r~~~ J&ii  / Lu&~~~~~~~~~~V4 ~ ~ i
10, ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ /




~~~~e~~ilr P,- /~l~,ra~,P8~;/ 1'~SP~~L~eCn~ls~~oct
AFRICAN  FOREST.~~~~~~~~~~.~




MY APINGI KINGDOM:
WITH LIFE IN THE
GREAT SAHARA,
AND SKETCHES OF
THE CHASE OF THE OSTRICH, HYENA, &c.
BY_ PAUL DU CHAILLU,
AUTHOR OF
"DISCOVERIES IN EQUATORIAL AFRICA," "STORIES OF THE GORILLA COUNTRY,'
"ASHANGO LAND," "WILD LIFE UNDER THE EQUATOR," Ac.
NUMEROUS ENGRA VINGS.
NEW YORK:
HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS,
FRANKLIN SQUARE.
I871.




Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1870, by
HARPER & BROTHERS,
In the Office of the Libraiian of Congress, at Washington.




CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
To my Young Friends....................................Page 11
CHAPTER II.
A Council.-Shall we build a hundred Canoes.-The Great Falls of
Samba-Nagoshi.-Fougamou, the forger of Iron.-People can not
see him  work  Iron; if they do, they  die.................................... 12
CHAPTER III.
Preparations for Hunting.-People ordered to get ready.-The Idol is
put in the Street.-Dance with Torchlights.-The Idol says we will
kill Game.-The People believe it........................................... 19
CHAPTER IV.
Porcupine Hunting.-They come out of their Burrows.-Fierce attack
of the Dogs.-Porcupine Traps.-The Legend of the Porcupine and
of  the  Leopard...................................................................  25
CHAPTER V.
The Spirit, our King.-Great number of Plantain-trees.-Curious
Fence for Game.-We march silently.-We surround ourselves with
Fires.-The strange Legend of Arondo-Ienou......................... 31
CHAPTER VI.
Difficult hunting Path.-The Men scatter.-Remandji and myself remain together.-Fear of Elephants.-Capture of Game.-Snakes
are   killed..........................................................................  36
CHAPTER VII.
Departure to Visit my Dominions.-Preceded by one hundred Hornmen.-Followed by my Housekeeper.-War must not take place.I get in a furious Rage.-Happy Denouement............................ 44




Vi                        CONTENTS.
CHAPTER VIII.
A hunt in Canoes.-An Antelope pursued.-I am nearly capsized.Killing of the Antelope.-Return to the Village................. Page 59
CHAPTER IX.
Beautiful sight of Palm-trees.-How Palm-oil is manufactured.-Its
Value.-India-rubber Vines.-A Leopard.-He is tracked.-Terrible Suspense.-The Leopard is killed.................................. 62
CHAPTER X.
Manufacture of Pottery. -Numerous Cooks.-Plantain Plantations.. 72
CHAPTER XI.
The Kendo.-Its small Size.-I kill one.-Astonishment of the Natives...............................................................................  77
CHAPTER XII.
A herd of Monkeys. -How they travel in the Forest.-White-nosed
Monkeys.-Their great Leaps.-How they keep Food when not
hungry............................................................................  80
CHAPTER XIII.
Elephant Hunting.-Take Refuge on a Tree.-Fire twice at the Elephant.-How he kicked!-An immense Python.-He kills one of
our Dogs.-Okabi kills the Snake..........................................  86
CHAPTER XIV.
Serious Thoughts.-Shall I remain to be their King?-Will the Apingi Fight?-I must raise a Revenue.-Products of the Country..... 92
CHAPTER XV.
I discover a Galago's Lair.-Capture of the Galago.-Two baby
G alagos...........................................................................  97
CHAPTER XVI.
Jack, the Monkey.-Hunting Monkeys with Dogs.-Great Fight between two Dogs and a Nkago.-Capture of a young Nkago.-I
give him   the  name  of Jack.................................................  104
CHAPTER XVII.
The wonderful White Ants.-Their depredations.-Their curious
Buildings.-I destroy them.-The Soldiers and the Workers.Iow they take care of the Wounded and Young...................... 115




CONTENTS.                         vi
CHAPTER XVIII.
More about White Ants.-Two Species.-Terrible Fight between
them.-The Workers and the Soldiers.-The Queen.-She is surrounded by Soldiers.-Other Species of Ants................... Page 128
CHAPTER XIX.
Leave the Apingi Country.-Go into the Interior.-I am Lost.-I
raise the American Flag on a big Tree.-Leave it flying.-Starvation and Suffering.-Return to Remandji................................. 143
CHAPTER XX.
I must leave my Kingdom.-Assembling of the People.-They come
to say Good-by.-I make a Speech.-Remandji's Reply.-A heavy
Present. -Presents to Remandji.-They are sorry I must go away. 150
CHAPTER XXI.
Good-by to Remandji.-I cross the River.-The Ashiras fear the
Bakalais.-A Bakalai Village.-Crossing the Louvendji.-I meet
Quengueza.-Arrival at Washington..................................... 159
CHAPTER XXII.
The Island of Madeira.-Sailing for Senegal.-A huge Shoal of Porpoises.-They Swim so fast.-Harpooning Porpoises.-Rejoicing
on board.-How Porpoise Meat tastes.................................... 169
CHAPTER XXIII.
Approaching the Senegal.-Sailors' Yarns.-Dangerous Navigation.
-Shipwrecks of Vessels.-Terrible Suffering of the Crew of the
Margaret.-Our Fears.-Taking Soundings............................. 17
CHAPTER XXIV.
At the Mouth of the great Senegal River.-Appearance of the Country.-A  Village.-The Houses.-A    sandy Country.-How   the
People  carry  M ilk.............................................................  185
CHAPTER XXV.
The Senegal River.-The Jaloffs.-The Fehlahs.-The Fulahs.The Mandingoes.-Habits of these Tribes.-The Moors.-Desert
Winds.-Receptions in Jars.-' How nice it is!".................... 190
CHAPTER XXVL
Waiting for a Start. -Three young Lions.-I play with them.-How
they were captured.-Terrible Combat with the Lion and the Lioness.- They  are  both  killed...................................................  198




viii                      CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XXVII.
Departure.-A  Caravan.-Appearance of the People.-Riding a
Camel.-I am Camel-sick.-Wells in the Sand.................. Page 202
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Part with the Caravan.-A new Camp.-Discover Ostrich Tracks.An Ostrich's Nest.-An Omelette.-Chasing Ostriches on Horseback.-I am unsuccessful.-Large number of Sea-shells in the
D esert.................................................................  212
CHAPTER XXIX.
A Sand-storm  Predicted.-The Wind from the Northeast.-The
Storm.-After Ostriches.-Two are Killed.-Return to Camp.Roast Ostrich for Supper.-Return to the Settlement................. 218
CHAPTER XXX.
A Pleasant Voyage.-In Sight of the Cameroons.-The Island of
Fernando Po.-Sharks.-The Pilot-fish.-What they do.-Hooking of a Big Shark.-Its Struggles.-Its Death........................ 224
CHAPTER XXXI.
The Boobees.-Camp by the Sea.-We Spy a Canoe.-Fugitives
from Slavery.-The Story of their Captivity.-Their Flight......... 233
CHAPTER XXXII.
Departure from Fernando Po.-The Gull. —Her Crew.-A Tornado.
-Starvation.-Cape of St. John.-Corisco.-Good-by............... 244




ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGB
AFRICAN  FOREST.......................................................Frontispiece.
W E  ARE  IN   COUNCIL...........................................................  13
DANCING  BEFORE  THE  I1OL..................................................  23
PORCUPINE HUNT..............................................................  27
APINGI  GAME  FENCE............................................................  39
THE  BLOWING  OF  KAMBI  HORNS...........................................  45
M AKING  PALM-OIL...............................................................  64
LAIR OF THE LEOPARD..............................................  71
AFRICAN  POTTERY...........................  73
THE SCIURUS MINUTUS, OR KENDO...................................... 78
MONKEYS JOURNEYING IN THE FOREST.................................... 83
THE  GALAGO.....................................................................  102
JACK PLAYING TRICKS..................................................  112
MUSHROOM-HIVED TERMES AND TREE TERMITES...................... 120
IN THE CELLS-QUEEN, SOLDIERS, AND WORKERS.................  123
BATTLE  OF  THE  W HITE  ANTS..............................................  131
BUILDING OF FOREST ANTS................................................ 139
BUILDING OF THE TERMES BELLICOSUS.................................. 142
PAUL  MENDING  SHOES........................................................148
THE SPIRIT TAKING LEAVE................................................... 153
AN  APINGI  VILLAGE............................................................ 157
MY  SETTLEMENT  AT  W ASHINGTON.........................................  165
HARPOONING PORPOISES..............................................   175
HEAVING   THE  LEAD.............................................................  184
VILLAGE ON THE LOWER SENEGAL........................................ 186
STRANGE  RECEPTION.........................................................  196
PLAYING  WITH  YOUNG  LIONS...............................................  200
A  CARAVAN  OF  MOORS......................................................   206
AN OSTRICH HUNT................................ 216
SAND-STORM IN THE DESERT.....................................  219
AFTER  OSTRICHES................................................................222
CAPTURE  OF  A  SHARK......................................................... 230
DEPARTURE FROM FERNANDO PO.......................................... 245
A2








CHAPTER I.
TO MY YOUNG FRIENDS.
DEAR YOUNG FOLKS),-Here I am again with another
book. I like to write for you, because you seem to enjoy my books, and so eagerly read all that I have to say
to you.
In LOST IN THE JUNGLE I left you in Apingi Land, a
country situated near the equator, and south of it. There
the people were strange and superstitious. They were
surrounded by immense forests, high mountains, and a
large river flowed through their country. You will remember that at last they made me their king, and, as
you know, it was in my kingdom that I left you, promising to come back to you in another year.
I keep my promise, and I am now going to tell you
more about that Apingi Land, and what I did there, and
afterwards I will take you to the great Desert, and we
will have a cruise together along the western coast of
Africa.




CHAPTER II.
A COUNCIL.-SHALL WE BUILD A HUNDRED CANOES.-THE
GREAT FALLS OF SAMBA-NAGOSHI.-FOUGAMOU, THE FORGER OF IRON.-PEOPLE CAN NOT SEE HIM WORK IRON; IF
THEY DO, THEY DIE.
AFTER th.' scenes I have described to you in the preceding volumes, and by which you saw with what degree
of superstition the people looked upon me, I need not
tell you that I was the most powerful man in the country. The superstitious natives thought me to be a mighty
spirit. Their king I was, and they respected me, and it
was my aim to deserve their respect and love. I remembered the good precepts my mother had tried to teach
me in my boyhood.
I cultivated with them truthfulness and kindness of
heart. I took care of their sick, I loved their children,
I prevented their women from being beaten; I made
them feel they could rely upon my word, so that when I
promised a thing would be done they knew it would be
done. I was firm at the same time. I had to be politic,
and there were customs and superstitions which I disliked, but which I knew time and education alone could
destroy.
Remandji, his people, and the whole of the Apingi
nation seemed to love me more and more as time passed
on. I had some glorious talks with them, and every day
I learned more of their people, superstitions, and cus



THE LAND OF THE MO G UIZI. 
toms. I loved to talk with those old men, and they
loved to talk with me, and to ask me questions about
the land of the Moguizi. Every day we had a talk together. Their men would bring them their palm wine,
and they would gradually sip it, just as the Germans do
their. beer, and jabber away at the same time.
One sultry afternoon, when the rays of the sun were
pouring down upon the forest, and making the heat intense in the village, Remandji, a few old men, and myself went towards the river, and, after reaching its banks,
we seated ourselves under a very wide-spreading tree,
with the big stream rolling at our feet. The water was
yellow and turbid, for the rains had been heavy for a
few days past.
After we had seated ourselves comfortably on some
WE ABE IN COUNOIL.




14            KIY APINGI KINODOM.
logs of wood that were lying on the ground-although I
did not seat myself before I had examined my log well,
for centipedes and scorpions are often found in the
cracks of these dead pieces of wood-I began to question them.
" Remandji," said I, "suppose you build one hundred
large canoes, while I go to the sea-shore and bring back
to you and the Apingi large quantities of guns and
swords. Then, after my return, suppose we load our
canoes with palm oil, India-rubber, ebony wood, ivory,
gum copal, and then go down the river to the sea and
trade these products, and bring back all kinds of things
that the people like, and would exchange for them.
"What do you think of this?" I said to him, looking him
steadily but gently in the face, for I wanted to know his
own thoughts, not by what he was going to say, but by
the expression he would show.
Remandji and the old men round him began to look
thoughtful, and seemed for a while to be lost in reflection.
Then Remandji said: " Spirit, the question you ask is
a big thing. There are a great many tribes of wild and
fighting men living on the banks of that big river that
flows at our feet, and no one has ever tried to do what
you propose. If you were to fly away, what would become of us? The whole country would be against us;
tribe after tribe would fight us, for they would all say,'How do the Apingi dare to come down the river and
pass us' I will tell you, Spirit, the names of some of
the strange people who live on the banks of the river below us."
I must confess that some of these names were hard to
pronounce, and if I had not written them down in my




TRIBES OF TWO GREAT RIVERS.       15
journal I should certainly have forgotten them. I give
some of them to you, for I want you to know the names
of some of the tribes inhabiting the banks of the big
river by which we stood -the Kambas, Aviia, Osounga, Njavi; our old friends the Bakalai, of whom you
have been made thoroughly well acquainted with in
STORIES OF THE GORILLA COUNTRY, WILD LIFE UNDER
THE EQUATOR, and LOST IN THE JUNGLE; Anenga, Ngaloi, Adjomba, and the Ogobai people. " These Ngalois,
Anenga, Adjomba, and Ogobai people would fight us all
the time," said Remandji, " for they have sworn, before
our fathers were born, that no people from the up river
should pass their tribe to go down; and who knows, perhaps, but that they would call all the people belonging to
another river much bigger than ours, which is called Rembo Okanda, to come and join them and fight against us 
Oh, Spirit, they are mighty fighting men on the Rembo
Okanda River."
Then there was a pause. Remandji looked thoughtfully on the ground, and then, gradually raising his eyes,
looked at me, and said again:
" I know that you want to make the Apingi people a
great people; but what you said can not be done, for there
is, lower down in the river, something more formidable,
more terrible than all the wild people I have spoken of."
He looked at me to see if I knew what it was, when
suddenly I shouted, "Do you mean the Samba-Nagoshi
Falls?" for I had heard of them from the people of the
sea-shore. Their fame was greater even than that of the
Nkoumou-Naboulai Mountains, the summit of which I
had tried to reach, of which enterprise you have had an
account already.




16             M Y APIGI KIVNGD OM.
" Yes," said Remandji; "no man can pass through the
Samba-Nagoshi. No Apingi would dare to come near
it, for there is death there, and mighty spirits reside
there, who guard the river."
"Tell me," said I to Remandji, "tell me about the
Samba-Nagoshi Falls. I want to hear what you have to
say about them."
Remandji then fixed himself comfortably for a long
speech, and began as follows:
"In the days of old, long, long ago, there was a great
spirit living in the forest, whose name was Fougamou.
Fougamou was a great forger of iron, and a mighty spirit. One day, as Fougamou was wandering through the
great forest, he came upon the banks of our river, and
made up his mind to dwell by it. At last the people began to find out that Fougamou would work iron for them.
