394 JOUENEY TO THE COAST. Chap. XIX. 



again." When Eedjioua heard of this he became 

 very angry, and said, "You knew that Akenda 

 Mbani never goes twice to the same place ; why did 

 you remove him ? " Then he ordered the people to 

 catch Agambouai, and cut his head off. 



MORAL. 



Formerly it was the custom with married people 

 that when the woman died the man should die also, 

 and vice versa. But since the time of Akenda Mbani, 

 the custom is altered, and the husband or the wife no 

 longer die with their partners. 



We left Mayolo at daylight on the 16th of August, 

 my men being all heavily-laden with plantains, for 

 we could not prevail upon any of the Otando people 

 to accompany us, and help in carrying our loads. 

 I felt quite grieved when even the good Mayolo — to 

 whom I had given so many presents, and with whom 

 I had remained so long — refused to accompany me 

 outside the village. As we left, sheet-lightning was 

 playing through the dark clouds which hung over 

 the mountains of Ashango-land. 



On the fourth day of our toilsome march over the 

 rugged hills and through the dark forests of the 

 mountain range which divides Ashira from Otando- 

 land, we arrived in the afternoon at the first planta- 

 tions of the Ashira Ngozai people. Before we saw 

 the cultivated places we heard the axes ringing 

 through the forests, showing that the natives were 

 hard at work felling trees for new plantations ; this 

 being the time of the year — the height of the dry 



