Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 49

(eBook PDF) Supply Chain Logistics

Management 5th Edition by Donald


Bowersox
Go to download the full and correct content document:
https://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-supply-chain-logistics-management-5th-e
dition-by-donald-bowersox/
More products digital (pdf, epub, mobi) instant
download maybe you interests ...

(eBook PDF) Supply Chain Logistics Management 4th by


Donald

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-supply-chain-logistics-
management-4th-by-donald/

Supply Chain Logistics Management 5th edition - eBook


PDF

https://ebooksecure.com/download/supply-chain-logistics-
management-ebook-pdf/

(eBook PDF) Logistics & and Supply Chain Management 5th


Edition

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-logistics-and-supply-
chain-management-5th-edition/

(eBook PDF) Food Supply Chain Management and Logistics

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-food-supply-chain-
management-and-logistics/
(eBook PDF) Global Logistics And Supply Chain
Management 3e

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-global-logistics-and-
supply-chain-management-3e/

(eBook PDF) Supply Chain Management A Logistics


Perspective 9th

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-supply-chain-management-
a-logistics-perspective-9th/

(eBook PDF) Supply Chain Management A Logistics


Perspective 10th

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-supply-chain-management-
a-logistics-perspective-10th/

(eBook PDF) Supply Chain Management: A Logistics


Perspective 11th Edition

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-supply-chain-management-
a-logistics-perspective-11th-edition/

(eBook PDF) Supply Chain Management: A Logistics


Perspective 11th Edition

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-supply-chain-management-
a-logistics-perspective-11th-edition-2/
i

Supply Chain
Logistics
Management
ii

The McGraw-Hill Series in Operations and Decision


Sciences

SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT


Benton
Purchasing and Supply Chain Management
Third Edition

Bowersox, Closs, Cooper, and Bowersox


Supply Chain Logistics Management
Fifth Edition

Burt, Petcavage, and Pinkerton


Supply Management
Eighth Edition

Johnson
Purchasing and Supply Management
Sixteenth Edition

Simchi-Levi, Kaminsky, and Simchi-Levi


Designing and Managing the Supply Chain: Concepts, Strategies, Case Studies
Third Edition

Stock and Manrodt


Fundamentals of Supply Chain Management

PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Brown and Hyer
Managing Projects: A Team-Based Approach

Larson and Gray


Project Management: The Managerial Process
Seventh Edition

SERVICE OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT


Bordoloi, Fitzsimmons, and Fitzsimmons
Service Management: Operations, Strategy, Information Technology
Ninth Edition

MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
Hillier and Hillier
Introduction to Management Science: A Modeling and Case Studies Approach with
Spreadsheets
Sixth Edition

BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODS


Schindler
Business Research Methods
Thirteenth Edition

BUSINESS FORECASTING
Keating and Wilson
Forecasting and Predictive Analytics
Seventh Edition

LINEAR STATISTICS AND REGRESSION


Kutner, Nachtsheim, and Neter
Applied Linear Regression Models
Fourth Edition

BUSINESS SYSTEMS DYNAMICS


Sterman
Business Dynamics: Systems Thinking and Modeling for a Complex World

OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
Cachon and Terwiesch
Operations Management
Second Edition

Cachon and Terwiesch


Matching Supply with Demand: An Introduction to Operations Management
Fourth Edition

Jacobs and Chase


Operations and Supply Chain Management
Fifteenth Edition

Jacobs and Chase


Operations and Supply Chain Management: The Core
Fifth Edition

Schroeder and Goldstein


Operations Management in the Supply Chain: Decisions and Cases
Seventh Edition

Stevenson
Operations Management
Thirteenth Edition

Swink, Melnyk, and Hartley


Managing Operations Across the Supply Chain
Fourth Edition

BUSINESS MATH
Slater and Wittry
Practical Business Math Procedures
Thirteenth Edition

Slater and Wittry


Math for Business and Finance: An Algebraic Approach

Second Edition

BUSINESS STATISTICS
Bowerman, O’Connell, Drougas, Duckworth, and Froelich
Business Statistics in Practice
Ninth Edition

Doane and Seward


Applied Statistics in Business and Economics
Sixth Edition

Doane and Seward


Essential Statistics in Business and Economics
Third Edition

Lind, Marchal, and Wathen


Basic Statistics for Business and Economics
Ninth Edition

Lind, Marchal, and Wathen


Statistical Techniques in Business and Economics
Seventeenth Edition

Jaggia and Kelly


Business Statistics: Communicating with Numbers
Third Edition

Jaggia and Kelly


Essentials of Business Statistics: Communicating with Numbers
Second Edition
McGuckian
Connect Master: Business Statistics
iii

Supply Chain
Logistics
Management

Fifth Edition

Donald J.
Bowersox
David J. Closs
M. Bixby Cooper
John C.
Bowersox
Michigan State
University
iv

SUPPLY CHAIN LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT, FIFTH EDITION

Published by McGraw-Hill Education, 2 Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10121. Copyright © 2020 by
McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Previous
editions © 2013, 2010, and 2007. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in
any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written
consent of McGraw-Hill Education, including, but not limited to, in any network or other
electronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning.

