330 AFRICA SPEAKS 



preference to fines, in punishment of trivial offenses. 

 After each man had received several cruel strokes across 

 liis back, during which no sound was uttered, he would 

 jump up, salute, and thank the Belgian officer. Dur- 

 ing these proceedings, I told Maniki I thought a good 

 whipping, on occasion, might inject a little pep into 

 him and the rest of my boys. He grinned broadly and 

 said it was "bay a sana" — very bad I 



A few days of travel over an always changing coun- 

 tryside brought us to Gumbari. The roadway for 

 miles was banked by grass twelve feet high, tJien 

 wound through long lines of banana, pawpaw, and 

 mango trees. Every village nestled near acres of pine- 

 apples and sweet potatoes. We motored through the 

 gold-mining district, finding Watsa a delightful place, 

 boasting some modern buildings. While crossing the 

 KibaH River it conunenced to rain, and we drove for 

 several hours in a drenching downpour, reaching the 

 Bomokandi River at nightfall. Here we found enormous 

 dugout canoes — the largest yet encountered — and 

 were carried across to Gumbari, on a native ferry, where 

 we were made comfortable in a government rest house. 



Next day I called on the Belgian Administrator, who 

 kindly loaned me an interpreter and guide, and also 

 gave me permission to enter the Ituri Forest in search 

 of pygmies. As we neared the place where we were to 

 leave the trucks and trek into the forest, a motor cycle 

 came toward us, bearing two white men who greeted 

 us in EngUsh. They were Messrs. Leader and Johnson, 

 Americans in charge of the near-by Assembly of God 

 Mission. We were glad to accept their invitation to 

 spend the night at the station, and Mrs. Johnson pre- 

 pared us the best meal we had eaten for many a day. 



