360 TRAITS OF SEEDEE CHARACTER. 
who are the terror of all ivory-traders, as they are an 
independent and powerful race of people. In passing 
through their country we were told that our guns 
should always be at hand, that we should not drink 
any water, as it was poisoned, and, above all, that we 
should move across the country in a compact body, 
and not in procession. On seeing the nipple of Bom- 
bay's gun blown out, I inquired how he was to get 
through the Bari ? — was the gun safe to fire in its 
patched state ? Oh yes, he'd fire it, because the gun 
was strong — it had stood the proof of three cartridges ! 
How was that ? " It's some time ago now; but Ubede, 
Abdulla, and a man who deserted, had a spite at me, 
and each of them put a cartridge into this gun, thinking 
it would blow my head off, but the nipple was only 
blown out." He was such an excellent little fellow 
that he never told us this when it happened; and 
when asked whether he had suspected his enemy Bar- 
aka to have played him this trick, he generously re- 
plied, "No, I never suspected him." One other in- 
stance of the Seedee character may be mentioned 
before giving an account of our travels through the 
Bari people. Our cook boy, M'kate, a very tall good- 
looking lad, ever obliging and good-humoured, one 
day left a cooking-pot twelve miles behind. He was 
admonished by Frij, and took the matter so much to 
heart that he travelled back for it alone that same day 
and returned during the night, having recovered the 
old pot, which was certainly not worth the journey. 
It only proves what men will do with kind treat- 
ment ; he was not asked to go back, and had walked 
by himself thirty-six miles through a strange country. 
