Chap. XIII. DIFFICULTIES WITH POUTERS. 267 



I was resolved to put a stop to tins, so forced the 

 man to give up his bag, and poured the wine out on 

 the ground, to the great dismay of Kombila, and to 

 the extreme indignation of Mbouka, who grieved 

 that the earth should receive the wine that would 

 have so rejoiced his stomach. He protested that 

 I ought to pay him back the beads he had paid 

 for the wine. This palm-wine drinking had been for 

 some time a great annoyance to me. Our porters 

 squandered their pay (which consisted chiefly of 

 beads) in buying wine at the villages, and were thus 

 spending all their money before we reached the 

 journey's end. I was glad that at Igoumbie there 

 were no palm-trees, so they could get no wine there : 

 besides, the Ishogos of that place are far more sober 

 than the Aponos. What with this, and other inter- 

 ruptions and squabbles, and losing the path for some 

 time, we made but little progress to-day, although 

 we marched till dark. 



June loth. We left our encampment at half-past six 

 a.m. The Apono porters threatened again to leave 

 their loads unless I gave them an increase of pay ; but 

 I was determined to resist this imposition, and de- 

 clared I would shoot down the first man that mutinied. 

 My Commi boys kept close watch over the rascals 

 during our morning's march. 



We travelled in an easterly direction. In the 

 course of an hour we crossed the Bouloungou, a dry 

 stream, similar to those we had crossed on the lOtli ; 

 its bed was slaty, as was the hill down which it flowed. 

 We have met with no quartz blocks or granite since 

 leaving Mokaba. The paths along which we have 



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