482 A BLOW ON THE BEAED. 



for eight days, tossing and groaning with violent pain in the head. 

 This was the most severe attack I had endured. It made me quite 

 unfit to move, or even know what was passing outside my little 

 tent. Senhor Pascoal, who had been detained by the severe rain at 

 a better spot, at last came up, and, knowing that leeches abound- 

 ed in the rivulets, procured a number, and applied some dozens to 

 the nape of the neck and the loins. This partially relieved the 

 pain. He was then obliged to move forward, in order to purchase 

 food for his large party. After many days I began to recover, 

 and wished to move on, but my men objected to the attempt on 

 account of my weakness. When Senhor Pascoal had been some 

 time at the village in front, as he had received instructions from 

 his employer, Captain Neves, to aid me as much as possible, and 

 being himself a kindly-disposed person, he sent back two messen- 

 gers to invite me to come on, if practicable. 



It happened that the head man of the village where I had lain 

 twenty-two days, while bargaining and quarreling in my camp for 

 a piece of meat, had been struck on the mouth by one of my men. 

 My principal men paid five pieces of cloth and a gun as an atone- 

 ment ; but the more they yielded, the more exorbitant he became, 

 and he sent word to all the surrounding villages to aid him in 

 avenging the affront of a blow on the beard. As their courage 

 usually rises with success, I resolved to yield no more, and de- 

 parted. In passing through a forest in the country beyond, we 

 were startled by a body of men rushing after us. They began by 

 knocking down the burdens of the hindermost of my men, and sev- 

 eral shots were fired, each party spreading out on both sides of the 

 path. I fortunately had a six-barreled revolver, which my friend 

 Captain Henry Need, of her majesty's brig " Linnet," had consid- 

 erately sent to Golungo Alto after my departure from Loanda. 

 Taking this in my hand, and forgetting fever, I staggered quickly 

 along the path with two or three of my men, and fortunately en- 

 countered the chief. The sight of the six barrels gaping into 

 his stomach, with my own ghastly visage looking daggers at his 

 face, seemed to produce an instant revolution in his martial feel- 

 ings, for he cried out, "Oh! I have only come to speak to you, 

 and wish peace only." Mashauana had hold of him by the hand, 

 and found him shaking. We examined his gun, and found that 

 it had been discharged. Both parties crowded up to their chiefs. 



