268 SCARCITY OF PROVISIONS. 



days the yams had been kept in the cabin ; but it 

 was now impossible to keep them there, on ac- 

 count of the black ants. 



At 4 A. M. on 15th March, Abboka's mes- 

 senger, according to his master's promise, brought 

 down a basket of poisoned arrows, ninety-seven 

 in number ; and at breakfast we received fifteen 

 yams from the same individual. This was a very 

 seasonable supply, as I was saving the rice, and 

 we were upon an allowance of two pounds of 

 yams for dinner, the only meal we had in twenty- 

 four hours. 



The carving knife belonging to the cabin was 

 this afternoon missed from the knife-box in an 

 extraordinary manner, and nothing whatever 

 could be heard of it. All these pilfering acts 

 committed by my blacks annoyed me exceedingly. 

 A messenger came on board in the course of 

 the evening, with a message from Abboka, cau- 

 tioning me to be upon my guard, as Gabbreducco 

 was making a maghony to render himself in- 

 vulnerable, and prevent the balls from our guns 

 taking effect ! and that he was now near Ab- 

 boka's, and said that he wanted to break this 

 ship. His people to the number of four hundred 

 and fifty were assembled around him, armed 

 with spears, bows, arrows, and muskets. 



