hill for which we 

 had been aiming since Lewe. My tent was taken to the top, 

 to which Alexander accompanied me, but, as he thought it 

 wiser to camp with the carriers, he had to go down again in 

 the dark, which was a difficult and dangerous feat. The 

 spot from which we made our observations was on the edge 



