Chap. IX. GOOD NEWS FROM APONO-LAND. 191 



May lith. My misfortunes will never terminate ! 

 Mayolo has another abscess forming. I begin to 

 think I shall never get beyond this Otando country. 

 Mayolo, however, assures me that he will send his 

 nephew onward to Apono to prepare the way for us. 

 He told me our great difficulty would be to get ferried 

 across the river, which could only be done by the aid 

 of the chief of Mouendi, a villa<^e near thebauks of 

 the Ngouyai. I went to my hut and selected a pre- 

 sent for the Apono chief, a bright red cap, a string 

 of beads, and some j^owder ; and in giving them to 

 Mayolo to send by his messenger, I told him to say 

 I should bring him many other fine things when I 

 came myself. It was necessary to overcome the 

 scruples of the Apono, who dreaded a visit from me 

 lest I should bring evil on their village. 



May 1 bill. Mayolo's messenger returned to-day with 

 the joyful news that the Apono chief would receive 

 us. The chief had sent a kendo as a return present 

 to Mayolo, with the words " Mayolo has given me 

 birth, how can I refuse him what he asks ? Tell 

 him to come with his ibamha. Mayolo has not died 

 through receiving the Spirit ; why should I die ? " 



Many people of Mayolo's clan came to-day to see, 

 before I left their country, the many wonderful things 

 I had brought with me ; and Mayolo himself, though 

 not very well, could not resist the temptation to leave 

 his hut and join the sightseers. I first brought out 

 a large Greneva musical box, and having wound it up 

 inside my house, set it dov/n on a stool in the street. 

 On hearing the mysterious sounds they all got up, 

 looked at each other, then at me and the box. to see 



