IN AFRICAN 

 FOREST AND JUNGLE 



CHAPTER I 



A CANOE-VOYAGE TO THE COUNTRY OF ROTEMBO 

 THE CHIEF— A TOILET OF CEREMONY — ROTEMBO's 

 GROTESQUE COSTUME — A FORMAL RECEPTION — 

 SPEECHES OF ROTEMBO AND MYSELF— A DANCE IN 

 MY HONOR — MY PRESENTS TO THE CHIEF — WE 

 BECOME GOOD FRIENDS 



THE canoe that took me from King Mombo to 

 Rotembo the Chief was a dug-out made of a 

 huge tree, and was of great length. On its prow was 

 carved the head of a growling leopard. It was pad- 

 dled by forty men. Rikimongani, the nephew of 

 King Mombo, steered, and had the stick Omemba 

 (the snake) with him to show that he carried the 

 message of his uncle King Mombo to Rotembo 

 the Chief 



Near the prow were two men who beat two tom- 

 toms furiously almost all the time, which was to show 

 that they were on an important mission. 



The sun was very hot, and the heat was intense. 

 The black oily skins of the men shone as if they had 

 I I 



