VICISSITUDES 
Mi-Mi, six hours’ journey higher up the mountains, 
on the top of a ridge. They came from the chief 
of Baw-boi, a fierce warrior, who kept all the small 
villages round him in abject terror. His emissaries 
conveyed to me a most agreeable message, that if we 
and our followers should honour him with a visit at 
Mi-Mi, he would kill my men, and have the pleasure 
of cooking and eating our heads—a compliment, pre- 
sumably, to the superiority of European brains. I had 
fully intended to visit him, but after this token of 
cordiality I refrained, so that the menu of the chief 
of Baw-boi’s regal banquet has not yet included the 
tempting item, “braised brains of Pratt.” After the 
chief's intimation I kept fires going all night at both 
ends of the camp, but it was not necessary to post a 
stricter watch than usual, for three or four of my men 
always kept awake in their hammocks during the 
dark hours. This precaution is, in fact, so natural to 
savages that they never need to be reminded of its 
necessity. We heard that the chief of Baw-boi had 
placed his village in a complete state of defence, 
had excavated a trench 18 feet wide all round, and 
had erected a stockade. The effect of these hostile 
preparations on the weaker villages round we were to 
learn later from Sam, who was, at this time, a day’s 
journey higher up the river carrying on collecting 
work for me. 
The days seemed very long from lack of occupa- 
tion, and the nights also, for we could not sleep for 
the roar of the St. Joseph River. Occasionally there 
were amusing incidents. One of my men, Gaberio, 
had a brilliant inspiration. He thought he would 
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