HYMNS IN THE FOREST 
273 
remained behind to ascertain if there were any more white 
people following on our track, or otherwise drifting about in the 
neighbourhood. In return for the kindness of our captors, we 
gave them a few shirts and what other articles we could spare. 
Amongst all our boys there were none who feared in any way 
that the arrest concerned them personally, and a general cheer¬ 
fulness prevailed in our camp. Only the craven Franz, who 
acted as interpreter, showed such evident signs of being ill at 
ease that it gave the natives some reason for being suspicious 
of us. 
We wished to make an early start next day, but the chief, 
firmly but kindly, informed us that he would now regulate the 
journey. Consequently we did not move till nine o’clock a.m., 
when the sun was already getting very warm. Before starting 
the chief called his head men together, and the party sang 
hymns under the forest trees. To us, after the rough treatment 
we had encountered from the natives behind, the voices of these 
worshippers, blended harmoniously in praise of the Almighty, 
though causing us considerable astonishment, sounded like a 
forerunner of peace and content that now should be our lot, 
for, being innocent of any intention of evil, we attached little 
importance to the fact of having been taken prisoners. So 
these natives were Christians here in the wild wastes of the 
middle of Africa! Much impressed, we mutually congratulated 
ourselves on having fallen into such worthy hands. However, 
we could not help but feel that there was a peculiar incongruity 
about the whole position that in a sense caused us to wonder 
why and how these people learned this religion! Were there 
white people at the lake, and how came the leaders of these 
people to be clothed after European fashion ? To all our ques¬ 
tions relative to these points we only received smiles as answers. 
They evidently were instructed to give us no information, or, 
perhaps, guided by native craft, objected to be ‘ pumped.’ 
When the morning’s devotions were completed, the chief, 
mounting his horse, rode off accompanied by eight other horse¬ 
men, whose steeds had been hidden from our Observation. It 
s 
