312 AbHANGO-LAND. Chap. XYI. 



It required a long explanation by Madnta and Mo- 

 kounga to convince the wise men that I had not 

 come to their country to buy slaves and ivory, but 

 simply to travel from one tribe to another. They 

 had to recount as usual all the stages of my progress 

 and enumerate the different chiefs who had helped 

 me on from tribe to tribe. Maduta is related to 

 some of the villagers by marriage, and this favoured 

 our arrangements ; he dwelt particularly on the many 

 offers I had had, on the way, to stay at villages, and 

 how I had refused them in order to have more 

 presents to give away to the good people of Niem- 

 bouai. This announcement was received with tre- 

 mendous cheers, and cries of " Rovano ! " (tliat is 

 so). They on their part, he said, must outdo the 

 other places in the magnitude of the presents of food 

 they had to make me. He finished a long rigmarole, 

 which took him about an hour to deliver, by saying 

 that the Ishogos had now fulfilled their duty in 

 bringing me safely to Ashango-land, and that the 

 duty, or, as their language expressed it, the " shame " 

 (or point of honour) remained with the Niembouai 

 people to carry me on a stage further. 



The Ashangos unanimously shouted " AYe have 

 shame, we will pass the Oguizi on." Speeches then 

 set in on their side, and the palaver broke up, to the 

 satisfaction of all parties, after three hours' duration. 



After this business was over I finished the payment 

 of the Ishogo porters, by distributing amongst them 

 the parting presents. I then gave them a goat for 

 food on the way, and they set off to march back to 

 their homes, not without bidding me a kind good- 