Some ancillaries, including electronic and print components, may not be available to customers
outside the United States.

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 LWI/LWI 21 20 19 18

ISBN 978-0-07-809664-8
MHID 0-07-809664-2

Portfolio Manager: Noelle Bathurst


Product Developers: Ryan McAndrews
Marketing Manager: Harper Christopher
Content Project Managers: Fran Simon/Jamie Koch
Buyer: Sandy Ludovissy
Design: Matt Diamond
Content Licensing Specialists: Carrie Burger
Cover Image: (ship) ©Shutterstock/Aun Photographer; (warehouse) © Shutterstock/Petinov
Sergey Mihilovich; (map) ©macrovector/123RF; (truck) © Shutterstock/Andrey Pavlov.
Compositor: MPS Limited

All credits appearing on page or at the end of the book are considered to be an extension of the
copyright page.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Bowersox, Donald J., author.


Supply chain logistics management/Donald J. Bowersox [and three others].
Fifth edition. | New York : McGraw-Hill, [2020] | Includes bibliographical references and
index.
LCCN 2018041848 | ISBN 9780078096648 (student edition : alk. paper)
LCSH: Business logistics.
LCC HD38.5 .B697 2020 | DDC 658.7—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018041848

The Internet addresses listed in the text were accurate at the time of publication. The inclusion of
a website does not indicate an endorsement by the authors or McGraw-Hill Education, and
McGraw-Hill Education does not guarantee the accuracy of the information presented at these
sites.

mheducation.com/highered
v

This book is dedicated to the memory


of Dr. Donald J. Bowersox, visionary,
mentor, and friend and one of the founders
of the academic disciplines of logistics and
supply chain management. Don passed
away as the fourth edition was being
completed, but his legacy lives on in this
fifth edition. Don’s legacy will live on
through the many contributions to the
theory and practice of logistics and supply
chain management that will continue
through his family, students, and
colleagues.
The authors would also like to
recognize their families for their
encouragement and patience because they
ultimately pay the dearest price.
vi

About the Authors


Donald J. Bowersox (1932–2011) is the former University
Professor and Dean Emeritus at Michigan State University. He received
his Ph.D. at Michigan State and worked with industry throughout this
career. He is the author of numerous articles in publications such as the
Harvard Business Review, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Business
Logistics, and Supply Chain Management Review. Bowersox was the co-
author of what is widely recognized as the first Supply Chain academic
text: Physical Distribution Management—Logistics Problems of The
Firm, first published in 1961. He is the co-author of Start Pulling Your
Chain: Leading Responsive Supply Chain Transformation, published in
2008. Throughout this career, Bowersox led a number of industry-
supported research studies investigating the best practices of Logisticians
in North America and around the world. Bowersox is recognized by
many as the “Grandfather of Supply Chain” and was recognized by the
Council of Supply Chain Management (CSCMP) receiving both the
Distinguished Service Award (1966) and in 2011, after his death, with the
renaming of the annual Doctoral Symposium in his honor as the Donald
J. Bowersox Doctoral Symposium. Don’s memory and many
accomplishments are cherished and live on in his family, friends, and
industry peers.

David J. Closs is the John H. McConnell Chaired Professor of


Business Administration and former Chairperson in the Department of
Supply Chain Management at Michigan State University. He received his
Ph.D. in marketing and logistics from Michigan State. Dr. Closs is the
author and coauthor of many publications in journals, proceedings, and
industry reports. He was also a principal researcher for World Class
Logistics: The Challenge of Managing Continuous Change and 21st
Century Logistics: Making Supply Chain Integration a Reality. Dr. Closs
is a frequent speaker at industry and academic conferences and presenter
at executive education programs. Dr. Closs formerly served as the editor
of the Journal of Business Logistics.

M. Bixby Cooper is an Associate Professor emeritus in the


Department of Supply Chain Management at Michigan State University.
He is coauthor of three texts on distribution and logistics, including
World Class Logistics: The Challenge of Managing Continuous Change
and Strategic Marketing Channel Management. He is also coauthor of
Managing Operations Across the Supply Chain published by McGraw-
Hill. He served for four years on the Executive Board of the International
Customer Service Association as head of the Research and Education
Committee.

