152 FROM THE NIGEE TO THE NILE 



four native canoes, carrying 400 loads for the new base, 

 Ashaka. At Lau, whicli he reached a week before Gosling's 

 arrival, he had great trouble with his crews. Next morning, 

 when he wished to continue the journey, the men fell in 

 and came to him to say that they could not start that day 

 as they had heard there was famine in the Gongola country, 

 so would have to wait and collect sufficient food to take with 

 them. So Jose granted their request as they asked him, 

 and gave orders that a start should be made at six o'clock 

 next morning. When morning came, he struck his camp 

 and went down to the boats, to find that all the crews had 

 disappeared. So he sent his Hausa escort into the village 

 to look for them, but without success. Jose then went to the 

 king and told him that if his men did not make their appear- 

 ance by twelve o'clock, he would put him under arrest, and 

 send him in to the Resident at Ibi. The king sent a man 

 with a drum, sounding round the village and shouting woe 

 to any one found conceahng Jose's men. This had the desired 

 effect, for half an hour before noon the men came into camp. 

 When asked their reason for running away, they replied that 

 they had heard that the Gongola river was dangerous, the 

 people cannibals and famine in the land, and they said that 

 they would all die if they were to go there. After much 

 persuasion, with great difficulty he managed to induce them 

 to start on the journey, and five days afterwards he arrived 

 at Numan. On his approach he saw a very large crowd, 

 which, on inquiry, he was told was a market going on. When 

 the people caught sight of the boats, they all ran away, 

 for they were buying and selling slaves and did not care for 

 a white man to see them. Here he had much difficulty in 



