94 AFRICAN CAMP FIRES. 



had none of the negro type of countenance. 

 In fact, so like was he in face, hair, short square 

 beard and genial dignity to a certain great-uncle 

 of mine that it was very hard to remember that 

 he had on only a small strip of cloth, that he 

 was cherishing as a great treasure a piece of 

 soap box he had salvaged from the shore, and 

 that his skin was red chocolate. I felt inclined 

 to talk to him as to an intellectual equal, espe- 

 cially as he had a fine resonant bass voice 

 that in itself lent his remarks some importance. 

 However, I gave him two ordinary wood screws, 

 showed him how they screwed in and out, and 

 left him happy. 



After supper the moon rose, casting shadows 

 of new and unknown shapes through this strangely 

 new and unknown forest. A thin white mist 

 ascending everywhere from the soil tempered 

 but could not obscure the white brilliance. The 

 thermometer stood now only at 82, but the drip- 

 ping tropical sweat-bath in which our camp was 

 pitched considerably raised the sensible heat. 

 A bird with a most diabolical shrieking note 

 cursed in the shadows. Another, a pigeon-like 

 creature, began softly, and continued to repeat 

 in diminishing energy until it seemed to have 

 run down, like a piece of clockwork. 



