304 THE REDISCOVERED COUNTRY 



right hand and knelt, facing the trail. N'jahgi cried 

 out a monologue, his hands raised. At the end of each 

 phrase the others ejaculated whah ! whah ! deeply as- 

 pirated, bowed forward, and blew on the ground. Then 

 the sugar-cane was carefully concealed to right and left 

 of the trail. 



As we marched outside the forest the news of our 

 presence was cried from hill to hill. The carrying 

 power of the native voice is astonishing. They do not 

 shout, they talk, and yet every syllable is distinct 

 across wide spaces. The speaking voices of the women 

 are most pleasant, soft and dusky like velyet. 



After two hours we came to a group of savages who 

 announced themselves as sent by Kurioki. Kurioki 

 himself they excused, saying that he had hurt his leg. 

 We made more medicine, and plunged again into the 

 forest. Kurioki's men led us directly to the trail of 

 yesterday's elephant. We proceeded to follow it. 

 After three hours the nature of the forest changed 

 somewhat. We began to come across wide openings, 

 grown with grass, like Sierra meadows. The forest and 

 these grass openings divided the slope between them, 

 the forest running out in tongues, wide peninsulas, and 

 islands. 



"Great luck if we should see Mr. Tembo out here,'' 

 I suggested. 



"• Only comes out at night," said Cuninghame. 



The trail grew dim and almost impossible to follow, 



