Chap. XV. SACRED VILLAGE TREES. 295 



good one ; but if it dies they all abandon the place 

 and found a new village elsewhere. This tree grows 

 rapidly, and soon forms a conspicuous object, with its 

 broad crown yielding a pleasant shade in the middle 

 of the street. Fetiches, similar to those I have de- 

 scribed in the account of Rabolo's village on the 

 Fernand Yaz, are buried at the foot of the tree ; and 

 the gorillas' heads on poles at Diamba were no doubt 

 placed there as some sort of fetich. The tree, of 

 course, is held sacred. An additional charm is lent to 

 these village trees by the great number of little social 

 birds (^Sycohius, three species) which resort to them 

 to build their nests amongst the foliage. These 

 charming little birds love the society of man as well 

 as that of their own species. They associate in these 

 trees sometimes in incredible quantities, and the 

 noise they make with their chirping, chatting, and 

 fuss in building their nests and feeding their young 

 is often greater even than that made by the negroes 

 of the village. 



The villagers at Diamba, who had heard how we 

 had treated the Mokenga people, entreated us to stop 

 here for the night, but I would not consent. 



The country became more and more mountainous 

 as we travelled onward ; but the path led through 

 thick woods, and w^e could not obtain extensive 

 views except in places where trees had been felled 

 for plantations. Through one of these breaks I 

 saw two high hills, one called Migoma, and another 

 Ndjiangala. 



Our road led us over Mount Migoma, and from it 

 I had a magnificent view of the country to the south 



