HUNTING AND HUNTED IN BELGIAN CONGO 



be no stopping them. In this case we put on a bold 

 front and marched up to the village with a few matches 

 and watched the great flames roaring and licking round 

 the structures of reed and grass. Clouds of dense black 

 and white smoke soared high above the roar and crackle 

 of the flames, showers of ash were borne away on the 

 breeze as some roof or other collapsed and fell in between 

 the mud walls. The howls and cries of the people who 

 watched their burning homes from the distant slopes 

 and inwardly regretted their work of the day before 

 were wafted to our ears. When the huts were nearly 

 levelled to the ground we continued our journey to the 

 west. 



Some weeks later, on the return journey to civilization, 

 I marched through that very village and it still lay un- 

 touched. It was reduced to a few scattered heaps of 

 grey ashes and charred poles. The trunks of what once 

 had been fine trees reared themselves scorched and dead ; 

 devoid of leaves and branches, they stood as silent, barren 

 pillars which from a distance looked like the broken 

 columns of some Grecian structure. 



Nothing of interest occurred during our next two 

 days' march, at the end of which we were camped close 

 to a high conical hill at the village of an old chief, Matuga. 

 We had almost passed out of the Legworo country, and 

 found ourselves among a quiet, respectful people, who, 

 by having come in contact with the Belgians more fre- 

 quently than most of the others that we had encountered 

 so far, were not wholly unaccustomed to the appearance 

 of white faces in their midst. At first our advent did 

 not meet with approval, but they soon learned that we had 

 nothing to do with the administration, and that we were 

 in search of elephants. The latter fact was agreeable 

 news to the people, and every one was anxious to assist 

 in taking us out with the prospect of having a good feed 

 of meat themselves. They had a number of fine cattle, 



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