Chap. XVI. VISIT TO AN OBOXGO VILLAGE. 315 



tude. The village lies in V 58' 54" S. lat. and 

 11°5G'3S"E. long. 



I had heard that there was a villa2:e of the 

 Obongos, or dwarfed wild negroes* somewhere in the 

 neighbourhood of Niembouai, and one of my first 

 inquiries on arriving at the place was naturally 

 whether there was any chance of my seeing this 

 singular people, who, it appears, continually come 

 into their villages, but would not do so while I 

 was there. The Ashangos themselves made no ob- 

 jection, and even offered to accompany me to the 

 Obongo village. They told me, however, that I had 

 better take with me only a very small party, so that 

 we might make as little noise as possible. Two 

 guides were given me, and I took only three of my 

 men. We started this morning, and reached the 

 place after twenty minutes' walk. In a retired nook 

 in the forest were twelve huts of this strange tribe, 

 scattered without order, and covering altogether 

 only a very small space of ground. The shape of 

 the huts was the same as that I have before described 

 in the deserted Obongo village near Yengue. When 

 we approached them no sign of living creature was 

 to be seen, and, in fact, we found them deserted. 

 The huts are of such slight construction, and the 

 Obongos so changeable, that they frequently remove 

 from one place to another. The abodes were very 

 filthy ; and whilst my Commi men and myself were 

 endeavouring to examine them, we were covered 

 with swarms of fleas and obliged to beat a retreat. 

 The village had been abandoned by its inhabitants, 



