140 FRdM OLENDA TO MAYOLO. Chap. VIII. 



countries never before visited by a European, and I 

 was buoyed up by the hope of making new dis- 

 coveries. I and my men left Olenda at four o'clock 

 in the afternoon ; our porters were to start with 

 Ondonga at daylight the next morning. 



As my readers may perceive on examining the 

 map, my route, on leaving Olenda, was a different 

 one from that followed on my former journey. I 

 was then bound for the Apingi country to the 

 north-east of Olenda ; my present destination was 

 Otando, lying south-east by east of the Ashira 

 villages. 



About a mile or so east of Olenda commences the 



great forest which bounds the eastern side of the 



Ashira prairie ; and just within its borders flows the 



impetuous Ovigui. This river descends from the 



slopes of the Igoumbi Andele Mountains, south of 



Ashira-land, and skirts the western foot of the hilly 



range which separates the Ashira from the Otando 



country. It drains, with its numerous tributaries, the 



whole of the valley enclosed between the wooded 



ranges east and west of the Ashira prairie. I crossed 



it at a different place from that described in my 



former journey, but by a similar bridge — a slippery 



log lying across the torrent, with a rope of lianas 



stretched from tree to tree to hold on by. There 



had been a very heavy rain the previous night, and 



the Ovigui had overflowed its banks, forming three 



channels separated by islands. Many a tall tree stood 



in the water, and fallen trunks and branches were 



washed down, or lay stranded and quivering in the 



current. In crossing I had a mishap, for, before I 