So, when any one wanted a spear or a hatchet, battleaxe, knife, or any other implement, he would go near the
banks of the river, and cry,' Oh! mighty Fougamou, I
want this iron to be forged;' and then he named the instrument he wanted, as he deposited the rough iron he
had dug up on the ground. Then he departed, for no
one could ever see Fougamou work the iron, for Fougamou had forbidden people ever to look at him, and the
people were afraid to do it, as they believed that if ever
they saw him they would die.
" The following morning, when they went back to tile
place where they had deposited the iron, they would find
the weapon they had asked for finished. So I need not
tell you, Spirit, how much Fougamou was loved by the
people.
"When Fougamou came to live on the banks of the




FOUGAMOU DISCOVERS PEOPLE LOOKING AT HI1. 17
river, he said to himself that no one should ever go down
or up the river in canoes, and he made a mighty barrier
across the river, made of stone; and the water tumbles
down and runs so fast," said Remandji, with a shudder,
"that if a canoe was to be carried over the falls it would
be broken in pieces, and the people killed. I wish you
could hear the roaring water of Fougamou.
"Listen," added Remandji, observing that I was about
to speak; "I have not finished the story of this great
spirit.
"One day, however, a man and his son went in the
forest with their iron and charcoal to ask Fougamou to
work it for them, but they had made up their mind, before starting, that they would see Fougamou work the
iron, and find out-how it was done, and they said,' Surely we shall not die if we see him.'
" So, after going for a long while through the forest,
they came to the spot where the people were in the habit
of depositing the iron. After leaving it and the charcoal on the ground, they hid themselves, the father in
the hollow of a tree, and the son among the boughs of
another tree. Fougamou came with his son, for Fougamou had a child, and began to work, when suddenly the
son said,'Father, I smell the smell of people.' The
father replied,' Of course you smell people; for does not
the iron and charcoal come from the hands of people?'
So they worked on. But the son again interrupted his
father, saying again,'Father, I do smell the smell of
people.' Then Fougamou began to look round, thinking
that what his son told him might be true. Then he saw
the two men. He roared with rage till his roar shook
the whole forest; and then, to punish the father and his




18             MY1 APNIGI KINGDOM.
son, he turned the tree in which the father was hidden
into an ant-hill, and the hiding-place of the son into a
nest of black ants. But," added Remandji, with a great
sigh, "since then Fougamou has never worked iron.
These two people were aniemba ("wizards"), for they
broke the law Fougamou had made, and did not wish
Fougamou to work iron any more for the people. But,
like In the days of old, he still keeps the river.
" But, besides the great Fougamou, there are two other
spirits who live by the river, and they also have made
the river such that no canoe can pass. These two spirits are Samba and Nagoshi. Nagoshi is the wife of
Samba."
After hearing the interesting legend of Samba-Nagoshi, I was surprised that time had gone on so rapidly.
The sun had disappeared behind the trees, and darkness
was soon to succeed daylight. The birds were looking
for the trees they intended to rest upon for the night.
Flocks of parrots were making for different parts of the
forest. The insects were seeking for the leaves where
they were going to take shelter, and the butterflies had
become quiet.
How quickly time had fled! What strange " talks" I
had heard!
So we got up and made for the village. When we
entered it the people seemed glad to see us again, and I
heard them say, " Look how the Spirit seems to love Remandji!"




CHAPTER III.
PREPARATIONS FOR HUNTING. — PEOPLE ORDERED TO GET
READY.-THE IDOL IS PUT IN THE STREET.-DANCE WITH
TORCHLIGHTS.-THE IDOL SAYS WE WILL KILL GAME.THE PEOPLE BELIEVE IT.
IF you had been in the Apingi country on that same
evening of the day when I heard the legend of the Fougamou and Samba-Nagoshi, which I have just related to
you, you would have seen me under the little veranda
of gemandji's hut, seated quietly by his side, and talking to him. Remandji is a great smoker, and did really
enjoy his pipe. It was a splendid pipe, made of clay,
and he smoked through a long reed, the pipe resting on
the ground. It really did me good also to see Remandji
enjoy his pipe. I was almost sorry I could not keep him
company, but I do not use tobacco in any form.
We were talking about a hunt to be made. He said,
"Moguizi, at some distance from our village we have
built a fence in the forest with little sticks about so
high;" then he raised his hand to show me how high it
was, and I judged it was about five or six feet, and he
added that it was of great length, but could not tell how
long. He said it was many and many a time longer
than the village. We built this fence the last rainy season, and from place to place, not far from each other,
there are kind of loop-holes, in which the game we chase
before us goes in, and then can not get out.




20             MIY APINGI KINGOD OM.
" The day after to-morrow," said he, " if you like we
will form a large party to drive the game into there.
To-morrow we will collect food, and start early the next
morning. We will take a hunting path which passes
through the fence, and we will continue to travel to the
other side till we are a good long way from it, then we
will sleep in the woods, and the next morning will separate from each other, but you and I will remain together."
The old men around us agreed to this, and people
were sent to many of the Apingi villages to tell the inhabitants that the second day afterward they must come
to our village, for the Spirit wanted to go and hunt,
and Remandji was going with him.
That same evening I furbished up a double-barreled
smooth-bore gun, which I intended to load with buckshot for gazelles. Then I prepared another gun, which
was to be loaded with bullets for larger game, such as
elephants, gorillas, leopards, etc. In the afternoon hundreds of people came into the village; they were the
men that were to start with Remandji and me for the
hunt.
I remember well that night before our departure,
though several years have passed since then. The night
was clear, the stars were bright, and only a few fleecy
white clouds, which moved overhead slowly, were to
be seen. The huge idol, at eight o'clock by my watch,
was taken from its house and put in front of it. Soon
the moon rose, and its bright light shone upon the street,
and every Apingi hut could be seen distinctly. Back of
the huts the trees cast their huge shadows, and I could
hear the whisper of the wind as it blew through the forest and over the village. The huge bats, commonly call



A HOR.RID-LOOKIAN IDOL.         21
ed vampires, flew above our heads as they passed into
the forest to hang themselves to the branches of the
trees. What a queer cry they had! How strangely
sounded the noise they made! The croaking of frogs in
the neighboring swamps could be distinctly heard. That
part of the village where I stood was almost as quiet as
the night itself, for all the villagers and the strangers
had gone to the other end, and were no doubt talking
over their stories, or discussing the plans of the hunt for
the morrow.
I was facing the idol, and thought what an ugly thing
it was. It was a female, about three feet in height,
carved of wood, having a tremendous chest, which was
full of charmed powder. Its head-dress was made of
the little bristles from the tail of a porcupine. It wore
a necklace made of the teeth of monkeys; the eyes were
made of pieces of polished iron; round its waist it had a
belt of feathers of wild guinea-fowl, while at its feet lay
skulls of monkeys and of other wild animals.
As I was looking at this strange, ugly thing, I wondered how it was that men could believe that such things,
made with their own hands, could talk, walk, eat, and
wink their eyes, and work their vengeance on people;
but then I remembered that there were once nations far
higher in civilization than these poor creatures, people
who have left to us noble and magnificent works of art
and skill, who were equally imbued with the same folly
and superstition. As I stood there thinking of these
strange things, friend Remandji came to me and said
that the crowd were coming to dance round the idol, and
ask it to make us have plenty of game.
After a while great numbers of people came with




22            M1Y APINGI KINGD OM.
drums, and with a great quantity of torches made of the
pitch produced from a certain tree. These were lighted
and stuck in the ground surrounding the idol, excepting
that there was a spot left open in front for the people to
come close, so that they might speak to it. How strange
the lurid glare of these torches made the idol appear!
By the peculiar light the wooden god 16oked ten times as
ugly as it appeared before.
About twenty yards in front of it the drummers put
themselves in a row. There were about fifty of them,
and they began to beat their drums, and the people began to sing to the idol, and promised to bring to it a
great quantity of game, if they were fortunate enough to
kill much.
Towards one o'clock in the morning the number of
drummers and dancers became less and less, till at last
no one was left on the dancing-ground but the idol. The
next morning many of the villagers swore that during
the night the idol walked in the street, and spoke aloud,
and told the people that a large quantity of game was to
be caught in the chase. So every body was joyous, and
soon every thing was ready for our departure.








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CHAPTER IV.
PORCUPINE HUNTING.-THEY COME OUT OF THEIR BURROWS.
-FIERCE ATTACK OF THE DOGS.-PORCUPINE TRAPS.THE LEGEND OF THE PORCUPINE AND OF THE LEOPARD.
EARLY on the morning of the scene just described to
you in the preceding chapter, Okabi and I resolved to
go to a place not far from the village, which he had discovered while rambling in the forest, where porcupines
were abundant. So we left, taking with us four dogs,
and after about an hour's walk we came to a place in
the forest, near the bottom of a hill, where the ground
was very stony. It was not long before I discovered
many burrows where the creatures were hidden. The
dogs at once began to bark furiously at the entrance of
the burrows, and to try to get in by scratching away the
earth. The porcupine being a nocturnal animal, they
had all retired into their holes. But we should have had
to wait long if we had waited for the dogs to dig them
out. We had provided ourselves with an implement for
digging, and went to work in good earnest at one of the
burrows. We soon started one of the animals, and off
he went on a run, with the dogs after him. They speedily overtook him, and barked and jumped briskly round
him, but were afraid to touch the creature. I did not
blame them, for it would have done no good. This
was a big one, and his long, sharp-pointed quills spread
rapidly, and protected the animal as if they were so
B




26            iMY APINGI KINGD O f.
many bayonets. His little tufted tail, which was covered with most extraordinary little balls of quills of a yellowish color, which at first sight look like a horny substance or thick parchment, rattled as the porcupine
moved about; and, if I had been in the land of rattlesnakes, and had not seen the porcupine, I might have
then thought that one was near at hand. Some of the
quills in the middle of the creature's back are five and
six inches long, and sometimes even longer. They are
very sharply pointed. There was no fear of the dogs
getting hold of him. Indeed, no animal would relish
such a mouthful. Neither the leopards nor hyenas
would venture upon it. The dogs knew that it was of
no use for them to try, and hence they were mad. We
could not help laughing to see them. Their hair stood
right up, so furious were they, so that their backs almost appeared like that of the porcupine, only with short
quills. They would come near and bark furiously, show
their teeth, and then back out. Finally the porcupine
turned round, and, having a stone to protect him, showed
fight; this made the dogs bark more furiously than ever.
Nothing but a smart blow on the head of the porcupine
would kill him, for we could not take hold of the animal
with our hands. His quills would have gone through
them. Seizing a piece of wood, I just gave the fellow a
stunning blow on his head, which laid him out on the
ground, and another blow on the head again finished
him.
I saw that the longest quills were flexible, and could
not do much harm to an enemy, the shorter ones being
stiff. The porcupine feeds on roots, leaves, nuts, and
different vegetable productions. The quills of the por



How PORCUPINES ARE TRAPPED.        27
i... 
PORCUPINE HUNT.
cupine are often used as pen-holders, and very pretty
ones they make.
They come out of their burrows about sunset, and
wander during the night. When the natives have discovered a porcupine burrow, which is sometimes very
deep, they set a trap that is so constructed that it catches
the animal when it comes out. This trap is made of the
bough of a tree, one end of which is firmly fixed on the
ground; the other extremity is bent forward, and to it is
attached a noose with a slip-knot just over the opening of
the burrow. The porcupine, in coming out, puts his head
into this noose, and at the same time loosens a peg that
holds the spring lightly by pushing forward, and up he
goes into the air, hung by the neck. The noose grows
tighter and tighter the more he moves and shakesi and




28            AMY APINGI KINGDOM.
soon strangles him to death. I have often seen porcupines trapped in this way.
Immediately after the first blow the quills began to
drop down flat on its back; at the second blow the animal was killed.
After killing two more porcupines we returned to the
village. A little after my arrival I found that there was
to be a fight among the villagers. They all wanted the
tails of the porcupines, and every body thought he had a
right to them. Every body was shouting at the top of
his voice, as if they thought the one who could make the
most noise had the best right to the spoils. This great
fuss was made on account of the porcupines' tails being
used for fetiches or charms. I stopped the noise by saying that if there were a fight for these tails, I should join
in it, and knock down right and left. This talk of mine
put a stop to their quarrel; and, in order to satisfy them
and make them good-natured, I appropriated the three
tails myself, so there might be no jealousy.
The porcupine is really good to eat. Having some
nice, fresh palm oil, made the day before from nuts we
had collected, I cooked my share in the oil, and, having
seasoned it with salt and plenty of Cayenne pepper, I
had a splendid dinner.
As we had been hunting porcupines all the morning,
we were bound to have a porcupine story on my return.
Okabi was a real good story-teller, and so he began:
"A long time ago, when my father was a boy, one day
he got very greatly scared. He was coming back to the
village from the forest, where he had gone in search of
wild honey, when he suddenly saw, near the hunting
path, an immense leopard lying flat on the ground. The




LEOPARD WATCHING A PORCUPr.L. 29
leopard's back was turned towards him, and so the creature did not see him. His long tail wagged to and fro,
and he lay very quiet. Father, seeing a big hollow tree
close to him, hid himself in it. But he did not feel safe.
IIe was afraid to stir or make any sound, for fear of
alarming the leopard and betraying himself. Looking
closely, he saw that the leopard was watching a porcupine about a yard in front of his nose. The poor porcupine was all drawn up in a bunch. His quills were all
standing out like so many sharp-pointed spears, and it
was evident that both were at a stand-still. The leopard, not a bit frightened, seemed to be lying in wait for
the proper time to kill his prey, while the porcupine,
knowing full well that, if it did not keep on the defensive, or tried to escape, the leopard would turn him over
with one stroke of his huge paw, and expose the under
part of his body, which is soft and undefended with quills.
He would then fall an easy prey to the leopard's sharp
claws. So the porcupine stood still, rolled up so tight
that he could hardly turn his head, and thoroughly protected by his bristling quills.
"My father saw the leopard now and then try, with its
big long paw, to draw the porcupine towards him, but he
would instantly take it off, the quills pricking him in a
way he did not like at all. There the leopard lay and
lay, till at last he got up, and father became very much
afraid, for he knew not if the leopard had smelt him.
Nothing," said Okabi, "saved him but the monda (fetich)
which he wore, and which came from my grandfather,
for grandfather was a great hunter and a daring warrior."
The people shouted with one voice, " So he was."
"The leopard, after a great while, went away, but not




30             MY APINGI KINGDOf.
without giving a fearful growl of disappointment, but it
was long before father left his hiding-place, being afraid
of the treachery of the leopard, for they are not to be
trusted. It was a long time before the porcupine moved
away, and my father did not want to kill him,'for,'
said he,'the porcupine has escaped from such a dangerous enemy, why should I kill him?"'
I was quite ready for the great hunt to come off in
the morning, and went to sleep, having before my eyes
visions of great quantities of game.




CHAPTER V.
THE SPIRIT, OUR KING. —GREAT NUMBER OF PLAINTAINTREES.-CURIOUS FENCE FOR GAME, —WE MARCH SILENTLY. - WE SURROUND OURSELVES WITH FIRES. - THE
STRANGE LEGEND OF ARONDO-IENOU.
