CAPTURED BY AFRICAN SAVAGES 267 



happen when the British soldiers learned of his 

 death. 



At about six o'clock, after travelling some fif- 

 teen miles, Barrett and his escort arrived at a 

 village. The people swarmed out to see him. 

 He was led through an opening in the brush 

 fence and taken before the chief. 



The chief ordered that he be taken to a grass 

 hut. Then Barrett was given a supper of boiled 

 mutton and sweet potatoes. With his feet tied 

 and his hands bound together in front of him, 

 he spent the night lying on a bed of dried 

 grass. His arms and legs ached badly and he 

 slept but little. When day dawned two women 

 brought him a breakfast of boiled bananas 

 and mutton and relieved the guards who had 

 kept watch all night at the entrance of the 

 hut. 



After breakfast two other guards escorted 

 Barrett to the centre of the village, where, 

 under a large tree, the chief and a number of 

 head men were seated in a circle. Barrett's 

 captors placed him before the chief. The vil- 

 lagers formed a wide circle on the outside; 

 whenever they pressed forward too far guards 

 with sticks severely beat them. 