John C. Bowersox is the Director—Inbound Transportation for


True Value Company. He is a graduate of Michigan State University.
John is currently responsible for the Strategic and Operational oversight
of True Value’s Global Inbound Logistics program. Prior to joining True
Value, John worked for the Kohler Co., where he held positions in
Operations, Customer Service, Logistics, and Strategic Purchasing
within the company’s Kitchen and Bath Americas as well as Ann Sacks
Tile & Stone operating divisions. Mr. Bowersox, in conjunction with his
brother Ed and late father Donald, was the recipient of the DSC Movers
and Thinkers Award for Innovation in Supply Chain Management. He is
an active member of the Council of Supply Chain Management
Professionals (CSCMP), a charter member of the Young Professionals
Committee, and prior member of the Board of Directors. A close
follower of academic and industry research, he is a frequent contributor
at industry conferences.
vii

Preface
Over the last eight decades, the discipline of business logistics has
advanced from the warehouse floor and transportation dock to the
boardroom of leading global enterprises. We have had the opportunity to
be actively involved in this evolution through research, education, and
advising. Supply Chain Logistics Management encompasses the
development and fundamentals of the logistics discipline within a supply
chain framework. It also presents our vision of the future for business
logistics and supply chain management and their role in enterprise
competitiveness.
Although individually and collectively the four authors have written
extensively on various aspects of logistics and supply chain
management, the decision to initially write and subsequently revise
Supply Chain Logistics Management represents the synthesis of many
years of research, augmenting and, in many ways, supplanting earlier
works of the authors published by McGraw-Hill. The union of ideas
presented in this text provides an integrated supply chain framework for
the study of logistics, serves to expand the treatment of supply chain
management by placing it firmly in the context of integrated business
strategy, and highlights the increasing importance of logistics in the
supply chains supporting a global economy.
Logistics includes all the activities required to move product and
information to, from, and between partners in a supply chain. The supply
chain provides the framework for businesses and their suppliers to jointly
deliver goods, services, and information efficiently, effectively,
relevantly, and in a sustainable manner to consumers. Supply Chain
Logistics Management presents the mission, business processes, and
strategies needed to achieve integrated logistical management. We hope
the text achieves three fundamental objectives: (1) presents a
comprehensive description of existing logistical practices in a global
economy, (2) describes ways and means to apply logistics principles to
achieve competitive advantage, and (3) provides a conceptual approach
for integrating logistics as a core competency within enterprise supply
chain strategy.
This edition has benefited greatly from thoughtful suggestions from
students, colleagues, and reviewers. We note several changes and
additions to this new edition:
Incorporated a section in Chapter 1 that discusses the broad application
of logistics and supply chain management to include other applications
beyond movement of goods.
Incorporated considerations for value chain management in the text.
Reviewed supply chain information technology in Chapter 2 to provide a
broad perspective and then again reviewed the relevant technologies in
the application chapters.
Discussed regarding how consumer and technology disrupters will
impact logistics and supply chain management.
Condensed discussion of procurement and manufacturing into one
chapter focusing on strategy and interfaces with logistics.
Incorporated forecasting and planning into a single chapter focuses on
integrated operations planning.
Included updated materials regarding transportation pricing; negotiation;
regulation; and modern trends, challenges, and opportunities.
Synthesized the discussion of handling and packaging with warehousing.
Expanded the global strategy and operations chapter to include
discussion of compliance.
Expanded the discussion of supply chain network design to include
principles that can be applied in nontraditional settings and the major
drivers in supply chain design.
Discussed the future trends in logistics and supply chain management in
the final chapter.

viii

Over the past 53 years, the business executives who have attended
the annual Michigan State University Logistics Management Executive
Development Seminar have been exposed to the basic concepts
presented in the text and have given freely of their time and experience.
We also acknowledge the long-standing support to Michigan State
Department of Supply Chain Management, through the funding of the
endowed chairs, provided by the late John H. McConnell, founder of
Worthington Industries, and Rob Thull, who is the primary donor for the
Bowersox-Thull Chair in Logistics and Supply Chain Management.
The number of individuals involved in teaching logistics around the
world expands daily. To this group in general, and in particular to our
colleagues at Michigan State University, whose advice and assistance
made it possible to complete and enhance this text, we express our
sincere appreciation.
Teachers receive continuous inspiration from students over the years,
and in many ways the day of judgment in an academic career comes in
the seminar or classroom. We have been fortunate to have the counsel of
many outstanding young scholars who currently are making substantial
impact on the academic and business worlds. In particular, we appreciate
the input of students who have used this text in manuscript form and
made suggestions for improvement. We also acknowledge the
contributions of Drs. Judith Whipple, Stan Griffis, Yem Bolumole, and
Thomas Goldsby, who contributed extensively in case and concept
development.
We would like to thank the following instructors for their thoughtful
contributions to the previous edition review: Gurkan Akalin, Joe T.
Felan, EunSu Lee, Penina Orenstein, Thomas Passero, James L.
Patterson, Frank R. Scheer, and George Young.
We wish to acknowledge the contributions of Felicia Kramer and
Pamela Kingsbury, for manuscript preparation on several earlier versions
of this text, and Cheryl Lundeen, who prepared many drafts of the
manuscripts. Without Felicia, Pam, and Cheryl, this long-published text
in its many variations would not be a reality.
With so much able assistance, it is difficult to offer excuses for any
shortcomings that might appear. Any faults are solely our responsibility.
David J. Closs
M. Bixby Cooper
John C. Bowersox
ix

