HUNTING AND HUNTED IN BELGIAN CONGO 



boughs, and other virgin growth by the river side and 

 work up stream in search of a suitable spot at which to 

 cross. Eventually we hit on a likely place where the 

 river was scarcely more than twenty-five yards in width, 

 and the rushing waters reached just up to the armpits of 

 an average man, but entirely covered some of our smaller 

 carriers. The bed of the river was strewn with unseen 

 boulders over which many of the boys stumbled, and 

 the difficulty of the crossing was increased by the force 

 of the current, which was running so strongly as almost 

 to sweep one off one's feet. A number of the more 

 powerful boys took up positions across the river holding 

 sticks from one to another to guide and steady the carriers 

 as the loads were carefully passed over. All the time 

 we were aware of the danger of attack from either bank 

 by the seemingly hostile natives, who could have been on 

 top of us before we were aware of their advance, and 

 from behind me there came an ominous crackling of 

 twigs that told of the proximity of a horde of savages 

 irritated at what they held to be our unwarranted in- 

 trusion on their domain. We owed our immunity from 

 attack to the fact that these people stood in awe of our 

 rifles, looking on them as fateful " sticks of fire " with 

 which elephants are brought to the ground. Fortunately 

 for us they did not know the limitations of our weapons. 



While I was crossing over the river to the opposite 



side, P who had already crossed, covered the bank 



behind me with his rifle in case of a rush being made as 

 I waded over with the water up to my armpits. 



No sooner had we resumed the journey and struck 

 off into the dense forest than a dozen glistening naked 

 forms darted from behind their shelter on the other bank, 

 others lowered themselves from the trees, and all stood 

 frantically yelling, waving, jeering, and swinging spears 

 and bows as the carriers were gradually swallowed up 

 in the gloom of the trees. I was rearguard, and before 



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