382 Incidents of Foreign Field Sport 



chief, chief make chop of he." Then I heard a great 

 hullabaloo, it was from poor Blue Kum, he had made a 

 gallant resistance, for the few clothes he wore, were in 

 tatters, but both he and I had been taken unawares, and 

 so were at the mercy of the drunken brute. Blue Euin 

 said, " What I tell Master ? We live to die, we live to 

 die ! " meaning that we should be killed. I, on the 

 other hand, thought it was a mere dodge to get a very 

 big " dash," or present, from me, and all that we should 

 have to undergo would be detention, until he got an 

 order on Bonga and had it cashed, so I did not despair, 

 as did my attendant. We were marched the whole of 

 that day till late at night, and then I was thrust into 

 one shed, and Blue Euin into another, in which he 

 cried and bewailed his fate the whole night long. 

 For food I was offered some filthy " chickwanga," a 

 decoction made from fermented manioc, a mixture 

 that I never could stomach, so I declined it, and con- 

 tented myself with a drink of water. By daylight we 

 were on the move again, and towards sunset arrived 

 at a considerable village, with a quadrangular space 

 in front, a banyan tree at one extremity, and a baobab 

 at the other. 



I was again locked up alone ; and as I declined 

 the "chickwanga" again, a few half- ripe plantains 

 were given me. The whole night long hammering 

 went on ; but about 11 A.M. it ceased, and I was led 

 out. Soon a procession appeared. In front marched 

 some armed men, one with a huge sword of state, 

 others followed with most discordant instruments ; 

 but when I saw the chief himself, I almost burst out 

 laughing, his appearance was so ludicrous. He had 

 a tall bell-topper on his woolly head, a scarlet waist- 



