Chap. XVI. ASCENT OF MOUNT BIROGOU BOUANGA. 335 



my policeman's lantern, and screw my boiling-point 

 thermometer to the kettle ; but their astonishment 

 was beyond measure when I produced instantaneous 

 fire with a lucifer-match. They trembled all over, 

 and became speechless. My two porters looked at 

 them with evident contempt, saying, " You see now 

 what kind of spirit we have brought to you." Gra- 

 dually they got less frightened, and at last came close 

 to me and watched my proceedings with manifest 

 interest. 



From the summit of Birogou Bouanga I could see 

 the country for many miles round. The mountains 

 appeared to be, for the most part, of nearly equal 

 height. Here and there, on the declivity of the hill 

 round Niembouai Olomba, were large tracts of the 

 forest that had been felled and partly cleared ; and, 

 in the midst of fallen trees and dead branches, the 

 beautiful leaves of the plantain-trees could be seen, 

 with now and then a field of cassada or manioc, 

 though this latter is getting very scarce. The plan- 

 tain is almost the only staple of food here. Through 

 the leaves of the plantain-trees peeped out the stem 

 of the sugar-cane, which is here very abundant. I 

 could see large tracts of ground-nuts. When meat 

 is scarce the people pound the seed of the ground-nut 

 trees and cook it in leaves, or simply roast it. Near 

 the village were patches of the tobacco-plant and of 

 the liamba (hemp). In the places where plantain- 

 trees had been newly planted I often saw a kind of 

 squash, the pounded seed of which is considered a 

 great dainty. 



I had to-day a serious trouble with two of my 



