62 CHIEFS & CITIES OF CENTRAL AFRICA 



the quest have heard the roar of tumbling water, and 

 some claim to have got so close as to feel the spray 

 as it rose in drenchino- clouds from the basin below : 

 but an impenetrable thicket was ever interposed be- 

 tween them and it, and no sight had rewarded the 

 most ardent seeker. 



The natives believe that a devil lives there, and 

 that a terrible doom is in store for any one who 

 intrudes upon his privacy. Nothing therefore would 

 induce them to go near a spot so haunted. White 

 men are not deterred by such a fear, but the Djinn 

 has other means of guarding his abode. Beasts 

 come and drink of the waters of the river, and in 

 return they do him service. Baboon, lion, elephant, 

 all help to distract the explorer from his task ; but 

 giraffe are peculiarly the guardians of the Falls, and 

 if a man should near the goal one will come to lure 

 him away, so that when the chase is ended the hunter 

 finds himself far from what he seeks. M. Bertaut and 

 M. Bouhaben had both gone on the tantalising quest, 

 but they are sportsmen, and what more need be added. 



Now that the time of his leave was approaching, 

 M. Bertaut had resolved to attempt the exploration 

 once again, and, aware of its main difficulty and 

 steeled against temptation, was confident of success. 

 He asked Mr Talbot to join him, but the invitation 

 did not include us women. Mrs Talbot and I were 

 pained and frightened. It would be dreadful to be 

 excluded from such a thrilling expedition, and we 

 both suffered acutely. We tried, however, to be 

 calm and unselfish, and laid so much stress on the 

 happiness in store for our companion, that at last 

 M. Bertaut expressed regret that the expedition was 

 too hopelessly fatiguing for us to come too. He 



