A West African Episode. 383 



coat, a sky-blue swallow-tailed coat, and green pan- 

 taloons, which had been made for a man half his 

 size. He assumed a most dignified air, and, scowl- 

 ing at me, said, " Ha ! ha ! white man no kill gorilla. 

 Gorilla kill he." The fool, I thought, was assuredly 

 drunk again. Then he made for a raised dais, and 

 placed himself on a block of wood, in lieu of a chair ; 

 the musicians and sword-bearer ranging themselves 

 around him. 



Between the two trees I have mentioned, a strong 

 stockade had been erected. I could see my guns 

 were resting up against the mud walls of a house 

 not far off. " Oh ! if I could but get at them, I'd 

 astonish the niggers," I mentally thought, for I had 

 my pockets full of cartridges. Afterwards I heard 

 that the chief, emulous of my success in the sport- 

 ing line, had that day fired the 8 -bore, and had been 

 knocked head over heels, thus the guns were tabooed ; 

 so out of the four barrels, three were still loaded, 

 as the natives were afraid to meddle with them after 

 seeing the disaster which had befallen their king. 



Three taps of a drum were now given ; there was 

 a great surging to and fro of the crowd, which opened 

 up, and some twenty men came forth dragging along 

 a huge gorilla, which they thrust into the stockade, 

 at the same time cleverly released the ropes which 

 bound him, instantly shutting the gates to. Almost 

 immediately afterwards poor Blue Euin was dragged 

 to the front. He struggled in vain, there were too 

 many for him to contend against, and it would have 

 been better had he husbanded his strength, instead of 

 uselessly expending it. " Oh ! master ! " cried the poor 

 fellow, " what I say ? We live to die, we live to die." 



