CHAPTER XVII 



CHRISTMAS IN CAMP AT KADDAI 



That night we camped upon one of the small islands at the 

 Yo mouth, and the Budumas came and gave us large presents 

 of fish, but beyond smiles and handshakes we could get 

 nothing out of them. Even afterwards, when we were able 

 to understand them through a Kanuri interpreter, they were 

 sparing of information, and that they gave was nearly always 

 incorrect. When questioned about the geography of the 

 Lake, they always expressed a profound ignorance. 



Gosling, who was at this time at Kaddai, sent to see if 

 he could get a man from the Lowan of Kowa, to act as a 

 guide, but the men of Kowa were all out chasing a party of 

 Tubus, who had been raiding in the neighbourhood. The 

 Lowan had told the Budumas that we were friends, but they 

 replied that though they were not afraid, they did not 

 wish to have anything to do with us. No doubt they are 

 very jealous of their possession of the Lake. Those at the 

 Yo mouth were not so shy, for they had got used by now 

 to our boats, which had done the journey between Yo and 

 Kaddai several times ; besides, they were accustomed to 

 seeing strangers at the neighbouring markets. They were 

 in the habit of taking most of their fish to Kaddai before 

 our coming drove them away, to sell it to merchants from 

 Kukawa, but there was also a small market going on at the 



