368 RETREAT FROM ASHANGO-LAND. Chap. XVIII. 



and passed witliout having alarmed the inmates. 

 We then came near the end of the street, and were 

 thinking that all danger was passed, when suddenly a 

 briglit fire blazed up right before us ! As we stood 

 motionless waiting for the next move, a kind voice 

 sj)oke out in the darkness — ■ " It is the Oguizi's 

 people ; go on ! go on ! there is no harm to you in 

 my village ; pass on ! you will find the path smooth ; 

 there is no war for you ! " It was the voice of the 

 old king, who was thus, with some of his people, 

 waiting our passage, with the good intention of 

 speeding tis on with kind words. They had got the 

 materials for the fire ready beforehand to light us on 

 our way. What a load was taken from our minds ! 

 We had expected here a deadly struggle, and found 

 instead the road made clear for us. But we were 

 not quite sure that some act of treachery might not 

 be intended ; so, instead of stopping to talk, we passed 

 on without saying a word in reply to the kind speech 

 of the chief. 



On we went in the darkness of the night ; through 

 swamps and water courses, over stony hills and 

 thorny brakes, often losing the path, and wandering 

 about for some time before finding it again. At 

 about three o'clock in the morning we came to a field 

 of cassava. We halted, made a fire, gathered some 

 of the roots, and roasted them to eat, for we had had 

 no food since our flight began the preceding morning', 

 and were quite worn out with fatigue and hunger. 

 This renewed our strength, and I offered up a silent 

 prayer to that gracious Providence who had so mar- 

 vellously preserved my little band. 



1 



