320 THROUGH UNKNOWN. AFRICAN COUNTRIES. 
Bonga. The Mela pointed out to me the countries in- 
habited by the following tribes, according to the positions 
in which I have placed them on my map: Kobi, Mala, 
Aro, Galo, and Murtu. I gota clear view of the country 
to the west nearly half-way to the White Nile. It was 
nothing but one great expanse of grassy desert, with only 
two low mountain chains visible! There was scarcely a 
bush or tree on the plains, except by the edges of a few 
dry river-beds. 
After taking observations from many points, I returned 
in the evening to the camp on the hill above the Mela, 
and found natives there with ivory, coffee, tobacco, ground 
durrha, chickens, and eggs for sale. They were delighted 
to get any kind of beads whatever, and sold everything at 
a ridiculously low price, —a tusk weighing twenty pounds, 
and a chicken, costing the same (that is, about a penny’s 
worth of small red or white beads). I bought a good 
supply of food for the return journey, as well as many 
ornaments to add to my ethnographical collection. 
The Mela crowded around the camp all the evening, 
and carried on an almost unintelligible conversation with 
us by means of signs. Like most other Africans, they 
were extremely afraid of my scientific instruments; but 
what raised their curiosity to the utmost was my striking 
a match. I believe I could certainly have gone among 
them unharmed after this wonderful exploit, as they 
were too overwhelmed with awe to have dared to touch 
me. As it was, the inhabitants of the various Mela 
villages must have numbered about nine thousand souls, 
so they could have murdered us without any difficulty 
had they wished to. Next morning we bade good-by 
One mountain chain to the southwest comes from a point seventy miles 
distant from the Mela, and terminates thirty miles to the northwest. Another 
range runs east, with nearest point sixty miles distant. Both of these mountain 
ranges are from three to four thousand feet high. 
