108 FROM THE NIGER TO THE NILE 



as they had no distinguishing features, and were often hardly- 

 visible. 



That night it was possible to get some stars, so we moved 

 on next day to Gonngura, a walled Hausa and Fulani town. 

 Unhappily the townspeople caught some of the carriers 

 trying to steal, but were pacified when the guilty parties 

 were flogged before the headmen of the place. This was 

 the only time in which any of the carriers misbehaved 

 themselves in such a way. 



Almost the whole of the next day was occupied in crossing 

 the River Gongola, which is here about half a mile wide, 

 very swift and deep in places at this time of the year. Trans- 

 porting the carriers and goods was a long business, as every- 

 thing had to be got over in two crazy dug-outs and one of 

 my horses had a narrow escape from drowning on the way. 

 We started at 8 a.m. and it was 5 p.m. before the last load 

 had been safely landed on the other side. 



We had now reached Gombe territory, in which the walled 

 towns were full of Fulani, for whom many Pagans were 

 working in the fields. After a night at Golo, we went on 

 next morning to Gombe itself, the seat of the ruler of the 

 whole territory. The Emir came to see me with an immense 

 court, among whom were some great officials, distinguished 

 by the swords of state which were carried before them. He 

 took off his sandals, in the ordinary salutation to a white 

 man, before approaching, and then sat down with great 

 dignity on the only seat of state I had to offer — namely my 

 best vahse. The carriers did not get on well with the people 

 of these towns. They complained that the Fulani were 

 too conceited to have anything to do with them, or, as they 



