200 Seven Years in Central Africa. [Feb. 
spoken in Seyek; but I fear my address would be no more 
popular here than at Liwanika's court among the Barotse. 
The sum and substance of their speeches on such an occasion 
is flattery ; past events are rehearsed and discoursed upon, and all 
things greatly exaggerated and contorted to suit the occasion. 
DANGER FROM WILD BEASTS. 
Yesterday morning a woman was caught here by a leopard 
while in her field. She was a "small wife" of the king's, and 
through her cries assistance came, and the leopard was chased 
away, but the woman died shortly after. Msidi at once sent to 
me for some poison to kill the leopard should it return, and I gave 
him some strychnine. Instead, however, of killing a goat or dog 
to be used as bait they preferred the dead woman's body. " She 
is now dead," said the chief. "What can we do? Let her 
redeem her fellows ! " i.e., from the leopard's paw. A great deal 
of man-eating by wild animals goes on. The number of people 
massed together — more given to cultivating than to hunting — and 
the custom of throwing out the bodies of dead slaves has given 
these animals a taste for human flesh. 
In my small compound, yet unfenced, it is not safe for any one 
to be out of doors after dusk. Little Johnny was very nearly 
caught by a hyena one evening. 
A little boy, left here sick by one of my Bihe carriers, was in 
the habit of coming over and eating with my boys of an evening, 
and sometimes sleeping with them. I missed him for a few days, 
and on enquiring, found that he had started for my house one 
evening and had not returned. He doubtless was carried off by 
one of these beasts of prey. 
Old lions, which no longer have teeth strong enough to pull down 
large game, come round and prey upon the people, and they are 
very audacious. A woman close by us left her child sitting in 
front of her hut for a few minutes. On returning she found that 
the child had been carried off by one of these retired monarchs 
— his footprints, of course, told the tale. 
Out in the bush, where game is abundant, it is quite different, 
and people sleep freely out in the open country. There they have 
simple mat doors to their huts ; here they require doors of reed 
strongly barred. 
