DIRTY DONKEYS. 
J 74 
[chap. vr. 
amused himself by going to the Latooka dance. Thus 
was the loss of my best animal occasioned. 
So well had all my saddles and pads been arranged 
at Khartoum, that although we had marched seven 
days with exceedingly heavy loads, not one of the 
animals had a sore back. The donkeys were exceed¬ 
ingly fresh, but they had acquired a most disgusting 
habit. The Latookas are remarkably clean in their 
towns, and nothing unclean is permitted within the 
stockade or fence. Thus the outside, especially the 
neighbourhood of the various entrances, was excessively 
filthy, and my donkeys actually fattened as scavengers, 
like pigs. I remembered that my unfortunate German 
Johann Schmidt had formerly told me that he was at 
one time shooting in the Base country, where the 
grass had been burnt, and not a blade of vegetation 
was procurable. He had abundance of sport, and he 
fed his donkey upon the flesh of antelopes, which he 
ate with avidity, and throve exceedingly. It is a 
curious fact that donkeys should under certain circum¬ 
stances become omnivorous, while horses remain clean 
feeders. 
