IN AFRICAN FOREST AND JUNGLE 



plantation. Soon after I heard voices. I stopped, 

 and left the path and hid in the jungle behind a tree, 

 watching for people to pass. I waited and waited ; no 

 one passed. So I left my hiding-place and returned 

 to the path. A little further on I heard more voices ; 

 then I left the path again, but I walked parallel with 

 it and was exceedingly careful, looking around every- 

 where constantly. I had learned from the natives to 

 walk parallel with a path and at some distance from 

 it in case one does not wish to meet people. 



After a while I heard voices again, and this time 

 many people were talking together. Evidently I was 

 near an encampment or a village. A village at last 

 came in sight. The houses had no back doors, and 

 numerous dead branches of trees were scattered round, 

 so that it was impossible for any one to come near 

 without making a noise and so being discovered. 

 Apparently the people were holding a meeting, for 

 now and then I could hear a number of voices say, 

 " Yo, Yo,*' in token of approval of what the speaker 

 was saying. 



I went carefully round and saw that each end of the 

 street was closed by a fence made of strong poles 

 varying in height from twelve to fifteen feet and even 

 more. At the top of many of the poles were skulls 

 of wild beasts. Clearly this village belonged to a war- 



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