Chap. XVII. UXPROMISINa STATE OF AFFAIES. 345 



giving me a largo Louse to stay in — than the Mo- 

 bana porters, having laid down their loads, gave ns 

 the slip ; one by one, on some pretence or other, they 

 sneaked off amongst the trees which surround the 

 village, and we saw them no more. It was in vain 

 that I threatened Rakombo. I could see nothiiig to 

 enable me to fix the blame on him ; he declared that 

 the Mouaou people would not allow him to take me 

 onward. We were now left to the mercy of strangers. 



On the second day after my arrival (July 23rd), 

 the head chief, named Konibo, made his appearance, 

 and gave me presents of goats and plantains to in- 

 dicate tliat I was welcome ; then he called the vil- 

 lagers together and made them a long speech, to 

 the effect that the Niembouai and Mobana people 

 having left the " Spirit " in their hands, it fell 

 to their duty to take me onward to the Njavi 

 country ; and that they were not to rob me, for, if 

 they did, they would surely die, as had happened to 

 the Niembouaians. It was then that I learnt that 

 the thieves must have been tasting my arsenic, or 

 had probably mixed it with the salt they had stolen. 

 I soon made friends with the people, engaged porters 

 and paid them, and all seemed to be going on well 

 for a fresh start. 



There was an obstacle somewhere, howevc]-, for 

 on the day following I found no signs of readiness 

 for departure. The chief came to me, and explained 

 that the men were obliged to go to the forest to cut 

 firewood to leave with their wives. It is true that 

 this is the custom of these people; for, auiong.^t the 

 Ishogo and Ashango, the men on leaving their wives 

 24 



