IN AFRICAN FOREST AND JUNGLE 



hours on our way up the river when Ndova began 

 to utter loud and peculiar sounds. 



" Ndova is calling the monkeys to come to him," 

 said Rogala. " If they come we shall have monkey 

 meat for our evening meal." 



As he spoke, he grinned with delight ; but there 

 were no monkeys within the sound of Ndova's voice. 



After a while, however, the call of Ndova was 

 answered by a troop of monkeys, and they seemed to 

 have quite a conversation together, though the voices 

 of the monkeys did not seem to come nearer. 



" The monkeys are trying to make Ndova come 

 to them," Rogala said. 



Then came a pause, and the forest became still 

 again. But soon Rogala's quick ears heard the 

 noise made by the shaking of the branches of trees. 

 The monkeys were travelling towards us, leaping 

 from branch to branch, bending them by their 

 weight as they alighted upon them. 



Ndova was making an awful noise and was very 

 excited. The monkeys answered him, and he kept 

 on calling them. We were paddling silently along 

 the banks of the river, and as soon as we saw the 

 monkeys on a tree above our canoe we stopped. 

 They were many in number, and looked at Ndova 

 without uttering a sound, they seemed so astonished. 



24 



