248 FROM THE NIGER TO THE NILE 



had a fall which rather bont the vertical circle. I took it 

 to pieces, however, and mended it so that it was quite reliable 

 for the purpose of sun azimuths. From here check latitudes 

 were obtained by means of the sextant and difierences of 

 height carried on by two boihng-point thermometers and 

 two aneroids. On October 20, I reached Maifoni and was 

 glad to find that Claud seemed well on the way to a complete re- 

 covery. So I continued the survey along the road to Kukawa, 

 and was in camp at a place about fifteen miles from Maifoni, 

 when on October 27, a messenger arrived with a letter from 

 Parsons asking me to come back at once, as his patient had 

 had a relapse. I sent immediately to Groshng, whom I knew 

 to be somewhere near Lake Chad, to give him the news, and 

 then I, of course, galloped back that night to Maifoni, on a 

 splendid horse of which Claud had made me a present a few 

 days before. Fortunately the moon rose after a time and 

 the ride did not take long. On my arrival the sentry thought 

 that I was a suspicious character, as I did not want to speak 

 loudly in answer to his challenge for fear of disturbing 

 Claud in case he had fallen asleep. He almost fired at me, 

 but at length recognised me and let me in. Claud seemed 

 better, so not to rouse him I waited till next morning before 

 visiting him, but after this took up my quarters in his room." 



A few days later, as has been related in a former chapter, 

 Gosling, who had set out immediately on receipt of Talbot's 

 letter at Yo, arrived at Maifoni, and I came in two days 

 after him. 



Though painfully worn, I found my brother wonderfully 

 cheerful and alert in mind. He showed great interest in all 

 our news, talking a lot himself and always returning to the 



