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from the black pot hung over the fire, | came up to the table, and her husband and from an earthen crock on the took his seat in silence by her side, hearth, began to pervade the room; while Polly made an excuse to fetch a next she took a white cloth and sundry stool which she had seen in the outsmall articles from her basket and laid house. She was in no hurry to come out the table. Then she set the door back, and presently the shepherd in a ajar and began to listen anxiously for shame-faced sort of way, nudged out footsteps. his elbow towards the baby on her knee, and asked :

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La, dear! I do hope as shepherd be a-comin' zoon," she murmured to herself, vor it be all ready, an tes gone dinner-time.”

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"What be 'un called?"

"Caleb," replied the poor little wife, almost in a whisper.

When Polly came in and took her place at table, she piled up the man's plate well with hot beef and potatoes, and finished off with thick slices of old Hephzibah's plum-pudding. To cover the silence of the other two, she kept

The genial warmth of the fire, before which the baby was spreading out his little pink toes, the hot cup of tea, and a gradually increasing interest in Polly's doings, had brought a smile and a faint flush of color to Letitia's pale face, when the door was abruptly up a constant chatter about everything pushed open, and Caleb Thornden came in. He gave a great start at the sight of his unexpected guests, and looked round in utter amazement at the scene before him. He had scarcely time to recover himself before Polly came forward to meet him, with a cheerful face.

"I do wish 'ee a Merry Christmas, shepherd; an' us have a-come to put 'ec a bit straight. It do zeem a pity, now," she added wistfully, "vor vo'k as be wed to bide apart, an' zo I've a-brought 'Titia an' the little chap; tes all my doin', zo doant 'ee lay the blame on she."

she could think of, till what with the good dinner and the lively talk, shepherd was worked up into quite a pleasant temper.

Then Polly felt that her part was done, and she got up to go.

"Young Sam an' the meäre 'll be a-weary o' bidin' down to the Red Lion; zo now, Caleb, do 'ee tell I ef zo be thee wants they" and she pointed to her sister and the child on her knee-"vor to bide along o' thee or not?"

Half involuntarily the poor young creature had risen from her seat, and was beginning to wrap the big shawl With a smile on her face, but trem-round her precious burden, when bling inwardly, the brave woman such is the contrariety of human napaused for the answer on which her ture - possibly that very movement sister's fate depended. She cherished may have decided him he put out his still the vague hope that, as he was hand to stop her. known to be a good shepherd and tender with the lambs, there should be the making of a kind husband and father in such a man. There was absolute silence in the room while she waited patiently, but no words came. Caleb cast a bewildered glance round the cottage, which had an air of comfort, and a promise of good cheer, to which he had hitherto been a stranger, and his heart was softened.

At a sign from her sister, whose quick perception realized that the battle was half won, Letitia timidly

"No, no, "Titia," he cried abruptly, "doant 'ee go vor to leave I agen! Thee beänt half a bad lass, an' us'll jog on together zumways, an' the young un too. Zo thee've a-called the little chap Caleb, did 'ee?" he added in a low tone which was almost a caress.

For all her common sense, Polly's eyes were full of blinding tears as, with a hearty kiss and a mute farewell to her sister, she slipped away, leaving the husband and wife to "dree their weird" like other folks.

From The Nineteenth Century. ENGLAND AND FRANCE ON THE NIGER. "THE RACE FOR BORGU."

BY CAPTAIN F. D. LUGARD.

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mained practically unchecked. manitarian motives now furnished an excellent cover for the imposition of duties on spirits which, though too low to check the import, served to enrich the administrations of the coast ports, and to provide a large revenue for the mere trouble of collection.

It is due to the unceasing energy of French extension in West Africa-an extension which in England we have invariably stigmatized as "aggression," notwithstanding the fact that our colonies had during all these years made little or no effort to develop their own hinterlands — that within the last year or two England has awakened to the necessity of some action, however vacillating, with regard to her West African possessions.

