318

NEGRO DOCTORS OR PROPHETS.

Accusations of sorcery are really the cause of very many troubles and miseries among these people. On the 11th Obindji's younger brother was brought up on a charge of having witched to death his elder brother, Obindji's predecessor. This man had been dead a year, and his poor brother had already drunk mboundou three times to establish his innocence. Still the charge was pushed. He gave away some slaves for peace' sake. But now his brother-in-law demanded another trial. I interfered, and procured his release, at least while I am here.

On the 12th Quengueza went down to Goumbi to attend to another case of mboundou-drinking. A young girl is accused of having bewitched some fellow who died, and has now to undergo the ordeal. God help her! I made the king promise me she should not be killed. More I could not do.

I meantime went off to a neighboring town, where a friend of mine had killed three elephants. These animals are not very plentiful hereabouts, but they are not much hunted either. The natives are too idle to take the trouble, and would rather suffer gouamba often than go hunt. Besides this, guns have become so much the use here that they no longer entrap or spear the huge beast, but trust to their hunters for supplies. Those only have guns. It is strange how even here, where no white man has ever been, guns and powder, brass and iron pots, beads, etc., are not at all uncommon. Of course all such things have an extravagant value, which is an advantage to the trader, or would be, could he come up here.

I came into the town just when the ceremonial dance was about to be performed which precedes the division of the meat. This is a thank-offering to two spirits, Mondo and Olombo, who seem to have an influence on the hunt. An Ashira doctor was leading in, the ceremonies. I find here, as I have heard it said also in more civilized countries, that the prophet gains in repute the farther he travels from home. In Goumbi a Bakalai doctor was held in high esteem. In Biagano a Goumbi doctor was chief of all the prophets. Here, among the Bakalai, only an Ashira doctor was thought worthy. So it goes.

They had three pieces, cut from the hind-quarters of the elephants, boiling in large pots. Around these they danced, while the Ashira doctor chanted praises and petitions to the spirits. A piece was cut off and sent into the woods to appease the hunger

A DEVIL-BIRD.

319 of these deities (or more likely of their representatives, the leopards), and then the rest was eaten. Next came the division of the great heaps of uncooked meat. The town, the town's friends, the hunters, the hunters' friends, and their friends, all came and got shares. I received fifty pounds for myself; and though the meat is unpleasant to the taste, tough to chew, and in every way unpalatable, as I knew to my cost by former sad experience, I was glad to have it; for meat was scarce, and I had the appetite of a hunter.

The killing of an elephant is an event among the Bakalai, not only for the meat, but because the ivory is sent down to the coast, and procures for them the cloth, powder, guns, trinkets-whatev er they get of civilized people; for they do not yet cut much ebony or bar-wood.

Hunting back of the village, on the 15th, I shot a curious bird, the Alethe castanea-a new species. It is said by the natives to have a devil in it-for what reason I could not discover; probably for none. But its habit makes it singular. They fly in a small flock, and follow industriously the bashikouay ants in their marches about the country. The bird is insectivorous; and when the bashikouay army routes before it the frightened grasshoppers and beetles, the bird, like a regular camp-follower, pounces on the prey and carries it off. I think it does not eat the bashikouay.

My old enemies the snakes are quite abundant in these woods. As we push through the bush we often see some great anaconda hanging from a projecting bough, waiting its prey. The other day I shot a little bird which, in its fall, lodged among some vines. I was anxious to get it, and began to climb up after it. Just as I was reaching out for my bird, a snake, belonging to one of the most venomous kinds found in this part of Africa, stuck out his head at me from the thick vine foliage. I was very much startled, and dropped down to the ground without loss of time. Fortunately I had only to drop a few feet. It was one of the narrowest escapes I had in Africa-for there is no cure for this serpent's bite, and I could literally feel its breath against my face before I saw it.

Singularly few accidents happen from snake-bites among the natives. They wander every where barefooted, and seem to have no dread till they see a snake, when they scamper off fast enough if it is very venomous. The anaconda they kill because they

like its meat, which, they say, makes a delicious soup. I have never tasted it.

When, as here, I am hunting regularly, I get up at five in the morning. Monguilomba then makes me a strong cup of coffee, which is served by Makondai. This drunk, I start for the bush and hunt until ten, which is my breakfast-hour. After breakfast I stuff the birds shot in the morning, and rest till three. Then out again into the bush till six, which is sunset and dark here, when I get back and find my dinner ready, with Makondai to wait on me. After dinner bird-stuffing goes on again, till all the prizes of the day are secure. That done, I go among the people and hear them talk until it is time to go to sleep.

