IN AFRICAN FOREST AND JUNGLE 



Rotembo had given him to me, that I was a great 

 hunter, and that I came to hunt with them. 



Shinshooko and Alapai and their families listened 

 in profound silence to the wonderful story of Rogala, 

 and when he had finished it was the turn of Shin- 

 shooko and Alapai to tell what had happened during 

 the absence of Rogala. Shinshooko was the speaker, 

 and began thus : " Leopards have made their appear- 

 ance in the neighborhood since you left, Rogala. 

 What has brought the leopards so suddenly into our 

 neighborhood we cannot tell, but it must be that the 

 bashikouay ants have invaded and scoured a great part 

 of the forest and driven them away, and they have fled 

 towards us. We have seen many tracks of their big 

 paws. We must look out for these leopards and 

 make traps and catch them and hunt them. Fortu- 

 nately our goat-house is so strong and so secure that 

 leopards cannot break through. But we must do all 

 we can to kill them, for fear that some one of them 

 might be a man-eater and devour some of us or some 

 of our children." 



That night numerous fires were lighted to scare 

 away the leopards. I went into my little hut, but 

 kept awake with " Bulldog " by my side, for I thought 

 a leopard might easily come through the thin roof of 

 palm leaves over my head. We all hoped that there 



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