436 AX UNPLEASANT PARTING. 



made a rush to them with the revolver in my hand. 

 Kawawa ran away amongst his people, and they turned 

 their backs too. I shouted to my men to take up their 

 luggage and march ; some did so with alacrity, feeling 

 that they had disobeyed orders by remaining, but one 

 of them refused, and was preparing to fire at Kawawa, 

 until I gave him a punch on the head with the pistol, 

 and made him go too. I felt here, as elsewhere, that 

 subordination must be maintained at all risks. We all 

 moved into the forest, the people of Kawawa standing 

 about a hundred yards off, gazmg, 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 neighbourhood 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 

 demand 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 m 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 snup in our bivouac on the southern bank 

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

 meal, which had been presented by the ferrymen ; and, 

 the canoe having been left on their own side of the river, 

 Pitsane and his companions laughed uproariously at the 



