ll and that the Japanese are still
successful. The Sultan of Djabir sent his brother a young gentleman who
has been educated and speaks French, to present a small ivory war-horn
and to demand several times its value in cloth. Afterwards he sold us
some other articles but, although he received full value for them he
repented of his bargain next day and demanded them back again. Of course
we let him take them. The Sultan himself seems to be equally difficult
to deal with and although the State has given him the rank of Captain in
the Force Publique and tried to humour him in every way he is not a good
subject. His village has the usual characteristics with some signs of
Arab civilisation.

Lord Mountmorres is now anxious to hasten to Bumba for the rest of the
mail and if necessary to send a special courier to Coquilhatville with a
cablegram while I arrange to follow more slowly and hunt the country in
between. He therefore leaves Djabir on October 31st taking only one boy
and a little baggage. It is a very hot day and at night-time a heavy
tornado bursts over the Post. I wake up in a pool of water for the roof
leaks badly and by bad luck just over my bed. Having moved this to a dry
spot it is possible to sleep but not for long for the mosquito net was
fixed to the wall where I left it forgetting the little pests. It is now
a question of bites or water and as the latter seems cooler I replace
the bed and fixing the roof of the net on the slope so that the heaviest
part of the shower will run off, pass the rest of the night in
comparative comfort. It is indeed time the place was rebuilt for at
present Djabir has a depressing air of former greatness and present
decay. As there are no elephants near and the antelopes are very small,
I arrange to leave on November 1st but on starting to repack find many
of the antelope skins are rotten and order them to be thrown away while
the native lances and spears are covered with red rust, and have to be
cleaned, smeared with palm oil and repacked.

I start next morning to cross Uele, but as it is impossible to obtain
more than thirty five porters some of the baggage has to be left behind.
The loads are carried here in rather a curious manner. The porters make
a hand of coarse grass fibres and pass it over the crown of the head
which is inclined forwards. The band is attached to the bale or box
which itself rests on the back between the shoulders. Then leaning
forward the porter, carryi