THE next morning the cries of the wild guinea-fowls
which had come near the village awoke me. It was
just daylight. The birds had come down from the trees
where they had perched for the night, and were wandering in the neighboring jungle. I immediately jumped
from my bed. It took but little time to dress, for my
coat and my shoes were the only part of my clothing
I had removed on lying down. By my side lay two of
my guns. Taking a gun with me, I went to a little
stream meandering not far from the village, and washed my face in its cool and clear water.
On my return I found that all the villagers were
awake, and busy getting ready for our hunting trip.
Remandji was standing before my hut, and, as soon as I
made my appearance, they all shouted," The Spirit, our
king, is coming."
Every one loaded himself with his own provisions
with the exception of Remandji and myself, and some
of the beys carried the provisions of their fathers or
uncles in queer-looking bags. So we started. Several
wives of the king accompanied us. Our way was along




32             MY APINGI KINGDOM.
a narrow hunting path which led us through some
splendid plantations of plantain-trees and of cassada,
which were worked by Remandji's wives and slaves.
Now and then we crossed through large patches of sugar - cane, planted also by Remandji's wives. Two or
three days before, the chimpanzees had come in large
numbers and eaten a great quantity of it. Many patches of canes had been torn up and partly destroyed on
the spot. The Apingi and Remandji cursed the chimpanzees as we passed by the half-destroyed patches of
the cane.
After going through thousands and thousands of plantain-trees, we took a hunting path, and, after a walk of
about three hours, we came to the " fence," which I examined carefully. The fence appeared to me like a
miniature wall surrounding a fortified town; it was
about six feet in height, and every twenty or thirty yards
there was a cul de sac. Each of these was about ten or
twelve feet in length, about eighteen inches or two feet
broad at the opening, and gradually narrowed toward the
end, so that the game, once in, could not turn round to
get out. The sticks were small, about six feet in height,
stuck in the ground, and closely tied together by the help
of creepers and lianes. This game fence was said to be
of very great length.
We continued our march for at least three hours after we had passed the fence, keeping perfectly silent in
the mean time, not a single man uttering a word, as we
did not want to frighten the game away. At length we
came to a spot where there was a large clearing, which
had been made by the natives. I could see at once that
the spot was a rendezvous for hunting parties, as there




CAMPING FOR THE NIGHT.          33
were remains of old fires all about, and I saw the bones
of wild animals which had been eaten before scattered
on the ground. Sheds had also been constructed of
large boughs, thatched with leaves, to protect the people
from the heavy rains.
On each side of the camp ran a hunting path, which
diverged from the one we had come by. One of these
hunting paths ran straightly to the left, and the other to
the right-that is, one went directly north, while the
other went directly south. The path we had taken from
Remandji ran almost eastward. The game fence we
had passed ran, as I had been given to understand, south
and north, so I came to the conclusion that these two
paths were running parallel with the fence. When I asked Remandji, I saw that I was not mistaken.
This encampment which we had just reached was the
spot where we were to spend the night; so some of the
men went immediately to work and collected a large
quantity of firewood, while others went after large leaves
to repair the sheds, which were somewhat dilapidated, as
it had been a long time since the Apingi had come here.
Remandji and I had our sheds close to each other. I
lighted four fires, one at my head, one on my left, another on my right, and another at my feet. I always liked
to surround myself with fire, for I did not fancy the
snakes which often crawl about at night, and, above all,
I did not fancy to be carried away in the jaws of a leopard, for there is no way to get out of a leopard's jaw after you are there, and I did not care in the least to be
carried off in that manner, and be devoured by such a
monster. I thought this would be no joke, and I am
sure, my dear young folks, you think just as I do. LeopB2




34             MY APINGTI KINGDOM.
ards were plentiful, and the Apingi took great care to
light a great many fires, for all wild beasts are afraid of
fire.
Each man cooked his own meal —that is to say, every
one roasted his plantain and his meat, which was either
a dry piece of elephant, some smoked monkey, snake, or
fish-about bright charcoal fires. So the fragrance of
our cooking spread from one end of the camp to the
other.
After our meal the time to tell stories came, and I am
going to tell you one or two which were interesting to
me, and may prove so to you. Okabi was to be the
spokesman.
"Atoongouloo-Shimba was a king, having come to his
kingdom by law of inheritance. Atoongouloo had made
up his mind that whoever should quarrel in his dominions he would eat. After eating people after people, he
was left all alone. A neighboring king, called Koniambie, had a beautiful child, named Arondo-Ienou. Atoongouloo-Shimba married this daughter of Koniambie, and,
after he had put the rings on her legs,* he started for the
forest, to catch wild beasts with the Ashinga net, leaving
his wife alone in the village.
"Koniambi6, besides Arondo-I6nou, had three children
-three boys. The eldest was called Ndjali (gun or thunder). Ndjali said he was going to take back from Atoongouloo-Shimba his sister, and Atoongouloo-Shimba ate
Ndjali, who had come to take away his wife from him.
He ate also the second brother. When a woman has
several children, the last one is called Reninga. So Re* The putting of rings on the legs is like the giving of the wedding ring
among us.




FIGHT BETWEEN ATO O1A o ULOO-SHIMBA AND REVNINVGA. 35
ninga came to take away his sister, and he and Atoongouloo-Shimba fought and fought from morning till the
sun reached the meridian, but finally Atoongouloo succeeded in eating Reninga; but Reninga had a fetich,
and came out of Atoongouloo-Shimba alive.*
" When the latter saw this, he said,'What are you coming back for'  Then he put the chalk of the Alumbi
on Reninga and Arondo-IMnou; then, joining their hands
together, he blew a breath upon them, and said to Reninga,' Take your sister away.' Then Reninga took his
sister away. After that, Atoongouloo-Shimba drowned
himself, because his wife had been taken away from
him. But, before dying, he said to Reninga,' If ArondoIenou ever marries another man, she will die.' ArondoIenou did not believe the saying of Reninga, and married another man, and she at once died.
"At the place where Atoongouloo drowned himself,
when a stranger looks in the water he sees in the deep
the body of Arondo-Ienou, and her nails appear like
looking-glass.
" Since that time water is often called Arondo-IJnou,
because people can see their own likeness in it on account of the nails of Arondo-Ienou. Before the death
of Arondo-Ienou, the water could not reflect the image
of people."
* They have all sorts of monda, " fetiches, gree-grees," many of which
are supposed to work miracles.




CHAPTER VI.
DIiFICULT HUNTING PATH.-THE MEN SCATTER.-REMANDJI
AND MYSELF REMAIN TOGETHER. —FEAR OF ELEPHANTS.
-CAPTURE OF GAME.-SNAKES ARE KILLED.
AT daylight we were all up and ready. We divided
ourselves into two parties; one took the path which led
northward, and the other the path which led southward.
Remandji and I belonged to the southern party. We
were equally divided in number, each side having about
three hundred people.
I saw by my compass that we were going directly
south. Remandji and I, with a few other men, who were
his nephews, kept in the rear of our line. This hunting
path was an awful one. It had not been used for a long
time, and the jungle had overgrown and covered it, and
there were great numbers of fallen trees in our way, and
some of these were so very big that I can assure you it
was no joke to climb over them or go under them.
It became very wearisome. After a while, every twenty
or thirty yards more or less, we would station a man in
the path, to remain there till he heard the horn sound,
which was the signal to advance forward toward the
west, that is to say, toward the fence. At length half of
the men of our party had been left at different points
along the road. Remandji and I and two of his nephews




ADVANCIVNG TOWARD THE GAME.         37
halted, and let the remainder pass us and go ahead, as
we wished to remain about in the centre. Those who
passed us were to leave men, as had been done before,
till none were left. Okabi was their leader. We were
to keep perfectly still; not a man was to utter a word.
Then, when the last man was posted, Okabi was to sound
the horn, and those who had horns along the line were to
answer the signal.
The other half of our party, which had taken the northern path, had been doing exactly what we had done. At
certain distances apart they had stationed their hornmen, who were to answer as soon as they heard the
horns from our side, as that would be the signal that
there were no more men to station, and that every one
was ready to advance toward the fence. Remandji and
I, who were at the centre of the line, waited at least one
hour before the horn sounded; of course we did not
hear the most distant horns, but, as soon as the farther
one was blown, the one nearest to it answered, and so on,
till at last the signal was sounded all along the line, from
the last man south to the last man north. This was the
signal that every thing was ready. Then we advanced,
each man straight before him westward, that is to say,
right toward the fence. We shouted, we hallooed, each
man trying to shout louder than the rest. Our only fear
was that elephants might lie between us and the fence,
and that in running away they would break through the
obstructions, and that the smaller game would go through
the gaps the elephants would make, and then escape
from us.
We were, I thought, about six or seven miles from the
fence. Steadily we advanced through the thick jungle,




38             MY APINGI KINGD OMl.
which at times was terribly close; and the only way we
knew that we were going straight was by the many small
branches of young trees which had been broken by parties who had been hunting here before us.
Of course the game fled before us, for the great noise
we made frightened them very much; but, as they could
run faster through the forest than we could, we did not
expect to come to a fight or a slaughter before we reached the fence. Our only fear, as I said, was that elephants were between us and the fence. If it was so, we
should not get much game, and perhaps might lose it all.
Steadily, slowly, but surely we came nearer and nearer the fence. At last a wild shout ran along the line.
The fence came in sight, and what a sight it was! Wild
beasts of all kinds were running to and fro, mad with terror. Hyenas, porcupines, black wild boars, gazelles, antelopes, wild cats, and even snakes were driven helter-skelter within the inclosure. They would run along the
fence till they came to the long pouches, or cul de sac,
and, thinking these were ways of escape, into them they
would-go, and find they were snared.
The spears of the Apingi went through the animals
along the whole line. The slaughter was terrific. My first
shot was for a very large snake, some nineteen feet long,
a python, which, seeing that he could not get through
the fence, made in my direction, and was spreading terror and dismay among the Apingi, for it had its mouth
wide open, its sharp-pointed tongue was thrust a long
way out, and its hissing could even be heard in the midst
of the uproar that raged around us.
I was glad that we had not been troubled by elephants.




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GREAT SLA UGHTER OF BEASTS.        41
I immediately advanced, after reloading the barrel I
had fired. There was a savage black boar, whose sharp
muzzle had been thrust between the sticks of the fence,
so that he was in a fair way to get through, but a shot
of mine put an end to its life. A fine fat creature it
was. I suddenly saw an ugly big wild cat, at which an
Apingi had hurled a spear, but had missed him. The
creature, being brought to bay, was about to spring upon
his assailant, when, in a jiffy, I brought him down, in the
midst of the great cheers of those around us.
The cul de sac, which, according to the hunting laws,
belonged to me, was filled with gazelles, which were immediately speared by the Apingi. There was a porcupine among them, which could not have been at all a
pleasant companion to the gazelles. It would be hard to
say which of the creatures was the most frightened.
The excitement all along the line was intense, and the
lord shoutq of the Apingi sounded strangely in the woods.
But at last all quieted down again. All the game worth
killing had been killed, and whatever was too large for
a single man to carry was cut up in small pieces. Then,
taking up our line of march, we followed the fence, and
advanced toward the same main path from which we had
separated, and before evening we were in our campingground of the day before. There we all met and counted the spoils. The slaughter of wild beasts had been
very great. There were six wild black boars, twentythree gazelles, seven porcupines, five wild cats, three hyenas, seven red antelopes, and three huge snakes. These
last were to be cooked in plantain leaves, with lemonjuice and plenty of Cayenne pepper, of which there is a
great abundance in the country.




42             MY APINGI KI.GD OM.
After every body had arrived a tremendous wild shout
of joy rang through the woods. What a pile of game
there was! The niouths of the Apingi extended from
ear to ear, and showed their sharp-pointed, filed teeth.
They were right glad of the prospect of a good supper.
It was agreed that the game should be divided that
evening among us. Remandji and I were to superintend the distribution. Of course, in that part of the
world, it would not have done to give to each an equal
share, for it would have been against the customs of the
people. So we gave only to the heads of the families,
and these were to divide the meat, according to their
own will and pleasure, among the younger retainers,
nephews, sons, and cousins, as they should think best.
The head of a family is thought a great deal of in that
wild part of the world.
With Remandji's people and mine there was no quarreling; but, my goodness! I wish you could have heard
the Apingi quarreling among themselves. Not one of
them was satisfied with his share. Every one thought
that his neighbor had a better share than himself. Of
course the heads of families took the lion's share. Remandji and myself each took a whole boar. These black
boars are not so large as the yellow ones I have described
to you in former volumes, and are far from being so
nice-looking.
We slept that night where we had divided the game.
The forest was full of the smell of roasted meat, for
there was not a man there who thought that his wife
would be glad to have a piece of his meat. Women,
they think, must eat when their husbands are not hungry, and the children when the mothers are satisfied.




THE MEN MUST EAT FIRST.           43
The wives never eat with their husbands, and it is but
seldom, if ever, that grown-up sons and nephews eat with
their fathers and uncles. They are supposed to be too
young, and it would not be considered respectful for
them to eat with their elders. So that what is left of a
meal the wives eat, and what the wives leave the children
eat; if there is nothing for them, they must do the best
they can to find food, or go hungry, as they like best.




CHAPTER VII.
DEPARTURE TO VISIT MY DOMINIONS. -PRECEDED BY ONE
HUNDRED HORN-MEN.-FOLLOWED BY MY HOUSEKEEPER.
-WAR MUST NOT TAKE PLACE.-I GET IN A FURIOUS
RAGE.-HAPPY DENOUEMENT.
THE day after my return from our hunting expedition,
I thought it was time for me to visit the villages belonging to the country over which I had been made king; so
I spoke to Remandji, who was, if I may use the expression, my minister, or major general, and the people were
ordered to get ready to start the next day.
I wanted to learn the resources of the country; see
what the people could do, what they manufactured, and
what the agricultural productions were, and thus become acquainted with.the sort of commerce to which the
country was best adapted. I must explore the forests to
find out what precious woods they contained, and if we
could obtain valuable gums and minerals for our market.
It was arranged that I should leave with a large retinue
of followers. My procession was to be headed by a band
of more than one hundred horn-men. The natives are
very fond of blowing these horns, and many of them
have been handed down from father to son for several
generations. They are from one to two feet in length,
and are made of the horns of an antelope called the kambi. The kambi is a species of antelope, of a gray color,




APPEARANCE OF THE HORN-MEN.           45,NN              __,, -   with whitish stripes on the
x?::sides. Thefull-grown speclimens are almost as large
as a cow. The business of
I/""'~-i~:the horn-men was to sound
the horn whenever we approached a village, in order to let the people know I was
coming. All the horn-men were painted with yellow,
red, and white ochre, and covered with their fetiches.
Remandji himself was to be followed by almost all his
sons and many of his wives. They also were all covered
with fetiches, and all invoked the Spirit of the Alumbi
to be with them.
Remandji insisted that I should take my. splendid




46             MY APINGI KINGaD OM.
housekeeper with me, whose likeness you saw in my last
volume. "For," said he," she must take care of you;
she has nothing else to do but to get your food ready, to
watch over you, to drive the flies away during your sleep,
to fetch water for you, and to scratch your head when
you want it done." I did not like the insinuation ini the
last part of Remandji's speech, and I said to him, "You
know very well that I have nothing on my head."
"But you know," replied Remandji, " that it would be
a disgrace to me if she did not follow you." So I gave
way at last to the earnest entreaties of Remandji, and it
was agreed that my housekeeper should follow me. It
was of no use for me to fight against it. I could not get
rid of her.