This is the average day. Of course, when we go out on great hunts, all orderly arrangements are broken up; and I have often to sit up half or all the night to prepare my prizes, which will not keep till next day in this hot climate.

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CHAPTER XVI.

Venomous Flies.-Gorilla.-Cutting Ebony.-The Ebony-tree.-Anguilai's Town. - Superstitions. Severe Sickness. Kindness of the native Women to me. -Child murdered for Sorcery.-New Cure for Sterility.-Ivory-eaters.-Manioc. -Capture a young Nshiego Mbouve.-Its Grief for its Mother.-Biography of Nshiego Tommy.-Easily tamed. - His Tricks.-Habits.-Love for Wine and Scotch Ale.-His Death.-Curious Color.-Famine.-Njani Oil.-Gorilla.-Evidence of their vast Strength.-Guaniony.-Return to Obindji's.-Letters and Papers from home.-Astonishment of the Negroes at my Reading.-The Ofoubou River. Starvation.-Njalie-Coody.-The Njambai Festival.-Woman's Rights among the Bakalai.-A midnight Festival.-A Mystery.-An Attempt at Blackmail.-Nature of the Njambai, or Guardian Spirit.-Hunter killed by Gorilla.Native Superstitions.-The Dry Season.-Gouamba.-The Eloway Fly.-Huge Serpents. Enormous Gorilla killed.—Curious Superstition about the Gorilla and a pregnant Woman.-Animals peculiar to this Region.-Generosity of the Blacks. -The Superstition of Roondah.-Return.

ON Tuesday, the 20th of April, we set out for one of our great hunts, going up the river a short distance and then striking into the forests. We found many open spots in these woods, where the soil was sandy, and the grass was not very luxuriant, growing not more than two feet high. The sun is very oppressive in these clear spots.

We were troubled, too, on the prairie by two very savage flies, called by the negroes the boco and the nchouna. These insects. attacked us with a terrible persistency which left us no peace. They were very quiet blood-suckers, and I never knew of their attacks till I felt the itch which follows the bite when the fly has left it. This is again followed by a little painful swelling.

The next day we were out after gorillas, which we knew were to be found hereabouts by the presence of a pulpy pear-shaped fruit, the tondo, of which this animal is very fond. I also am very fond of the subdued and grateful acid of this fruit, which the negroes eat as well as the gorilla. It is curious that that which grows in the sandy soil of the prairie is not fit to eat.

We found every where gorilla-marks, and so recent that we began to think the animals must be avoiding us. This was the case, I think, though I am not sure. At any rate we beat the bush for two hours before, at last, we found the game. Suddenly

X

322

MEETING A GORILLA.

an immense gorilla advanced out of the wood straight toward us, and gave vent as he came up to a terrible howl of rage—as much as to say, "I am tired of being pursued, and will face you."

It was a lone male-the kind who are always most ferocious; and this fellow made the woods ring with his roar, which is really an awful sound, resembling very much the rolling and muttering of distant thunder.

He was about twenty yards off when we first saw him. We at once gathered together, and I was about to take aim and bring him down where he stood, when Malaouen stopped me, saying, in a whisper, "Not time yet."

We stood therefore in silence, guns in hand. The gorilla looked at us for a minute or so out of his evil, gray eyes, then beat his breast with his gigantic arms, gave another howl of defiance, and advanced upon us.

Again he stopped, now not more than fifteen yards away. Still Malaouen said, "Not yet."

Then again an advance upon us. Now he was not twelve yards off. I could see plainly the ferocious face of the monstrous ape. It was working with rage; his huge teeth were ground against each other so that we could hear the sound; the skin of the forehead was moved rapidly back and forth, and gave a truly devilish expression to the hideous face; once more he gave out a roar which seemed to shake the woods like thunder, and, looking us in the eyes and beating his breast, advanced again. This time he came within eight yards of us before he stopped. My breath was coming short with excitement as I watched the huge beast. Malaouen said only "Steady," as he came up.

And before he

When he stopped, Malaouen said, "Now." could utter the roar for which he was opening his mouth, three musket balls were in his body. He fell dead almost without a struggle.

"Don't fire too soon. If you do not kill him he will kill you," said Malaouen to me-a piece of advice which I found afterward was too literally true.

It was a huge old beast indeed. Its height was 5 feet 6 inches. Its arms had a spread of 7 feet 2 inches. Its huge brawny chest measured 50 inches around. The big toe or thumb of its foot measured 5 inches in circumference. Its arm seemed only immense bunches of muscle, and its legs and claw-like feet were