Cpiap. XXIII. 
UNPLEASANT PAKTING. 
469 
command of the Kasai in our front, and would prevent us from 
passing it, unless we paid this tribute, I replied that the goods 
were my property and not his; that I would never have it said 
that a white man had paid tribute to a black; and that I should 
cross the Kasai in spite of him. He ordered his people to arm 
themselves, and when some of my men saw them rushing for 
their bows, arrows, and spears, they became somewhat panic- 
stricken. I ordered them to move away, and not to fire unless 
Kawawa’s people struck the first blow. I took the lead, and 
expected them all to follow, as they usually had done, but many 
of my men remained beliind. Wlien I knew this, I jumped 
off the ox, and made a rush to them with the revolver in my 
hand. Kawawa ran away amongst his people, and they turned 
their backs too. I shouted to my men to take up their luggage 
and march; some did so with alacrity, feeling that they had 
disobeyed orders by remaining, but one of them refused, and was 
preparing to fire at Kawawa, until I gave him a punch on the 
head with the pistol, and made him go too. I felt here, as else¬ 
where, that subordination must be maintained at all risks. We 
all moved into the forest, the people of Kawawa standing about 
a hundred yards off, gazing, but not firing a shot or an arrow. 
It is extremely unpleasant to part with these chieftains thus, 
after spending a day or two in the most amicable intercourse, and 
in a part where the people are generally civil. This Kawawa, 
however, is not a good specimen of the Balonda chiefs, and is 
rather notorious in the neighbourhood for his folly. We were 
told, that he has good reason to believe that Matiamvo will some 
day cut off liis head, for his disregard of the rights of strangers. 
Kawawa was not to be balked of his supposed rights by the 
unceremonious way in which we had left him, for, when we had 
reached the ford of the Kasai, about ten miles distant, we found 
that he had sent four of his men, with orders to the ferrymen to 
refuse us passage. We were here duly informed that we must 
dehver np all the articles mentioned, and one of our men besides. 
This demand for one of our number always nettled every heart. 
The canoes were taken away before our eyes, and we were sup¬ 
posed to be quite helpless without them, at a river a good hundred 
yards broad, and very deep. Pitsane stood on the bank, gazing 
with apparent indifference on the stream, and made an accurate 