The following morning there was a great stir in the
village, for we were all prepared to start. As I was getting ready, what should I see but my beautiful housekeeper. She, too, was ready, and was bound not to let us
go without her. The order for departure at length arrived. I wore on my shoulder my emblem of royalty
(the "kendo"), of which I gave you a description and picture in my last volume. I was followed by Remandji.
I took the kendo from my shoulder, and rang it. There
was a dead silence at once, and then a wild shout, " The
Spirit, our king, is going to speak!" rung through the village. In order to impress them with awe, I fired two
guns, loaded with tremendous charges of powder, which
made a very loud report. Then, taking hold of my revolvers, I fired and fired in the air. The Apingi fell
upon the ground, filled with fear. Remandji bowed
down in front of me, and looked me steadily in the face.
The people all at once began to sing,"Oh Spirit, oh




THE WARRIORS AND HORN-3IEN.        47
Spirit, thou art our king. Oh Spirit, oh Spirit, we never
saw thee before. Oh Spirit, oh Spirit, do not send disease and death among us. Oh Spirit, all the beasts of
the forest will come to thee! Oh Spirit, now thou art
going to visit all the Apingi land. Oh Spirit, we say
good-by to thee! Oh Spirit, oh Spirit, we will wait for
thee. Remandji goes with thee-take care of him. Many
of our people go with thee-oh take care of them all."
Then the horns blew again, and what a noise they made 
And with the drums beating in the village, we soon disappeared in the forest, amid the wild shouts of the people that had remained behind. Forty Apingi warriors,
armed with spears, took the lead, then the horn-men, and
immediately after came Remandji and myself, followed
by the women, and also some warriors as a rear-guard.
It was easy to see that we were not going on a hunting expedition.
After walking about an hour and a half, the horn-men
again began to blow their horns, and a wild Apingi shout
followed up. We were approaching a village. Soon we
came in sight of it, and then all the horn-men sounded
the horns, and all the party shouted, " The great Spirit is
coming to you. Remandji is with him. Be not afraid."
When we came to the village there was not a soul in sight.
The people had all gone inside of their houses. They
were afraid till the voice of Remandji bade them take
courage, and then, one by one, they came out. In the
mean time I went to the ouandja, and there waited. I
fired two guns to announce my arrival. In the mean time
the people had all assembled at the extreme end of the
village, but as soon as they heard the guns they bent themselves low, and, in a hopping sort of a way, they advanced




48             MY APINGI KINGDOM.
toward me, singing songs of praise. They carried their
huge idol with them; and finally, when they came quite
close, they put the Mbuiti (" idol") before me, and said to it,
"Look at the Spirit! Behold, look at the Spirit! Look,
look at our king!" This idol was the imitation of a man,
and had been carved from a very large piece of wood.
My goodness gracious! it did look ugly enough.
Then presents of food were brought before me, plantains, bananas, pine-apples, pea-nuts, fowls, dried fish, and
a goat.
Remandji seemed to be in his glory. At night a grand
ball was given in my honor, but, being somewhat weary,
I retired early, for in the morning a great palaver was
to take place, and I was to settle it.
Early the next morning I seated myself under a very
large tree to receive the people of the village and hear
the palaver. After a while the village drums began to
beat. The drummers were at the other end of the village. Afterward the people began to sing, and at last I
saw a crowd coming toward me. In the mean time Remandji had made his appearance, accompanied by the
hundred horn-men, who began to blow their horns, so
that, between the noise of the tam-tam and the music of
the horns, I found myself in not a very quiet place. The
chief of the village then came before me, followed by forty-three girls. He talked to Remandji, and said that he
was so glad the Spirit had come to see him. Like the
other chiefs with Remandji, he had made him their king.
He himself was poor. He had not many things to give
away, as the Spirit had, like the sand. The black man is
poor. He has only plenty to eat, and his coat-pointing
to mine-is his own skin. Then, turning himself to



I FIRE A GUN IN THE AIR.        49
ward me, he said, "Here are forty-three nice girls. Some
of them are my daughters, others are nieces, others are
my childrens' children, and some are the children of the
big men of my village. Take them, Spirit; we give them
all to thee to be thy wives." There was a tremendous
shout of approbation. Immediately the drums began to
beat, the men began to blow their horns, and the people
began to dance round me, and they danced and danced
till I thought they must be crazy. Old Remandji himself got so excited that he could not withstand the temptation, and, getting on his feet, he cut up any amount of
capers. The whole village was wild with excitement.
Single persons would come and speak to me before the
people with a sonorous voice, but I could not understand
what they said. At last I fired a gun into the air. In
an instant all became quiet, and I said," Apingi, I will
sleep in many of your villages; I will eat plantains
with you, for I want you to remember me, for you made
me your king. Now go away to your houses. When the
sun will go down, when the heat of the day will have
passed away, you will come back under this big tree, and
if you have any palaver, Remandji and I will talk about
it." The people at once scattered. I wondered what there
was in me to fill these poor people with so much wonder
and astonishment, and I thanked a kind Providence that
took such great care of me, and that had directed my
steps in such a manner that I could safely visit countries
that had never been seen before by civilized man.
To my utter astonishment, when the people went away,
the forty-three girls did not move. I remembered that I
had not said a word about them. It was evident they
considered themselves my wives, as they had been given
C




50             MY APINGI KINGDOM.
away to me. Woman in that country has no will of her
own; her father, uncles, and other male members of her
family have to guide her and tell her what to do; so, if I
was willing, they were to belong to me. While I was
thinking it over they all got into a quarrel, as the old
housekeeper insisted on being the head of them all, and
I wandered away, leaving them to settle the dispute
among themselves.
When I returned to my seat under the big tree in the
afternoon, the women were still there waiting for me,
just as I had left them in the morning. The quarrel was
not settled, and the old housekeeper was still cross and
ugly. Then the villagers came about me again. I said
to them, " I must go. I have slept in your village one
night, and now I must go to see other villages." But
the people, as soon as they heard me, shouted, "Spirit,
do not go away! Spirit, do not go away!" I rang my
kendo as loud as I could to make them quiet, and, when
silence was restored, told them that if there was trouble
among them, if there was quarreling and palavers to settle, they must come to me and to Remandji, with the old
men of villages, and we would settle them. They answered," Good Spirit, we have no quarrel just now."
Then I got up, and, turning to the horn-blowers, I ordered them to blow the signal for our departure. The
horns sounded, and I was ready to start for a village not
far away. A short walk would take us there. But here
a sad dilemma arose. " Oh Spirit," said the chief to
me, " take all of thy wives with thee; they will follow
thee through the Apingi country." And all the women
began to sing, "We will follow the good Spirit through
the Apingi country; we will prepare food for him; we




MY FORTY-THREE COOKS.           51
will catch fish for him; we will fetch water for him; we
will get wild berries for him!," And so they went on
singing, and I thought I was merely going to have fortythree cooks to accompany me, for it seemed as if I could
never get rid of them. But at last I pacified them by
distributing a great number of trifling presents among
them, and then took my departure amidst great cheering. I had not proceeded far on my route to the next
village, however, when, turning round, I saw, to my great
consternation, that we were followed by the forty-three
women, and many warriors besides!
After walking about an hour I came to a queer village. There were very many huts, and the walls of these
were built of the bark of trees, and the roofs were thatched with palm leaves. There were no windows, and only
one door to each hut; they were all built alike, about ten
feet long, and only seven or eight feet broad. The natives had been expecting us, and welcomed me with the
sounds of drums, and with wild Apingi shouts. It was
a big village, built in a single street. The name of the
old man who was chief over the village was Andeko. I
went to bed very early, for I was tired, and the noise
they had made was so great. There was a dead silence
during the night, for it was announced that the Spirit
was tired, and wanted to rest.
Early the next morning I was awakened by wild shouts
of war. I jumped from my couch, and, with my gun in
hand, came out, looking as fierce as I could. I exclaimed, "Apingi, what do you mean? There must be no war
among yourselves. Woe to the man who brings on war
in the Apingi country, for I will slay him. I will kill
him as sure as I kill that bird." For, luckily, just as I




52             MY APINGI KINGDOfM.
was speaking, a bird flew near the hut where I stood, and
gave me the chance to impress the natives with a sense
of my skill and power. I shot it flying, and it fell stonedead just at the feet of the chief Andeko. A wild shout
of fear was heard through the crowd, and many fled from
me. "How can it be," they said, " that birds flying high
in the sky should fall dead at our chief's feet when the
great Spirit lets the thunder that he holds in his hands
(meaning my gun) make a noise 2" And then they sung,
" Big Spirit, do not be angry. We do not want to make
war. Some people want to make war upon us." I looked fierce, and, taking one of my revolvers in one hand, I
fired and fired until the crowd shouted," Spirit, our king,
be not angry; Spirit, our king, do not kill the Apingi
people."
Turning to Remandji, I said," There must be no war.
I must know the cause of this trouble." Then I rang
my kendo, and ordered the people to come before me
and I would hear the palaver.
They came, and brought before me a beautiful black
girl; that is, she was beautiful for that country. I do
not think you would say she was very handsome, for her
teeth were filed into sharp points, and she was tattooed
all over, Apingi fashion. She was young, only about
fourteen years of age. Then they brought to her side a
young man about twenty-four years of age. He was a
nephew of the king. The young girl had fled from her
own village one dark evening, in the midst of a tremendous rain-storm, and had come to this village. The name
of the girl was Mishono, and the nephew of the king
was called Ngooloo-Gani.
I eyed Mishono and Ngooloo-Gani with a look which




A Q UEER CEREXONY.             53
told them plainly that there could be no war on this occasion. While they stood before me they trembled all
over.
Then the king said, "Oh Spirit, in our land, when a
girl runs away from a village and comes to another, that
village can not give her back without feeling shame. In
the Apingi country we never give back a woman that
comes to us. In her village, they want her to marry
somebody she does not like, and she loves my nephew,
and she thought she would rather run away than to go
and marry where she does not want.  She has bola
bongo,'put her hand on my head,' and you know this is
our way of claiming protection; and how can I, without
shame, give her back?" And the people all shouted,
" How can we, without shame, give her back "
This custom of adoption is a singular one, and prevails in all this part of Africa. When a man or woman
runs away to another village, the first thing they have to
do is to put themselves under the protection of some
man. So, when they reach the place where they want to
stay, they go to the man and put their hands upon his
head, and this ceremony is called bola bongo. Henceforth they belong to the man, and he is bound to protect
them. You will agree with me that this is a singular
custom.
I questioned the girl, and she said, while tears rolled
down her cheeks, "Spirit, I am afraid of thee. Oh, why
did not I die the day I was born! Now I do not want
to marry the man my people want me to marry. Women, oh Spirit, are shame in this country, and can be given
away like goats and wild game, for our laws are such
that her people do not ask whom she wants to marry.




54             MY APINGI KITNGDOM.
She is even given away again after her husband is dead.
After her time of mourning is past she has no choice,
but must marry his brother, whether she likes him or
not. If she does not, she had better not tell it, for she is
flogged, and her body is torn with the whip. No, Spirit, I do not want to marry the man my people wants me
to. I had rather be killed or be eaten up by the wild
beasts. I do not want to go back." When she stopped
speaking the people shouted," We do not want to send
her back, for shame would be upon us if we did; all the
other villages would laugh at us, and call us' chickens.'
We do not want to be called chickens."
"Oh Spirit," said Mishono to me, "oh Spirit, do not
be angry!" and the people also cried," Oh Spirit, do not
be angry! do not be angry!"
This was certainly a very complicated palaver, and in
this part of Africa such things always bring on war. I
wanted to avert war, and at the same time I had to give
a just verdict. So I called Ngooloo-Gani, and said to
-him, "What have you to say for yourself?" "Spirit," said
he, "this girl wants to marry me. She has run away
from her village, and has bola bongo on the head of our
chief, and it would be a great shame for our people to
give her back, for we never do such a thing in the Apingi
country; but in the moon, where you come from, you
may have other fashions. Oh Spirit, do not 1e angry!
Do not kill me!" Then the poor fellow kneeled down
and got hold of my feet, which is, as you know, the
most imploring way of asking a great favor in the region
of Equatorial Africa.
I got up, and immediately ordered some Apingi to go
and tell the people of the village where the girl came




THREE HUNDRED MEN TAKE THE WAR-PATH.    55
from, to come instantly to see me. I wanted to see the
chief and the leading men, and I said, in order that they
might not be afraid, " Two of you must remain in their
village." So they went, and, as the village was not very
far off, they came back in less than two hours, but with
no one with them. The answer was that they did not
want to talk the palaver. On receiving this message I
rose to my feet, and, in a very loud tone of voice, began
to speak in all the languages I knew-Apingi, Ashira,
Commi, French, English, etc. I was very fierce. Oh,
how they stared at me! "They dare me," I exclaimed.
"They won't come when I bid them come!" I fired off
my gun, I brandished it in the air, I flourished my revolver, I then rang my kendo, and told Remandji to prepare for a fight. Then I ordered the people of the village to go and fetch their spears, their battle-axes, and
their bows and arrows, and their war-drums. The horns
sounded the war tunes; messengers were sent to Remandji's village fdr more men to come. The idol was
brought out, the men painted themselves and covered
themselves with fetiches.  "Onward, Apingi! onward
for that village!" I shouted. Over three hundred rmen
took the war-path. I led the way, and, as they followed,
they sang their war-songs, and brandished their spears
and their knives. When we approached the villages the
war-songs were sung louder and louder, and the warriors
became more exasperated. I was glad to see this, because I wanted to make an example. As we came nearer I heard the war-drums in the village, and the people
shouting. I fired a gun into the air as I entered the village. I had put in a tremendous charge, and it went off
with a fearful detonation. The recoil was so great that




5 6            1 Y APINGI KINGD O.L
it almost knocked me down. The detonation resounded
from hill to hill, and carried terror to the hearts of the
timid villagers, who, at sight of us, retreated to the farther end, from which position they fled as we approached. But I told Remandji to shout to them not to be
afraid. I did not come to kill them; they had made me
their king. I was their father. A father, did not kill
his children unless the children wanted to make war.
So Remandji shouted, " The Spirit bids you come. He
does not want to kill you unless you dare to make war
upon us. He comes to talk the palaver over the girl that
ran away."
They had all fled, but at last the chief came again; for
I sent word that if he did not come I would burn his village. He was followed by his head wife. I went toward him. On looking at him, I recognized him as one
who had brought me food, and had been my friend.
Round his neck he wore the beads which I had given
him, and as bracelets he wore two brass rings which I
had also given him. I went up to him, I shook hands
with him, and told him not to be afraid, but to call his
people together, as I had come to hold a palaver. So he
went away, and a little while afterward came back with
his people. We went under the big ouandja, and, after
every body had seated himself, Remandji got up; and,
addressing himself to the people, said," The Spirit wanted to come and see you in peace, and you have threatened to make war. But it is a good thing that you did not
make war, for you would have been all killed by this
time. By the breath of his nostrils he would have sent
death unto you all. You know that many of your daughters, sisters, and nieces are married in our villages, and




A MARRIA GE PALA VER.           57
that war between ourselves must not take place, for
there are not two villages in the whole tribe that are
more friendly with each other than yours and ours. The
Spirit and I have held the palaver this morning. You
know that one of the girls of our village is soon to marry a man of yours."  Here Remandji called the man.
