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288

POISONED BY MY COOK.

The mother we skinned; and, when I came to examine her, I found her a very singular specimen. Her head was much smaller than that of any other gorilla I ever saw, and the rump was of a reddish-brown color. These are peculiarities which made this specimen different from all others I have seen. I called her, therefore, the gorilla with the red rump.

On the 29th and 30th of November I took my last hunts near Makaga's place. I found gorilla growing scarce. I had hunted them too perseveringly; so I determined to return to Biagano to make ready for my trip up the Rembo.

I found all safe, and at once prepared for my next trip. This, however, was put off by one of those accidents which happen in these barbarous countries once in a while. On the 5th of December I was poisoned by my cook. He was a Sangatanga fellow, who had been sent to me from the Gaboon because I could not stand the cooking of my Biagano friends. He had served in the Cape Lopez slave-factories, and had there learned treachery and thieving. For a while he behaved well; but by-and-by I began to miss things, and made sure, after watching the Camma fellows pretty closely, that the thief could be nobody but my cook.

On this day I was preparing a tiger's skin which Igala, my hunter, had killed the night before, and had to send cook for something in my store-house. He came back without the key, which he said was lost. I told him if he did not get it before night I would punish him.

I had Sholomba, a native prince, to dine with me, and we had fowls, chicken soup, and a goat for dinner. It happened that Sholomba's family hold chickens in abhorrence as food, believing that one of their ancestors had been cured of a deadly disease by the blood of a fowl. Therefore he ate of the goat. I took two plates of chicken broth, and had scarce finished the last when I was seized with frightful pains and vomiting, and diarrhoea set in, and lasted all night. I never suffered such frightful torments.

When I was first taken sick I called Boulay, the cook, who said he had put nothing in the soup; but, when charged with poisoning, turned and fled into the woods. The next afternoon, when I was somewhat easier, my people brought the wretch in. He had fled down river, but had been caught. Ranpano and all were very angry, and demanded the life of him who had tried to kill their white man. It was proved that he had gone into my

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store-house with the key he said was lost; and, after some prevarication, he admitted that he had taken two table-spoonfuls of the arsenic I always had setting there and put it in my soup. I owe my life to his over-dose; consequently to a kind Providence. Ranpano kept Boulay in chains till I was well enough to sit in judgment over him. Then it was determined that he should suffer death. But I interfered, and desired that he should be let off with 110 lashes with a whip of hippopotamus-hide. Eleven of the stoutest freemen of the town were chosen to administer the punishment; and when it was over Boulay was again put in chains.

Ill news travels even in this country, where there are neither mails nor post-roads. Boulay had brothers in Cape Lopez, who in some way heard of his rascality. They were troubled at this disgrace to their family, and appeared before me one day with four slaves in their train. They thanked me for not killing their brother, which, they said, I had a right to do. They said, “Boulay has conducted himself as a slave in trying to poison his master." Then they begged me to give him to them and to spare his life, and handed over to me the four slaves they had brought as an equivalent.

The brothers were old, venerable, and honest-looking men. They evidently grieved deeply for the crime of their kinsman. I told them that in my country we did not "make palaver for money;" that I might have killed their brother, according to their own laws. Then I called Boulay, and told him how meanly he had treated me; then, taking his chains off myself, I handed him over to his brothers, with the four slaves they had given me. They thanked me again and again. Ranpano forbade Boulay ever to return, and so they went back to Cape Lopez.

I found myself, after some weeks, not only entirely recovered from the effects of the arsenic, but also cured of a fever which had long beset me. I have mentioned, in another place, that, where quinine has ceased to affect the traveler in Africa, small doses of arsenic are sometimes administered, and with good effect, in fever

cases.

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290

QUENGUEZA SENDS A HOSTAGE.

CHAPTER XV.

Message and Hostage from Quengueza.-Outfit.-Makondai.-Fame of Mr. Colt.Goumbi.-Reception.-Family Arrangements in Africa.-Intermarriage.—Driving out a Witch.-Riches among the Camma.-African Shams.-A Sunday Lecture.-Gorilla shot.-The poison Ordeal.-Mboundou.-Effects of the Poison.Native Gorilla Stories.-Charms.-Young female Gorilla caught.-Superstitious Belief.—Trouble in the Royal Family.—A holy Place.—Obindji's Town.—A royal Introduction.-Houses.-Decency in Obindji's Town.-Surprise of the Negroes at my Appearance.-Ordeal of the Ring boiled in Oil.—Bashikouay.-Koolookamba. Another new Ape. - Gouamba, or Hunger for Meat. - Grace before Meat.-A Day's Work in Africa.—Checks.—I am counted a Magician.

