The Geographical Journal (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society): Volume XVI, No. 6 [‎347v] (47/232)

620
AN EXPEDITION BETWEEN LAKE RUDOLF AND THE NILE.
followed the caravan at some distance in an unfriendly manner. After
a time, however, others more civilized from near Omin joined them, and
these latter approached to within 100 yards and made friendly advances.
The best course for me to pursue was to go over to these people without
escort, and the result was even more than I expected. In a couple of
minutes the natives were crowding round me, patting me on the back
and grasping my hand in a rather annoyingly familiar manner, that
showed plainly enough that they were greatly relieved to find that we
were not a hostile party of Egyptians or Mahdists, from both of whom
they had received many unwelcome visits since Sir Samuel Baker’s
time.
xVt Omin we found quite a number of blacks dressed in loose white
cotton suits, such as are worn by Sudanese townspeople, or occasionally
m Dervish “ jibbas.” Each man who wore any clothing carried some
old musket or rifle, of which he was immensely proud, even though the
weapon were useless. The people were all under the chief Amara of
Tarangole and Loguren, who only allowed those who carried rifles to
wear clothing, or who, in other words, gave to any bit of cloth the
dignity of a uniform. Whenever a man laid aside his rifle he also dis
embarrassed himself of all clothing. There were strangers here from
many Sudanese tribes, some of them deserters from the Khalifa’s forces
after the Belgians had destroyed the Dervish influence on the upper
It was an agreeable change to meet natives who had some know-
e ge o Europeans, and with whom we could converse through the
medium of Arabic. The great strength of the people, however, lay in
he magnificent physique, pluck, and skill in the use of the spear and
bows and arrows of the prond young men who never knew the use of
that rfae V A 0t lmaS T ‘ hat th6re is a P° wer on »«th equal to
that of their kmg Amara. The one great ornament of these warriors
a a heavy helmet made of brass plates, laid together on a frame of
m erwoven grasses. It has the appearance of a solid brass Crusader’s
casque, and when worn easily bv iaunfv anri r i
effect is most striking. J gl ' aCefal warr '™ the
We spent nearly two days at Omin, during which time I arranged
or a rendezvous with chief Amara, at a village called Lorkale some (1
mi es north of his capital Loguren, and near Tarangole. Since I had now
t’otve^berTelatel 0 ' C ° l0nel —T. and found them
Rudolf, I dropped my teil^uirorif^rTali^O:” 1 ^ 0 ; ^ ““
my chartographical work to the Nile by means of a no t 7 ™ ° n
dead reckoning. I had wrongly judged that the on/ C T PaSS an<l
Tarangole had been thoroughly evpfored bv r p / o 8 ‘° f
Baker, and by members of fhe^aclnaU ^ 00 “tn’t^/d”" 61
map to be the only one giving any detail. ’ Snd my