He proved to be an old man, and I wondered why he
wanted to marry. He was very ugly-looking. Half of
his file-teeth had dropped out, and what were left were
very black and dirty. Remandji went on: "Well, we will
ask no dowry for that girl-no more slaves, no more
goats, and no more things. So the palaver will be settled, and Mishono will remain with Ngooloo - Gani."
There was a tremendous shout of "Yo! yo! yo!" which
meant " Yes, that is so."
So this offer was accepted at once, for the parents of the
girl in Remandji's village wanted from the old fellow I
have just described to you two slaves, three goats, ten
fowls, five cooking-dishes, three water-jars, five spears,
and three large knives, before they would give away
their daughter. So the people thought they had made a
splendid bargain.
Immediately the two contending parties separated to
a distance of about forty yards, then advanced with their
spears in hand toward each other, just as if they were
going to fight, uttering, at the same time, fierce Apingi
shouts till they met; then the spears came down, the wardrums beat, the horns blew, the palaver was over, and T
had stopped the threatened war. Then I presented the
king with a waistcoat, which he wore in the midst of
the most vociferous cheers of his people. That night
there was a tremendous jollification in the real old ApinC2




58             MY APINGI KGLND OM.
gi style. A war-dance, and then all was over. Toward
two o'clock in the morning all had become silent. The
people had all returned, and nothing was to be heard
except now and then the barking of the dogs, and the
wild cries of hyenas lurking round in the forest. As I
came out, as usual, to make an inspection of every thing
round me, all was quiet, the sky was beautifully clear,
and the southern stars were shining in all their glory.




CHAPTER VIII.
A HUNT IN CANOES.-AN ANTELOPE PURSUED.-I AM NEARLY CAPSIZED.-KILLING OF THE ANTELOPE. —RETURN TO
THE VILLAGE.
THE palaver being settled to the great joy of every
body, the people said I must leave to hunt with the
dogs, as antelopes had been seen the last few days on
the neighboring plantations. So, early in the morning,
all the dogs of the village were collected together, and a
number of hunters from other villages had also come
with their dogs. We had altogether more than twenty
dogs in the pack, and anticipated a very exciting time.
The Apingi forming the hunting party were armed with
spears. As soon as the party was ready, we set out for
a plantation not far from the bank of a river or creek,
which ran near the village, and where antelopes were
supposed to be quite plentiful. The little canoes of the
Apingi were in readiness, with paddles in, at different
places on the river bank, for it was supposed that some
of the antelopes would be driven into the water by the
dogs.
So we started, Remandji and the villagers wishing us
good luck. We tramped away through the jungle, and
in less than an hour reached a plantation of cassada (manioc), the leaves of which antelopes and gazelles are very
fond of. This plantation was not far from the river.




60             MY APINGI KINGDOM.
The dogs started off, and soon we heard them barking.
The barking became loud and eager; it came nearer and
nearer, and we knew the dogs must be after an antelope.
They were evidently making toward the river, near which
our party was posted. There was no time to be lost.
We must hurry to the river side, and enter the canoe, to
be ready in case the animal should plunge into the water to escape to the other side. I tell you, we went
double-quick. Hollo! hollo! a cry of pain escaped from
me, for the prickly branches of a long, thorny brier were
round my leg. In my eagerness to go fast, I did not
perceive it until it tore my pantaloons, and some of the
thorns stuck into my legs. At last I got clear of it
and hurried on. Okabi followed me closely. We soon
came to the banks of the river. A superb antelope, with
a magnificent pair of horns, was already in the water,
and the infuriated dogs were after her. The last of the
pack were just plunging in, and those that were in the
water were swimming as fast as they could in pursuit.
Three canoes were already in the water, the Apingi paddling as fast as they could toward the antelope. I jumped
into a canoe with Okabi so impatiently that I almost lost
my equilibrium. The canoe rocked from side to side,
and for a moment I thought it was all over with me, and
that I was going to be upset, gun and all, into the water,
which, by the way, was very deep there. Then good-by
to my hunting for that day. Okabi uttered a loud cry,
in the hope, I suppose, of averting the danger. But the
little canoe became steady once more, and I seated myself on the bottom. It was an old affair, and leaked like
an old basket, and having no seat, I got very uncomfortably wet. Never mind, I thought, the antelope is ahead




FURIOUS CHASE IN A CANOE.         61
of us. "Hurry, Okabi!" I shouted. "Hurry up! we
must catch the antelope! We must kill it; we must
carry off the honors of the hunt!" Okabi did not need
any pushing; he felt exactly as I did, and we both paddled with all our strength. Three spears lay ready at
the bottom of the canoe by my side. The chase became
more and more exciting; nearer and nearer we came to
the antelope. We soon passed one canoe, but two were
still ahead of us, and these were not far from the antelope. " Hurry, Okabi!" I shouted. The fellow paddled
as if his life was at stake, and by this time was covered
with perspiration. We at last passed the two canoes.
We were ahead of every body. The antelope, which had
been carried by the current down the river, was nearing
the shore. As soon as we were near enough, I cried out
to Okabi to stop. He obeyed, steadying the canoe with
his paddle. I took up my gun, and aimed at the antelope. There was danger that, if I missed it, I might kill
one of the dogs. I took my chance, and fired. The
ball hit'the antelope in the right place, and the water
was reddened with its blood. I fired again, but the canoe rocked a little just as I pulled the trigger, and the
ball missed the mark. By this time the antelope had
struggled to land, but as it came out of the water it dropped dead on the bank. The excited dogs sprang barking about the body, and we had the greatest trouble to
drive them away.,We returned to the village, where we were welcomed
with shouts of joy. I took a hind quarter for my share,
and gave the rest to Remandji to divide among his people.




CHAPTER IX.
BEAUTIFUL SIGHT OF PALM-TREES.-HOW PALM-OIL IS MANUFACTURED.-ITS VALUE. —INDIA-RUBBER VINES.-A LEOPARD.-HE IS TRACKED. —TERRIBLE SUSPENSE. —THE LEOPARD IS KILLED.
THE people had learned that I wanted no war, and
promised to remain peaceful. I left the village the next
day, and continued my journey through the jungle, visiting the Apingi villages, and at the same time studying
the natural resources of the country, the crowd accompanying me increasing all the time as I passed village
after village. We came at length to a village surrounded with immense groves of palm-trees, which, indeed,
were scattered all over the forest in great numbers.
These palm-trees were covered with large bunches of
yellow nuts, from which palm-oil is derived, which forms,
perhaps, the most important article of trade on the west
coast of Africa. Knowing it to be very abundant, I concluded that a good trade in palm-oil could be made with
the Coast, and that, if it was conducted on the right principle, and not by exchanging oil for rum, the Apingi
would do very well. So I fixed my head-quarters in i
village where the manufacture of palm-oil was carried on
on a large scale, the inhabitants selling it to the people of
all the other villages. It is used very extensively among
the Africans. Every woman in a village must have a




GRO VE OF PALM- OIL-TREES.       63
little calabash of palm-oil to make her toilet with. They
rub their bodies with it, it is used as a kind of pomade
for their hair, and they use it as we do butter in food.
*I can assure you that the heads of these people do not
smell very agreeably, as they never wash,*while they
keep putting palm-oil on their hair day after day, month
after month, year after year; the fragrance is any thing
but delightful.
I was much pleased to see these people industrious in
the manufacture of palm-oil. Perhaps you would like
to have a description of the town where this manufacture was carried on. You must not expect to hear about
huge smoking chimneys, tall buildings with a great number of windows, and a great many men and women at
work.
How beautiful is the sight of these palm-trees! How
tall and graceful they are, and how splendid their fruit
looks! The palm-trees about the village were kept
very carefully, and were never destroyed, for every year
they bore fruits which brought a great revenue to the
village. The forest was filled with knots of women seated on the ground, who had clubbed together for the
manufacture of the oil. After it had been manufactured they divided the proceeds.
Each little company was very busy. There would be
seated women having three or four large earthenware
cooking-pots filled up with palm-oil nuts, which they
were boiling. After being thoroughly boiled, these were
given to other women, who had before them a large
wooden mortar some five or six feet long, about twelve
or eighteen inches broad, and a foot deep, made of a
single piece of wood. The boiled nuts were put into




64             MI Y APINGI KINGD Oi.
___ __ __   these mortars, and pounded! ——'__'__-"_ __ —   I by the women with heavy
pestles made.of the hardest
kind of wood. The palmoil nut has a very large and
heavy kernel, of the size of
our walnuts, which is very,:thick, and exceedingly hard,
so much so that I doubt very
much, though I have never
-|1   tried it,'whether a nut-crackI~a l Ad~rra~ i~ler could break it. The kernel
is covered with a fibrous pulp,.4 f  Ad     which is about the fourth or
i]  ~   fifth part of an inch thick,
and which is almost literally
made of oil. It is hard, but
MAKING PALM-OIL.




MANUFA CTURE OF PALM- OIL.        65
when the nut is boiled becomes soft. The nuts grow in
large bunches, and each palm-tree bears several of these
bunches. They grow near the trunk, where the branches
spring out; and the nuts are very close together, several
hundred of them growing in a single bunch.
These nuts at first are blackish, then, as they ripen, and
especially on the side toward the sun, become of a bright
yellow, from which the palm-oil derives its color.
After the nuts have been boiled and pounded, the oil
is put into another cooking-pot, and then put over the
fire, and the oil allowed to boil for a little while. They
then let it rest and cool, and then carefully pour it out,
taking great care not to disturb the dregs at the bottom,
which is chiefly composed of the fibres of the nuts. Then
the oil is put carefully in little calabashes and carried to
market.
The men take but a small share in the work. They
have only to climb the trees, and cut off the bunches, and
bring them to the women. The nuts are picked from
the bunches before boiling. Before they have attained
their full growth, these nuts have thorny points at the
end. They are not round, and not even in size or shape,
on account of being pressed against each other closely
while growing in the bunches.
It was pleasant to see these people hard at work, and
I had a real nice time with them. When night came on
I slept in the midst of them; and one of the men came
and kindly presented me with two fat rats for my dinner.
But I could see at a glance how little the African
trade could be increased. Here was a region that could
have little or no trade whatever with the Coast, for there
were too many tribes between it and the sea.




66             MY APINGI KINGDOM.
How cheap was the oil! A few beads would buy a
gallon of it. A factory established here could do a large
if not very profitable business, and in course of time more
ready intercourse might be established with the Coast.
The business, once set on foot, would require but little
care. The trees bear every year, and the only thing to
be done would be to gather the nuts and make the oil in
the manner I have described.
Palm-oil has always a ready sale in civilized countries.
It is used extensively in the manufacture of soap, candles, and in some countries of Europe it is used instead
of tallow to grease railway and carriage wheels, and machinery.
I forgot to mention that there is in the kernel of the
palm-nut a large seed, from which a great quantity of oil
can be extracted.
The next morning; before my departure, I received
presents of many calabashes of oil.
In proceeding to another village I saw what I had noticed before, that the whole forest was filled with Indiarubber vines. As the vines are very plentiful in these
forests, an enormous quantity of India-rubber could be
extracted from them in the manner which I have already
described to you in Stories of the Gorilla Country. This
might be made a large trade. The India-rubber could
be bought for next to nothing, and the profits would be
enormous, and a good market could be found. So here
were two productions which the Apingi could collect in
great quantities. There were also immense numbers of
ebony-trees, the wood of which is so beautiful, and which
could be exported in large quantities, if we could only
have a free road to the Coast.




DISCCO VER Y OF LEOPARD'S'FOOTPRINTS.  67
That night we were to sleep in the forest; so, before
sunset, we built a large camp for shelter. But there was
no sleep for me; the leopards were too plentiful, and
their dismal and ferocious howls resounding not far from
the camp told me that we had better keep a bright lookout. I forbade any one to move out of the light of the
fires during the night; but there was little need of the
caution, as they knew very well that if they did they
would never come back to the camp. The next day I
proposed a leopard-hunt. The next morning, when I got
up, and said we must find the lair of the leopard, the people seemed to back down; but I was not willing to give
it up, as the leopards were evidently not far from us, and
their lair must be near by. I wanted only four Apingi
to go with me.
So I called four of the warriors. I gave two guns to
them, and one preferred to go with his war spears.
After a while we came to the bank of a little stream,
where I discovered the footprints of a huge leopard in
the soft ground. What paws! It must be an old and
ferocious animal. I have not the slightest doubt that
the monster was an old fellow, and that it was the one
that came so near our camp during the night, and nothing but the big fires we kept up had frightened him
away and prevented him from pouncing upon us. Unless the leopard had caught something last night he must
be fearfully hungry, and, consequently, very fierce. I
must look out, for, in that case, if I see him I will have
but very little time to fire, for in a jiffy he will spring
upon me, said I to myself.
So I carefully followed along the banks of the stream
the footprints of the huge cat. If he sees me first he




68            1J Y APINGI KINGDOM.
may pounce upon me, as a cat does upon a mouse. I
must be careful. The Apingi are watchful. They
look all round; their ears are ready to hear the least
noise. All at once I hear a cluck from one of the men.
I stop; he points out to me a spot ahead, just by the
stream, where the underbrush or jungle is very thick.
Huge trees have fallen one upon another, and it is impossible to see through the mass. The leopard must be
there. This dark place must be his abode for the day.
There he hides himself and sleeps, and from there he
starts upon his depredations, spreading fear and terror
among beasts and men. I stand ready to fire at a second's notice. I wish you could have seen me. I knew
that it was a matter of life and death with me. I follow the track of the leopard, for it had walked all along
the little stream. The Apingi men are not mistaken.
Suddenly the footprints leave the river, and the last I
see of them show that the animal has retired into that
thick, dark, and almost impenetrable part of the jungle
where the Apingi had told me that the leopard was concealed. This is dangerous game. I can not see the enemy. It is dangerous to go in. I can not back out; I
dare not show the Apingi that I am afraid. But then I
do not wish to be killed by an infuriated leopard.
The best thing I can do is to use caution as I enter
the thicket. The Apingi are almost afraid to go in.
But we must do it. I lead. Oh, I wish I had some native dogs with me; they would bark and show us the lair
of the leopard. After a while I succeeded in climbing
to the top of the huge tree that had been blown down
by a tornado. It is at least ten feet in diameter. When
once lodged there I take a view of the surroundings.




AN UNCOMFORTABLE POSITION.         69
The Apingi are close at my back. They are evidently
afraid, and, for myself, I do not feel very comfortable,
for you will agree with me that it is a difficult position
to be in, not to see the exact location of such a dangerous enemy as the leopard, which at any moment might be
down on my back, his claws fastened in my shoulders,
and his big teeth in my neck. Such thoughts were not
very reassuring to a worn traveler.
I must confess that I was very much excited. I looked round and round. The slightest noise made by the
wind through the trees would startle me. I thought the
leopard was close at hand and ready to spring upon me.
I would have given a good deal to see him. Carefully I
came down the trunk of the huge tree, and continued to
press forward with my Apingi into the thickest part of
this already very thick jungle.
Suddenly the faces of my Apingi men become excited.
They stop walking. The strong odor of the leopard is
clearly perceptible: he is evidently not far from us. We
are upon the leopard, and he is probably eying us, and
ready to make a spring. We must hurry to see him,
for surely destruction is coming upon us unless we destroy the animal.. I look ahead into a thick bush, where
were a large number of broken branches. It seems
almost dark, though it is not noon yet, and the sky is
clear, and the sun shines resplendently. Every thing
round is in gloom. A cold shiver runs through me. A
feeling of insecurity begins to possess me. I must check
it, for, if I do not, my arm will not be steady, and I shall
miss the monster if I see him. The thought of home
and friends rushed to my mind. The feeling of insecurity suddenly disappeared. I must conquer this big




70             MY APINGI KINGDOMf.
wild cat of the forest. If he is wary, I too must be
wary.
