IV 
KOM-KOM 
53 
and their joy knew no bounds when their eye¬ 
sight convinced them that Kom-Kom, the source 
of so many of their troubles, was actually dead. 
To celebrate the occasion, they brought my men 
quantities of food, honey, and pombe, or native 
beer, and runners were hastily despatched to 
the surrounding villages bearing the glad tidings : 
‘Kom-Kom is dead! Kom-Kom is dead!’ 
Alas! a most vexatious fly was to get into the 
ointment! This particular insect appeared during 
the morning, in the shape of a sinister-facecl old 
medicine-man, whose superior mind at once dis¬ 
covered that the opinion of the vulgar herd on the 
subject of Kom- Korn’s death had been hopelessly at 
fault. He announced that he was greatly displeased 
that I had killed the Mighty One, and declared 
that, instead of being a matter for rejoicing, it was a 
serious misfortune, for although Kom-Kom had 
killed a few villagers and helped himself to the 
produce of their gardens, this was an insignificant 
matter in comparison with the infinite good luck 
he had showered upon them in the shape of 
food and happy children, and success on their 
journeys into the forest in quest of beeswax, honey, 
and rubber. As for Kom-Kom’s peccadilloes, well, 
a certain amount of moral latitude must always be 
granted to the spirit of a great chieftain ! Finding 
that his audience were not going to allow them- 
