whose courage consists in plundering and murdering
defenceless natives, while the robbers fatten on the
spoil. I am most anxious to see whether the English
Government will take active notice of the White Nile
trade, or whether diplomacy will confine them-to simple
protest and correspondence, to be silenced by a promise
from the Egyptian Government to put a stop to the
present atrocities. The Egyptian Government will, of
course promise, and, as usual with Turks, will never
perform. On the other hand, the savages are themselves
b a d ; one tribe welcomes the Turks as allies
against their neighbours, and sees no crime in murder,
provided the result be ‘ cattle/ This, of course, produces
general confusion.
“ Aug. 6th.—The difficulties of procuring provisions
are most serious : the only method of purchasing
flour is as follows. The natives will not sell it for
anything but flesh; to purchase an ox, I require
molotes (hoes) : to obtain molotes I must sell my
clothes and shoes to the traders’ men. The ox is then
driven to a distant village, and is there slaughtered,
and the flesh being divided into about a hundred small
portions, my men sit upon the ground with three large
baskets, into which are emptied minute baskets of flour
as the natives produce them, one in exchange for each
parcel of meat. This tedious process Is a specimen of
Central African difficulties in the simple act of purchasing
flour. The Obbo natives are similar to the
Bari in some of their habits. I have had great difficulty
in breaking my cow-keeper of his disgusting
custom of washing the milk-bowl with cow’s urine,
and even mixing some with the milk; he declares that
unless he washes his hands with such water before
milking, the cow will lose her milk. This filthy
custom is unaccountable. The Obbo natives wash out
their mouths with their own urine. This habit may
have originated in the total absence of salt in their
country. The Latookas, on the contrary, are very
clean, and milk could be purchased in their own
vessels without fear.”
“ Aug. 8th.—Having killed a fat ox, the men are
busily engaged in boiling down the fat. Care should
be taken to sprinkle a few drops of water in the pot
when the fat is supposed to be sufficiently boiled ;
should it hiss, as though poured upon melted lead, it is
ready ; but if it be silent, the fat is not sufficiently
boiled, and it will not keep. .
“ Three runaway female slaves were captured by
Koorshid’s people this morning, two of whom were
brutally treated. On the whole the female slaves are
well kept when very young, but well thrashed when
the black bloom of youth has passed.”