gi^ TRAVELS IN 
blackbirds, than by the vain terrors of Pit. 
The fyllables it feems to pronounce are three 
Dutch words, which lignify Pit or Peter my 
ivifey and Pit imagined that the bird, calling 
him by his name, requefted him to return 
his mate. I found it almofl: impoffible to 
calm the difturbed imagination of this man, 
who periifted in refufing to fire on thefe 
birds ; and had any unlucky accident hap- 
pened to him during our marches or hunt- 
ing excurfions, w^hatever might have been 
the caufe of it, his companions would not 
have failed to afcribe it to his killing the firfl 
of thefe blackbirds. This belief, founded on 
a fad vv^hich I myfelf had an opportunity of 
being convinced of, might, in the defarts of 
Africa, have eftabli£hed the firft miracle of a 
new religion. 
In every part of this foreft I found a fpe- 
cies of apes with black vifages ; but I could 
never catch any of them. Leaping from one 
tree to another, as if bidding me defiance, 
they in turns appeared and difappeared in an,, 
inftant ; whilft I fatigued myfelf to no pur- 
pofe in purfuing them. One morning, how- 
ever, after ranging for fome time in the 
neighbourhood of my camp, I obferved 
about 
