t in time to see a
crocodile wriggle off into the water, with the corpse in his jaws feet
first. Fred fired a shotted salute, but missed, and that ended that
funeral.

By day we passed villages on higher ground, where we might have
procured more food if we had dared run the risk of meeting Germans. It
was likely enough the villagers were so used to dhows that they would
not trouble to report having seen us in the distance; but it was
perfectly certain that if we paid them a visit they would pass word
along from mouth to mouth with that astonishing, undiscoverable ease
that is at once the blessing and bane of governments.

So Fred wasted hot hours with the only rifle, trying to hunt meat on a
shore where all the four-legged game had been ran down by the natives,
or butchered by the German machine-guns long ago (for to teach Sudanese
mercenaries the art of rapid fire in action their officers marched them
out to practise on herds of antelope. There was game in plenty away
from the lake, but none where the German officer could conveniently
practise his profession.)

We tried to shoot ducks and geese; but a rifle at long range is not
the best weapon for that sport. We shot very few, and then only to
discover the invincible repugnance natives have to eating "dagi" as
they call all birds. We kept ourselves alive, but did not solve the
problem of the ever-diminishing supplies of rice for our men.

Somebody thought of fishing. We found hooks in a crevice in the Queen
of Sheba's bow, and made lines from a frayed rope. But although the
shore was lined with traps in which the inhabitants no doubt took fish
in proper season, all that we caught was one miserable finny specimen,
all head and mouth and tail, that the natives said would poison any one
who ate it. The truth was, of course, that they preferred rice to
anything, and, African native-like, would eat nothing else as long as
rice was to be had, having no earthly notions of economy. When the
rice was all gone on the fifth day out of Muanza they raided a banana
plantation before we knew what they were up to, and came back gorged,
with bunches enough to feed them for two or three more days.

The fat was in the fire then, of course. We paid the owners
handsomely, giving them their choice of money or blankets when they
bore down on us in long canoes demanding vengeance. They voted for
blankets and money, but vowed they would far rather have the bananas,
because now