154 FEOM THE NIGER TO THE NILE 



brother then went on with the stores to Gujba, where he 

 collected carriers to send back to help with the boat sections. 

 Meanwhile Talbot had started south to carry the survey 

 into the Barburr country, with the intention of joining my 

 brother again in the neighbourhood of Maidugari, in which 



STARVATIOjr AT BIT.LAOHI 



direction the latter set out, when Jose came up with him at 

 Gujba. 



We must now go back to Numan at the mouth of the 

 Gongola, where we left Gosling who had arrived there a week 

 later than Jose. On August 11 he set out in his canoe up 

 the river seven miles to a Bashima village called Billachi. 

 All the way no sign of life was seen except a stray goose or 

 two. The village, too, had a deserted appearance, with broken 

 walls and skeletons of inhabitants, who were subsisting on 

 grass seeds and green millet. Many were said to have died 

 lately, and he did not see more than thirty people in all. 

 He sent for the " lammido," as the king of a village is called 

 in these parts, and after a delay a bony old man came to him 



