Chap. IV. ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATIONS. 77 



observations to ascertain the altitude of the place and 

 its geographical position ; which was very necessary, 

 as it was placed on my map by mere calculation of 

 distances travelled. Unfortunately I was unable to 

 obtain lunar distances here, and therefore cannot fix 

 its longitude ; but the mean of several observations 

 of the meridian altitude of the planet Mars and of two 

 fixed stars gave the latitude as 1° 35' 34" south — i.e. 

 no less than 23 miles further south than it had 

 been placed on my former map, where it had been 

 placed simply on calculation of distances travelled. 

 The altitude of the town I found by means of my 

 aneroid barometers to be 143 feet, and that of the 

 hill-top behind the town 238 feet, above the sea- 

 level. From the hill-top a wide view is obtained of 

 the country round. It is hilly, but there are con- 

 siderable tracts of level low land between the hills, 

 and few of the hills appeared higher than that of 

 Goumbi. 



I was obliged to resort to an artifice which I knew 

 would be effective to get Quengueza to move. I 

 pretended to be deeply offended with him for delay- 

 ing me so long; and, giving Macondai orders to 

 remove my bed away from the village, I left one 

 evening and made preparations for sleeping under 

 a shed at some distance from the place. Night had 

 hardly set in when the old king, discovering my 

 absence, made a great fuss, and, coming to where 

 I lay, expressed his sorrow and repentance. He lay 

 down by my side, and said that he would sleep 

 where I slept. 



Thus, by dint of coaxing and threatening, I got 