Supplemental Features

Instructor Library
A wealth of information is available online through McGraw-Hill’s
Connect. In the Connect Instructor Library, you will have access to
supplementary materials specifically created for this text, such as:
Instructor Solutions Manual
PowerPoint Presentations
Problem Set Solutions
Case Solutions
Sample Syllabi
Sample Tests
Data Sets for Cases

Assurance of Learning
Many educational institutions today are focused on the notion of
assurance of learning, an important element of some accreditation
standards. Supply Chain Logistics Management is designed specifically
to support your assurance of learning initiatives with a simple, yet
powerful, solution.
Each test bank and end-of-chapter question for Supply Chain
Logistics Management maps to a specific chapter learning goal listed in
the text. You can use the test bank software to easily query for learning
goals that directly relate to the learning objectives for your course. You
then can use the reporting features of the software to aggregate student
results in similar fashion, making the collection and presentation of
assurance of learning data simple and easy.
Mcgraw-Hill Customer Care Contact Information
At McGraw-Hill, we understand that getting the most from new
technology can be challenging. That’s why our services don’t stop after
you purchase our products. You can e-mail our Product Specialists 24
hours a day to get product training online. Or you can search our
knowledge bank of Frequently Asked Questions on our support website.
For Customer Support, call 800-331-5094 or visit
www.mhhe.com/support. One of our Technical Support Analysts will be
able to assist you in a timely fashion.
x

Students—study
more efficiently,
retain more and
achieve better
outcomes.
Instructors—focus
on what you love—
teaching.

SUCCESSFUL SEMESTERS
INCLUDE CONNECT

FOR INSTRUCTORS

You’re in the driver’s seat.


Want to build your own course? No problem. Prefer to use our turnkey,
prebuilt course? Easy. Want to make changes throughout the semester?
Sure. And you’ll save time with Connect’s auto-grading too.
They’ll thank you for it.
Adaptive study resources like SmartBook® help your students be better
prepared in less time. You can transform your class time from dull
definitions to dynamic debates. Hear from your peers about the benefits
of Connect at www.mheducation.com/highered/connect

Make it simple, make it affordable.


Connect makes it easy with seamless integration using any of the major
Learning Management Systems—Blackboard®, Canvas, and D2L,
among others—to let you organize your course in one convenient
location. Give your students access to digital materials at a discount with
our inclusive access program. Ask your McGraw-Hill representative for
more information.
Solutions for your challenges.
A product isn’t a solution. Real solutions are affordable, reliable, and
come with training and ongoing support when you need it and how you
want it. Our Customer Experience Group can also help you troubleshoot
tech problems—although Connect’s 99% uptime means you might not
need to call them. See for yourself at status.mheducation.com

xi

FOR STUDENTS
Effective, efficient studying.
Connect helps you be more productive with your study time and get
better grades using tools like SmartBook, which highlights key concepts
and creates a personalized study plan. Connect sets you up for success,
so you walk into class with confidence and walk out with better grades.

Study anytime, anywhere.


Download the free ReadAnywhere app and access your online eBook
when it’s convenient, even if you’re offline. And since the app
automatically syncs with your eBook in Connect, all of your notes are
available every time you open it. Find out more at
www.mheducation.com/readanywhere

“I really liked this app—it made it easy to study


when you don‘t have your textbook in front of
you.”

- Jordan Cunningham, Eastern Washington University


No surprises.
The Connect Calendar and Reports tools keep you on track with the
work you need to get done and your assignment scores. Life gets busy;
Connect tools help you keep learning through it all.

Learning for everyone.