Whew! hallo! I see the monster! He is lying on the
dead branch of a tree. He leaps upon the ground and
crouches upon it. His long tail wags to and fro, showing
that he is enraged. His eyes glisten with a singular
light; he is ready to spring. He springs, but, just as his
body seems to rise from the ground, a tremendous and
deadly steel-pointed bullet goes through his head, and
three spears of the Apingi are plunged into his body.
The monster rolls on the ground upon his back, uttering
fearful yells of pain that fill the -forest, and drive every
living animal from the neighborhood. -By this time my
breath is taken away. I am so excited that my heart
beats with fearful quickness. I must be pale as death,
for the excitement is great; for, one second more, and
the monster would have made its deadly spring, which
would have been destruction to me.
I was glad when the chase was over, and I concluded
that I would rather chase the leopard at night with a
goat tied to a tree for a lure; but then I must not do as
I did once before-fall asleep with the goat-as I have
previously described to you, for, perhaps, instead of taking the goat, it might take me.
When we got back to the camp there was an immense
excitement. The Apingi said that they had killed the
leopard also, for three of their spears had been in his
body. It was a huge old fellow. I wish you could have
seen his teeth and his large paws. What tremendous
claws it had! With a blow of his paw the monster could
have killed the strongest man.
I was greatly pleased to secure this animal, for its skin




IN A DILEMlkIA.              71
was superb, and I knew that I would gladden the heart
of some friend at home when I should present it to him.
Here, again, more cooks were to be fastened on me,
the people insisting that twenty of their women should
follow Remandji and myself. With my old housekeeper,
and the forty-three cooks, I had now sixty-four cooks.
LAIR OF THE LEOPARD.




CHAPTER X.
MANUFACTURE OF POTTERY.-NUMEROUS COOKS.-PLANTAIN
PLANTATIONS.
THE next morning I started again on my journey, and
visited a good many small Apingi villages. At length I
came to one where the manufacture of earthenware was
carried on extensively by the people. Cooking utensils
and water-jars were made in great numbers with a kind
of grayish clay. Pipes were also manufactured, for I
must tell you that the Apingi cultivate tobacco extensively in their country, and are very much given to smoking.
The people of the village had seen me at Remandji's,
and were not afraid. I had hardly entered the village
when the good chief came to meet me with thirteen
women, and courteously insisted that I should take them
for wives and cooks. Of course I declined, but the chief
insisted that they should follow me, with the other sixtyfour, wherever I traveled in the Apingi country.
The way these simple people worked their pottery was
very primitive. They would work and pound the clay
till it was thoroughly mixed, and every particle of it very
fine. Then they would mould it into the shape of the
vases or pots they wanted to have, and, when these had
been fashioned and finished exactly as they wished, they
would put them in the shade under a veranda or shed.
When hardened a little they are gradually exposed to
the sun till they are quite hard, and then they are baked




APINGI DAINTIES. ~3
over a fire. I give you the shape of these vases in the
annexed engraving. I found that among all the tribes
they were of the same shape. The cannibals made pottery exactly as these Apingi.
OOOKING-POT.        NATTP-J;A.        CAL A.bAll
The large water-jugs are the most difficult to manufacture, and are rather fragile. They have to make a
friame of wicker-work, upon which they lay the clay,
Calabashes are used extensively for water-vessels.
I was pleased to find that many of the Apingi villages
had remained long at the same place; for the Apingi, unlike almost all the tribes that surround them, do not feel
the necessity of moving their village after a death or
two. The people would show me trees bearing berries
or fruits in the shape of an olive, which had often been
planted by their fathers, or by themselves when young.
So ovation after ovation kept following me as I came to
village after village. I was a real king, and was treated as such. Feast after feast was given me by the chiefs,
and such queer bills of fare as we had! Such dainties as
came upon the table 1 Why, there were mnice, rats, squirD




74             MY APINGI KINGD OlM.
rels, monkeys, snakes, turtles, fish, eels, hyena, etc.; but
not one of them could give me such a feast as good old
Obindji had given to me and to my powerful friend King
Quengueza.
I do not know why, but every day in that far Apingi
country I loved to think of good old Quengueza. I loved
to think of Gambo, of Malaouen, and of poor Querlaouen. Poor Querlaouen, how much I miss him since his
death! I can hardly believe that he is no more. How
brave he was! This you know as well as I do. Wl&iat a
kind heart God had given to his poor savage nature t But
you will no more read of our hunting together, when I
return to his country.
On my way home, afte- a few more days of travel;ip my new kingdom, I felt tired as I came in the evening to a large plantation —.^-e there was an innumerable number of plantain-trees, and a great many bore
immense bunches. The plantain bunch is much like
that of the banana, and ripens like it by turning yellow
or red, according to the variety. It is much larger than
the banana, coarser, very sweet when ripe, and delightful eating when roasted. There are a great number of
varieties of plantain, far more so than of banana. Some
of the trees bear after six or eight months, others take a
year, some a year and a half. There are varieties that
bear prodigious bunches, weighing from one hundred to
one hundred and fifty pounds. In the interior they flourish splendidly, and now and then you see bunches much
heavier than one hundred and fifty pounds.
[Now I will explain to you how the best plantain plantations are made, and you will see that there is no other
species of food that can be raised in such a quantity on
so small a lot of land.




HOW A PLANTATION IS MADE.         75
Of course you are aware that the banana and plantain
trees, with few exceptions, bear only a single bunch, and
then die. The varieties that bear the quickest have the
smallest bunches. A great manyof these weigh only
from twenty to twenty-five pounds, and sometimes even
less. But judge of the quantity of food which an acre
of ground can bear when planted with the varieties of
trees that bear the heaviest bunches. A plantation is
stocked with the shoots of the plantain-tree. The plantain shoots are set out about six feet apart, and sometimes
more. Other shoots spring from them-sometimes as
many as six or eight before the tree has done bearing
and dies. Each of these shoots become trees themselves,
and bear; a few of these are retransplanted, in order to
give the others more room to grow.
The shade of plantain-trees, after they have grown to a
certain height, prevents every kind of weeds from growing under them; hence, after a plantation has been started
well-that is to say, that the young plantain-trees have
grown healthy and strong, and the foliage has become
thick, it requires no care at all.
Now let us say that six square feet of land will give
six plantain-trees, which bear six bunches of plantains
within two years. If the plantains belong to the heavybunch variety, these will weigh about from eighty to one
hundred and twenty pounds-to make an average, we
will say one hundred pounds. So in two years six hundred pounds of food have been produced on six square
feet of land. But then the weight of the skin and of
the stem must be deducted, and the average weight of
these is a third of the gross weight. All the calculations
I made did bear that proportion.




76             MY APINGI KIGNDOM.
So food to the amount of four hundred pounds is raised
on six feet square of land in two years, or at an average
of two hundred pounds of food a year; so I think we
may safely say that the plantain-tree gives more food to
the human race in proportion to space than any other
plant.
The natives eat the plantain green. It is then tasteless,
and when coming out of the boiling pot it is very mellow
and quite palatable when once accustomed to it.
Nothing is more beautiful than a cluster of plantaintrees protected by the forest from the winds; the immense leaves, some of them over eight feet long, make
a superb appearance.
In despite of all this luxuriance, the negroes are at times
straitened for food, for the plantains, unlike grain, do
not keep long after being picked from the tree in that
hot climate. In four or five days after they have been
cut they begin to be too ripe to eat, and rot very soon
after. So, if your plantation bears mgre than you want,
you must give them away, for there is no market in that
part of the world, no real starving people, no poor, for
these people, though not Christians, never allow a stranger to be hungry.
The land for a new plantation is cleared in the following manner: The trees of the forest are cut down in the
dry season; then, after a while, fire is set to them,
and afterward the young plantain-trees are transplanted
in the midst of the numberless trunks and limbs of trees
that the fire had not been able to destroy.




CHAPTER XI.
THE KENDO.- ITS SMALL SIZE. — I KILL ONE.- ASTONISIMENT OF THE NATIVES.
ON my way back to Remandji I saw a good many
little squirrels in that great African forest; but there is
one little fellow so very small and tiny that I am sure it
must be the smallest squirrel in the world. I must tell
you something about it. The natives called it kendo.
It was entirely a new species to me. Being so small, I
called it Sciurus minutus when I gave a description of
it in the Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural
History for 1860, p. 366. I remember the first time I
met a kendo I was with my great friend Querlaouen,
just by a swamp, hidden and watching for wild ducks
that were in the habit of coming to it every day. All
at once I saw climbing along the trunk of a tree a little
animal, which seemed so small that I had some doubt
about my having seen any thing at all. I lost sight of
it in a few seconds, then got sight of it again, but only
for a second, as I hardly had my eye upon it when it
vanished. Querlaouen saw it also, and told me it was a
kendo. I immediately drew the heavy charge from one
of the barrels of my gun and reloaded with the smallest
kind of shot I had, and which was used by me to kill
very small birds.
At last I got sight again of a little kendo. He was
gnawing a little bit of the bark of the tree, and was




7 8
78             MIY APINVGI KINGDOM.
TIHE SOCIUTS MITNUTUS, OR KENDO.
standing still. It was the most graceful little tiny thing
I had seen. Just as I raised my gun he moved away,
but as quickly as possible I followed him in his movement, and as soon as I saw a good chance I fired, and
the poor little thing tumbled down to the ground, to the
utter amazement of friend Querlaouen, who was sure
that I had a big monda (fetich) to be able to hit such a
little thing. During my sojourn in Africa I killed several more of these little kendos, and brought their stuffed
skins backl and as I know that you would like to see just
how big the little animal is, there stands before you a
picture of a full grown specimen.




I DISMISS MY COOKS.            79
I can not tell you the astonishment of Remandji when
he saw I had been successful in killing the kendo. I
was in his eye a much greater spirit than ever; so, if
Querlaouen was astonished, you must just fancy how
much more amazed Remandji was.
The next day we got back to Remandji, where every
demonstration of joy from the villagers welcomed us. I
entered the village with a very large retinue of women
as cooks, headed, of course, by my old housekeeper, who
insisted on taking the lead and being first in every thing,
because, as she said, she was the first that had been given
to me. I gave to each of these poor creatures a few big
beads, and then dismissed them, and they returned to
their own villages feeling quite happy.
Wandering the next morning in the forest with Okabi,
I heard a very strange sound, and stopped to listen and
find out what it was.




CHAPTER XII.
A HERD OF MONKEYS.-HOW THEY TRAVEL IN THE FOREST.
-WHITE-NOSED MONKEYS.-THEIR GREAT LEAPS.-HOW
THEY KEEP FOOD WHEN NOT HUNGRY.
"(HARK!" said I, "hark! What is the noise I hear?
It must come from a band of monkeys traveling in the
forest from tree to tree. It is no use to go to them," said
I to Okabi; "let us hide ourselves in the direction where
the noise comes from, and if they come in a straight line
they may pass over our heads, and we may then have a
good shot at them." This was hardly said before it was
done. We hid ourselves under a thick little bush. The
noise came nearer and nearer. Ho! ho! I thought, they
are going to pass just over our heads. This was a great
piece of good fortune.
I hid myself the best way. I could, squatting close to
the ground, and sinking my neck into my shoulders as
much as possible, and hardly dared to breathe, when, by
jingo, I felt like sneezing! It would have been nice
work to sneeze just when the monkeys were close by, and
to frighten them away, for the monkeys are shy here,
being much hunted by the natives. Many and many
hundreds of them have met their death by the arrows
and traps of the skillful hunters. But here they come!
I see the branches at the top of the trees moving. There




THEY SEEM TO FLY IN THE AIR.       81
must be at least fifteen or twenty monkeys, belonging to
the white-nosed tribe, upon a journey. It was marvelous
to see them seize the branches and swing themselves, in
order to leap farther, just like a man on a trapeze. As
they came down to the extremity of the light branches,
these would bend several feet under their weight. They
would leap to another branch, seize one, and then to another, never stopping to rest. Sometimes they would
run a few steps on some long and stout branch, and leap
again. In some places where the trees were not very
near together in the direction in which they wished to
travel, they would take flying leaps of fifteen to twenty
feet, straight through the air, from branch to branch,
without stopping to measure the distance. I was so
deeply interested in watcling their movements that I
quite forgot that I had a gun, and that I was hungry.
One by one they passed on, flying along like as if they
had wings, or by magic, reaching the branch they aimed
at with unerring certainty. Not one of them made a
mistake; not one of them fell short of the branch he
was after. In this manner monkeys journey for miles
through the woods. Sometimes they make tremendous
jumps from the upper boughs of high trees down to
lower ones. I do not exaggerate at all when I say that
sometimes I have surprised monkeys on high trees, and,
after firing at them, I have seen them fall, apparently
taking no heed, to a distance of thirty, forty, and perhaps
fifty feet below, and disappear in the twinkling of an
eye. Unless the monkeys shriek, there is no way to discover that they are about in the woods except by the
noise occasioned by their tremendous leaps when on a
journey, which sounds very strangely in the silence of
D 2




82             MY APINGI KINGDOM.
these equatorial forests. On they go, leap after leap, for
hours without resting. At other times, when they are
only on a feeding excursion, and have reached a place
where berries are abundant on the trees, they take it easy,
and make their leaps slowly as they go along. It is by
this noise chiefly that the hunters are guided when on
the look-out for them. When there are many of them
together they are difficult to approach, as they always
have a sentinel on the watch, and at the least noise they
decamp as fast as they can go; but when only two, three,
or four of them are together, they are easier to approach,
especially if they are hungry.
The white-nosed monkey, the ndova, and the whitemustached monkey, the " miengai," are tremendous leapers in those forests. I doubt very much whether the
nkago (c, cercocebus") is quite as good a leaper as the two
others. They attain all of them to a very large size in
the wild state, and a good many must weigh more than
thirty or forty-five pounds. The enormous canines the
big ones possess show what they can do in the way of
biting.
I think that to see one of these flocks of monkeys on
the march is one of the most interesting sights that ever
gladdened my eyes in the great jungles of Africa. It is
certainly a wonderful spectacle, for they seem to continue their flight without cessation, and without heeding
what is before them. Their sight is so quick and keen,
and their motion so rapid, that, on this occasion, I was
unable to get within shot of them again after coming to
my wits. It was a pleasure to watch them. So expert
are they in their motions that they can stop at will, taking a firm grasp of the branch with the hind feet. The




Czi- T~h —C-_ —- ~SY~lV~~-_C-~ —-;-' C-  ----— =i-': =_-~:~-~ —S- ~ -? —--- _~~;L-~~-C;i~~~:pf  -~
MONKEYS JOURNEYING IN THE FORESET.








CURIOUS WA Y OF KEEPING FOOD.        85
fore feet are only used in leaps to catch the branches
toward which they spring.
Each of these three species of monkey has a very peculiar and distinct voice, the nkago having the most powerful. How often I have heard them, I should think
almost a mile off, either calling for their absent mate, or,
like other wild beasts, doing it merely for the pleasure
of trying the strength of their lungs.
