Chap. XIX. 
HOSTILITY OF THE BASHINJE. 
363 
any kindly feelings he might have found stealing round his heart. 
He asked leave to go, and when his party moved off a little way, 
he sent for my spokesman, and told him that, if we did not add 
a red jacket and a man, to our gift of a few copper rings and a few 
pounds of meat, we must return by the way we had come.” I 
said in reply, ‘‘ that we should certainly go forward next day, and 
if he commenced hostilities, the blame before God would be that 
of Sansawe; ” and my man added of liis own accord, How many 
white men have you killed in tliis path ? ” which might be inter¬ 
preted into, You have never killed any white man, and you will 
find ours more difficult to manage than you imagine.” It ex¬ 
pressed a determination, which we had often repeated to each other, 
to die rather than yield one of our party to be a slave. 
Hunger has a powerful effect on the temper. When we had got 
a good meal of meat, we could all bear the petty annoyances of 
these borderers on the more civilized region in front, with equani¬ 
mity ; but having suffered considerably of late, we were all rather 
soured in our feehngs, and not unffequently I overheard my 
companions remark in their own tongue, in answer to threats 
of attack, ‘‘ That’s what we want—only begin then; ” or with 
clenched teeth they would exclaim to each other, These tilings 
have never travelled, and do not know what men are.” The 
worrying, of which I give only a shght sketch, had considerable 
influence on my own mind, and more especially, as it was im¬ 
possible to make any allowance for the Bashinje, such as I was 
willing to award to the Cliiboque. They saw that we had nothing 
to give, nor would they be benefited in the least, by enforcing 
the impudent order to return whence we had come. They were 
adding insult to injury, and tliis put us aU into a fighting spirit, 
and, as nearly as we could judge, we expected to be obliged to 
cut our way through the Bashinje next morning. 
Zrd April .—As soon as day dawned we were astir, and, set¬ 
ting off in a drizzhng rain, passed close to the village. Tliis 
rain probably damped the ardour of the robbers. We, hoiv- 
ever, expected to be fired upon from every clump of trees, or 
from some of the rocky hillocks among wliich we were passing; 
and it was only after two hours’ march that we began to breathe 
freely, and my men remarked, in thankfulness, “We are children 
of Jesus.” We continued our course, notwithstanding the rain. 
