216 INSUBORDINATION SUPPRESSED. 



cipal men were only sufficient to purchase a scanty meal, 

 and I had hastened on to this village in order to slaughter 

 a tired ox and give them all a feast as well as a rest on 

 Sunday, as preparation for the journey before us. I ex- 

 plained this to them, and thought their grumbling was al- 

 layed. I soon sank into a state of stupor, which the fever 

 sometimes produced, and was oblivious to all their noise in 

 slaughtering. On Sunday the mutineers were making a 

 terrible din in preparing a skin they had procured. I re- 

 quested them twice, by the man who attended me, to be 

 more quiet, as the noise pained me; but, as they paid no 

 attention to this civil request, I put out my head, and, re- 

 peating it myself, was answered by an impudent laugh. 

 Knowing that discipline would be at an end if this mutiny 

 were not quelled, and that our lives depended on vigor- 

 ously upholding authority, I seized a double-barrelled 

 pistol and darted forth from the domicile, looking, I sup- 

 pose, so savage as to put them to a precipitate flight. As 

 some remained within hearing, I told them that I must 

 maintain discipline, though at the expense of some of their 

 limbs; so long as we travelled together they must re- 

 member that I was master, and not they. There being 

 but little room to doubt my determination, they imme- 

 diately became very obedient, and never afterward gave 

 me any trouble or imagined that they had any right to 

 my property. 



13th. — "We went forward some miles, but were brought 

 to a stand by the severity of my fever on the banks of a 

 branch of the Loajima, another tributary of the Kasai. I 

 was in a state of partial coma until late at night, when it 

 became necessary for me to go out; and I was surprised to 

 find that my men had built a little stockade, and some of 

 them took their spears and acted as a guard. I found that 

 we were surrounded by enemies, and a party of Chiboquo 

 Jay near the gateway, after having preferred the demand 

 of " a man, an ox, a gun, or a tusk." My men had prepared 

 for defence in case of a night-attack, and, when the Chi- 



