114 
Seven Years in Central Africa. 
[Oct. 
" I sincerely hope to see the faces of some of you. I shall then 
return to Belmonte for my men and goods left there, and will again 
start for Benguella, meanwhile 'holding the fort' at Bailundu until 
your return. The devil is not to have it all his own way this time. 
" F. S. Arnot." 
Chikulo, after consulting with Ekwikwi's wife, decided that a 
letter I had brought from Senhor Porto should be sent on to 
Ekwikwi, the Bailundu chief. I then returned to Bihe, and on 
the 29th September received a message from the chief asking me 
to come to his camp. I reached Bailundu on the 5th October, 
and next day set out for the war camp. 
October iitk. — Arrived this morning at Ekwikwi's camp, which 
is four days' journey from Bailundu proper. In the afternoon the 
chief and his counsellors had a long discussion, and a letter was 
dictated to Mr. Sanders, of the American Mission, and one to 
Senhor Porto, to which all the company then present consented. 
The letter to Mr. Sanders was an earnest request that he and the 
other missionaries would return ; and to Senhor Porto Ekwikwi 
gave an explanation of his strange conduct towards men who 
had committed no crime, either against him personally, his people, 
or his laws. During this time Mr. and Mrs. Sanders were plan- 
ning to reach their new station in Bihe' by a different route, and 
were very thankful to receive Ekwikwi's request that they would 
return to Bailundu. 
MISSIONARIES AGAIN AT BAILUNDU. 
October 2T^rd. — Met Mr. and Mrs. Sanders to-day at Bailundu, 
and had a happy time with them. Their hearts are indeed in the 
work here, and they mean to go on in the name of the Lord. It 
was soul-stirring to see them and their little caravan wending 
their way across the w^ooded hill to their old home at Bailundu, 
having been robbed, plundered, forced to fly almost for life, but 
coming back again undaunted. 
SUPERSTITIONS OF THE OVIMBUNDU. 
The Ovimbundu race inhabiting Bihe and the country to the 
west are most enterprising as traders and imitators of the 
Portuguese. They seem, however, to retain tenaciously their 
superstitions and fetish worship. 