McGraw-Hill works directly with Accessibility Services Departments
and faculty to meet the learning needs of all students. Please contact your
Accessibility Services office and ask them to email
accessibility@mheducation.com, or visit
www.mheducation.com/about/accessibility.html for more information.
xii

Brief Contents
About the Authors
Preface

PART ONE
Supply Chain Logistics Management
1 21st-Century Supply Chains
2 Supply Chain Information Technology
3 Logistics
4 Customer Accommodation

PART TWO
Supply Chain Operations
5 Integrated Operations Planning
6 Procurement and Manufacturing

PART THREE
Supply Chain Logistics Operations
7 Inventory
8 Transportation
9 Warehousing, Materials Handling, and Packaging

PART FOUR
Supply Chain Logistics Design
10 Global Supply Chain
11 Network Design

PART FIVE
Supply Chain Logistics Administration
12 Relationship Management
13 Performance Management
14 Supply Chain Trends

EPILOGUE

PROBLEMS

CASES

NAME INDEX

SUBJECT INDEX
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
The Project Gutenberg eBook of The long trail: A story
of African adventure
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States
and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the
United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where
you are located before using this eBook.

Title: The long trail: A story of African adventure

Author: Herbert Strang

Illustrator: G. Henry Evison

Release date: July 1, 2022 [eBook #68440]

Language: English

Original publication: United Kingdom: Humphrey Milford--Oxford


University Press, 1919

Credits: Al Haines

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LONG


TRAIL: A STORY OF AFRICAN ADVENTURE ***
GORUBA AT BAY. See page 268
THE LONG TRAIL
A STORY OF
AFRICAN ADVENTURE

BY

HERBERT STRANG

ILLUSTRATED BY H. EVISON

With a Frontispiece in Colour by A. della Valle

HUMPHREY MILFORD
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
LONDON, EDINBURGH, GLASGOW
TORONTO, MELBOURNE, CAPE TOWN, BOMBAY

1919
PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY R. CLAY AND SONS, LTD.,
BRUNSWICK STREET, STAMFORD STREET, S.E. 1, AND BUNGAY, SUFFOLK.

HERBERT STRANG
COMPLETE LIST OF STORIES

ADVENTURES OF DICK TREVANION, THE


ADVENTURES OF HARRY ROCHESTER, THE
A GENTLEMAN AT ARMS
A HERO OF LIEGE
AIR PATROL, THE
AIR SCOUT, THE
BARCLAY OF THE GUIDES
BOYS OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE
BROWN OF MOUKDEN
BURTON OF THE FLYING CORPS
CARRY ON
CRUISE OF THE GYRO-CAR, THE
FIGHTING WITH FRENCH
FLYING BOAT, THE
FRANK FORESTER
HUMPHREY BOLD
JACK HARDY
KING OF THE AIR
KOBO
LORD OF THE SEAS
MOTOR SCOUT, THE
OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN, THE
ONE OF CLIVE'S HEROES
PALM TREE ISLAND
ROB THE RANGER
ROUND THE WORLD IN SEVEN DAYS
SAMBA
SETTLERS AND SCOUTS
SULTAN JIM
SWIFT AND SURE
THROUGH THE ENEMY'S LINES
TOM BURNABY
TOM WILLOUGHBY'S SCOUTS
WITH DRAKE ON THE SPANISH MAIN
WITH HAIG ON THE SOMME

CONTENTS

CHAP.

I. THE RUINED VILLAGE


II. THE FIGHT AT DAWN
III. THE STORY OF GORUBA
IV. RUSHED BY TUBUS
V. UNDER THE LASH
VI. THE NORTHWARD TRAIL
VII. THE PYTHON
VIII. SETTING A TRAP
IX. THE BROKEN BRIDGE
X. IN HOT PURSUIT
XI. A STRATEGIC RETREAT
XII. A STAMPEDE
XIII. A NARROW SHAVE
XIV. AT BAY
XV. THE PROBLEM
XVI. A NIGHT INTRUDER
XVII. A NIGHT ADVENTURE
XVIII. ATTACKED BY LIONS
XIX. TRAINING AN ARMY
XX. THE MYSTERY DEEPENS
XXI. A BLOW FOR LIBERTY
XXII. THE DISCOVERY OF RABEH'S HOARD
XXIII. GORUBA IS CAUGHT
XXIV. A FIGHT WITH CROCODILES
XXV. CHARGED BY RHINOCEROSES
XXVI. DISASTER
XXVII. AN ATTACK IN FORCE
XXVIII. THE ELEVENTH HOUR
XXIX. TUBUS TO THE RESCUE
XXX. THE FORWARD MARCH
XXXI. THE LAST FIGHT
XXXII. A HOT CHASE
XXXIII. THE END OF GORUBA
XXXIV. THE GREAT REWARD

