56 FROM THE NIGER TO THE NILE 



with her child in the canoe. The little boy was too frightened 

 even to look up. I called to Quasso to bring me a handful 

 of big, blue beads, and then I made signs to the mother, 

 telling her that I would give them to her child. Whether 

 she thought I wanted to buy him, I do not know, but she 

 took the beads contemptuously and threw them into the 

 water. 



At the time this seemed a fortunate encounter, for we 

 succeeded in pressing the single man into our service as a 

 guide. Towards evening we reached the largest island we 

 had as yet come across. Our new guide told us that it was 

 called Kagererum. It was one and a half miles long and a 

 mile wide. Its shores were of sand, with short dry grass 

 beyond, which contrasted sharply with the dark green 

 rushes in the re-entrant angles. In the centre there was a 

 circle of small reed huts, in shape like haycocks. We found 

 them deserted, but there was evidence that flocks had lately 

 been there, for the soft ground in the centre space was pitted 

 by hundreds of cloven-hoof marks. These islands (for there 

 are many along the eastern shore like the one I have 

 described) are connected with the mainland by fords where 

 the bottom is firm and the flocks and herds can pass over. 

 A slender fencing of reed-canes is quite enough to prevent 

 the animals from straying on either hand. The Budumas drive 

 their cattle to these islands, either for safety from attack 

 or when other grazing- grounds have become dried up. 



We left Kagererum next morning and proceeded in a 

 westerly direction for about four miles, after which we got 

 hopelessly stuck and had to pull the boats for some 1200 

 yards to a small island called WoUam. At the farther end 



