HUNTING AND HUNTED IN BELGIAN CONGO 



children, clinging to their parents, looked up at me with 

 a frightened expression on their faces, as though I had 

 come from another world. After this my wrist watch 

 became the centre of attraction, and one of my boys 

 came over to say that a deputation of these queer people 

 had asked him what I was wearing on my wrist. Willing 

 to let them see any object of interest I opened up the 

 back of the watch, exposing the "works" — but no, I 

 cannot ! it would be impossible adequately to describe 

 on paper the excitement of these people when they 

 observed the movement of the tiny balance wheel, the 

 action of the hair-spring, and, above all, the brilliancy of 

 the silver-plated case. One of them, more inquisitive, or 

 shall I say venturesome, than the rest, advancing stealthily, 

 not daring even to breathe, with eyes wide open, nervously 

 fingering his bow, got so close that he could see his own 

 reflection in the dazzling case. He stood as though carved 

 from stone for a full minute, spell-bound. I can see him 

 now as I write this, a tall muscular fellow about twenty- 

 five years of age, a large copper ring fixed through his 

 upper lip, all the hair shaved off his head saving only a 

 small tuft at the crown, in which was stuck a solitary 

 chicken feather, his body smeared with a dark red 

 pigment, rows of cicatrised marks standing out in lines 

 across his face and body. His whole frame trembled 

 with suppressed excitement as he continued to gaze on 

 the works of the watch, and his reflection in the case. 

 He had been clinging tightly to another fellow's hand, 

 but at length, dropping his bow he advanced towards 

 me with outstretched hand, while the whole party, my 

 boys included, stood like statues staring at the watch, 

 which at last I laid on the corner of the table, face upper- 

 most, with its little second-hand going round and round. 

 There was no going back to work for these people that 

 day. A white man had come along with all sorts of 

 curious things, was not that sufficient to bring all and 



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