Chap. XVIII. WE SLEEP IN THE FOREST. 363 



to Mobana. Igala wanted to shoot tliem, but I pre- 

 vented him and gave him a sharp reprimand for 

 thinking of such an act. I had given him an order 

 at starting that if any women, old men, or children 

 should be met with on the road he must let them 

 pass unhurt, but that he was to shoot down armed 

 men v^ithout mercy, this being necessary for our 

 safety. Igala did not like this style of making war ; 

 he said this was not the white man's country, and 

 we ought not to fight in white man's fashion. If I 

 had not restrained him he would have shot every 

 Ashango we saw, regardless of age or sex. 



Thus we went on till sundown. We were then 

 near the village of Niembouai Olomba, and had 

 travelled at least over twenty miles of ground 

 without food since our flight commenced at nine 

 o'clock in the morning. I thought it unsafe in our 

 exhausted state to run the gauntlet of this large and 

 possibly hostile village, through which lay the only 

 path we knew, and my men agreed with me that our 

 best plan would be to retire into the forest, some 

 distance from the main road, and sleep there till 

 midnight. We might then pass through before the 

 fighting men were aroused and seized their weapons, 

 and w^e should have strength to run, as before, until 

 we had reached a good place for making a stand to 

 defend ourselves. 



The plan was carried out. We plunged into a 

 dense part of the forest, and then lay down on the 

 ground to sleep, in a small open space, muzzling our 

 dog that he should not betray our hiding place. 

 Darkness had closed in : silence was broken only by 