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

COLOUR PLATE BY A. DELLA VALLE

GORUBA AT BAY (see p. 268) . . . Frontispiece

DRAWINGS BY H. EVISON
AT GRIPS WITH THE NEGRO

JOHN ADDRESSES THE SENTRY

THE PRISONER

IN THE PYTHON'S TOILS

COLLAPSE

AT THE EDGE OF THE CLIFF

FACING THE FOE

JOHN TO THE RESCUE

A FATAL LEAP

THE DISCOVERY IN THE DITCH

GAMBARU IS AMAZED

THE FIGHT WITH THE CROCODILES

THE RHINOCEROS IN PURSUIT

GORUBA HAS A BLOW

RESCUED BY THE ENEMY

ROYCE LEADS THE CHARGE

GORUBA CLIMBS THE WELL


The LONG TRAIL

CHAPTER I

THE RUINED VILLAGE

On the afternoon of a certain day in spring a party of eighteen men was


marching through the rocky, bush-covered country near the north-western
corner of Lake Chad, in Northern Nigeria. It consisted of two white men, in
khaki and sun helmets, and sixteen stalwart Hausas, wearing nothing but
their loin-cloths, but carrying on their heads boxes and bundles of all shapes
and sizes. The white men and nine of the negroes had rifles slung over their
backs.

They were marching wearily. Since early morning, almost without


stopping, they had been trudging their toilsome way over parched and barren
land, only once discovering a water-hole at which they were able to slake
their burning thirst.
For the greater part of the day the sun had beat upon them fiercely; but
the sky was now overclouded, and a keen north-east wind had sprung up—
the harmattan of the desert—blowing full in their faces, stinging their skins
and filling mouths and ears and nostrils with the particles of fine grey dust
which it swept along in its desolating course.

The jaded carriers, who were wont to enliven the march with song and
chatter, were now silent. The two Englishmen in advance, bending forward
to keep the grit out of their eyes, tramped along, side by side, with an air of
dejection and fatigue.

"We are down on our luck, old man," said Hugh Royce presently, turning
his back upon the wind. "The village can't be far away, if Drysdale's map is
correct; but we can't go on much farther without a long rest."

"It's rank bad luck, as you say," replied Tom Challis. "It's not as if we had
been over-marching; we've really taken it pretty easy; but we didn't reckon
with sickness. These Hausas look as strong as horses, but I doubt whether
half of them will be able to lift their loads to-morrow."

"When we get to the village, we'll let them slack for a day or two, and
dose them well. I'll tell John; it will encourage them to stick it a little
longer."

He beckoned up a strapping negro, the head-man of the company, upon


whom a former employer had bestowed the name John in place of his own—
a succession of clicks and gurgles which white men found unpronounceable.
Telling him the decision just come to, the leader of the expedition ordered
him to acquaint the men with it, and urge them to persevere a little longer.

The weary, willing carriers perked up a little at the prospect of a holiday,


and began to talk to one another of how much they would eat. It did not
matter, they agreed, if they made themselves ill, for the little balls out of the
white men's bottles would soon set them to rights again.

Hugh Royce was one of those hardy persons whom wealth does not spoil.
Inheriting, at the age of twenty-three, a large fortune from an uncle, he
resolved to realise his dearest ambition—to travel into some little-known
region of the world, not for mere sport, but to study its animals and birds,
and add something to the general stock of knowledge.

A chance meeting with a friend of his, named Drysdale, who had just
returned from a sporting expedition in Nigeria, led him to choose that
country as a promising field of discovery.

Being sociably inclined, he wanted a companion. Drysdale himself could


not join him, but he happened to mention that traces of tin had recently been
found near one of the tributaries of the River Yo. This led Royce to think of
his school-fellow, Tom Challis, a mining engineer who was not getting on so
fast as he would have liked. He went to Challis and proposed that they
should go together, Challis to prospect for tin, while he himself pursued his
studies in natural history.

"If things look well," he said, "we'll start a tin mine, and go half-shares."

"That's hardly fair to you, as you're going to stand all expenses," replied
Challis. "I shall be satisfied with a quarter."

"You're too modest, Tom. Well, I want your company, so I'll agree to a
third, nothing less. So that's settled."

Royce purchased a quantity of tinned goods; medical stores; prints,


mirrors, and beads for trading with the natives; rifles and ammunition; a tent
and other necessaries; and they left Southampton one February day for the
Gold Coast. Here they engaged a staff of experienced Hausa carriers—called
"boys," whatever their age might be—and started for the interior.

That was several weeks ago, and they were now approaching the tin-
bearing region marked on the map with which Drysdale had provided his
friend.

