170 FROM THE NIGER TO THE NILE 



oppressed the Mobburs, and whose rule is still paramount 

 in Bornu by our protection. Further down the river the 

 Mobbur villages are more numerous, and the boats caused 

 much excitement among the inhabitants. Crowds of boys 

 and girls ran along the banks, shouting and shaking their 

 fists with imaginary spears. The Mobburs refuse to do any- 

 thing for the white man, and often it was very difficult to 

 raise enough food for the " boys." At one village Jose 

 found the old king building a shelter for Gosling with his 

 own hands as his people were all unfriendly, and at another 

 the king came to Gosling saying that all his men were against 

 him in the village, and not one would act as guide on the 

 morrow, but that he would go himself. However, it ended 

 in his headman volunteering. 



Further down the river the people were more friendly 

 and the King of Birrgumatulo gave them a very good recep- 

 tion. At this place an old man with a three-year-old gash in 

 his chest from a crocodile came and asked for medicine, 

 and Gosling gave him a bottle of iodoform. 



It was on September 30 that he was at this place, and 

 under that date in his diary he writes : " My porcupine is 

 very precocious. He came and had a good drink out of my 

 bath while I was in it, and then tried to get inside. He 

 then began eating my soap and walked off with it." 



Then under date, October 1, appears the note: "A sad 

 disaster in the death of the young porcupine, the result of 

 my long day in the boat yesterday and neglect of my boy 

 to feed and water him during the day, as I was not there to 

 see it done." Gosling was at this time journeying in the 

 boats, as he had been feeling his old wound in his leg 



