Chap. IV. ASTROXOIMICAL OBSEIIVATIONS. 77 



observations to ascertain tlie altitude of tlie placQ and 

 its gX'Ograpliical position ; which was very necessary, 

 as it was phiced on my map by mere calcuhition of 

 distances travelled. Unfortunately I was unable to 

 obtain lunar distances here, and therefore cannot fix 

 its longitude ; but the mean of several obser\'ations 

 of tlie meridian altitude of the planet Mars and of two 

 fixed stars gave the latitude as 1° 35' 34" south — i.e. 

 no less than 23 miles further south than it had 

 been placed on my former map, where it had been 

 placed simply on calculation of distances travelled. 

 The altitude of the town I found by muans of my 

 aneroid barometers to be 143 feet, and that of the 

 hill-top behind the town 238 feet, above the sea- 

 level. From the hill-top a wide view is obtained. of 

 the country round. It is hill}^, but there are con- 

 siderable tracts of level low land between the bills, 

 and few of the hills appeared higher than that of 

 Goumbi. 



• I was obliged to resort to an artifice wliich I Icnew 

 would be effective to get Quengueza to move. I 

 pretended to be deeply offended with liim for delay- 

 ing me so long ; and, giving Macondai ordei's to 

 remove my bed away from the village, I left one 

 evening and made prejoarations for sleeping under 

 a shed at some distance from the place. Kigdit had 

 hardly set in when the old king, discovering my 

 absence, made a great fuss, and, coming to where 

 I lay, expressed his sorrow and repentance. He lay 

 down by my side, and said that he would sleep 

 whei e I slept. 



Thus, by dint of coaxing and threatening, I got 



