MASUTA. 18] 
from prejudice, and confess. At first, however, they did 
not clearly understand me, but when, by more vigorous 
pantomime and better chosen terms, I had made my 
meaning plainer, they repelled the suggestion with the 
utmost horror, replying to my interrogation an emphatic 
“ Vé, vé, vé,’ (“No, no, no,”), and then adding a timid 
inquiry, “Na Baio?” (“And you? do you?”’’) 
Ere this excitement about the skulls was over, fresh 
objects of interest arrived in the shape of some splendid 
fish that had just been caught. We bought the lot, and I 
sat down by candlelight to make a drawing of the biggest. 
He measured 3 ft. 7 in. in leneth, and a fuller description 
of him will be found in Chapter Seid 
Round this village, Itimba, there were many fine 
clumps of Euphorbia erowing, probably Huphorbia Her- 
mentiana, apparently protected and encouraged by the 
inhabitants, who appear to have some superstitious, or 
perhaps practical, liking for these curious prickly plants. 
It is strange that although these Euphorbias are found in 
nearly all West African villages, they should yet, as far as 
I have noticed, be absent from the wild uncultivated 
country. Can they be a semi-domesticated species that is 
carried from village to village, either from some super- 
stitious preference, or to form protective hedges, or because 
they furnish some useful product, such as a poisonous 
juice, or a fibrous matter ? © 
The next morning we stopped “ that pleasant little 
village called Mbongo, where I had been before so well 
received. The people oreeted me quite enthusiastically ; 
and although there was no malafu, they brought sugar- 
cane in abundance. I obtained here a curious little river 
tortoise, a species of Zrionyx provided with a soft and 
flexible shell and a quaint little proboscis. 
We camped out for the night ata village of Ba-yansi, 
callel Mukemo, or “the Little,’ though it must have 
evidently changed since its name was first given, for it 
was large, spacious and populous. The houses were well 
built, and the open squares clean and swept, and garnished 
with handsome trees, The people were in the best of 
