74 FEOM THE NIGEE TO THE NILE 



all were my enemies, it was for the satisfaction of picking 

 out the one faithful friend I had in an old Shua, who had 

 once driven his bullock for me in my palmy days and 

 now came nobly forward before the eyes of all the market 

 and shook me by the hand, offering to take the bag of corn 

 I had just bought to Kaddai the next day. I accepted his 

 offer with joy, and accordingly he drove his ox up to the 

 straw hut where I was living outside the palace. 



Now it was afternoon and near the hour of prayer ; all 

 the riffraff of the " big men," who had not left with the Shehu, 

 were gathered round the door of the mosque. Their gossip 

 grew as they watched me sitting outside my hut with the old 

 Shua and his ox that was tethered by. I regarded them with 

 amusement and mild contempt at first, but as time went on 

 I could feel their talk becoming more personal. Presently 

 jibes were hurled at the old Shua, then threats which grew 

 momently louder and angrier, till at length several of the 

 bulHes sprang up and drove the old man and his ox down 

 the street. Then Lowi, the faithful and brave, stood up 

 to fight, and it was with difficulty that I restrained him. 

 I feared that a " palaver " which would have carried far in 

 its telhng might have reached the ears of the Eesident, who, 

 like Joseph, would have sent after me and discovered a real 

 cup of sorrow in my sack of corn. 



Never had my prospects looked more black than they did 

 that night as I lay awake in the open, staring up at the sky. 

 Sleep, too, seemed to have utterly deserted me, and my mind 

 worked hard to find a way of escape from the troubles that 

 beset me. The night was brilliant with thousands of stars 

 and no sound stirred the still air save the subdued voices of 



