HUNTING AND HUNTED IN BELGIAN CONGO 



Some of the boys climbed high trees in hopes of 

 seeing a village, but their efforts were unrewarded, and 

 for hours we plunged on amidst water, tall grass, bush, 

 and trees, vainly seeking a path that would lead us in 

 the direction that we wanted to go. Eventually we 

 succeeded and came out close to the banks of the Ara, 

 which in its zig-zag course now came round to us again. 

 The floods had washed away large slices from the bank, 

 and in one place the path almost overhung the river. 

 Zaabali, one of the carriers, ventured too near the edge 

 of the bank, suddenly the earth slid from under his feet, 

 and he fell headlong into the water some twenty feet 

 below. He was carrying a " chop box " (food box) on 

 his head at the time of the mishat , and as this was now 

 being fast carried down stream, one of the other boys 

 dashed in and recovered it before it had got many yards, 

 but most of the contents were spoiled. Zaabali in the 

 meantime was hanging on to the long grass that lay out 

 from the bank, and after some trouble we dragged him 

 up again. Owing to the dense vegetation it was im- 

 possible to follow the course of the river until we should 

 reach a village, and it was well nigh midday before we 

 struck a path that led us again to the Ara, and were 

 glad to find that by this time we had left the flooded 

 country behind us. The guides and four of my boys 

 suggested that they should go forward and test the 

 depth of the river a short distance ahead of us ; to this I 

 consented and waited for their return. But about twenty 

 minutes later, being impatient at waiting, I went down 

 to the bank and found them swimming about and 

 splashing each other in high glee, absolutely indifferent 

 to my instructions to return after having tested the 

 depth of the river at the ford, for such it proved to 

 be. The water was several feet deep and impassable 

 for that day. 



On rating them soundly for their disobedience one 



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