It Was A Very Fine Male, And The
Two Thighs And Legs Were A Very Fair Load For A Strong Donkey.
I have seen erroneous accounts of ostriches designated as two varieties,
the black and the grey.
The black, with white feathers in the wings and
tail, is simply the male, and the grey the female. The feathers of this
bird were old and in bad order. The fat is much esteemed by the Arabs as
an external application for rheumatism. I found the stomach rich in
scorpions, beetles, leaves of trees, and white rounded quartz pebbles.
The bird must have come from a considerable distance as there was
neither rock nor pebble in the neighbourhood.
On my return to camp I carved an artificial ostrich head from a piece of
wood, and made false eyes with the neck of a wine bottle. I intended to
stick this head upon a pole, concealed in a linen fishing rod case, and
to dress up my cap with thick plumes of ostrich feathers. I have no
doubt that it would be possible to approach ostriches in grass by this
imitation, as the pole would be carried in the left hand, and all the
movements of the ostriches might be easily imitated. The pole in the
left hand rested on the ground would make a good rest for the rifle when
the moment arrived for the shot.
Heavy rains set in, and the hitherto dry plains became flooded and
swampy, thus I never had an opportunity to try my false ostrich.
The Shillooks were now become our fast friends. The camp was crowded
daily with natives who came by water from a considerable distance to
traffic with the soldiers. Like all negroes, they were sharp traders,
with a Jewish tendency in their bargains. They brought raw cotton and
provisions of all kinds in exchange for cotton manufactures and iron.
Their country consists simply of rich alluvial soil, therefore all iron
must be imported, and it is of great value. The best articles of
exchange for this country would be pieces of wrought iron of about four
ounces in weight and six inches long, and pieces of eight ounces, and
eight inches in length. Also cotton cloth, known as grey calico,
together with white calico, and other cheap manufactures. The cotton
that is indigenous to the country is short in staple, but it grows
perfectly wild. The Shillooks are very industrious, and cultivate large
quantities of dhurra and some maize, but the latter is only used to eat
in a green state, roasted on the ashes. The grain of maize is too hard
to grind on the common flat millstones of the natives, thus it is seldom
cultivated in any portion of Central Africa on an extended scale. I gave
some good Egyptian cotton-seed to the natives, also the seed of various
European vegetables. Tobacco was in great demand by the troops, and I
considered the quality supplied by the Shillooks superior to that
cultivated in the Soudan.
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