278 FROM THE NIGER TO THE NILE 



extra twist and saturating their heads with nut oil that 

 runs down in streaks upon their naked shoulders. 



The Shuas are true children of Noah, and their huts at 

 night afford shelter to man and beast alike. Horses, dogs 

 and cattle, pigs and fowls, all share a common stall with the 

 family. I noticed that their dogs, in fact most of the dogs in 

 this part of the country, had half their ears cut off. The 

 natives always said that their reason for cutting them 

 was to make the dogs run faster ! 



And that reminds me I must here introduce to the 

 reader a new member of the Expedition. One day while I 

 was out shooting birds in the bush not far from a Shua 

 village, I heard a pitifal whining, and going in the direc- 

 tion whence it came, discovered about a handful of puppy, 

 mostly made up of two large, distressful eyes whose appeal 

 I could not resist, so I put the soft little lamp in my 

 pocket and carried it home to camp. The poor little 

 wretch was the victim of a Shua custom of throwing 

 away the male puppies of a litter in the bush to 

 die; so, unlike the dogs which the Shuas keep, he had 

 the distinction of carrying uncropped ears ; for it was 

 supposed that his race would be so quickly ran that it 

 would not be necessary to hasten his pace, and — rather 

 like the little dog in the old song — as his life was cut short 

 his ears were cut long. But my chance discovery of him 

 averted this fate, and in a very short time he showed 

 his gratitude by employing his prolonged existence in grow- 

 ing well up to his ears, and soon he was large enough to 

 support the name of " Maifoni." If he could be classed 

 under any breed one would say he was the terrier type. 



