176 FROM THE NIGER TO THE NH^E 



in getting a useful number of Chad fish towards his collec- 

 tion. One day on the return journey a 6-lb. flat fish made a 

 tremendous leap out of the water and landed on his hat, 

 fallino- thence on to his teapot and breaking the handle. 



On the 18th a messenger came in from Maidugari with 

 a letter from Talbot, telling the bad news that my brother 

 was lying sick, and asking Gosling to come in and help 

 Talbot with the survey. Accordingly, he returned at once 

 with the boat to Yo, where Jose was left in charge of 

 . everything, and he got together oxen and carriers for the 

 journey to Maidugari. 



His arrival at Yo market, which is situated some distance 

 from the town, was opportune, for six horsemen, who had 

 evidently turned up with the intention of doing a little buying 

 on the cheap, cleared off on hearing of him. 



Just before he left on the 23rd, a horseman from the 

 Kachella brought in a letter from me, saying that I expected 

 to be at Yo by the 25th. Soon after, the Kachella returned 

 with his horsemen and saluted Gosling in the fashion of 

 Bornu. Riding at the head of his hundred horsemen in two 

 lines at full gallop, he pulled them up dead in front of him. 

 He had just returned from Pogwa, where he had been to 

 investigate the killing of a Hausa trader by the Mobburs 

 with a poisoned arrow. 



While at Yo, Gosling witnessed the picturesque ceremony 

 of a native wedding. The bride who was about to marry 

 one of the Kachella's warriors, hailed from a village on the 

 north bank of the river. Accompanied by her old mother 

 and attired in a voluminous covering that enveloped her 

 from head to foot, she rode upon a pony down to the river. 



