IN AFRICAN FOREST AND JUNGLE 



" Sh-sh-shj Rogala/' said I, " if you speak so loud 

 you will scare the game." The very thought of witch- 

 craft had made Rogala forget himself. 



Though we walked all day, we found no nuts or 

 berries of any consequence. The season of the koola 

 nuts was nearly over, and the wild boars had been 

 under the trees we knew. We saved some of such 

 nuts and berries as we found, however, for Akenda- 

 Mbani. 



Suddenly we were attacked by the dreaded bashi- 

 kouay ants and had to flee for camp. " Let us hurry 

 as fast as we can, Rogala," said I, "for Akenda-Mbani 

 is in nchogo, and if the bashikouays pass that way he 

 is sure to be devoured by them, and we may only see 

 his skeleton on our arrival." 



We hurried back as fast as our legs could carry us, 

 and it was a good thing that we returned. Otherwise 

 we should surely have found only the skeleton of 

 Akenda-Mbani, as I had said, for we had not been at 

 home an hour before the bashikouays made their 

 appearance. 



Fortunately we were ready to receive them. In a 

 number of places within our enclosure firewood had 

 been piled up and was all ready to be lighted. Water 

 was boiling in all the pots we had, and we had plenty 

 of hot ashes. The smoke prevented the bashikouays 



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