146 FROM OLEXDA TO MAYOLO. Chap. VIIL 



bed and water of crystal clearness ; both flow to the 

 north, the Louvendji discharging itself into the Ovi- 

 gui a little above the junction of the latter with the 

 Ngouyai, The banks of the Louvendji nourished 

 many tall palm-trees and gigantic ferns, which are 

 absent from the hilly and drier grounds. 



I should have much enjoyed this part of my 

 journey if I had been free from anxiety on account of 

 the porters in whose hands my goods were entrusted. 

 But guides and porters alike were bent on plundering 

 me still further. I found it impossible to keep them 

 all tof2-ether. All sorts of excuses were invented for 



o 



lagging behind, and I soon made the discovery that 

 they were hiding their provisions in the bush — a 

 sign that they intended to rob me and run away by 

 the same road. 



On the first and second nights I ordered all the 

 loads to be piled up near to the shed under which I 

 slept, but on the third night, when we were assembled 

 together to sleep, Mintcho and several of the porters 

 were not forthcoming. They had stayed behind 

 and did not overtake us till the next morning. On 

 their arrival, Mintcho took the bull by the horns 

 and told me to look into some of my boxes, for he 

 thought they had been opened and j)lundered. He 

 accused others of being the thieves, and mutual 

 recriminations ensued, which ended in several of the 

 porters laying down their loads and running away, 

 and the rest (including some of the thieves) declared 

 that it was of no use going any further, as the 

 white man had been robbed and would not give tliem 

 their pay. On opening some of the boxes I found a 



