A GREAT GORILLA. 81 
and in breaking dash to pieces all that came in contact - 
with it. If that roller broke before it reached us, how- 
ever, all would be right. 
It came on, rising and rising, when suddenly Ratenou 
said—‘ Commi, you are men! Let us take care of our 
white man J” 
Then the paddles stood still; the roller crested and 
broke right upon our canoe, upsetting it with fearful 
force, and whirling us round and round. I was stunned 
by the force of the waves; breaker after breaker came 
dashing upon us, one after the other, but the faithful 
Commi men were there, shouting one to another—“ Let 
us take care of our white man!” Ratenou, Kombé, and 
Oshimbo were swimming under me; I was surrounded 
by them all; good, noble fellows they were. At last 
we reached the shore. I looked ‘round. Every man 
was there; no one had been drowned; no one had had 
his head smashed by the upsetting of the canoe. With 
a grateful heart I thanked God for his goodness to us 
all. The tide was coming up, and our canoe and pad- 
dles were soon thrown on the beach by the force of the 
~ waves and the current. 
I looked at that vessel, and how sorry when I was 
gradually its white sails became dimmer and dimmer in 
the distance. At last it disappeared, and with a heavy 
Sigh I made for the camp. 
i If you had been in a strange land amid savages, I 
, an sure you would have felt as I did then. 
D2 
