640 SEKWEBU BECOMES INSANE. 



and struck the water again with a blow which felt as if 

 she had struck the bottom. Boats must be singularly- 

 well constructed to be able to stand these shocks. Three 

 breakers swept over us. The men lift up their oars, and 

 a wave comes sweeping over all, giving the impression 

 that the boat is going down, but she only goes beneath 

 the top of the wave, comes out on the other side, and 

 swings down the slope, and a man bales out the water 

 with a bucket. Poor Sekwebu looked at me when these 

 terrible seas broke over, and said, " Is this the way you 

 go ? Is this the way you go ? " I smiled, and said, 

 " Yes ; don't you see it is ? " and tried to encourage him. 

 He was well acquainted with canoes, but never had seen 

 aught like this. When we reached the ship — a fine, 

 large brig of sixteen guns and a crew of one hundred and 

 thirty — she was rolling so, that we could see a part of her 

 bottom. It was quite impossible for landsmen to catch 

 the ropes and climb up, so a chair was sent down, and 

 we were hoisted in as ladies usually are, and received 

 so hearty an English welcome from Captain Peyton and 

 all on board, that I felt myself at once at home in every- 

 thing, except my own mother-tongue. I seemed to know 

 the language perfectly, but the words I wanted, would 

 not come at my call. When I left England I had no 

 intention of returning, and directed my attention earnestly 

 to the languages of Africa, paying none to English com- 

 position. With the exception of a short interval in 

 Angola, I had been three and a half years without speaking 

 English, and this, with thirteen years of previous partial 

 disuse of my native tongue, made me feel sadly at a loss 

 on board the " Frolic." 



We left Kilimane on the 12th of July, and reached the 

 Mauritius on the 12th of August, 1856. Sekwebu was 

 picking up English, and becoming a favourite with both 

 men and officers. He seemed a little bewildered, every- 

 thing on board a man-of-war being so new and strange ; 

 but he remarked to me several times, " Your countrymen 

 are very agreeable," and " What a strange country this 

 is — all water together." He also said, that he now under- 

 stood why I used the sextant. When we reached the 

 Mauritius a steamer came out to tow us into the harbour. 

 The constant strain on his untutored mind seemed now 

 to reach a climax, for during the night he became insane. 

 I thought at first that he was intoxicated. He had 



