118 ASHIRA-LAND. Chap. VI. 



The Potamogale lives in many of the shady and 

 rocky streams near Olenda, ghding under water 

 with great velocity after its prey. On opening the 

 stomachs of all my specimens, I found only fresh- 

 water crabs in those I found at Olenda. At this 

 season of the year, the waters are all turbid with 

 the floods, and I imagine that the Potamogale, unable 

 to find fish, which are his ordinary food, has to 

 content himself with Crustacea, which he finds about 

 their holes, under the rocks and stones on the banks 

 of the rivulets. Three of those found at Mayolo had 

 fish in their stomach, and one had Crustacea. The 

 animal is not found in the Ngouyai or other large 

 rivers of the country, but is confined to the smaller 

 streams. In the dry season it is seldom to be found 

 anywhere. 



One of my excursions in the neighbourhood of 

 Olenda was to the village of my former friend the 

 chief Angouka, situated ten miles N.W. of the 

 capital. I may here say that, although I speak of 

 Olenda as the capital of Ashira-land, it was b}^ no 

 means the largest village in the country. It is a 

 peculiarity of this part of Africa, that the residence 

 of the head chief, or king of a tribe, is often a smaller 

 place than the villages of the subordinate chiefs. 

 The size of a royal village depends on various cir- 

 cumstances, chiefly on the jDcrsonal character of the 

 king. If he is of a conciliatory and unsuspicious, 

 and, at the same time, of an energetic disposition, 

 he may attract a large number of people around 

 him ; but if he is quarrelsome, or more than usually 



