140 WILD LIFE UNDER THE EQUATOR. 
things, among which were articles for the toilet of his 
Majesty, such as a little calabash of palm-oil to rub on 
his skin to soften it, and to give to some of his wives 
when he wished to be particularly amiable. 
In this journey his Majesty thought he would have 
ten wives to accompany him, and to provide for his 
comfort; and though King Quengueza was, I should 
judge, at least seventy-five, the oldest among these ten 
wives could not have been more than fourteen years of 
age, and he had left a few behind ‘still younger than 
these. 
Quengueza and I, with two of the favorite wives, in- 
cluding a Bakalai one, were in the royal canoe, at the 
head of which -was a drummer. I fired a salute, and 
soon a bend of the river hid us from Obindji’s view. 
The drums were beating, and all the men were singing. 
All the other canoes paddled in front of us except one, 
which kept in the rear. 
The starry flag floated gracefully in the royal canoe. 
Quengueza was wonderfully pleased with the flag. We 
entered the Ofoubou River and fired another gun, the 
echo of which resounded from hill to hill, and started - 
the rear of a gorilla, which could not have been half.a 
mile distant from where we were. That fellow was cer- 
tainly a large male gorilla. | 
The Ofoubou was a narrow river, but deep at that time 
of the year: trees and palm lined its banks, which it had 
overflowéd, spreading its waters over the strip of lowlands 
which bounded it, and which separated it from the hills. 
Njali-Coudié was situated about ten miles distant from 
the banks of the Ofoubou. By-and-by the singing ceased, 
and we paddled silently along, when suddenly one of the 
