JJ- 



BUFI TO RUMBEK. 



bers, and not counting slaves or other appendages, I suppose 

 there are some three hundred of these parasites ; and if we add 

 to them their slaves, four for each man, as the lowest calcula- 

 tion, there are about fifteen hundred who live upon the natives. 

 Under such conditions, although the country produces a remark- 

 able quantity of corn, sesame, sesame-oil, fat from the butter- 

 tree, wax, ground-nuts, &c, it is not to be wondered at that we 

 heard from the natives many complaints of hunger. 



After all the disgust which I feel when writing of the state 

 of affairs in this place, it is quite a relief to turn from that sub- 

 ject to the fauna and flora of the surrounding country, which, 

 however, is not very rich. Hundreds of lizards climb about 

 the huts, the hedges, and all the old tree-trunks, hunting the 

 numerous flies and spiders which infest the place. The lizards 

 appear to have been infected by the reigning love of plunder, 

 for they fight and bite each other's tails off. A small python 

 about five feet long, which I received as a present, and which 

 has become tame very quickly, greatly terrified my servants, 

 whom nothing would induce to come near it. The horned 

 raven (Tmetoceros abyssinicus) stalked round me, and often 

 allowed me to stroke its head. It was the sworn enemy of 

 two zebra ichneumons (Herpestes fasciatus), which, with the 

 curiously droll impudence which characterises these little 

 beasts, snapped away all tit-bits from him. In comparison 

 to these creeping parasites were several splendid examples 

 of a lemur (Otolicnus galago), which is very common here, and 

 becomes very tame when well treated. They are delightful 

 little creatures, with their large umber-coloured eyes. After 

 waking from sleep in the evening, they came and washed in 

 the water-pot. Civets and genets are said to be common, but 

 I could not obtain any. On the other hand, a nice specimen 

 of the caracal {Felis caracal) was brought to me. 



As soon as we had left the river and turned in a northerly 

 direction, we passed through the extensive corn and lubia 

 fields which surround Ayak. We then reached grey loamy 

 soil, which is often inundated, and noticed on high patches, 

 where the soil is partially mixed with sand, a luxuriant growth 

 of ground-nuts. Although this plant is cultivated to a great 

 extent by the Agar, no one has ever thought of utilising the 