The cercopitheci and the cercocebi have very large
pouches, which possess great power of distension, and
they use them as store-houses, where they keep their nuts
and berries when not hungry.




CHAPTER XIII.
ELEPHANT HUNTING. - TAKE REFUGE ON A TREE. - FIRE
TWICE AT THE ELEPHANT.-HOW HE KICKED!-AN IMMENSE PYTHON. —HE KILLS ONE OF OUR DOGS.-OKABI
KILLS THE SNAKE.
I HEAR that elephants are plentiful, and their heavy
footprints are seen in a great many places in the forest.
Antelopes and wild boars are also plentiful. I must
have a peep at the elephants. I must go after them in
the forest. I must kill one. Now is the time, for I
know that a herd is in the forest, and, to judge by the
natives pointing to the height of the sun to show the time
we should find them if we start early in the morning at
sunrise, I suppose that they must be about a four hours'
walk from the village.
I have taken my best rifle; I have loaded it with steelpointed bullets; I give to each of the two Apingi who
are to accompany me a spare gun to carry, take food
for the day, and we start.
After a while we came to fresh footprints, which evidently had been made where we were the day before; we
followed their tracks. It was easy, for there must have
been a herd of ten or twelve together. Oh how I wished
I had one of my Bakalai friends with me, as we might
have killed several elephants. We continued to follow
the tracks, being careful, from time to time, to break a




I REMEMBER Q UERLA 0 UEN         87
bough of a young tree, and drop on the ground a handful of green twigs, so as to make sure that we could
find the way back again.
At last I thought I heard a noise, and gave a kind of
cluck to stop my two Apingi friends, and raised my
finger to my mouth to insure silence. There was no
mistake. I could hear a booming sound, as if it was
the heavy trampling of elephants. We advanced carefully. I could feel my heart beating violently, and I
could almost hear its pulsations. These African elephants are ugly customers. The nimblest and coolest
hunter is sometimes caught by them. Had not my splendid friend Querlaouen been killed by an elephant? Poor
fellow! I had been thinking of him these last two hours.
I often think of him. I thought also of friend Aboko,
and wondered where he was. Perhaps he has been sold,
said I to myself, or he may have been killed for witchcraft. Some of you may perhaps remember that Aboko
was a great elephant hunter.
Such were my thoughts as I advanced into the jungle
to meet the elephants. How lightly I stepped on the
ground, for fear of making a noise and alarming the
huge beasts!
I must remain still, for I discover that the elephants
are retracing their steps; they are coming back by the
same road. What does this mean? They are certainly
unaware of our being so close to them. My friends the
Apingi begin to show fear, and make me a sign that
they are going to ascend a tree. They had hardly made
the sign than they had climbed a pretty large tree, getting up among the lianes which hung from its branches.
They were about twenty feet from the ground, resting




88            XMY APING.I KIVGD OM.
on a heavy limb, and looked in the direction where we
heard the noise.
Looking round, I saw close to them a nice tree, with a
very thick trunk, just near the path the elephants had
made by trampling the young saplings down. How
to get up? Suddenly I saw a Jeavy liane, or creeper,
hanging down from one of its branches. I slung my
gun on my shoulder, seized the liane, and soon found
myself some twenty feet up, between two immense limbs
which diverged from the trunk. I stood between them,
resting my back on one of the limbs. I was just in a
right position if the elephants were to come back by the
same path they had made. The noise becomes greater;
they break down young trees as they advance, to eat their
leaves. I hear their footsteps distinctly. They are coming by the same road.
I keep a sharp look-out through the dense foliage.
The young trees begin to move, and I know that the elephants are near. The bull is in sight. I count nine
elephants. The bull suddenly stops, sniffs the air, and
elevates his trunk. He has smelt danger, no doubt. Oh
dear! I can not aim well on account of being too high.
I am sorry. I wish I had remained on the ground.
I shoulder my rifle. I aim at the bull, wishing to shoot
him through the ear. I take good aim-bang! As ill
luck would have it, just as I touched the trigger my foot
slipped, and the bullet struck the elephant in the head,
wounding him badly, but not killing him. He immediately charges on the tree, when suddenly he perceives
my two Apingi friends, and makes a rush for their tree,
tearing down the vines which hang from it. I fire again,
and the ball hits him on the hip. He gives a tremen



THE ELEPHANTS PLUNGE INTO THE FOREST.   89
dons kick, raises his hind legs up, and plunges into the
forest with fearful' noise, tearing every thing that opposed him, and leaving tracks of blood behind. I was
happy to see the last of him, as I did not feel at home
on the tree. If I had been on the ground I would have
probably killed him. The other elephants, when they
heard the first gun, dashed into the forest at a fearful
speed, demolishing every thing before them. When the
Apingi came down from their tree, they looked almost
dead with fright. I was not satisfied with myself, for I
wished I had "bagged" the elephant.
I came down from my place of concealment, and for
the remainder of the day went after the other elephants;
but they had fled far away, and I was at length obliged
to give up the chase. We made our camp that night in
the woods. I lighted a fire without trouble. We made
a nice shelter with leaves, for we had rain almost every
night; and, surrounded by bright fires, we lay down to
sleep. The leopards were prowling about, so we did not
all dare to sleep at once. One must keep watch, and
see that the fires were bright. We had no trouble in doing this, as we had collected a great quantity of fire-wood.
The next morning we returned to Remandji. My two
Apingi told marvelous stories about my gun, and what a
kicking the elephant made when he received a bullet in
his hind quarter. Every one laughed heartily, and some
of the villagers prepared to go into the forest to hunt for
the wounded elephant, for they say he has surely died.
I should not wonder if he should be found dead somewhere in the jungle in a few days.
The following day I went hunting again. Okabi was
my only companion. Okabi had taken with him four of




90            Mi~Y APINGI KINGDOM.
his dogs, and we had great hopes of killing some wild
boars. Suddenly the dogs, which were running in the
forest, appeared excited, as if they were on the track of
game, and the four were soon out of sight. Soon afterward we heard them barking, which at last became less
and less distinct, till the sound was entirely lost. "Yes,"
said I to Okabi," there must be game in the forest; what
can it be?" "I can not tell," said Okabi. I fully expected to hear the barking of the dogs come once more
toward us, for these dogs were so trained as to drive the
game in the direction of the hunters. We were not mistaken. A little after we heard the barking of the dogs,
but once more it gradually grew fainter and fainter, and
all became silent. Okabi shouted all the time in Apingi
to the dogs to come back, so that they might know the
direction in which we were. All continued silent. We
waited for an hour; the same silence still prevailed, and
we concluded that the game had been fleeter than the
dogs, and had given them the slip. It might have been
an antelope, and perhaps it had crossed some stream; but
then these native dogs are not afraid of water, and they
would have gone in pursuit. Perhaps it might have been
a chimpanzee. In fact, we did not know what game it
was, and Okabi and I wished we knew.
The dogs are at last coming back. We hear their
footsteps in the jungle, and now one is in sight. But
hark! I hear a howl of pain from one of them, as if it
had been seized by a wild beast. We are on the qui
vive. I cock my gun. Who knows but that there may
be a gorilla close by, or perhaps a fierce leopard has
sprung upon the dog. It may be a wild beast with which
I have never been acquainted. But never mind; I am




SNAKE COILED ROUND A DOG.          91
ready; my gun is loaded for big game. I look round.
The three dogs bark, and I cautiously go in their direction. What meets my eyes? An immense python, that
had been lying in wait by a little rivulet, coiled round a
tree, no doubt waiting for some gazelle or other game
to come and drink, had sprung and coiled itself round
the poor dog, and was drawing itself tighter and tighter
round his body. I rush forward with Okabi. The snake
at the same time had seen us, and seemed, to all appearances, not to know what to do. I did not like to fire, lest
I should kill the poor dog that was struggling in its
folds. Okabi, taking the cutlass he had by his side, goes
to the rescue, and cuts the body of the snake in two.
The iron grip of his fold gives way, and the dog, appearing half dead, lies prostrate on the ground. It had been
almost squeezed to death. The two parts of the body of
the big python, or huge African boa, still quivered and
wriggled almost as if it was still alive. One blow more
from Okabi's cutlass, and one half is divided in two
again, and with the butt-end of my gun I smash his
head.
We were too busy with the snake first to look after
the dog; but, after killing the reptile, we came to poor
doggy. I took him to the border of the little rivulet,
and sprinkled him with water, in order to see if we
could not revive him. But all we did was of no avail.
He had been squeezed too long (though but a short time)
in the folds of the snake. In a second or two his eyes
became dim, and after a few struggles of the limbs and
gasps for breath, the poor dog died. Okabi was furious,
for it was a trained dog. We took with us the snake,
which measured fifteen feet in length.




CHAPTER XIV.
SERIOUS THOUGHTS. —SHALL I REMAIN TO BE THEIR KING?WILL THE APINGI FIGHT — I MUST RAISE A REVENUE.
PRODUCTS OF THE COUNTRY.
I MUST begin to think seriously of what can be done
for the improvement of my kingdom. Did the people
really believe that I was to remain with them forever?
Of course they never dreamed that I could die. I had
not made up my mind how long I would remain, for I
had a strong desire to go back to the sea-shore and return
to New York.
Then I thought how strange it would be if I staid with
them till the end of my days! If such was the case, said
I to myself, I must establish communication with the
sea-shore, first by means of the big river, and then by
land. But the Rembo-Apingi (Rembo meaning the
river) was a large stream, and numerous tribes were living on its banks. Some of them were very warlike, and
there had never been communication from the Apingi to
the mouth of the Fernand Vaz. From Remandji's village to my settlement of Washington there was a great
extent of country to go through. There would be, no
doubt, some tremendous fighting to be done, for I knew
enough of the country to know that the right of way was
not to be obtained easily, each tribe being jealous of the
other. Would the-Apingi be willing to fight, and conquer or die? In that case I must go once more to the




WHAT MUST I DO?              93
sea-coast, bring small cannon, quantities of guns, pistols,
and every thing required to make us formidable, so that
we might be feared by all the tribes in case they should
try to prevent us from having communication with the
sea. Large canoes also must be made, capable of holding at least one hundred warriors, for I must have a powerful navy to navigate the river. The men must be
taught how to use guns, how to fire, and, above all, not
to shrink from danger.
I began to see that I had a gigantic task before me.
Of course I did not intend to be a king of savages. I
wanted the people to advance in civilization. Schools
must be established. The people must learn how to read
and write. They must be taught by all means, so that
in the course of time, from their own free will (for I believe in liberty of conscience), they might destroy their
idols, cast away their superstitions, and believe in God as
the great Ruler of the universe. They must admit the
good missionaries, whc could instruct them in his worship.
Then, again, every country must have a revenue. How
shall I raise taxes? I can not raise money, for it is unknown here, and silver and gold have never been seen
by the people. What were the products of the country?
What could be got out of it? For no government can
be carried on without a revenue of some kind. Palmoil, India-rubber, ivory, ebony-wood, bar-wood, gum copal-these are the leading products of the country:
great quantities of them oould be had. A numerous
fleet of canoes, constructed especially to carry goods,
must be constructed. They must be very large, and
strongly built. They could go down the river loaded
with a few men in each, but they must be convoyed by




94                MY APINGI KINGD OM.
powerful war-canoes, that could defy and destroy any
hostile canoe that might come out against them.
Peace must reign along the borders of the river, from
the Apingi country to its mouth. Laws must be strictly
enforced and obeyed, and war between villages and tribes
along the river must be forbidden, just as King Quengueza has forbidden war on the Ovenga River, and the refractory people must be punished, and their villages burnt,
so that they may learn that no laws can be broken without cost. In fact, peace must reign every where in the
country, so that commerce may be thrifty and the people happy.
These thoughts brought me back again to the question
of a revenue.
How many tons of ebony, pounds of ivory, tons of
palm-oil, and pounds of India-rubber would have to be
collected by the people, in order to raise, for the first
year, $100,000?   Say10,000 lbs. of ivory, at $2 per lb.................................... $20,000
200 tons of palm-oil, at $200 per ton..............................  40,000
1000 tons of ebony, at $100 per ton...............................100,000
10 tons of wax, at $650 per ton....................................  6,500
100,000 lbs. of India-rubber, collected carefully, would be
worth  20  cents  per  lb...............................................  20,000
10 tons of gum  copal, at $650 per ton.............................  6,500
I could easily collect $182,000. As for the bar-wood,
it is too far away, except if collected near the sea-shore,
for it is only worth about $25 per ton. No doubt the
trade could be increased vastly in a short time with the
interior of Africa. I put the amount of each product
according to the amount of production, that is to say, in
ratio. I have no doubt that in time the palm-oil would




PRODUCTIONS OF THE COUNTRY.        95
become one of the leading products of the country.
There are great quantities of pea-nuts in that region, and
an immense amount of oil could be manufactured, if
mills were established for that purpose. It is very easy
of manufacture. The pea-nut yields an enormous quantity of oil-I think more than five eighths of its own
weight. South from the Apingi, malachite and copper
must be abundant, for they come to Loango from the interior. What a profitable branch of commerce this
might be made! In many parts of the mountains very
rich iron ore is plentiful; and, should-it in time become
civilized, there will be no trouble in building railways.
The forests furnish an inexhaustible supply of timber.
A species of teak is found near the sea-shore. Saw-mills
could be erected to make all this available in time. I
am fully persuaded that one of these days-it may be a
very long time yet-we will have to come to Africa for
timber. Then there must be precious stones in those
rocky and woody mountains; and it is not improbable
that gold may be found in sufficient abundance to pay
well for mining. Unfortunately, no dependence could
be placed on agricultural products, for no negro loves to
cultivate the soil.
The social system, also, must be entirely reformed in
this part of the world before agriculture can flourish.
Men must be taught to cultivate the soil themselves instead of leaving it to their wives. You have seen, in
reading the previous books of this series, that men do
not work. Not one of them would like to go and cultivate the soil. They think it is beneath their dignity,
and that it is for women only to handle the spade and
hoe




96             MY APINGI KINGDDOM.
You have seen that all the products I have spoken of,
as furnishing means to raise a revenue, are native products. The one exception is the pea - nut, which, however, grows there, when planted, with great luxuriance.
I must also teach the natives to plant rice, so that they
may have food that will keep. They never had seen rice
before I came to their country, though in some parts of
Africa the natives plant and live upon it. I must also
make them plant Indian corn, as this is also food that
will keep. I must tell you that Indian corn is often
found among the tribes near the Coast, but the plant is
gradually finding its way into the interior.
I thought I would let some time pass away before I
made up my mind what I should do. If I conclude to
remain to be their king, I must go home and get a wife.
A smile came over me at that very thought, for it was the
first time I had thought of the subject in my life. What
a tremendous excitement there would be if I ever came
to the Apingi country with a wife, especially if she had
blue eyes, and long fair or flaxen hair hanging down over
her shoulders! I am sure I would set the Apingi people
crazy. They would certainly fall down and worship her
as a beautiful and unknown spirit that had risen out of
some clear and limpid stream which meanders through
the forest.




CHAPTER XV,
I DISCOVER A GALAGO S LAIR.-CAPTURE OF THE GALAGO.
-TWO BABY GALAGOS.