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Recently, the energy and enterprise of Sir Gilbert Carter have boldly faced the problem of the middlemen, and the defeat of the Jebus, followed by the

IT has been the reproach of the British possessions in West Africa the Gambia, Sierra Leone, the Gold Coast, Lagos, and the Oil rivers-that though they have been under the British flag for so many years (some of them, indeed, for several centuries), little or nothing has been done to extend our influence into the interior. British administration has been content to sit as a custodian at the ports, and to reap the benefit of such commerce as found its outlet there, conducted, as it mainly was, through unscrupulous negro middlemen, who denied the real producers access to the markets, and levied such arbitrary exactions from the natives of the interior as their own avarice and greed might prompt. Cannibalism, human sacri- submission of the Egbas in 1891, has fice, and the worst forms of slavery thrown open the hinterland of Lagos might go on unchecked in the interior, to British exploration. The immediate and even among the middlemen, as hinterland of Lagos consisted of the witness the recent orgies of the natives country of the Yorubas, a most indusof the coast town of Brass, but the trious race passionately devoted to British traders "meant dollars," and, trading. The majority of their counlike Gallio, "cared for none of these try, up to the eighth degree of north things." Until the year 1809 the dol- latitude, abounds in the oil palms. The lars accumulated by the British traders "elu "bush (Lonchocarpus cyanescens), were the direct price of human blood, largely cultivated for its excellent inbut in that year the slave trade was digo dye, thrives everywhere; cotton abolished, and the exports took the is grown in great quantities, and the form of palm oil and other natural native looms produce an admirable, products. The abolition of the over- strong, and beautifully woven cloth; sea slave trade was, however, but a the forests abound in rubber, and the veneer of humanity which soon overlay industry of the people produces in a practice hardly less destructive to the abundance these and other products in native races than the slave trade itself. exchange for the imports of Lagos, In exchange for the commercial prod- which consist, alas! for the most part ucts which had superseded the traffic of poisonous gin, for which a more exin slaves, the European "pioneers of tended market has thus been created civilization" imported into the country by this opening up of the interior, So thousands nay, millions of fire- far, however, Lagos has succeeded in arms, with powder, and a flood of penetrating only some one hundred poisonous liquor. These imports con- and twenty miles from the coast. Betinued unchecked until very recently, yond this, to the north-west, the Yoruwhen the obligations incurred under bas are harassed by large plundering the Brussels Act necessitated some bands of the Borgu. Passing southprohibition of the import of firearms. wards from their own boundary (about The import of spirits, however, re- lat. 9° N.), and circling round the

