302 UNPLEASANT PARTING. 



my men to take up their luggage and march : some did t»o 

 with alacrity, feeling that they had disobeyed orders by 

 remaining; but one of them refused," and was preparing to 

 f?re at Kawawa, until I gave him a punch on the head 

 with the pistol and made him go too. I felt here, as else- 

 where, that subordination must be maintained at all risks. 

 We all moved into the forest, the people of Kawawa stand- 

 ing about a hundred yards off, gazing, but not firing a shot 

 or an arrow. It is extremely unpleasant to part with these 

 chieftains thus, after spending a day or two in the most 

 amicable intercourse, and in a part where the people are 

 generally civil. This Kawawa, however, is not a good 

 specimen of the Balonda chiefs, and is rather notorious in 

 the neighborhood for his folly. We were told that he has 

 good reason to believe that Matiamvo will some day cut 

 off his head for his disregard of the rights of strangers. 



Kawawa was not to be balked of his supposed rights by 

 the unceremonious way in which we had left him; for, 

 when we had reached the ford of the Kasai, about ten 

 miles distant, we found that he had sent four of his men 

 with orders to the ferrymen to refuse us passage. We 

 were here duly informed that we must deliver up all the 

 articles mentioned, and one of our men besides. This de- 

 mand for one of our number always nettled every heart. 

 The canoes were taken away before our eyes, and we were 

 supposed to be quite helpless without them, at a river a 

 good hundred yards broad, and very deep. Pitsane stood 

 on the bank, gazing with apparent indifference on the 

 stream, and made an accurate observation of where the 

 canoes were hidden among the reeds. The ferrymen 

 casually asked one of my Batoka if they had rivers in his 

 country, and he answered, with truth, "No; we have 

 none." Kawawa' s people then felt sure we could not cross. 

 I thought of swimming when they were gone ; but, after 

 it was dark, by the unasked loan of one of the hidden 

 canoes, we soon were snug in our bivouac on the southern 

 bank of the Kasai. I left some beads as payment for some 



