i 9 4 A VISIT TO THE MONBUTTU. 



woods, who here correspond to the bushmen of the south, I 

 need not repeat myself, but will only correct an error into 

 which even experienced explorers and collectors have fallen. 

 The Akka have neither lances nor spears, but make exclusive 

 use of the bow and arrow, and the so-called Akka lances which 

 have been sent to Europe are either the long Mabode or the 

 short Momvii weapons. 



Our stay in Bellima was rendered somewhat unpleasant by 

 constant rain, but the little spare time I had after my official 

 duties were accomplished, was completely filled up indoors with 

 making anthropological measurements, collecting notes, making 

 vocabularies, and preparing and conserving specimens. The 

 early morning hours afforded me, however, rich and interesting 

 zoological spoil, but the prevailing damp was a great drawback 

 — never mind, a new district lies before me. 



The march from Bellima to Tingazi, or Tingazizi, as its 

 inhabitants call it, can be accomplished in three rather long 

 days, that is, supposing that the two streams which have to be 

 forded do not either block the road or flood the land. We 

 had, however, no trouble of this kind, but Gambari had taken 

 it into his head, doubtless for some important political reason, 

 to lead us right through desert and primeval forest, avoiding 

 all the villages, and although this gave me the opportunity of 

 becoming acquainted with a good specimen of unadulterated 

 African scenery, it caused us an extra day's march. 



I have mentioned woods so often, that it may be well to 

 explain what I mean by them. It is a mistake to imagine 

 that on entering Monbuttu from the north you will immediately 

 meet with' dark impenetrable woods. Magnificent " gallery " 

 woods, in which all the marvels of vegetation unfold them- 

 selves before the enchanted gaze, often border to a considerable 

 distance even the smallest brook. Every declivity in the 

 ground is covered by trees and bushes, and on the old clearings 

 and the cultivated spots, Flora's wild and cultured offspring 

 are mingled, forming often completely impenetrable walls. The 

 region, however, of immense forests, in which one may wander 

 for hours without seeing a sunbeam, and where one hears the 

 rain beating upon the summits of the trees without feeling a 

 drop, commences only a little to the west of the A-Zande 



