282 FROM THE NIGER TO THE NILE 



with her a Httle piece of red cloth which she tucked up and 

 hugged to herself as if it had been a doll. She is now being 

 very kindly entertained by the Zoological Society in London. 



On June 7 we reached Niangara where we received a 

 very hospitable welcome from Commandant Sarolea who 

 two days later arranged for us a trip into the country on horse- 

 back to see the large town of Okondo, the capital of the 

 Bungba country, some three hours' distant from Niangara. 



Five miles out we crossed the Gudda, a pretty little 

 river about the same size as the Garuba, and flowing into the 

 Welle four miles below Niangara. 



The Bungba is the largest section of the Mangbettu race, 

 and Okondo is the biggest town I have seen in the Welle 

 region. The huts are round and well-built, and the walls 

 of many are decorated with patterns in black and white ; 

 they encircle a space which must be quite 300 yards across. 

 The Bungba are a tall, muscular race ; their rather broad, 

 distended nostrils are a pecuUar characteristic, and the men 

 are hairy. The heads of the female children are compressed 

 with string like those of the Madi. 



The Mangbettu make a peculiar sweetmeat called 

 " Bedongo " from the young plantain, which goes through 

 a careful process of drying. It is first put on a rack over 

 a fire and allowed to sweat gently ; it is then taken out 

 and put in the sun for a few hours, after which it is again 

 subjected to the sweating process, and so on, turn about, for 

 a period of five days. It shrinks considerably in the pre- 

 paration and when finished looks both in colour and shape 

 like a fried sausage ; it has a sweet and delicate flavour. 



A short distance from the town the king's head wives, 



