246 MATOLO TO APONO-LAND. Chap. XII. 



must go forward ; we are going to tire white man's 

 country ; we are going to London ! " 



We continued our march till half-past four p.m., 

 when we encamped for the night in the middle of a 

 wood, where there was a cool spring of water, close to 

 a cluster of Apono villages. It appeared that these 

 people also dreaded our approach on account of the 

 eviva. In the evening we heard the cries of the 

 people, the weeping of the women, and the beating 

 of the war drums. The burthen of their lamentations 

 was " Nchiengain, why have you brought this curse 

 upon us ? We do not want the Oguizi, who brings 

 the plague with him. The Ishogo are all dead, the 

 Ashango have left ; it is of no use your taking the 

 white man to them ; go back, go back ! " We slept 

 with our loaded guns by our side ; the war drums 

 ceased beating about 10 o'clock. My men were tired 

 and foot-sore, on account of the sharp stones and 

 pebbles of the prairie paths. 



Jujie 5th. At daylight this morning I got up and 

 looked out over the broad prairie, quite expecting 

 to see a war-party watching us through the long 

 grass ; but to my agreeable surprise, I saw no signs of 

 war. Shortly afterwards a deputation of three men 

 came from the village to try to persuade Nchiengain 

 not to pass through, on account of my bringing death 

 wherever I went. But the trusty and sensible old 

 chief, in a long speech, showed tliem that it was a 

 foolish alarm about my bringing the eviva, and that 

 the plague came quite independent of me, for it had 

 passed through his village long before the Oguizi 

 had come near it. The argument seemed to have a 



