872 JOUEXEY TO THE COAST. Chap. XIX. 



Tve were brought to a stand by the loud jabbering of 

 what we thought was a multitude of people. Ma- 

 gouga was puzzled, for he knew there was no village 

 near ; we listened, and found the sounds proceeded 

 from the dense woods in the valley beneath us. 

 Through breaks in the foliage we presently saw the 

 dusky forms of a number of chimpanzees, moving 

 about, swaying the branches, and making the most 

 ludicrous noises. On observing them attentively w^e 

 found there were two groups, one of them stationed 

 at some distance from the other, and the two appeared 

 to be holding a conversation together, or hurling 

 shouts of defiance backwards and forwardsc There 

 must have been thirty or forty of them together 

 in the trees below us. I never before observed so 

 many anthropoid apes together. 



It was fortunate that we had Magouga with us, for 

 the villagers of Mongon were thrown into great con- 

 sternation at our unexpected arrival, and some of them 

 were beginning to run away as we entered the village. 

 I made the old man march at the head of our party, 

 for I did not know what might happen. He shouted 

 to the people to allay their feais, saying, " I am 

 Magouga, do not be afraid, the Oguizi's people are 

 going back." We made halt at the ouandja and were 

 soon after surrounded by the people, all asking with 

 looks of astonishment, " What does this mean ? Why 

 have you returned?" It appeared that news had 

 arrived here that Magouga had been killed at Mo- 

 bana, and his people had mourned for him. 



Magouga was equal to the occasion. He made a 

 long speech, narrating all the events in which he had 



