In Afric’s Forest and Jungle 
services. The Bashorun was really the supreme 
ruler of Abeokuta, and the fact that he was known 
to be my friend saved me from serious oppres¬ 
sion by a powerful and very cunning chief 
named Artumbala, who lived near the mission 
compound and who claimed to be its protector. 
Being greatly impoverished by the war, he sent 
to “borrow” some cowries from me, but I had 
been reduced to the same condition from the 
same cause, and was forced to deny his request. 
Whenever the government at Abeokuta de¬ 
sired to accomplish something that needed much 
diplomacy, they generally employed Artumbala 
to represent them, and he rarely failed to success¬ 
fully execute his mission. As he supposed that 
my refusal was caused by covetousness instead 
of necessity, he at once undertook to get the 
money out of me by a cunning trick. While he 
was returning from a council of chiefs with 
many of his warriors around him, he passed by a 
place where many of the children of the mission 
compound were playing. After the company had 
passed with a great beating of drums and other 
deafening noises, the mother of a three-year-old 
boy fell at my feet with loud lamentations, say¬ 
ing that the Egbars had stolen her child. 1 found 
out that one of Artumbala’s men had taken up 
252 
