218 
A ROBBER- PARTY. 
peaceably, the guilt would be on their heads This is a 
favorite mode of expression throughout the whole country. 
All are anxious to give explanation of any acts they have 
performed, and conclude the narration with, “I have no 
guilt or blaenc,” (“molatu.”) “They have the guilt.” I 
never could bo positive whether the idea in their minds is 
guilt in the sight of the Deity, or of mankind only. 
Next morning the robber-party came with about thirty 
yards of strong striped English calico, an axe, and two 
hoes for our acceptance, and returned the copper rings, as 
the chief was a great man and did not need the ornaments 
of my men, but we noticed that they were taken back 
again. I divided the cloth among my men, and pleased 
them a little by thus compensating for tho loss of the ox. 
I advised tho chief, whoso name we did not learn, as he 
did not deign to appear except under tho alias Matiamvo, 
to get cattle for his own use, and expressed sorrow that 1 
had none wherewith to enable him to make a commence- 
ment. Eains prevented our proceeding till Thursday 
morning, and then messengers appeared to toll us that 
their chief had learned that all the cloth sent by him had 
not been presented; that the copper rings had been secreted 
by the persons ordered to restore them to us, and that he 
had stripped the thievish emissaries of their property as a 
punishment. Our guides thought those were only spies of 
a larger party concealed in the forest through which ice 
were now about to pass. We prepared for defence by 
marching in a compact body and allowing no one tc 
straggle far behind the others. We marched through 
many miles of gloomy forest in gloomier silenco, but no- 
thing disturbed us. We came to a village, and found all 
the men absent, — tho guides thought, in the forest, with 
their countrymen. I was too ill to care much whether we 
were attacked or not. Though a pouring rain came on, as 
we were all anxious to get away out of a bad neighbor- 
hood, we proceeded. Tho thick atmosphere prevented my 
seeing the creeping plants in time to avoid them; so 
