212 THE FIGHT AVERTED. 



quite unprepared for this exhibition, but behaved with 

 admirable coolness. The chief and counsellors, by accept- 

 ing my invitation to be seated, had placed themselves in a 

 trap, for my men very quietly surrounded them, and made 

 them feel that there was no chance of escaping their spears. 

 I then said that, as one thing after another had failed to 

 satisfy them, it was evident that they wanted to fight, while 

 we only wanted to pass peaceably through the country; 

 that they must begin first, and bear the guilt before God : 

 we would not fight till they had struck the first blow. I 

 then sat silent for some time. It was rather trying for 

 me, because I knew that the Chiboque would aim at the 

 white man first ; but I was careful not to appear flurried, 

 and, having four barrels ready for instant action, looked 

 quietly at the savage scene around. The Chiboque coun- 

 tenance, by no means handsome, is not improved by the 

 practice which they have adopted of filing the teeth to a 

 point. The chief and counsellors, seeing that they were 

 in more danger than I, did not choose to follow our decision 

 that they should begin by striking the first blow and then 

 see what we could do, and were perhaps influenced by 

 seeing the air of cool preparation which some of my men 

 displayed at the prospect of a work of blood. 



The Chiboque at last put the matter before us in this 

 way : — " You come among us in a new way, and say you 

 are quite friendly : how can we know it unless you give us 

 some of your food, and you take some of ours ? If you 

 give us an ox, we will give you whatever you may wish, 

 and then we shall be friends." In accordance with the 

 entreaties of my men, I gave an ox, and, when asked what 

 I should like in return, mentioned food as the thing which 

 we most needed. In the evening, Njambi sent us a very 

 small basket >f meal, and two or three pounds of the flesh 

 of our own ox ! with the apology that he had no fowls, 

 and very little of any other food. It was impossible to 

 avoid a laugh at the coolness of the generous creatures. I 

 was truly thankful, nevertheless, that, though resolved to 



