CHAPTER VII 



UP THE GOXGOLA RIVER TO ASHAKA 



I MUST now go back and trace the journey of the boats from 

 Ibi by the Benue and Gongola rivers to the new base at 

 Ashaka, where it was arranged that the expedition should 

 concentrate before continuing the forward movement into 

 Bornu. I had arranged that Jose should take the boats as 

 far as the mouth of the Gongola, and there wait for Gosling, 

 who had in the meantime accompanied the survey party 

 as far as Wase, from which place he struck north-east on a 

 hunting expedition to look after giraffe, which was said to be 

 found in the district. Having had evidences of their presence 

 in the shape of a jawbone and tail of an animal, which had 

 been killed in the neighbourhood a few weeks previously, 

 Gosling set out from a village called Sarua, attended by 

 an old native hunter named " Sarriki bakka," or " King of 

 the bow," and a retinue of seven others, a most picturesque 

 lot, clothed in the skins of animals they had killed, and laden 

 with hunting kit of bows and arrows, leather bags full of 

 food and odds and ends, tobacco pouches and a musical 

 instrument and various ju-jus. After riding two miles, the 

 bush became very heavy going for his pony, as the ground 

 was soft with a deep deposit of sand brought from the 

 Sahara by the harmattan wind, so Goshng sent him back ; 

 and also the water of the district he was now entering was 