About an hour after the promise of a rest had stimulated the carriers, they
were further encouraged by striking a native track, which indicated the
proximity of a village. Tired as they were, they quickened their pace, and
another half-hour's march brought them to cultivated fields of millet and
ground-nuts.
The white men, walking ahead of the party, looked forward eagerly for
the conical roofs of the village huts, which they expected to see rising above
the crops in the distance, and were surprised to find that nothing of the sort
was in sight.

"It must be a bigger place than I thought," said Royce. "A small village
wouldn't have such extensive fields. Drysdale marks the people as friendly; I
hope we shall find them so."

The narrow track wound through the fields, high stalks growing on either
side. A sudden turn brought them in sight of an object which caused them to
halt, and struck them with a foreboding of ill.

Lying in a curiously huddled posture across the track was the body of a
black man.

Insensibly lightening their tread, they approached it, and found that the
man was dead, and bore marks of slashing and defacement.

"There's been bad work here," said Royce in a whisper.

They looked ahead; no one was in sight. They listened; there was not a
sound but the chirping of insects in the crops.

Unslinging their rifles, they went slowly on, oppressed with a sense of
tragedy; and a few steps more disclosed a scene for which their discovery of
the dead man had partly prepared them. The absence of the well-known
conical roofs was explained. The site of what had once been a flourishing
village was now desolate, a black waste. Great heaps of ashes marked the
spots where the cane huts had stood, and here and there lay bodies stiff in
death, from which a number of sated carrion birds rose noisily into the air at
the approach of men.

Their hearts sank as they contemplated the pitiful scene. It was a new
thing in their experience, though it represented one of the commonest of
tragedies in that region. The village had recently been raided by a more
powerful neighbour; its men had been killed, its women and children carried
off into slavery.
Happily, such raids are becoming less frequent as the Great Powers
strengthen their grip on the areas marked on the maps as their spheres of
influence. But in the remoter parts of those vast territories, life still proceeds
much as it has done for hundreds or thousands of years past.

The horror of the scene, the misery it represented, sank deep into the
hearts of the two Englishmen. And mingled with the distress which every
humane person must have felt, was their consciousness of the bearing this
discovery would have upon their own situation. They had hoped to make this
village their resting-place, to give their men time to recover from the
sickness which had crept upon them of late, to renew their store of fresh
provisions. But it was now late in the afternoon; the next village marked on
the map was fifteen or twenty miles away; the fatigue and weakness of the
carriers rendered it impossible for the expedition to advance so far.

"We are indeed down on our luck," said Challis gloomily. "This will just
about be the finishing stroke for our boys."

"They can't move another step, that's certain," said Royce. "We shall have
to camp somewhere about here for the night. Here they are. Look at their
faces! I never saw fright so clearly expressed. We must put the best face on it
with them."

The carriers had halted at the edge of the village clearing, and stood like
images of terror and despair. Royce went up to them.

"This is very bad, John," he said to the head-man. "Keep the boys as
cheerful as you can. They had better put down their loads against those
palm-trees yonder. Find the village well, and get some water; then the
strongest of them must build a zariba for the night. Get up our tent, and then
we'll talk things over."

"Boys 'fraid of Tubus, sah."

"Tubus?"

"Yes, sah—Tubus done dat."

"How do you know?"


"Savvy cuts on black fella's face, sah. Tubus' knives done dat."

"Well, they needn't be afraid. The Tubus won't come again; if they did,
they wouldn't face our rifles. Fix things up, and then come back. We'll see
what can be done."

CHAPTER II

THE FIGHT AT DAWN

Royce knew the Tubus by repute as a fierce and bloodthirsty tribe, living
in French territory beyond the River Yo, whose raids across the border were
notorious. It was certainly to be hoped that the peaceful objects of his
expedition would not be hindered by encounters with those turbulent
savages.

The first consideration, however, was the welfare of his boys. They
depended for their food on the willingness of the natives to sell. Hitherto
there had been no difficulty in this respect; but they carried only enough for
a few days' supply, and at present their provisions were exhausted. The crops
of this village were not yet ripe; the village itself was absolutely bare; it was
of the first importance that food should be obtained at once.

As a result of a consultation with Challis and the headman, Royce


decided to push on with John to the next village and buy food there.

"What if that has been raided too?" suggested Challis, as they talked it
over.

"We must hope for the best," Royce answered.

"And it's pretty risky, you two going alone through a country recently
raided."
"How long ago were the Tubus here, do you think?" Royce asked John.

"Two free days, sah."

"Well, then, it's likely that they've gone back to their own ground. For us
it's a choice of two evils, and we must chance it. With good luck, we shall
get to the next village before dark. I'll engage carriers there, and we ought to
be back here with plenty of grub by to-morrow night."

They set off. Both were in good condition, and they made rapid progress.
But the country was trackless, and Royce could only direct his course
roughly by Drysdale's map.

