28 THE FERNAND VAZ. Chap. II. 



and had put a mondali at my door to kill him. But 

 they said that it could be removed now that the 

 people knew that there was one. 



Immediately the ceremonies for banishing the 

 witch began. For three consecutive days they danced 

 almost incessantly, and invoked the good spirits ; and 

 one fine morning, whilst I was occupied in writing 

 inside the hut, unaware that any one was approaching, 

 Ranpano came to my door, fired a gun, and entered 

 the hut in a great hurry, muttering invocations and 

 curses ; he then became easier in his manners, having 

 as he thought, thus cleared the moral atmosphere. 



An event of great importance in relation to my 

 expedition occurred on the 22 nd of November and 

 following days. During my absence in Europe the 

 assembled chiefs of the Commi clans under the j)re- 

 sidency of King Olenga-Yombi (who had now taken 

 the name of Rigoundo) had passed a law to the effect 

 that no Mpongwe (the trading tribe of the Gaboon) 

 or white man should be allowed to ascend the river 

 Fernand Yaz or the Ogobai. It is the universal rule 

 among the coast tribes of West Africa to prevent, if 

 possible, all strangers from penetrating into the inte- 

 rior, even if it be only to the next tribe, through fear 

 that they should lose the exclusive privilege of trading 

 with these tribes. Indeed every tribe tries to jDre- 

 vent all strangers from communicating with the tribe 

 next in advance of them. The spirit of commercial and 

 political monopoly, so natural to the heart of uncivi- 

 lized as well as semi-civilized man, is the cause of 

 this ; and the rule had only been broken through in 



