WANT OF FOOD. 361 



forced me to submit. The head of the party remained to be fer- 

 ried over last ; so, if I had not come to terms, I would have been, 

 as I always was in crossing rivers which we could not swim, com- 

 pletely in the power of the enemy. It was but rarely we could 

 get a head man so witless as to cross a river with us, and remain 

 on the opposite bank in a convenient position to be seized as a 

 hostage in case of my being caught. 



This trick is but one of a number equally dishonorable which 

 are practiced by tribes that lie adjacent to the more civilized set- 

 tlements. The Balonda farther east told us, by way of warning, 

 that many parties of the more central tribes had at various periods 

 set out, in order to trade with the white men themselves, instead 

 of through the Mambari, but had always been obliged to return 

 without reaching their destination, in consequence of so many pre- 

 texts being invented by the tribes encountered in the way for 

 fining them of their ivory. 



This ford was in 11° 15 / 47" S. latitude, but the weather was 

 so excessively cloudy we got no observation for longitude. 



We were now in want of food, for, to the great surprise of my 

 companions, the people of Kangenke gave nothing except by 

 way of sale, and charged the most exorbitant prices for the little 

 meal and manioc they brought. The only article of barter my 

 men had was a little fat saved from the ox we slaughtered at 

 Katema's, so I was obliged to give them a portion of the stock 

 of beads. One day (29th) of westing brought us from the Kasai 

 to near the village of Katende, and we saw that we were in a 

 land where no hope could be entertained of getting supplies of 

 animal food, for one of our guides caught a light-blue colored 

 mole and two mice for his supper. The care with which he 

 wrapped them up in a leaf and slung them on his spear told that 

 we could not hope to enjoy any larger game. We saw no evi- 

 dence of any animals besides ; and, on coming to the villages 

 beyond this, we often saw boys and girls engaged in digging up 

 these tiny quadrupeds. 



Katende sent for me on the day following our arrival, and, 

 being quite willing to visit him, I walked, for this purpose, 

 about three miles from our encampment. When we approached 

 the village we were desired to enter a hut, and, as it was raining 

 at the time, we did so. After a long time spent in giving and 