The short dusk was falling without their having come on any signs of
human dwellings. In another half-hour it would be quite dark, and Royce
reluctantly but prudently decided that they must take shelter for the night, for
fear of becoming hopelessly lost, and go on in the morning.

The country was bare, consisting of rocky ground sparsely covered with
scrub. It offered nothing that gave promise of a comfortable defence against
the night cold, and Royce had almost reconciled himself to spending the
hours in the open when suddenly he caught sight, on the crest of a low hill
about a mile to the left, of what appeared to be the ruins of a small building.
Such ruins are to be met with here and there in the remotest depths of the
great continent, the relics of ancient civilisations long vanished. There were
no signs of life about this building, and Royce resolved to take shelter there.

They struck off to the left, climbed the hill, and, after a careful survey of
the neighbourhood, approached the ruin. It turned out to be a dismantled
stone fort, overgrown in parts with vegetation, but in a fair state of
preservation. The outer wall was complete; inside, the principal chamber,
which had once, no doubt, been the headquarters of a garrison, was roofless,
and such timber-work as there had been was either burnt or had been carried
away. Some smaller rooms were still covered from the sky, and it was in one
of these that Royce determined to repose during the night.

They had brought with them a few biscuits and a small tin of preserved
mutton, and they made a meagre supper. John having noticed, as they
approached the fort, the runs of ground game among the bushes, set a few
snares, in the hope of providing next day's breakfast. He returned with a
huge armful of leaves and grasses to spread on the stone floor of the room
chosen for their night's lodging.

"It's the first time I've been littered down like a horse," said Royce to
himself, with faint amusement. "There's no telling what one may come to!"

"No berry comfy, sah," said John, when he had laid these rough beds in
opposite corners. "All can do."

"It will do very well, John," returned Royce. "I suppose we shan't be
disturbed by lions or any other unpleasant visitors?"

"No fink so, sah."

"Should we light a fire, do you think?"

"No, sah; no good. Fire make lions 'fraid; oh yes! but no make bad mans
'fraid."

"I see—it might drive off beasts, but attract men? Very well. I don't
suppose I shall sleep much, anyway."

Royce had often admired the negro's ability to sleep anywhere and at any
time, and to awake to full alertness and activity in a moment. Like a dog, he
seems to have no need of the preliminary yawnings and stretchings to which
a civilised man has accustomed himself. John fell asleep as soon as he had
curled himself up on his grass bed. His master lay awake for a long time,
listening to the rustle of the wind in the foliage that clothed the ruins,
fancying that he heard the grunt of a lion and the bark of a jackal far away,
thinking of Challis in his camp, and of the terrible scene of desolation in the
ruined village.

A more experienced traveller would have taken that matter


philosophically; Royce was greatly perturbed. He pictured in his mind the
barbarians swooping upon the village, the massacre and pillage, the driving
of women and children into slavery; and he shuddered at the misery which
had fallen upon simple and inoffensive people.
He felt anxiety, too, about the future of his own little company. The
region of which he was in search was apparently situated near the lands of
the Tubus, the raiding tribe whose name was dreaded by his boys; and the
prospect of coming into conflict with them made him uneasy. Not that he
was a coward, or shrank from the possible necessity of fighting; but his
object was peaceable, and he wished with all his heart that it might be
attained without offence to the native peoples, without the shedding of
blood. Yet his indignation burnt so fiercely within him, that he knew he
would not be able to refrain from striking a blow for any hapless villagers
who might be threatened with disaster at the hands of a savage enemy.

Turning over these things in his mind, and envying John, whose loud
breathing proclaimed that no anxieties disturbed his repose, he lay wakeful
for several hours, until he, too, fell asleep. He slept very heavily, as might
have been expected of a man tired out by exhausting marches under a hot
sun. The night was cool, the atmosphere was pure, and the young
Englishman's rest was as peaceful as though there were no wild beast or
savage man in the world.

When he awoke, the ghostly light of dawn was glimmering in the open
doorway of the room. Like his countrymen everywhere, he turned over on
his back, stretched himself, rubbed his eyes, and sat up. Where was John?
The heap of grass in the opposite corner was vacant.

"He's gone to examine his snares, I suppose," he said to himself. "I


wonder if there's a stream where I can take a dip."

He rose, stretched himself again, feeling a little stiff, walked through the
doorway, and entered one of the passages that led to the outside. He was just
turning a corner when, with a suddenness that took him all aback, he came
face to face with a negro, a man of huge stature, topping him by several
inches.

The white man and the black were equally surprised. Both came to a halt,
and stood eyeing each other for a moment in silence.

The passage was open to the sky, but the light of morning was as yet so
faint that neither could see very clearly.

You might also like