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larger towns, these freebooters cut off | half of northern Yoruba, it lay at least communications from the south, fall as much to their hand as to that of the daily upon little parties of traders, and, Lagos government to undertake the not content with plundering, massacre administration of the remainder of the them with ruthless cruelty. The northern district by entering into treaty greater part of northern Yoruba has relations with its principal chiefs. thus become a wilderness, and in such The coast area of the Royal Niger centres of population as still exist the Company is but small, consisting towns are defended by lines of walls merely of the main mouth of the within walls, by deep moats and mas- Niger, with some portion of its delta. sive gates. Outside of their fortifica- Their rôle, in opposition to that of the tions the Yorubas dare not call their other governments of the West Coast, lives their own, and every party pass-had been the development of the far ing from the north to convey their interior. Situated, as the mouth of the produce to, or visit their friends in, Niger is, in the angle of the great curve the southern towns, is escorted by a called the Gulf of Guinea, the term small army of warriors. When the hinterland could hardly be applied to escorts meet the enemy they are their territories which consist of the usually victorious, but a superstitious countries accessible from both banks dread of the witchcraft and of the of the river and its great tributary the deadly poisoned arrows for which the Benué. The Niger is navigable by Borgu are famous throughout West light-draught steamers for three months Africa, has prevented their ever mak- and by launches for nine months, to a ing head against them by an invasion point a few miles past the small river in force of Borgu. Such an invasion island of Jebba (lat. 9° 10′ N.); and has been attempted, but the Yorubas the countries which border this northare firmly convinced that the Borgu pos- ern part of the river as far as Jebba sess the power of creating dissension are Nupé and Illorin, both of which in the minds of their enemies, and thus have long been in treaty alliance with predisposed to panic, it is little to be the company. On the left bank Nupé wondered at that the result they dreaded extends far beyond the limit of navigaovertook their armies, and internal tion, and as the countries on this, the dissensions compelled them to abandon | eastern, side of the river were secured the war. Sir Gilbert Carter was not to England under the treaty with the man to allow this unsatisfactory | France (August, 1890), which fixed the state of things to continue, but his boundary between the two powers at a energies were for the moment directed line drawn from Say, on the Upper towards the north-eastern frontier of Niger, to Barrua, on Lake Chad, there Yoruba, and the settlement of a diffi- is no question as to the European culty between two powerful sections of suzerainty in this district. On the the Yoruba peoples-the Ibadans and right bank, however, the case requires the Illorins detained his officers. more explanation. The company mainThe Ibadans represented the Yoruba tain that the Say-Barrua line, being an people properly so called, and were in east and west line, has no significance treaty with the Lagos government; unless it be to delimit the territory the Illorins represented the Foula Mo- lying between the meridians passing hammedan conquerors of the great through its extreme points. They Sokoto Empire, who had in earlier maintain, therefore, that all the territimes overrun the whole country, but tory lying south of the Say-Barrua line were now restricted to its north-eastern (with the exception of a portion of district under the Foula Emir of Illorin. Dahomey, which was admitted as This emir, as an outlying tributary of within French influence by separate the Sokoto Empire, was in treaty with and simultaneous instruments), is, the Royal Niger Company, and since under this international agreement, a that company thus already controlled a part of British territory quite indepen

The French meanwhile had been

dently of any local treaties with tribal | king of all Borgu. With this chief the chiefs. They support their contention Royal Niger Company concluded a by the fact that the inception of the treaty in January, 1890, and since that treaty was in order to protect the hin- date he has never swerved in his alleterland of the French Mediterranean giance to the company, from whom he possessions, and this is specified in the has been in receipt of an annual subtext. These possessions are distant sidy. North of Borgu the company from the Say-Barrua line more than had treaty rights over Gurma, a provfifteen hundred miles, and the inteu-ince of Gandu, whose territories bortion, therefore, was clearly to secure to dered the river on both sides up to and France all this vast area north of the beyond Say. As a portion of the Solatitude of Say, except a small protrud- koto Empire, moreover, these countries ing portion of the Sokoto Empire, were especially excluded from any while that lying to the south should French interference under the treaty remain British. There was no indica- of August, 1890. Such was the position in the treaty that the area assigned tion in 1894. to Great Britain should be limited to the east side of the Niger. On the gradually extending eastwards from contrary, the company maintain that their possessions in Senegambia, on the the purpose of the treaty was to assign Atlantic coast, and had cut off all the to France the whole of the Upper natural hinterland of the British colNiger (navigable throughout its greater onies of the Gambia, Sierra Leone, and portion), together with sole control the Gold Coast, together with those of over all territory on both its banks, the Free Negro State of Liberia. It provided that Great Britain obtained a now became evident that it was their similar control on the Lower Niger intention to carry this extension to the south of Say. This intention was rear of German Togo-land and the clearly understood in the pourparlers Lagos territory of Yoruba, gaining a which preceded the signature of the fresh outlet to the sea through their treaty, and the French thereupon, new possession of Dahomey. Entirely abandoning all idea of finding an outlet setting aside the British claims under for the trade of their countries by the the international agreement I have Lower Niger, proceeded to connect by described, they went further, and a railway the towns of Bammako, on threw doubts on the validity of the the Upper navigable Niger, with Me- Boussa treaty under which the comdina, on the navigable Senegal River, pany claimed to have acquired suzeso as to bring the products of the rainty over all Borgu. Suddenly, "buckle of the Niger" to the seaport therefore, this little-known country of St. Louis in French Senegal. At a became the centre of interest to three later period, however, after the French of the greatest powers of Europe. Exhad annexed Dahomey, it seems to tending as it does to the north of have occurred to them to dispute the Yoruba (Lagos), Dahomey (French), validity of England's exclusive claim and part of Togo-land (German), each to the right bank of the Niger. North nation became eager to contest the of Jebba, and debouching for a few title-deeds to its possession. But miles on the Lower navigable Niger, important as it was to France and extends the eastern limit of the country Germany, it was of vastly greater imof Borgu. The Borgu chief who owned portance to England. By the Berlin sway over this riverine territory, had Act of 1885 freedom of transit on the his capital at Boussa, above the rapids Niger was secured to the commercial (south of Say). His authority over the vessels of all nations. But so long as whole of that portion of Borgu which the territory on both banks from the extends along the Niger appeared to be mouth up to Say was exclusively Britunquestioned, and he energetically in-ish, while the navigation of the river sisted that he was moreover titular north of Jebba was hopelessly inter

