324 MUTINY QUEIXED. 



they supposed that I had shown a preference in the dis- 

 tribution of the beads ; but the beads I had given to my 

 principal 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 explained this to them, and thought their grumbling 

 was allayed. 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 requested 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, repeating 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 vigorously upholding authority, I 

 seized a double-barrelled pistol, and darted forth from 

 the domicile, looking, I suppose, 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 remember that I was master, and 

 not they. There being but little room to doubt my 

 determination, they immediately became very obedient, 

 and never afterwards 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 sur- 

 prised 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 Chiboque lay 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 Chiboque wished to be shown where I lay 

 sick, they very properly refused to point me out. In the 

 morning I went out to the Chiboque, and found that they 

 answered me civilly regarding my intentions in opening 

 the country, teaching them, &c. &c. They admitted 



