148 FROM OLENDA TO MAYOLO. Chap. VIII. 



the busli, ^¥e were now reduced to very slender rations 

 indeed, altliougli still about fifteen miles distant from 

 the nearest village of the Otando. 



I gathered our party together, and consulted with 

 them as to what was best to be done. To my sug- 

 gestion that some of the Ashira men should go 

 forward to Mayolo and ask for porters, Mintcho and 

 his friends opposed a decided negative. Neither 

 would they allow two of their men and two of my 

 Commi boys to go to Mayolo. They were afraid, in 

 short, of being detained and punished by Mayolo 

 for having robbed me. I finally resolved to send 

 Mouitchi, with the Otando man who had been Aran- 

 gui's prisoner. He departed with the promise of 

 returning in two days with men to carry our goods, 

 and a supply of food. 



I was now left with the Ashira rascals, eight in 

 number, and with only two of my faithful Commi 

 men to aid me in keeping watch over them. We 

 were encamped in a small open sjpace in the lone- 

 liest and gloomiest part of the forest, on the top 

 of a long sloping path which led into a deep valley 

 on the Otando side. We were absolutely without 

 food, and went supperless to bed, myself and my two 

 men Rebouka and Ngoma having agreed to watch in 

 our turns the Ashira, who pretended to be asleep in 

 their olakos on the opposite side of the road. My 

 baggage, alas! still too large and the cause of all 

 my troubles, lay piled up beside our camp fire in 

 front of us. 



We whiled away the early hours of night in 

 talking of Quengueza and the country by the sea- 



