262 VILLAGE OF m'pARO. 



no fowl or flour — in fact, nothing to eat as far as my 

 men were concerned. 



After a consultation with Moloka, I determined to 

 go and have a look at the place, at all events ; and 

 making the men take up their loads, started in the di- 

 rection of the village. Ten minutes' walk found me 

 on an open plain, within two hundred yards of a 

 small village. All the inhabitants were assembled 

 outside, and there appeared to be about sixty 

 or seventy men, armed with bows and arrows, or 

 spears ; but I could not perceive any guns amongst 

 them. Having packed my kit carefully together, 

 and got ready the five guns belonging to me, as 

 well as the flint locks of Moloka and Chippootoo- 

 la, in case of any row, a polite message was sent to 

 the chief's brother, sa}dng I was a friend, and only 

 wanted to spend the night in the village, and pur- 

 chase provisions; but the mission proved a failure — 

 the man whom I sent bringing back a message to the 

 effect that, if we attempted to enter the village, they 

 would kill us all, and ordering us to start at once from 

 where we were, and march round a hill some distance 

 from the village, out of our course altogether. This 

 was too much, and knowing that we were out of reach 

 of their arrows, I determined to fire a couple of shots 

 over their heads, and try to frighten them either into 

 submission, or out of the village. I therefore sent 

 back the man to tell these saucy people that if they did 

 not receive me civilly at once I would fire on them, 

 and then burn the village ; adding that, though I had 

 come with friendly intent, still I was a great chief, 

 and would not be insulted. All the other chiefs 



