Chap. V. VISIT OF NEIGHBOURING CHIEFS. 103 



likely any food could be given to her. It is in sick- 

 ness and old age that tlie life of the savage is most 

 hideous to contemplate. No one in the village 

 seemed to care for the forlorn creature. 



^th. The Nkoumou Nabouali mountains lie to the 

 westward of this place ; the Ashaukolo range lies 

 many miles further, on the S.E. of Lake Jonanga of 

 the Ogobai, visited lately by the French exploring 

 party under Lieut. Serval. Several chiefs of sur- 

 rounding villages came in to-day soliciting presents, 

 on account of my having come to see the great 

 mbuiri (spirit) of their river, Samba Nagoshi, but I 

 stoutly refused to fee any chief but Apaka, who 

 would give me a guide to the Falls. Salt from Cape j 

 Lopez and European cloth have reached this remote i' 

 spot. The women wore heavy brass wire round 

 their necks, and lighter wire round their ankles. 

 The young girls go naked, with the exception of a 

 small apron of leaves in front ; most of them were 

 better-looking than the Ashira belles. 



At Luba the river is very broad, and the rapid 

 takes the name of Nagoshi. Nagoshi is but a rapid. 

 There is an island just above, and sometimes the 

 natives go there in their canoes to fish. 



\^th. Started for the Falls. We took, for some 

 distance, a path which followed the course of the 

 river, and then descended a steep bank to the margin 

 of the river itself. Here we beheld the first rapids. 

 The bed of the stream was encumbered w^ith boulders 

 of rock of various sizes, through which rushed the 

 water with great force. We followed the river 

 margin for about two hours, scrambling over rocks 



