IN AFRICAN FOREST AND JUNGLE 



"Rotembo, great Chief/' I replied, " I wish to go 

 and live in the forest. I desire to kill all the wild 

 beasts I can and stuff them. I want to kill three or 

 four of every kind of all the birds of the country and 

 stuff them. I want to catch all the butterflies and 

 insects I can and keep them. I wish to take 

 them to the land of the Oguizis, and show there 

 the creatures seen in the great forest where the black 

 man lives." 



Rotembo's eyes seemed to become twice as large as 

 they were before when he heard me speak in this 

 manner. He looked at me with wonder and awe. 



I said to him : " I mean what I say, and when you 

 see me return from the forest you will find that I told 

 you the truth and several canoes will be required for 

 the skins of the animals I shall collect." 



" You shall go into the forest," said Rotembo, 

 " and stay with my slaves or people that are living 

 there." 



Then, in presence of all the people of his village, 

 he presented me with a goat, six chickens, and nine 

 eggs, and a number of bunches of plantain. Here 

 an egg has the same value as a chicken, for, as 

 the people say, out of the egg comes the chicken. 

 These presents showed that I was welcomed. 



Rotembo was the chief of one of the clans that com- 



5 



