CnAP. XIX. EECEPTION AT MAYOLO. 889 



disease, we establislied our olakos or sheds outside 

 tlie village. 



Old Mayolo was so much impressed with the 

 account of our affray with the Mouaou people and 

 our escape from their poisoned arrows, killing at the 

 same time so many of them — for, as I have said be- 

 fore, my men exaggerated more and more at every 

 place the number we had slain — that he firmly be- 

 lieved some potent talisman had protected us in the 

 fight. The morning after our arrival he came into 

 my shed in a mysterious manner, looking about to 

 see that no one was near us, and said, " Chaillie, you 

 are an Oguizi, and I know you can make mondahs, 

 although you say you do not. How could the 

 arrows of the Ashango glide off your body without 

 hurting you, if you had not a war fetich on you? 

 and how could you kill so many without any of your 

 men being killed ? I cannot understand this, for I 

 know that the A shangos are great warriors. If you 

 love me, make one of these great war mondahs for me, 

 that I and my people may go into the fight witliout 

 being hurt, and that everybody may be made afraid of 

 Mayolo." The earnestness of manner and excitement 

 of the old man were quite ludicrous. I entirely failed 

 to persuade him that I had no such mondah, and still 

 more incredulous was he when I said that our safety 

 was due to a kind Providence who had watched over 

 us. He left me at last dissatisfied, and questioned my 

 men ; Igala was quite ready to make and sell to him 

 any amount of fetiches. 



I had an opportunity during my stay in Mayolo of 

 observing how the curious law of inheritance existinjr 



