EXPLORATION OF THE BAMINGI 179 



before we left. He wrote offering £160 for one of the 

 boats, adding that he would call her the Claud Alexander. 

 Both the French and Grermans had been taken with 

 our boats, admiring their construction and strength, and 



MID-DAY '■ chop" 



the latter were particularly keen to possess one like 

 them, as they had no boats at all on the River Logone. 

 However, it was quite impossible to part with one of them 

 now, for the whole success of the Expedition would depend 

 on them and we had made up our minds that they would be 

 our mainstay for another year at least. Without them we 

 could not have passed through the Shari region, where no 

 carrier labour is obtainable. 



About thirty-six miles above the Togbau hills, the river 

 Bahr-sara falls into the Shari on the left bank ; it has a 

 width of forty yards and is navigated by the French. After 

 this point the Shari narrows down to one hundred yards in 



