Chap, XV, ARRIVAL AT MAGONGA. 297 



riage, and thus live in company ; or it may be that the 

 various clans, which are fast diminishing in numbers, 

 unite together in order to form a large and popu- 

 lous village. 



After we had forded the Odiganga — which was by 

 no means an easy task, owing to the strength of the 

 current — we reached the village of Magonga. I may 

 here remark that the villages I have seen in this 

 country never run parallel to, or along the banks of 

 the rivers, but at right angles to them — one end of 

 the village generally being near the water. 



At this Ashango village my Ishogo porters found 

 many friends and fathers-in-law ; and, although we 

 had marched only five miles to-day, they pleaded 

 fatigue in order to have an idle day with them. 

 Mokounga made all sorts of excuses to put a stop to 

 the march ; so, much against my will, I had to order 

 a halt. The villagers, to propitiate me, brought me 

 as a present a goat and some plantains. 



June 24cth. I find that old Mokounga, my Ishogo 

 leader, is a man of no influence amongst his country- 

 men. When I gave him orders to pack up and 

 march this morning, the porters took very little 

 notice of his directions, and wanted to stay another 

 day. Happily, I had among them a man of more 

 power than the leader, named Maduta, whose family 

 was partly Ashango, and who aided me in my 

 endeavours to move my party forward. After much 

 ado, we succeeded in leaving the village at nine a.m. 

 The disappointed villagers followed us as we marched 

 out, and endeavoured to entice some of the porters 

 to remain ; thev all cursed Maduta, and said that 