rupted by cataracts, this freedom of | Pallot, governor of Dahomey, had pretransit could not be employed to injure pared the way for Decœur by proceedthe company's revenues. On the Up- ing beyond the northern limits of Daper Niger, between Bammako and homey, through the Sabé country to the Timbuctoo, the French have placed borders of Borgu. Decœur on landing steamers and gunboats, and if they had but to march straight through to could also acquire Borgu, and so obtain | join him, and thence only some fifty a long stretch of the right bank of the miles separated him from Nikki. It Lower Niger, they could draw the would seem that the feverish anxiety trade from the British regions of the central Soudan to the detriment of the British revenues.

of France had placed in the field some four or five separate expeditions to gain her object. In the far west Monteil The possession, therefore, of Borgu was advancing on Kong with an army became a matter of some importance to of eleven hundred and forty-six solFrance, but of vital importance to the diers, while towards Borgu itself were Royal Niger Company if they desired directed the expeditions of Captain to maintain the sole control of the Decœur, Captain Toutée, Lieutenant lower waterway by Great Britain. In Baud, and M. Alby, l'administrapursuance of these aims France now teur" of Dahomey (Pol. Col. Decemdeclared that the British treaties with ber 19, 1894). Boussa were valueless as regards the Under such circumstances the Royal suzerainty of Borgu. The leading Niger Company were not idle, though French journals emphatically insisted at this period they had no knowledge that Nikki alone was the capital of all of the scale of preparations which were Borgu, and its king the ruler of the being made by France. Decœur's dewhole country. Convinced that the parture was known, but inquiries only powerful expedition which had sud-resulted in the assurance that his denly left France for Dahomey on the objects were solely confined to Daho24th of July, 1894, under Captain De-mey. Although maintaining that the cœur would reach Nikki long before treaties with Boussa were effective any other could possibly arrive there, they were loud in their protestations that whoever first concluded a treaty with the king of Nikki would be the real European suzerain of Borgu. "It is," said the Politique Coloniale, the chief colonial organ in France, a veritable steeplechase to which France, England, and Germany are devoting themselves to gain that part of the buckle of the Niger which impinges on the lower river" (December 19, 1894),2 and believing, as they did, that France was bound to win the race, they scarce took the trouble to restrain a somewhat premature exultation. Already M.

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over the whole of Borgu, the company was well aware how difficult would be the task of proving this by native evidence against a French treaty with Nikki. They therefore entrusted to me a mission, whose object was to endeavor to anticipate French enterprise in this direction. I left London on the 28th July, 1894, with this object.

The country of Borgu which had thus acquired a temporary notoriety is one of the few districts remaining in Africa which were as yet unexplored by Europeans. The invasions of the Foula Mohammedans who swept over all this portion of Africa, and formed the mighty empire of Sokoto-Gandu and Samory, spent their force against it in vain. To the north, south, east, and west their conquests met with no check, but Borgu remained unconquered. At the present day the Foulas, who throughout these vast regions hold a position as a superior race, and call themselves "white men," are but

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