166 MAYOLO. Chap. IX. 



property, laughing at poor JMacondai in liis helpless 

 state. After this he resolved to leave the wretched 

 place, Macondai crawling slowly, supported by Igalo, 

 who carried sufficient plantains for the journey. 



How I thanked my stars that I had not listened 

 to the advice of those scoundrels to leave all my pro- 

 perty in the woods. Out of all my thermometers I 

 had now only one left, the centigrade, and but two 

 aneroids to measure the height of mountains. I 

 felt much the loss of my two thermometers, with 

 which I measured the power of the sun, for I was 

 exceedingly interested in these observations. The 

 mountain aneroids and all my watches I always 

 carried myself in a little japanned box. I felt the 

 loss of my camera most keenly, for it was one of the 

 things I had looked forward to with the greatest 

 pleasure, to bring home a splendid and unique series 

 of photographs of this inland country. This hope 

 was now at an end ; and the many months I had 

 spent in learning the art, and the tedious practising 

 in the coast country, to the great injury of my health, 

 were all in vain. The thieves had also stolen a 

 number of photographic views I had taken of vil- 

 lages and. natives, and of the live gorillas. I had 

 been at very considerable expense in purchasing a 

 complete apparatus and a supply of the best chemi- 

 cals, and it was very annoying to think it should all 

 be wasted in this way. I thought how much my 

 friend, M. Claudet, would grieve, who took so much 

 pains to instruct me in the art — and all his labours 

 given freely, for the love of science. They had also 

 carried off my cooking implements, working tools_, &c. 



