462 THE FOREST AND THE FIELD. 



His skin being very much injured, and scarcely- 

 worth taking, I merely cut off the head, intending 

 to keep the skull, and the natives cut up the flesh 

 and divided it amongst themselves. 



After this we beat several patches of bush with 

 varied success, and I killed five hogs, and a beau- 

 tiful crested guinea-fowl with bright blue plumage 

 covered with white spots. We then returned to 

 the village, and I gave the people who had been 

 with me cloth and tobacco, which put the whole 

 of them in good humour. 



During the night heavy rain fell, and I felt 

 very queer, all my limbs aching, which I knew 

 was a certain sign of an approaching attack of 

 fever. The next morning feeling no better, I deter- 

 mined to start on my return back to the Gaboon, 

 and sending out my people to cut down a stout 

 pole, I rigged my hammock like a palanquin, 

 making it impervious to wet with the Avaterproof 

 sheets which I had stretched over it. 



I engaged half-a-dozen villagers to assist in car- 

 rying me, and, notwithstanding the heavy rain, we 

 marched all day, arriving at the bush village late 



