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The Ashira grow jealous of my Projects.-Set out for the Apingi Country.—Olenda blesses us.-The Passage of the Ovigui.-Rude Bridge.-Features of the Country. We meet Gorillas.-The Roar of the Gorilla.-His Walk.-Great Strength. -Meet the Apingi King.—I fall into an Elephant-hole.-Famine.-Musquitoes. -We see the Rembo Apingi River.-Reception among the Apingi.-Address of the King. I am offered a Slave for my Supper.-Wonder of the People at my Appearance. The mysterious Sapadi, a cloven-footed Race.-My Clock is thought a guardian Spirit.—I am asked to make a Mountain of Beads and Trade-goods. -Fruitfulness of the Women.-Appearance of the People.-A Leopard-trap.— Invested with the Kendo.-Palm-oil. - Palm-wine.- Drunkenness universal.— Tattooing. Dress of the Women.-Lack of Modesty.—I am claimed as a Husband. - Weaving of Grass-cloth. - Property among the Apingi. -The Apingi Loom. The Ndengui.-Fetich to kill Leopards.-War Belt.

My determination to go farther into the interior has aroused the jealousy of the Ashiras. All the chiefs came in to Olenda and expressed their disapproval of my project. They do not wish their trade interfered with, and are fearful, if a white man once. reaches the far East beyond them, those people will not be content to trade with the Ashira longer. I stated my objects, and that I did not go as trader, but as traveler, and to collect new animals. At last Olenda said, "This white man must go where he wishes. He has been sent to me by my friend Quengueza. He must do what he pleases."

Then the rascally chiefs asked me what I would give them as presents if I was permitted to go. To this I put on a show of anger, and asked if I was not their guest, their stranger, and why they were so mean as to beg me for my goods? They seemed much ashamed. Of course, I gave them some trifles afterward for good-will.

There was a show of reason for their fears. Among my train were several men from Goumbi, slaves of influential men of that town, who had been sent with me with trade articles, such as the Ashira most want, in order to bring back to Goumbi ivory and the bongo cloth (grass-cloth), which is the staple export of the Ashiras. Of course it was feared that not only I, but also these fellows, would confuse and break up the Ashira monopoly of trade

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KING OLENDA'S BLESSING.

481 with the farther interior. It is curious to see how greatly slaves are trusted in this country. The owners of these fellows had no security for their return, nor for the goods they intrusted to them, for I, of course, would not become responsible for them. But they were sure to return. They, who were originally themselves from an interior tribe, have come to feel greatly attached to Goumbi, and look down with contempt on the Ashira, whom they call "men of the woods."

Dec. 4th. Food has been collected and cooked for my trip. I am to give the Ashira men six fathoms of cloth each to go with me to the Apingi country and wait for me there. Olenda gave me three of his sons to take along, Minsho, Iguy, and Aiaguy, the latter a very common name here.

It rains nearly every day, and every few days we have tremendous storms of wind and rain. All the rivers are swollen, and the prairie looks very green and beautiful.

We set out on Dec. 6th. Early in the morning Olenda called us around him, and after telling his sons to take good care of me, the venerable old fellow proceeded formally to bless us, wishing us good success. It was a touching scene. At the close he took a sugar-cane, bit a piece of the pith, and spat a little of the juice in the hand of each one of the party, at the same time blowing on the hand. Then he said solemnly, "Let all have good speed with you, and let it be as smooth (pleasant) as the breath I blow on your hand." Then Minsho received the cane, which he is to bring back.

I found that the prairie was much more swampy to the eastward, toward the foot of the hills, than I had supposed. We had to walk through much mud, and often to wade through considerable pools and swamps of standing water, produced by the constant heavy rains. In one of these swamps we had to wade up to our middles in muddy water, and some of the party slipped down on the roots with which the bottom is covered.

The forest beyond the line of the prairie is also inhabited. We passed over a dozen villages, the people of which flocked out to see the "white spirit." They were all Ashira.

Toward noon we approached the Ovigui River, a mountain torrent, which was to be crossed by a rude and very dangerous bridge. This bridge I had dreaded all day, and when at last I saw it I was by no means reassured. The stream was about thirНн

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ty yards wide, and rushed through the forest, overflowing its banks. The waters were very swift, and I saw that even a good swimmer would be helpless here, and would soon be dashed to pieces against the fallen trees which jutted out in every direction. Now I swim but very little.

The bridge was a complicated, shaky structure, of which the engraving will give the reader some idea.

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It appears that the Ovigui had its bed, till some years ago, not here, but some hundreds of yards on the other side. This is a trick that some of the mountain streams of Africa have. Now in the new bed stood certain trees which native ingenuity saw could be used as the piers for a bridge. In this place two trees, standing each about seven or eight yards from one side, were chosen.

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