Chap. III. DKUNKEN ORGIES OF THE KING. 41 



gorilla, added a number of specimens in other depart- 

 ments of Natural History to my collection. On the 

 25th of February I proceeded to Aniambie to see the 

 king, who had returned from a big palaver he had 

 had with the Ngobi tribe south of Cape Catherine. 



The Ngobi are the next tribe to the Commi, going 

 southward along the coast. They have not yet 

 arrived at that stage of African civilization which 

 forbids selling their own people into slavery. The 

 Mpongwe of the Gaboon and the Commi of the Fer- 

 nand Yaz, since they have become a little civilized 

 by contact with the white man, have quite abandoned 

 the practice of selling people of their own tribes ; 

 such an act would be now looked upon as shameful. 



I have already described Aniambie in my former 

 work ; all that it is now necessary to say is, that I 

 found it much reduced in its population, and looking 

 very wretched. The king, as usual, was drunk when 

 I arrived. Indeed, he was too tipsy to stand on his 

 legs ; nevertheless, he was bullying and boasting in a 

 loud tone of voice. I had not been in his place long 

 before he ordered another calabash full of palm wine, 

 and drank off about half a gallon of it. This finished 

 him up for the day ; he fell back into the arms of his 

 loving wives, ejaculating many times, " I am a big 

 king! I am a big king!" The voice soon became 

 inaudible, and he fell asleep. 



In the neighbourhood of Aniambie there is one 

 island covered with trees, which is held in great awe. 

 It is called Nengue Ncoma. " Whosoever enters 

 this island," said to me one of my guides, " is sure to 

 die suddenly, or to become crazy and wander about 



