We Heard There Was Another Ivory
Party Collecting Tusks At Obbo, A Settlement In The Country Of
Panuquara, Twenty Miles East Of This.
Next we crossed a nullah draining into the Nile, and, travelling
over more rolling ground, flanked on the right
By a range of
small hills, put up at the Madi frontier station, Mugi, where we
had to halt two days to collect a full complement of porters to
traverse the Bari country, the people of which are denounced as
barbarians by the Turks, because they will not submit to be
bullied into carrying their tusks for them. Here we felt an
earthquake. The people would not take beads, preferring, they
said, to make necklaces and belts out of ostrich-eggs, which they
cut into the size of small shirt-buttons, and then drill a hole
through their centre to string them together. A passenger told
us that three white men had just arrived in vessels at Gondokoro;
and the Bari people, hearing of our advance, instead of trying to
kill us with spears, had determined to poison all the water in
their country. Mahamed now disposed of half of his herd of cows,
giving them to the chiefs of the villages in return for porters.
These, he said, were all that belonged to the government; for the
half of all captures of cows, as well as all slaves, all goats,
and sheep, were allowed to the men as part of their pay.
When all was settled we marched, one thousand strong, to Wurungi;
and next day, by a double march, arrived at Marson, in the Bari
country.
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