HUNTING AND HUNTED IN BELGIAN CONGO 



group of his friends in an excited way, enforcing his 

 speech by excitedly waving his arm. He held in his 

 right hand a curiously shaped knife not unlike a hedge 

 sickle. On seeing me he stopped for a moment and 

 glanced at me as much as to say " wait a moment," 

 and continued his animated conversation, at the end of 

 which his hearers laughed heartily, clapped their hands 

 and slapped one another's shoulders with glee. After a 

 disgusting exhibition of nose blowing and expectorating 

 the orator rose from my chair and returned to his own 

 seat, a carved bench that showed no mean workmanship 

 in its design. 



The inquisitiveness of these people surpassed any- 

 thing I had previously seen, and my bath time was the 

 signal for the gathering of a large crowd outside the 

 tent, eager to catch a glimpse of the white man minus 

 clothing. Once they did succeed, for the blanket by 

 some mishap fell to the ground and left me minus a 

 curtain, placing me in a similar position to that occupied 

 by some freak of nature in a Dime Museum. The sight- 

 seers pressed forward talking rapidly and making all 

 sorts of remarks, and one more humorous than the rest 

 would succeed in eliciting roars of laughter and hand 

 clapping from his friends, who did not conceal their dis- 

 appointment when my boy again erected the curtain. 



The boys constantly told me of rumours that the 

 people were addicted to the eating of human flesh, and 

 one trip I made across the Kibali to the south bank did 

 not tend to lessen the apprehension I held for the safety 

 of our party. 



I was desirous of learning the lie of the country, so 

 I set out one morning in a dug-out fully thirty feet in 

 length to cross over to the other side of the river ; on 

 nearing the shore we could make out several forms 

 watching us from behind trees as we approached, and 

 some of them stood out from their concealment now and 



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