The Eastern Congo 



expedition travelling through his district. There being a 

 lady in the case he wished to make our journey as safe 

 and pleasant as possible, and so hit on the brilliant idea of 

 putting the commissariat and other arrangements for our 

 " safari " to Lake Chohoa in the hands of a very smart 

 black corporal from one of the Congo regiments. Knowing 

 the country well by reason of his having been through it 

 during the war, this soldier was in jail for some offence : 

 stealing a goat or something of the sort — so Mr. Willmar 

 decided to let him out and reduce his sentence on the under- 

 standing that he did well for us. I was to report his behaviour 

 on reaching our destination. This arrangement worked very 

 well, the corporal doing everything in his power to procure 

 good guides and porters and to keep the whole " safari " 

 well supplied with foodstuffs from the local sultans en route. 

 He took especial pains that we should have a good daily 

 supply of fresh milk. Therefore, the day after leaving 

 Mugera we were not greatly astonished when the milk supply 

 was heralded in by two cows and a calf being driven full 

 tilt into camp, and " operations " begun on them close to 

 our tent. Much to everybody's amusement and to" the great 

 danger of camp furniture, " operations " consisted of firstly 

 catching your cows and then with gentle persuasion inducing 

 them to give their milk by fanning away the flies and rubbing 

 their backs. The calf of one of them had died, causing her 

 to be very refractory in consequence, only being brought 

 to reason by giving her a sight and smell of the skin of her 

 dead offspring stuffed with straw. With this weird specimen 

 of native taxidermy the owner followed her, making a 

 clucking sound at intervals, resulting in the comforting 

 of the cow and inducing her to stand quietly to be milked. 



32 



