460 



THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT chap. 



work to arrange the chains, these fooHsh creatures 

 thought their time had come. They must have run 

 Hke stags, for I was never able to catch sight of 

 them. Mahomet el Hussein said that after walking 

 about eight miles his common sense returned, and he 

 decided to come back to me. He told his friends, 

 and they threatened to shoot him. He said, " All 

 right; if I die, it will be in a good cause." He then 



Large Baobab Tree 



placed his back to a tree, and brought his rifle to 

 his shoulder. This determined stand on his part 

 made his companions change their minds ; for after 

 cursing him they went away. 



Just fancy the idiocy ^of these people ; they form 

 the wildest conclusions upon imaginary hypotheses, 

 and then act at once without hesitating long enough 

 to ascertain the facts ! This is one of the greatest 

 difficulties in dealing with negroes. 



