HUNTING AND HUNTED IN BELGIAN CONGO 



stay for the night, I ordered the boys to pack up and get 

 ready. Food was given me for the boys, and one of the 

 chief's sons, a youngster about twelve years old, was 

 deputed to escort us to the next village. We had a very 

 cordial send-off ; every one wanted to shake hands and 

 have another look at my arm ; but at last we got away. 

 My boys had regained some of their old composure, and 

 even started to sing, but I could not forget Kalakese and 

 Karetese, who were probably in a stewpot by this time ! 

 When about a mile from the village we came to a steep 

 declivity, and saw, standing on a slab of rough stone that 

 overlooked the great stretch of country beneath, a fine 

 specimen of a Congo warrior. 



Our path led straight to his rock, and then curled 

 down the slope, which was covered with bushes and trees 

 far down to the flats below. From his position he could 

 see far away to the east. As we approached he shaded 

 his eyes and gazed intently at me. A child of about 

 three years was playing at his feet with a miniature bow 

 and arrow, and on seeing us the little one hid behind his 

 father's legs and peeped round at us. The man's body 

 and even his face was covered with cicatrised marks, 

 from head to foot his nakedness was coated with red 

 earth, his only pretence of clothing was a fragment of 

 cloth a foot square hung as an apron from his waist ; a 

 piece of grass was threaded through the lobe of each ear ; 

 in his hands he held a long lance and bow. 



Seeing the boy that had come with us from the village, 

 he spoke to him in a soft low voice, and listened with 

 rapt attention to his account of the day's doings. He 

 was intensely interested in my wound, and laughed loudly 

 when he heard that I had killed two of the Legworo 

 people, for although Naramba's community is apparently 

 a.branch of the Legworo, and they are in outward appear- 

 ance of the same tribe, they are not at all friendly with 

 the tribes further in, and the man made no effort to 



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