But I don't think he will be able to leave
Gondokoro, as he has a large amount of baggage, _and I have told the
Baris not to transport it: - thus he will have no carriers."
This was the actual report that Abou Saood had given to Kabba Rega, as
the dragoman Umbogo had been the interpreter, in the presence of
Mohammed, my old Cairo dragoman.
I laughed outright at this absurdity: at the same time it corroborated
all that I had already heard of Abou Saood's treachery. I immediately
asked Kabba Rega if he was satisfied now that he had seen me? He
replied, "Abou Saood is a liar, and you are Kamrasi's friend, and my
father: therefore you will, I am sure, assist me, and relieve me from my
great enemy, Rionga. I shall then know that you are indeed my true
friend."
Once more it was necessary to change the conversation. A number of
buffoons that were kept about the court for the amusement of the young
king now came forward. The crowd was driven back, and an open space
having been thus cleared, they performed a curious theatrical scene,
followed by a general fight with clubs, until one man, having knocked
down all the party, remained the victor. The scene terminated with an
act of disgusting indecency, which created roars of laughter from the
immense crowd, who evidently considered this was the great joke of the
piece.
"Kabba Rega now took leave, and retired as he had before arrived, with
drums, whistles, horns, flageolets, making a horrid din . . . ."
The spot that I had selected for a station was at the southern edge of
the town, from which site the land sloped into a valley about a hundred
feet below. I had at once commenced clearing away the high grass, and,
as usual when first settling, I had broken up a few small plots, and had
already sown seeds of English cucumbers, sweet melons, &c.
The soil was wonderfully rich, at the same time it was very easily
worked. When the tall rank grass was torn out by the roots, a fine
surface was exposed that resembled dark chocolate. This was a vegetable
loam, with a minimum of two feet thickness, resting upon a bright red
quartz gravel.
The quartz was not rounded, and appeared to be only the residue of
decayed rock that had never been subjected to the action of running
water. When washed, a handful remained of sharp and clear white
fragments.
With such a subsoil the country must be healthy, as the heaviest shower
drained rapidly through the gravel.
I employed the prisoners in clearing the grass, while the soldiers
commenced cultivation, and dug up the ground with a number of hoes that
I borrowed from Kabba Rega.
These implements are nearly the same in shape as those in Gondokoro and
throughout the Madi country, but smaller, and the iron is very brittle
and inferior.
