THE author's plans MARRED. 475 



to receive any assistance from them. I felt excessively mor- 

 tified at being thus basely duped, and at once called on the 

 only man left in the place, who, I was informed, was the 

 chief's brother, and ordered him to tell me, without prevari- 

 cation, the real state of the case. As I had suspected, Le- 

 choletebe was at the bottom of the aiFair. The man declared 

 he had no orders to furnish me with men and boats, but that, 

 if I insisted on proceeding, he was to give a guide to the next 

 tribe, whence I was to find my way to Libebe as well as I 

 could, well knowing that such an arrangement was quite in- 

 compatible with my designs. 



It is impossible to describe my feelings at being thus baf- 

 fled, as, from the success that had hitherto attended me, I had 

 sanguinely hoped it would have been in my power fully to 

 carry out all my plans. Here I was, in the midst of an in- 

 undated country of unknown extent, without men, without 

 conveyances, without provisions — in short, without any thing 

 necessary for such an expedition. Indeed, I was so com- 

 pletely at the mercy of the natives that I could not stir a 

 step without their assistance. Nevertheless, rather than be 

 thus foiled, I determined to risk the utmost, and directed the 

 promised guide to appear without delay, declaring my inten- 

 tion of proceeding to Libebe on foot. But it was quite clear 

 they had resolved not to let me pass beyond them, for, though . 

 I waited several days more, the man was not forthcoming. 



Finding remonstrances unavailing, I had no alternative but 

 to retrace my steps, and, accordingly, I requested the tem- 

 porary chief to prepare the canoes to convey me back to the 

 Lake. This highly delighted and gratified the wily savage. 



Mortified and annoyed at the shameful manner in which 

 I had been treated, I was nevertheless glad to have come 

 thus far. I had learned much in this short time (a summary 

 of which will be given in the following chapters), which I 

 could not have done had I remained at the Lake, to say noth- 

 ing of the beautiful, diversified, and novel scenery which al- 



