A West African Episode. 385 



as well. The great thing for me to do would be to 

 avoid the first rush, hit out for the enlarged spleen, 

 and repeat the same tactics. The brute's rush was 

 weak. I dodged under his forearm, as he tried to 

 seize me as he had done Blue Euin, and with all 

 my might I let him have it right and left below the 

 ribs, at the same time jumping aside. The gorilla 

 staggered forward a pace or two, blood poured from 

 his mouth and nostrils, and almost instantly the 

 giant brute fell dead. 



The king and people were paralysed with astonish- 

 ment, and I did not give them time to recover, 

 but thrusting aside the fastenings of the gate, rushed 

 out. The people fled like sheep, but the chief re- 

 mained rooted to his seat, so I seized a rifle, gave 

 a few bounds forward, and grasped the sword of 

 state, and with it clove the treacherous villain to 

 the chin. Into the ruck of the savages, right and 

 left, I emptied both barrels as they dispersed in one 

 direction, while I ran off in another, taking my two 

 guns with me. I was not pursued. The death of 

 the king, and the flight of his subjects, had such 

 an effect on those who had the remainder of my 

 followers in charge, that they released them, and 

 also took to their heels. In a couple of days we 

 were reunited, and I shot enough game to keep us 

 alive ; so on the ninth day got to my boat, and four 

 days afterwards to Bonga. 



We did not delay in preparing a punitive expe- 

 dition, and returned in force ; but the gang had 

 fled, leaving all their goods behind them. The '. vul- 

 tures had picked the bones of the chief, the Kruboy, 

 and the ape clean, and we found the remains of 



c c 



