HUNTING AND HUNTED IN BELGIAN CONGO 



usual squabbling and shaking of heads ensued. The 

 headman was willing, but the women and some of the 

 men assured him that it was not wise to have such a 

 thing in the village ; there was a surety of evil coming 

 of it. Having an idea that it would be destroyed as 

 soon as I turned from the village, I told the chief that he 

 was to inform my friend of the direction I was taking, 

 at which every one looked greatly relieved. One old 

 fellow asked me if the paper on which I had written was 

 the skin of an animal ; where did I find it, and a string 

 of ridiculous questions. It was amusing to see the people 

 when I rolled the innocent envelope into a ball and idly 

 threw it down as I sat listening to their chatter. A 

 moment afterwards a prowling dog came and sniffed 

 at it. On seeing this, one fellow went forward and 

 carefully removed the ball of paper into the grass. He 

 would not even touch it with his fingers, but lifted it 

 carefully with two pieces of stick. I was greatly sur- 

 prised to find such an ignorant people within a fairly 

 reasonable distance of civilization. 



158 



