IN AFRICAN FOREST AND JUNGLE 



our camp, carrying with him the powerful mondah 

 which was to drive away witchcraft from our camp. 

 He was now happy. 



The morning of the day that Rogala had prom- 

 ised to return I went into the forest without taking 

 Ndova or Andekko with me. I had " Bulldog," — not 

 that I wanted to use it, but I thought it was prudent 

 to have my most powerful weapon with me ; " for, 

 who knows?" said I to myself, "somebody might 

 come into our camp and steal my best friend ' Bull- 

 dog.* It is better to be on the safe side in case 

 something unforeseen should happen." I also took 

 with me a hundred steel-pointed bullets. 



I found a place where there was a kind of berry I 

 had not seen before, but I did not dare to eat any 

 before Ndova had tasted of them. I took a few of 

 them with me to give them to him on my return. If 

 they were good, then I would come to get more the 

 following day. I continued to go further, thinking that 

 I might find a koola tree, when, to my terror, I found 

 that I had been on the point of stepping over a huge 

 snake, my heel almost brushing it as it touched the 

 ground. The snake lay across the path, and was 

 just the color of the dead leaves. I ran instinctively 

 from the reptile, then stopped. I could not help it, 

 but every time I came unawares upon a dangerous 



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