58 FROM THE NIGER TO THE I^ILE 



bows, and refusing to answer any questions. I believe that 

 the rack would not have drawn from him the secret of the 

 Lake. The " boys " treated him well at j&rst, but when they 

 found that he made no response to their friendliness, they 

 grew tired of him and always took care, when there was any 

 mud-wading to be done (and this became more frequent every 

 day now) that he should be the first to go overboard to lead 

 the forlorn hope. He was a queer-looking object as he 

 waded ahead, his black shining body, small head, and big- 

 honed arms in the distance made him look more like a gigantic 

 beetle than a man. As he plunged and floundered in the 

 black mud, knee-deep at first, then sinking to his waist 

 and then up to his neck, he was followed by shouts of laughter 

 from the " boys." I believe the rascals would have enjoyed 

 seeing him disappear altogether, for they were beginning to 

 fancy that his revengeful spirit was purposely leading us 

 into the worst places. He was a worthless fellow and I 

 hegan to be sorry that we had ever shipped him, for he had 

 a big enough mouth to feed, yet gave no information in 

 return. Once, after he had preserved a determined silence 

 all one day, I tried the plan of sending him supperless to bed. 

 At first this seemed to promise very good results, for he volun- 

 teered the information to my headman that he would guide 

 us next day to an island where there was a large Buduma 

 town with plenty of people and cattle, and he emphasised 

 his remarks by pointing in a certain direction. But when the 

 morrow came and his belly was full, miles of mud-wading 

 Ijrought us no nearer to the promised city, nor did its phantom 

 even mock us hanging mid-air in the mirage. 



For the next eight days we struggled on through a net- 



