230 ACROSS AFRICA. [Chap. 



June, numerous ; and on a sandy island the tracks of buffalo were so 

 1874. thick as to give the appearance of a large herd having been pen- 

 ned tliere. The grass on each side of the path was almost too 

 thick and heavy to penetrate in search of sport. And it was 

 also needful for nic to keep in rear of the caravan, in order to 

 prevent my men from straggling. With all my care, they often 

 eluded me, and lay hidden in the jungle till I had passed, in or- 

 der to indulge in skulking. The men carrying my tent and 

 bath were especially prone to this habit, although their loads 

 were light, and I frequently waited long after camp was reached 

 for these necessary appliances to come to the front. 



On this march I lirst saw the mpafu, from which the scented 

 oil is obtained. It is a magnificent tree, often thirty feet and 

 more in circumference, and rising to eighty or a hundred feet 

 before spreading and forming a head, the branches of which are 

 immense. The oil is obtained by soaking the fruit, which has 

 some resemblance to an olive, for a few days in large pits of 

 water ; and when the oil collects on the surface, it is skimmed 

 off. It is usually of a reddish color, very pure and clear, with 

 an agreeable smell. Under the bark are great masses of scented 

 gum, used by the natives in fumigating themselves. 



Besides the mpafu, there were several other trees jierfectly 

 new to me, one having a soft, dense wood, out of which the na- 

 tives make beautifully finished bowls. 



A man whom I watched at this work had felled two or three 

 trees, and cut them into logs of about the same length as the 

 diameter of the trunk, i. e.^ from one to two feet. These he 

 split into halves, and with a very sharp and small single-handed 

 adze made them into bowls as truly formed as though he had 

 been a master turner. 



At this stage of their manufacture they are rubbed with a 

 rough leaf, which answers the purpose of sand -paper, until the 

 marks of the adze are perfectly smoothed down. In many in- 

 stances lips are hollowed out with a knife, and patterns are also 

 occasionally carved on them. 



Staining the outside a dark red is the finishing touch, and, 

 when new, this effectively contrasts with the white of the in- 

 side ; but with use they become perfectly black from dirt and 

 grease. I also saw a peculiarly shaped wooden drum hollowed 



