Chai\ XVIII. Dh.viANDS Olf THE CHIBOQUE. 235 



slaughtering. On Sunday the mutineers were making a 

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

 quested them twice 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, repeating it myself, was answered by an impu- 

 dent laugh. Knowing that discipline would be at an end it 

 this mutiny were not quelled, and that our lives depended on 

 vigorously upholding authority, I seized a double-barrelled 

 pistol, and darted forth with such a savage aspect as to put 

 them to a precipitate flight. They immediately became very 

 obedient, and never afterwards gave me any trouble, or 

 imagined that they had any right to my property. 



ISth. — 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 had taken to their weapons. 

 We were surrounded by a party of Chiboque, who lay near 

 the gateway, preferring 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 Chiboque inquired about my 

 position in the camp, they very properly refused to point me 

 out. In the morning I went out to the Chiboque, who 

 answered me civilly regarding my intentions in opening the 

 country, and said that they only wished to exchange tokens of 

 goodwill with me, and had brought three pigs, which they 

 hoped I would accept. I accepted the present in the hope 

 that the blame of unfriendliness might not rest with me, and 

 in return I presented a razor and tw r o bunches of beads, 

 together with twelve copper rings, which my men contributed 

 from their arms. They went off to report to their chief; and 

 as I was quite unable to move from excessive giddiness, we 

 continued in the same spot all Tuesday. On the evening of 

 that day they returned with a message couched in very plain 

 terms, that a man, a tusk, a gun, or even an ox. would be 

 acceptable to the chief, and that whatever I should please to 

 demand from him he would gladly give. As this was all 

 said civilly, and as there was no alternative but bloodshed if 

 we refused, 1 gave a tired riding-ox. My late chief mutineer 



