158 MAYOLO. . Chap. IX. 



VOWS of friendship in face of the gaping crowd 

 assembled around us. 



JMayolo was the principal chief of the Otando 

 country, and it was my interest to conciliate him as 

 much as possible. He was a man of striking appear- 

 ance ; tall, broad-shouldered, and very light-coloured 

 for a negro. His eyes were small and piercing, and 

 there was in them far more intelligence than is 

 usually seen in negroes. His right hand had lost 

 several of its fingers through the bursting of a gun, 

 for he had been, in his younger days, a great 

 elej)hant-hunter, and his bravery was well known 

 all over the neighbouring country. He had a 

 pleasant expression of features, notwithstanding that 

 his face was daubed with ochre-coloured chalk of 

 various shades ; one cheek being red and the other 

 nearly white, including the circuit of the eyes. His 

 people seemed to regard him with great reverence ; 

 and, in tlieir looks, one might read the thought, 

 " What a great man you are, Chief! your fame 

 it is that lias brought the great Spirit amongst us ! " 



After Mayolo retired, a present of a large goat and 

 two enormous bunches of plantains was brought in. 

 We were almost famished, and had a great feast that 

 evening. It was astonishing to see the quantity my 

 Commi men could consume. Negroes can stand 

 hunger well for a few days, but they make amends 

 for it when food is put before them in abundance. 

 Whilst dinner was preparing I went to see my man 

 Igala, who was ill of the small-pox, in the hut where 

 the goods were stored which I had sent with him. 

 T found he had the confluent and worst form of the 



