THREATENED HOSTILITIES 



325 



seemed to be in a state of nervous dread. They were eager to 

 meet our wishes, and were satisfied with our gifts. As there 

 was plenty of food to be had, the Count decided to rest a day. 

 True, in case of hostihties, we were rather awkwardly situated, 

 but after our recent experiences he did not think we should 

 have any more trouble with the natives. 



On the morning of the second day a lively scene of buying 

 and selling was going on in camp. The numbers of natives 

 assembled near were, however, constantly increasing, and we 

 presently noticed that consultations were being held, and 

 preparations for a fight were being made amongst them. 

 Our guides now told us that some of the people from our last 

 stopping- place had come over to try and persuade the natives 

 here to join with them in a general attack upon us. Part of 

 our neighbours seemed disposed to agree, whilst others held 

 back, evidently fearing what might happen if we got the best 

 of it. We could watch every movement ; we saw the orators 

 going from one party to another urging war, but as long as 

 words only were indulged in we felt pretty easy in our minds. 



At nine o'clock some of the older men came to weed out of 

 our camp all the women and children and loiterers, always a 

 preliminary step to hostilities, so we thought it was time to 

 take up our own weapons, still hoping, however, to escape a 

 conflict. The natives anxious for war were now assembled on 

 the height on the north, whilst those for peace were op|)osite 

 to them on the south. At the head of the former, and some 

 eighty paces from us, stood an old man, whose attitude and 

 every feature expressed the greatest excitement and longing 

 for a fight. In his left hand he held his bow and a bundle of 

 arrows ready for shooting, whilst with the right he kept 

 twanging the string of the bow to see that it was taut, looking 

 over at the peaceably disposed natives as if waiting in the hope 

 that they would come over to his party. After things had 



