I20 CHALLENGER 



pencilled them in on the chart as the Seyfu pointed them 

 out along the river banks. The morning terminated with the 

 Captain's hiring a number of canoes from the Chief so that even 

 more surveying parties could be put into the field to explore and 

 map the numerous creeks and waterw^ays. 



Hearing of Nomandu Sonko's visit, the Seyfu of Upper Niumi, 

 who lived 20 miles further up river, expressed his desire to come 

 onboard and the ship anchored off Albreda on a Saturday so that 

 this could be arranged. He came onboard accompanied by a 

 number of his headmen, and before leaving expressed his wish 

 that the ship should visit Albreda again on the following Saturday 

 so that he could entertain the Captain, his officers and men in 

 a way befitting them. 



Accordingly the next Saturday the Captain and his officers, 

 accompanied by 30 men, landed at Albreda and took up their 

 position around the Seyfu. A great many dances were performed 

 to the accompaniment of music played on drums and reed in- 

 struments. When at last the dances were ended the Captain was 

 presented with an embarrassing number of gifts. It was a strange 

 sight, Commander Jenks sitting rather self-consciously in his neat 

 white tropical kit surrounded by a crowd of colourful Africans 

 interspersed with the white-clad sailors, while boys, old men and 

 girls carried in baskets of fruit and eggs, and live poultry tied by 

 the legs, or led in goats and finally a huge grey bull. After the 

 bull came two fine young girls, lightly clad and bearing no gifts, 

 but walking boldly towards the Captain while the Seyfu held out 

 his hand in a gesture towards them. Commander Jenks' embar- 

 rassment overcame him and he rose, turned and started to thank 

 the Chief, while the girls hesitated, looked baffled, and suddenly 

 fled into the crowd of onlookers. No one onboard ever really 

 knew whether or not these girls were to have been the final 

 gift. 



On Christmas Eve the Seyfu of Lower Niumi was appropriately 

 in a giving mood and the ship called again at Essau to receive a 

 fine cow. 



The idea of an attack on Dakar from Gambia was never far 

 from the planners' minds at this time. Aerial reconnaissance 

 showed a deal of open parkland north of the Gambia River in 



