352 FATAL DISASTERS AT MOUAOU KOMBO. Chap. XVII. 



now return with redoubled force. They would make 

 common cause with the enraged warriors of the 

 neighbouring villages ; hundreds of men armed 

 with poisoned spears and arrows, would soon be 

 upon us. I called to the king to come back and not 

 be afraid ; but already the war drums were beating. 

 Kombo shouted : " You say you come here to do no 

 harm and do not kill joeople ; is not this the dead 

 body of a man ?" As it was out of the question our 

 trying to make our way eastward, without goods and 

 without escort, there was no help for it but to flee 

 back to the Ishogo country as fast as we could. 



I got my men together, seven in number, and gave 

 a few hasty directions about the baggage with which 

 our hut was filled. I did not know what to do. The 

 thought flashed across my mind that it would be best 

 to set fire to the hut and escape in the confusion ; but 

 I drQaded the further sacrifice of life that might be 

 caused by the explosion of so much gunpowder. Our 

 main purpose now was to get away on the forest path 

 before the warriors, who would otherwise hnpede our 

 advance and rouse other villages ahead. Ammuni- 

 tion was what was most necessary to us now ; I 

 served out a good supply of bullets and powder 

 to each man ; loaded some of them with my most 

 valuable articles, my journals, photographs, natural 

 history specimens, and a few of my lighter goods, 

 and took, for my share of the burdens, five chrono- 

 meters, a sextant, two revolvers, rifle, with another 

 gun slung at my back, and a heavy load of ammuni- 

 tion. " Now boys," I said, " keep together, do not 

 be afraid, and do not fire until I give the order ; if 



