. From the Niger to the Nile . people nodded their heads andclapped their hands. I then gave the king, at his request,a letter saying the same thing in very much briefer terms,for which he showed the most touching gratitude; a pieceof paper covered with white mans writing is quite enoughto invest its possessor with paramount power at any nativepalaver. Two days march from Goram brought us to Mamaidi,a fairly large Fulani town. Here the old king was not veryfriendly and omitted the customary dash, so I told him tobring me two goats for which I paid him well. Next day,upon the march I noticed tw
. From the Niger to the Nile . people nodded their heads andclapped their hands. I then gave the king, at his request,a letter saying the same thing in very much briefer terms,for which he showed the most touching gratitude; a pieceof paper covered with white mans writing is quite enoughto invest its possessor with paramount power at any nativepalaver. Two days march from Goram brought us to Mamaidi,a fairly large Fulani town. Here the old king was not veryfriendly and omitted the customary dash, so I told him tobring me two goats for which I paid him well. Next day,upon the march I noticed two consumptive-looking creaturesbeing goaded along by my carriers, and when I asked theirhistory and was told that they were the goats that had beensent in by the king, I knew that I had been done, for Ihad picked out two particularly fine ones the day I sent back a messenger with a flag to the king,bidding him deliver up the goats I had chosen. Soon themessenger returned to say that the king refused an answer,. o wo MY JOURNEY CONTINUED TO ASHAKA 219 saying that the flag was one he did not know. Such insolencewas more than I could stomach and I immediately returnedto Mamaidi with my column. On my arrival I found thetown in a state of panic, and the people were already gettingtheir belongings together in preparation for a hurried old king (to give him his due) was the only calm one ofthe lot, and was waiting in front of the palace to face themusic. I recounted to him his crime, and he made someexcuses that were lamer than the goats. Whereupon Ifined him fifteen goats, which I ordered him to send in tothe Resident at Bauchi with a letter I had written detaihngthe case. I then left to take my road again, and I had notgone far out of the town, when I heard a great hubbubbehind me, and looking back saw the old king mounted onan old horse, riding out of the city gates with half his peopleat his heels. Presently they overtook me, and as I strodealong, the ol
Size: 1272px × 1965px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidcu319240, booksubjectbirds
