Chap. III. STORM ON THE FERNAND VAZ. 3D 



wrong in his forecast. The evening, indeed, was fine, 

 and the moon shone in a cloudless sky ; hut soon after 

 the moon had set, about ten o'clock, a thick black cloud 

 arose in the north-east, and before we could run the 

 canoes into a safe harbour, a terrific tornado burst upon 

 us. The sky seemed all ablaze with lightning, and the 

 thunder pealed incessantly. Our canoes were driven 

 ashore, but luckily in a place where the banks were 

 clothed with low trees and bushes. The rain came 

 down in torrents, and we could find no shelter until 

 we reached a small village, where we went ashore, 

 and passed the remainder of the night shivering over 

 our wretched little fire, for the people had neglected 

 to provide a supply of fire-wood. 



We stayed here till noon the next day, and then 

 resumed our voyage in the rain till six o'clock, when 

 we arrived at the landing-place, where the path com- 

 mences that leads to Aniambie. King Olenga-Yombi 

 had here ordered a large shed (ebando) to be built for 

 me, and we found a store of fire-wood and provisions, 

 including a goat, ready for us. The ebando stood on 

 the banks of a little creek, the mouth of which lay 

 opposite the lower end of the Island Nengue' Shika. 



Inland from this place the scenery is varied and 

 beautiful ; stretches of grassy prairie and patches of 

 luxuriant forest. Some parts of the district, however, 

 are swampy, and in these the forest is very rank. 

 Such places are called by the natives " ivolo," which 

 means a wooded bog, and they are the haunts of the 

 gorilla. My first day's chase was not very successful. 

 We hunted with two dogs, and after we had struggled 

 through tlie thorny and swampy thickets for a long 



