HUNTING AND HUNTED IN BELGIAN CONGO 



I assured him that once I got away it was certain 

 that I should not return through his country. 



" You must go far over there when you come back," 

 he said, indicating the country to the west. " What 

 did you come here for ? " 



" To kill elephants." He evidently took me for a 

 Belgian, for he asked Juma where my askaris were. 

 On hearing this, Juma told him that I had not anything 

 to do with the askaris, and then a long conversation 

 followed between the chief and his friends who stood by. 



Dry as my throat was I assumed a careless air and lit 

 my pipe. Heaven knows how I managed to smoke it, 

 for I was gasping for a drink ; but it had the desired 

 effect, for the people, on seeing me smoking, talked aloud 

 and laughed among themselves ; but all around there 

 was a sign of restlessness. 



Presently the chief came forward again and spoke to 

 Juma. He wanted to see what I had in my kit bag. 

 I told Monica to empty it of its contents. I agreed to 

 the chief's proposal to give him some shirts and beads, 

 etc., if he would conduct me to the next village, for I 

 knew that Naramba's shamba lay only a few miles to the 

 south. Monica, quivering like a leaf, handed over the 

 articles I indicated, viz. shirts, beads, wire, and a knife 

 and fork ; last, but by no means least, a copy of the 

 East African Standard. This the chief, after casting a 

 glance at it, handed to one of his courtiers, and that 

 paper nearly spelt disaster for me ; the great burly brute 

 had mistaken it for linen, for they do not know what 

 paper is, and tried to make a loin cloth of it, but the paper 

 tore under the strain, so he threw it down on the ground 

 and looked annoyed. On seeing this Juma, like a fool, 

 laughed aloud ; in an instant the fellow stepped quickly 

 towards my boy. I dashed in between them, but the 

 chief stopped him in a second. Instinctively my hand 

 had got hold of the gun, for I fancied that things had 



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