OUT INTO THE ATLANTIC. 
529 
“ There’s rum for him,” he said, irreverently slapping 
his Majesty over the face, who, as the stool was not 
very firm, fell over prostrate. Naturally this was an 
affront, and I reproved Uledi for it. Yet it seemed 
that he had extricated us from a difficult position by his 
audacity, for the old chief and his people hurried off' to 
their village, where there was great excitement and per- 
turbation, but we could not stay to see the end. 
Ever and anon, as we rose above the ridged swells, 
we caught a glimpse of the wild river on whose bosom 
we had so long floated. Still white and foaming, it 
rushed on impetuously seaward through the sombre 
defile. Then we descended into a deep ravine, and 
presently, with uneasy throbbing hearts, we breasted a 
steep slope rough with rock, and from its summit we 
looked abroad over a heaving, desolate, and ungrateful 
land. The grass was tall and ripe, and waved and 
rustled mournfully before the upland breezes. Soon the 
road declined into a valley, and we were hid in a deep 
fold, round which rose the upland, here to the west 
shagged with a thin forest, to the north with ghastly 
sere grass, out of which rose a few rocks, grey and sad. 
On our left was furze, with scrub. At the bottom of 
this, sad and desolate, ran a bright crystal clear brook. 
Up again to the summit we strove to gain the crest of 
a ridge, and then down once more the tedious road 
wound in crooked curves to the depth of another ravine, 
on the opposite side of which rose sharply and steeply, 
to the wearying height of 1200 feet, the range called 
Yangi-Yangi. At 11 a.m. we in the van had gained the 
lofty summit, and fifteen minutes afterwards we descried 
a settlement and its cluster of palms. An hour after- 
wards we were camped on a bit of' level plateau to the 
south of the villages of Ndambi Mbongo. 
The chiefs appeared, dressed in scarlet military coats 
of a past epoch. We asked for food for beads. “ Can- 
not.” “ For wire ? ” “ We don’t want wire ! ” “ For cow- 
ries ? ” “ Are we bushmen ? ” “For cloth ? ” “ You 
must wait three days for a market ! If you have 
got rum you can have plenty ! ” Rum ! Heavens ! 
VOL. II. 2 M 
