160 MAYOLO. Chap. IX, 



morning-. It was necessary to disarm this man, but 

 he refused when I requested him to deliver up the 

 gun. The situation was now a critical one ; for, if 

 I allowed the Otando people to see how I could be 

 plundered, and afterwards set at defiance, the ex- 

 ample would be fatal to the success of my expedition. 

 I appealed to Mayolo, telling him that the goods of 

 which I had been robbed were intended as presents for 

 him, and that the gun which Ayagui refused to give 

 up was also his property. This was a manoeuvre of 

 mine, and was quite successful ; the Otando and 

 their chief forthwith ranged themselves on my side, 

 but Ayagui was not disarmed without great diffi- 

 culty, for he threatened to fire on the first man 

 who approached him. At this I called my four men 

 together, ordered them to level their muskets at 

 him, myself pointing my revolver, and this brought 

 him to reason. The gun was handed over to Mayolo. 



Mintcho and the rest now made for the forest on 

 their way home ; but, wishing to secure one of them 

 as a hostage for the restitution of my property, we 

 pursued them, and Rebouka seized one of them. To 

 my vexation, instead of one of the men, he seized a 

 boy, the son of my good Ashira friend, Adingo. The 

 guilty fugitives at this were terribly frightened, but 

 I took pains to let them know, before they were out 

 of hearing, that we should do no harm to the boy, but 

 would restore him as soon as my goods were brought 

 back. Igala, though very ill, said if he had known 

 what I wanted to do, he could have seized Mintcho 

 himself. 



Our prompt action in this matter had the effect 



