A BRAVE GERMAN AMONG THE CANNIBALS 
39 * 
coat and breeches in one. He carried in his hand a sickle-shaped 
scimitar, which served as a sceptre, and by his side were two little 
tables covered with refreshments for his royal use, hidden by napkins 
of fig-bark. He was about forty years of age, slim and erect, with 
regular features, but a hard, cruel look in his eyes and about his mouth. 
The presents, consisting of a telescope, silver platter, porcelain 
vase, a piece of carved ivory to show how the material was worked, a, 
book with gilt edges, a mirror, and a large quantity of magnificent} 
beads, were then exhibited; but the king, though carefully looking at 
them, did not say a word of approval. The next morning Munza sent 
the traveler a house in a rather peculiar way. Twenty natives 
appeared carrying the walls, woven with reeds, and others came behind 
carrying the roof. They then gravely put this together, and there was 
the house deposited close to Schweinfurth’s tent and ready for use! 
After Mohammed had concluded his bartering with the king, he 
wanted to push on farther south to obtain more ivory, and this journey 
was intensely desired by Schweinfurth, who hoped to be able in this 
way to reach the Congo, and at last emerge upon the European colonies 
in the southern latitudes; but Munza would not permit this southward 
march, as he wanted to keep all the traffic to himself, and finally the 
traveler had very reluctantly, in company with Mohammed and his 
party, to turn his face northwards again. It was while at the Mon- 
buttoo court that he first saw an actual specimen of the race of Pygmies 
similar to those seen by Du Chaillu. The king had a regiment of 
several hundred of these little warriors, who belong to the Akka tribe, 
living in a territory toward the south; and one day Mohammed seized 
hold of one of them, and’, despite his energetic resistance, carried him 
to Schweinfurth’s tent for inspection. “I looked,” says the traveler, 
“and there, sure enough, was a strange little creature, perched upon 
Mohammed’s right shoulder, nervously hugging his head, and casting 
glances of alarm in every direction. Thus at last was I able veritably 
to feast my eyes upon a living embodiment of the myths of some thou¬ 
sand years!” He was dressed’ like the Monbuttoo, and had a minia¬ 
ture lance and bow and arrows. His stature was 4 feet 10 inches, 
probably above the average height of his nation. He jumped about 
with extraordinary agility, and the interpreter said that the Akka leap 
