Our Last "Safari" 



those who have the patience to hunt in the forest ; there 

 are many chimpanzis, and the giant yellow-backed duiker/ 

 as well as the bongo, the red buffalo and the red forest hog ; 

 there is also a small red tufted duiker and the grey pygmy 

 duiker, the latter being netted and dried for sale in consider- 

 able numbers. We of course saw nothing more of them than 

 their spoors, although we several times heard the call of a 

 chimpanzi. Nothing more exciting occurred on this part 

 of our journey than the snatching away of a little nondes- 

 cript dog by a leopard, in the early hours of the morning. 

 The poor little beast was the idol of a native woman accom- 

 panying our " safari," who was so attached to it that she 

 would wash and comb it daily. It was a dear little thing, 

 and as it used to knock about our camp and follow us on 

 the day's march both my wife and I became quite fond of it 

 too. The owner, although a grown woman, cried like a 

 child at her loss. 



At Bafwasende we were amongst an interesting and 

 intelligent race of negroes called the Wabali, some of whose 

 strange characteristics and customs are well worth recounting 

 here, especially as very little information has ever been 

 published concerning them, and moreover, I think it probable 

 that the photographs in this chapter illustrating the Mamhela 

 ceremonials are unique. 



The Wabali are of Bantu affinities and their country is, 

 roughly, contained within the districts administered from 

 the pastes of Avakubi, Bomili, Panga, Kondololi, Bafwaboli 

 and Bafwasende ; it does not extend, however, to the north 

 side of the Aruwimi River. The Mamhela secret society 



• The yellow-backecl duiker is known amongst the Mobali natives as the 

 Moimbo. The red forest hog as tlic Xf^uia. The bongo is Batigana, and the 

 bUck giant hog is known as the Boko. The pygmy duiker is the Mburuhu. 



