DEPARTURE FROM MOOT 
127 
knowledge of English found its only expression in 
a request for whisky, intermingled with a string of 
oaths, and we had some difficulty in getting rid of 
him. When he did take his leave he expressed a hope 
we should come again soon and bring lots of whisky, 
“ as he could not get any at the mission station, which 
was a d-d shame.” 
The only fauna of interest we observed at Moci 
were white ravens and green pigeons, both, I believe, 
peculiar to the mountain. The former have a ring of 
pure white feathers round the neck, and a similar white 
patch on the back, the rest of the plumage being jet 
black. The colour of the pigeons is a dark green. 
The following morning we bade good-bye to Mandara, 
whom we found sitting in the midst of rows of wives 
and looking rather “ chippy ” after his heavy over-niglit 
potations ; we parted with professions of mutual friend¬ 
ship, and marched back to Mto-abarri. So ended our 
visit to this notability, in every way satisfactory and 
decidedly interesting, though as far as its main object 
was concerned, in my opinion, quite unnecessary. I 
do not think that he had the power, even if he wished, 
to annoy us very much in the plains where we intended 
to do most of our shooting, so there was no real 
necessity to conciliate him. However, apart from the 
loss of five days, no harm was done by the visit, and 
perhaps it was as well to be on the safe side. Person¬ 
ally I was very pleased at the opportunity of meeting 
the man of whose exaggerated power and importance 
I had read and heard so much. 