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TOWARD the close of January, 1858, when I was thinking of King Quengueza and of my approaching visit to him, the old fellow sent down his eldest son to me with a lot of ebony, and his youngest son, a boy of ten, who was to be left with me. Quengueza sent word that I must come soon; that I should have his escort to go to the far interior, and that he was ready to cut ebony for me. Meantime, lest I should be afraid to trust myself in his hands, he sent his young son, who was to remain in Ranpano's hands as hostage for my safety. "You see," he sent word, "I am not afraid of you. You may trust me."

This message determined me to get ready at once for my trip. I packed my goods and put my house in order, and at last called together the people of Biagano for a serious talk. I knew they were opposed to my taking trade-goods to the interior, but I could not go without. I therefore told them that I not only now was, but intended to remain their white man; that I took goods only to pay my way, and that my explorations would help their trade, while I only wanted to hunt. At the same time, I told them if they did not help me with canoes I should leave them and never come back. They were glad to let me go where I wished, and to help me as far as I needed help.

Next day I had a more formal ceremony still. In my houses remained about two thousand dollars' worth of ebony and goods, together with ivory, all my specimens not sent to America, and various other things of value. These were to remain, and I

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had to trust to the honor of a parcel of black fellows for their safety.

Accordingly, I took Ranpano and some of his head-men all over the premises, showed them every thing I had which was to remain; then said, "Give me a man to keep all safe, that I, who am your white man, may lose nothing."

They gave me at once old Rinkimongami, the king's brother, to whom I promised good pay if my things were kept safe.

Then I distributed tobacco to all the people; and next morning (February 26th) we set off for Goombi, Quengueza's place.

I had to take my big boat, because no canoe would hold all the goods, powder and shot, guns and provisions I took along. I had 26 guns, 150 pounds of lead, 200 pounds of coarse trade-powder, 30 pounds fine powder for myself, about 10,000 yards of cotton cloth, 400 pounds beads, and quantities of iron and brass pots, kettles, and pans; caps, coats, shirts, looking-glasses, fire-steels, flints, knives, plates, glasses, spoons, hats, etc., etc. This is an Af rican trader's outfit. For this I hoped to get not only friendly treatment, but ebony, ivory, and wax, and perhaps India-rubber. But all that was only by the way. Gorillas were my chief object, and the exploration of the far interior. Quengueza had promised me safe conduct to points very far back toward the unknown centre of the continent. And as I was the first white man to venture up in this direction, so I was anxious to get as far as possible.

We were fifteen, in all, in my boat. Another canoe, with other fifteen men, followed us. In my own boat, Jombuai, a fellow from my own town, and who had married some wives up the Rembo, was the head-man; Quengueza's little boy was along too, and also the brave little Makondai, whom I had at first determined to leave behind, as being too small to stand the fatigues of such a journey. The little fellow entreated so to be taken along, that I at last consented. He behaved like a trump, and I had no occasion to regret my confidence in him.

We started on the morning of February 26th, 1858. When we had got a few miles up river the slaves of Jombuai came down to bid him good-by, and brought him quite a quantity of plantains a welcome accession to our provision-list. A few miles up and we were clear of the mangroves, and the river began to widen, and its shores became beautiful. Fine palms lined the

292

VILLAGE OF "CHARLEY."

banks, and seemed even to guard them from the encroachments of the full river, which ran along quite level with its banks.

We pulled nearly all night, and by noon of the next day reached Monwé Island, thirty-five miles from the mouth of the river, but only about ten miles from the sea, as the reader will see by the map. Here we took a rest, the heat being excessive.

A little above Monwé the Fernand Vaz becomes much narrower. It then takes an easterly direction; and from this point upward it is known to the natives as Rembo, which means "The River." At Quayombi several small islands divide the river temporarily into different channels, without, however, seriously obstructing the navigation.

The land which divides the river into three here we found to be mere mud-banks, half overflowed, and covered with reeds. When we got into the main stream I found it suddenly narrower, but a full rushing tide, two hundred yards wide, and from four to five fathoms in depth all along, with no shallows or other impediments to navigation.

On the 28th we passed numerous towns, my men shouting, singing, and firing guns at every inhabited place, and the people gazing at us from shore in great wonder. In the afternoon I went ashore at the village of "Charley," a quarrelsome fellow, who had become known to white traders some years before by seizing and imprisoning a whole canoe-load of negroes who had been sent up on a trading expedition. He put them into a very uncomfortable kind of stocks, called ntchogo, which consists of a heavy billet of wood in which the feet are stuck, and a lighter billet into which the hands are secured. Thus the man is helpless both against men and against musquitoes and flies. And here the poor fellows were kept till the trader, who was waiting in a ship, sent up a ransom for them.

The two chiefs treated me very well, and said they felt friendly toward me, as indeed they showed by killing in my honor the fatted calf (it was a goat), and sending besides some chickens and plantains. They were much alarmed at the charmed pistol (one of Colt's revolvers) which I fired off to show them how many of them I could kill without stopping; and I owe my safety, in fact, to Mr. Colt, whose wares have a great reputation wherever I have been in Africa.

We slept all day, and toward sunset set out up river again. I

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