DOWN THE LOGONE RIVER 103 



friendliness. Then a man came up to clasp our 

 hands in his filthy greasy ones ; then another ; then 

 it seemed as if they would all come, not only once, but 

 again and again. I left the shade to stand with the 

 Talbots, who had taken up a position in the open, and 

 were themselves the centre of an eager throng. The 

 revel seemed at its height, and the chant rose ever 

 wilder and wilder. The voices of the Banana swelled 

 and trembled, their fine shoulders heaved, their lithe 

 limbs were covered with beads of perspiration, and 

 their eyes, aglow with excitement, were fixed on us. 

 Then the circle broke, and a crowd of warriors pressed 

 in on us, but an orator began to speak, and quickly the 

 people gathered round him. All this while Mr Talbot 

 had kept his face towards them with calm confidence ; 

 but he now directed us to retreat with all possible 

 speed, though any appearance of flight might, he 

 warned us, precipitate a crisis. The spokesman was 

 gaining power over his audience ; short sharp exclama- 

 tions had changed to a howl of approval ; they swayed 

 round him in eager excitement. It was evident that 

 we were the subject of his discourse, but what was the 

 gist of it — what did he want ? We were soon to know, 

 for our headman understood the language, and worked 

 his way quietly to our side. " They mean to keep the 

 ladies," he whispered. We had turned, and were 

 already a few yards on our road before our disappear- 

 ance was noticed. Then a knot of men ran by as if to 

 cut ofi" our retreat. All fear had left us, and we felt an 

 almost impersonal interest as to whether or not the too 

 friendly Banana would effect their capture. There they 

 were, before and behind us ; they could not have helped 

 winning, yet they took no action. Perhaps they im- 



