THKOUGH FRENCH UBANGI 43 



Bertaut, the Military Resident, met us, we were 

 humiliatingly far behind. 



In a few more minutes we had reached the big 

 central square ; it was thronged with people come to 

 do honour to the Chief and to ourselves, and the 

 Lamido's horse- and foot -men were drawn up in a 

 glittering phalanx to receive us. He himself was on 

 foot, and as we dismounted he shook hands with each 

 of us. It was a solemn event, for neither he nor his 

 forebears had ever before shown public recognition of 

 a woman. A hush of breathless excitement ensued, 

 broken by the shrill rattling sound of feminine 

 applause. 



It is sad how one fails to realise the great occasions 

 of life. We knew only that we had condescended to 

 shake hands with a black man, and were in complete 

 ignorance that we had participated in a revolutionary 

 act, which was to stir every man, woman, and child 

 throughout the Mundonng Kingdom. 



Himself houlverse by the honour done us, M. Bertaut 

 took us straight to the native compound he had had 

 prepared for our accommodation. It was surrounded 

 by a wall of zana matting, or plaited straw, intended 

 to secure privacy. The Mundonng, however, were very 

 curious, and men and women alike climbed upon the 

 neighbouring roofs, and for the first twenty-four hours 

 we were under close observation. It was the harder 

 to escape their gaze as the entrances to the rooms 

 were without doors, and both our bed- and sitting- 

 rooms had two doorways. Outside these there was 

 a little courtyard which led to a small room, where 

 Mr Talbot slept ; and on to another of the usual 

 series of ever -darkening closets, which contained a 



