62 
TRAVELS IN CENTRAL AFRICA. 
a cover of finely-plaited straw stained in many colours^ attraeted 
my attention. The joy in their faces,, the blessings oft repeated^ 
the shaking of hands at every available moment,, the continued 
firing, the blaze of lights, now and again the womnn^s thrilling 
zachareet, the wild beating of the drums, made us all strangely 
excited. Yet somehow the eyes would become blinded as we 
thought of those at home and the Doctor proposed their health, 
and began a speech, but never finished it, — his heart was too full. 
The next morning how sad the ehange ! Letters bearing mourn- 
ful intelligenee were received. Petherick^s father, so loved, so 
honoured, was dead. This was the second blow we had met since 
leaving England. The first was on the death of my husband^s 
brother's eldest son, a boy of some four years, a daring ehild, and 
passionately fond of horses. Playing about one, he received a 
kiek in the ehest, and died in a few hours. How soon these shocks 
were followed by a third in the death of our friend Professor 
Queekett, a man esteemed by all. 
It was quite true that some Neam Neams had accompanied our 
men from their station at the village of Mundo. Abderachman, an 
agent left there by Petheriek in 1858 (not the Abderachman I 
before mentioned as having killed the elephant — he had been with 
the Djour tribe), had married Wangyo, granddaughter of Goria, 
Sheikh of Beringi. Wangyo was the promised bride of Petheriek ; 
but he not having elaimed her, she became the wife of Aberachman. 
I was eharmed with her appearanee. Her figure was slight and 
graeeful, and her eyes the most beautiful I ever beheld — sueh inno- 
cent, eonfiding-looking eyes. She was a mere girl, yet the mother 
of two ehildren, the last one born here, and attended by a cireum- 
stanee so peculiar that I cannot but relate it, as showing the pro- 
pensity to cannibalism. Her labour was diffieult and protraeted. 