ONE afternoon, after thinking over all these things,
I went all alone into the forest, for I was tired of the
noise of the people, and wanted to reflect seriously upon
my future movements. Suddenly, while walking slowly
along, I came to the foot of a tree, which at once attracted my attention, so that I stopped to examine it. It
was old, not very tall, but thick in the trunk, and full of
knots. A great mgny dead branches of other trees had
fallen upon it, and these were so thick that they prevented
the light from penetrating below. It is upon such trees
and in their hollows that night-animals generally retire
for the day, for it is almost dark as night in its thick recesses. So, thinking that perhaps I should find some new
species of night-animal hidden in such a collection of
dead and broken limbs, I stooped, and tried to peer into
that dense and tangled mass. First I tried to see if there
were any snakes hidden there, for snakes are fond of such
places. Not a snake could be seen; but then some of
them are not discovered so easily, for they are of the
same color as the dead branches, and among those which
have this color there are some very venomous species.
Nor could I discover any traces of wild cats.
Suddenly it struck me that just where the branches
parted from the main trunk the bark seemed somewhat
more shining, as if some little wild animal was in the
E




98             MY APINGI KI.NGD OM.
habit of climbing every day to the same spot. I looked
carefully in that direction, but nothing was to be seen.
There must be, certainly, a hole in the tree, I thought.
Just by that tree hung a big creeper, as big as a large
rope, strong enough to hold the mast of a ship, and by
climbing it I could just go up and get to the top of the
tree. I felt that I must ascend; but, before doing it, I
took again a sharp look, for I did not care at all to put
my hand on a shining snake, or to have one drop down
upon me. To make still more sure, I threw up a piece
of wood into the thickest part of the branches. After
waiting a little while, and seeing that nothing stirred, I
prepared myself to ascend. My gun was bothering me.
It seemed as if I could not possibly ascend with it, even
after strapping it on my shoulder, and yet I did not care
to leave it at the foot of the tree, for in these forests you
have to look out sharp, as you do not know when your
enemies may be near. It is true; I had my revolvers on
my side, and, after some hesitation, I concluded to try,
any how. The distance was not more than ten feet, and
the thick rope of creepers made the ascent tolerably easy.
Before ascending, I looked all round to see that no
savage was lurking near, and then began to climb up.
It was rather hard work, after all, in despite of the support the thick creeper afforded me. I could not make
up my mind to leave my gun behind, and itannoyed
me a great deal by getting entangled in the branches,
and my revolvers hung heavily from my belt; but I was
bound to go up and see what was there. The hope of
discovering some animal unknown to naturalists gave me
strength to do things which in my ordinary moments I
thought myself incapable of achieving.




I TAKE CO URA GE.           99
At last I reached the forked part of the tree, and
found I was not mistaken. A hollow was there, and by
the appearance of the opening there was no doubt but
that some little wild animal must make it its hiding-place.
Now came the rub. The idea of putting my hand inside of that dark hole was not very pleasant, for I did
not know what kind of creature might be hiding there..No doubt it had four good canines which might go
through my hands as if they were paper. I confess I
did not relish the thought. How was it that I did not
think of this before I ascended the tree? I was in a sad
quandary, and did not know what to do. Now that I
had reached the part of the tree where I wanted to be,
after so much trouble, I did not care to go down and
have taken the trouble for nothing; besides, who knew
whether some pretty and unknown animal might not be
hiding there? This last idea gave me courage, and I immediately sought in my head the best means either to
capture or kill the animal. First I took from my belt
one of my revolvers, and then looked down carefully into
the hole to see if I could perceive the bottom of it, and
thus discover what was there. Suddenly I perceived
two big, bright red eyes, which seemed to send fire at
me. It must be a galago, I thought. These little fellows
have sharp little teeth, and can bite splendidly, and make
you feel that they can hurt you. But I must try to capture instead of killing it, and then try to tame it and
study its habits.
The hollow was only about fifteen inches deep. I was
all alone, and I wished I had somebody with me, then
we could have managed it more easily.
I immediately put my foot on the opening of the lair




100            Xi Y APINGI KINGD OM.
of the galago so that he could not escape, then taking
from the inside of my hat two pocket-handkerchiefs
which I used to protect my head from the heat of the sun
when I was under its rays, I put them round my hand,
so that when I tied the little fellow fast his teeth would
not go through.
Not far from me there was a little branch from which
I could cut a nice little forked stick. Taking the big
hunting-knife that hung in my belt, I cut the branch.
It was just the thing I wanted. If I could put the fork
on its neck, then I could with the other hand manage
more safely the taking of the little fellow out of his lair,
for no doubt he would make a desperate struggle.
So I took off my foot from the opening, and down
went my forked stick; the little fellow whisked about in a
lively manner, but soon he was caught, and began to cut
up such capers with his hind legs, and tried so hard to
get away, that I did not know if I should ever be able to
handle it. But, putting my other arm down into the
hole, I took a firm grip of the fellow by the neck, and I
can assure you that I held him hard, for 1 had not much
confidence in the wrapping of my hand, and I was dreadfully afraid I would get a bite from the little rascal, and
be obliged to let go my hold. I got it safely out at last,
though it made efforts to get away, and seized both of
my shirt-sleeves with its little paws. But I held it firmly, and then perceived it was a female, and that she had
young ones. Immediately I opened the bag where I
kept my bullets, and in it I put the galago, and shut it
again. Then once more I put in my hand, and soon
brought up two very tiny little fellows. They were very
pretty, with their soft, beautiful fur; but I was a little




DEATH OF THE YOUNG GALA OS.       101
sorry they were so very young, as they would be harder
to raise.
I descended the tree, delighted with my day's work,
and started at once for the village with my capture.
On arriving at home I immediately fixed a kind of cage,
and put the galago and her young in it. This was merely a temporary arrangement, and my first care was to
construct a permanent home for my new pets. Meanwhile I kept them in a box. Their house was quite
ready for them the next day, and they seemed quite
pleased with the change. I wanted especially to take
great care of the little ones, in the hopes of taming them.
But three days after their capture they died. The poor
mother seemed very forlorn and lonely afterward. How
forlorn her mate must have been when, on his return to
the tree, he found his home deserted! IIe must have
wandered all that night in search of her and of his young
ones, or perhaps he knew at once that some perfidious
enemy had despoiled his house.
Now all my hopes rested on the old one. For the
first few days she would only eat at night, and her food
was chiefly ripe plantains and bananas, and a few berries
from the forest. Afterward she began to eat in the daytime, and would even take food from my hands. She
was particularly fond of bananas. Then I made a little
collar and put it round her neck, and tied her by a long
string near my bed. She would keep awake the whole
night, and make a desperate war on the roaches and.other insects. The broad daylight seemed to hurt her eyes,
and she would shut them up; but at night was quite another animal, and much more lively. One evening, by a
very dim light, I watched her, and saw how quickly she




1 G2           MY API'GI KIOGD OM.
would seize the roaches. She was so light-footed that
she could not be heard.
Now I must give you a description of the galago. I
must tell you that the animal possesses one of the softest furs I know. The natives use its skin to keep their
powdered fetiches in. Its face is full of expression, the
eyes being very large for the little head; the ears are almost transparent, the skin being very thin, stand upright,
and are large for the size of the head. The eyes shine
brightly, and during the day have a reddish appearance.
Like all night-animals, they can see much better in the
dark than in the daytime. The tail is somewhat bushy.
The picture of a galago
will give you an excellent 
idea of what the animal is  (//'     w
like. A large specimen is
The galago being a noc-  ( 
turnal animal, as soon as       THF. GA.AGO.




THE OLD GALAGO SKEDADDLES.         103
darkness makes its appearance, it prepares itself to go
out of its lair in search of food. It loves to feed upon
insects, such as cockroaches, etc.; but, besides insects, it
feeds on the fruits, berries, and nuts of the forest. Long
before daylight it retires to its lair, and remains there
during the whole day. It climbs about on trees from
branch to branch like a monkey, and uses its fore feet
like hands, as the monkey does, only it is far from being
as agile as a monkey.
One fine morning I looked for the little galago, but
she was not to be found. The string that held her had
broken during the night, and she had 8kedaddled for
parts unknown in the forest. I have often thought that
if the galagos have a language of their own, my prisoner will have strange tales to tell of her captivity, and the
only thing I could do after her flight was to wish that
she might be happy once more in the woods, and that
she might find her mate again.




CHAPTER XVI.
JACK, THE MONKEY. — HUNTING MONKEYS WITH DOGS.
GREAT FIGHT BETWEEN TWO DOGS AND A NKAGO.-CAPTURE OF A YOUNG NKAGO.-I GIVE HIM TIlE NAME O0
JACK.
WHILE, in the Apingi country, I had a queer little
friend of which you have not heard yet. That friend
was a little monkey which I had captured some time
ago. It went by the name of Jack; or sometimes was
called Jack Nkago, on account of his species being called
Nkago by the natives. Jack was a dear little fellow, belonging to a family of monkeys called commonly by ourselves Mangabey, and, as he has been traveling with me
for a long while, it has occurred to me that you would
like to hear about him-how I captured him, how I
raised him, and how I made a kind of civilized boy of
him. Now let me tell you that Jack was a great friend
of mine, and wherever I traveled he traveled also.
I must relate to you my first acquaintance with young
Jack. One day that I felt very hungry while in the
Apingi country, I started for a hunt in the woods, and I
thought how nice it would be if I could kill a monkey.
I had taken with me friend Okabi, with whom you are
so well acquainted, and who is a good hunter; and, as
we left the village, I said to Okabi, "I hope that we
shall be able to kill a monkey." He replied at once,




ATTACK OF THE DOGS.           105
without any hesitation, "We shall be able to do so."
" How do you know 2" said I. " My monda (fetich) told
me so," was his immediate answer.
Okabi took two of his queer little native hunting dogs
with him, for it was a time of the year when'monkeys
frequently come down from the trees to pick up nuts and
eat some kind of berries which, when ripe, fall on the
ground. At first I was averse to taking the dogs with
us, but they had been so well trained by friend Okabi in
hunting dodges that I consented. One of these dogs
was called, I remember, Agounga, and the other Ipay.
Both of them were of rusty color, and had, like the rest
of the breed that is found in that part of Africa, straight
ears, a somewhat long muzzle, and when once on the
hunting-path chasing game, were very swift in their
movements. They were about three years of age, rather
fierce, and afraid of hardly any thing excepting leopards.
They would bark at a gorilla, but take good care to keep
at a safe distance. These two dogs were always the first
to attack the game, and, among their other exploits, had
captured a young chimpanzee, several young wild boars,
and a good many monkeys; Agounga showing, by several
big scars, that the monkeys had often dealt badly with
him, and that it required a good deal of pluck on his
part to conquer, while Ipay's upper lip was on the side
divided in two, showing what a tremendous bite an enormous monkey, of which he had got hold, gave him. Besides those two dogs, friend Okabi had four more, which,
though not quite so cunning, were splendid hunting-dogs.
They were descended from a family of dogs which had
been for a long time celebrated as good hunters.
I can assure you that Agounga and Ipay were good
E 2




106            MY APINGI KINGDOM.
watch-dogs. No one could come on Okabi's plantation
without their barking and raising " the Old Harry." It
was a long time before I could accustom them to be
friends with me, and I concluded that they could not
bear the'sight of a white man, as is often the case with
dogs accustomed to African masters. I suppose that
our American dogs that have never seen a black man
would feel exactly the same in a reversed case. But
after a good deal of patience, and plenty of meat and
"good old bones" given to them by myself, I tamed
them, and I was glad of it, for I did not care to have
these dogs always after me when I made my appearance
in Okabi's plantation, as I was always in dread that they
would come and take a small piece of the calf of my
leg. They are sly as can be, but, happily, mad dogs are
entirely unknown in this part of the world, and I wonder
sometimes if the introduction of our dogs will bring the
dreadful disease of hydrophobia with it.
Now that I have given you an account of the dogs
Agounga and Ipay, just follow me into the forest, and
fancy that you can see us. Okabi was walking ahead
in the hunting path with his gun in hand, and I was
closely following him. The dogs were ahead of him
about two or three yards. We had gone this way about
two hours, when suddenly Okabi stopped, made a sign to
the dogs to lie still, and then we listened attentively.
Okabi's quick ear had detected a strange noise in the
woods. I heard it also. The noise came incontestably
from monkeys walking on the ground, for we could hear
a rustling noise among the dead leaves as they moved
amongst them and scattered them, to get the berries or
nuts that had fallen underneath. There was no mistake.




THE DOGS ARE BADLY WOUNDED.        10o
The dogs were ordered silently to go forward, and it was
time that they should do so, for they were almost ready
to bark. They also had heard the noise, and were "eager
for the fray." They started as if the fire was after them
in the direction of the noise, and were so light and quick
in their movements that they scarcely produced any'
sound as they pursued the game swiftly through the jungle, which was in a part of the forest where the underbrush was not very thick. The tall trees above our heads
were splendid.
By-and-by we heard the dogs bark, and then the sounds
of fighting with the monkeys, and their screams of pain
as the dogs bit them; so we rush as fast as we can toward the scene of action. Ipay and Agounga had got
hold of a big nkago, as big as one of themselves. Its
mouth was armed with four large, sharp-pointed, and
dangerous-looking canines, which had already inflicted
some fearful bites on the dogs, covering them with blood.
The fight must have been desperate before we came up,
to judge from the condition of the dogs, and it was far
from being finished. As we made our appearance, Ipay
was holding the monkey by the back of its neck, while
Agounga held it firmly by the back above its tail. The
monkey made a desperate effort, and with one of its
strong paws seized a leg of Ipay, which it put into its
mouth and gave a fearful bite. A scream of pain came
from Ipay, and he let his grip go. This, instead of
frightening the dog, made him more furious than ever,
and, like a tiger, he seized the monkey again, but not before it had given him another awful bite on the neck,
which Ipay did not seem to mind. A great struggle
ensued. The nkago disengaged itself once more, and




108            MY APINGI KINGDOM.
again Agounga seized it by the neck and shook it as hard
as he could. The monkey was losing his breath, for he
had fought so hard, and the dogs were in the same condition. I wish you could have heard the noise-the nkago's cries and moans, the dogs' snarls and growlings,
and our cries of encouragement. It was an exciting
scene; and the racket, as it resounded through the forest, was almost deafening. The dogs were perfectly infuriated, and acted as if bound, provided they could not
kill the monkey, not to let him go till we came to their
assistance. They would have rather been cut to pieces
by the powerful canines of the nkago than do that.
The fight was desperate. The dogs had tasted blood,
and had become ferocious. I expect that they were very
glad to see us come to the rescue, especially when Okabi,
with a powerful blow of a dead branch of a tree he had
found, hit, with a strong arm, the head of the poor nkago,
and struck him senseless. Okabi then seized the nkago
by the tail, and hurled its body with tremendous force
twice against a tree, thereby killing it outright. The
dogs, though covered with blood and badly wounded,
were frantic, and acted as if they would like, if they
could, to devour the monkey. Okabi allowed them to
lick the unfortunate animal's blood. Poor dogs! they
were badly cut, and after the excitement was over they
looked thoroughly exhausted.
This nkago proved to be a large and old female, and I
at once perceived that she must have had a young one
with her. Suddenly I heard a little plaintive cry, and,
raising my head from a surgical operation upon which I
was engaged on Ipay's leg, I saw, on the top of a little
tree not far off," a child" nkago. He looked at us with




CAPTURE OF A YOUNG MONKEY.       109
his frightened eyes, and we looked at him. He tried to
go higher up the tree, but could not do so.
"Hallo, Okabi!" I shouted, "let us capture this little
fellow. I am sure it is the'child' of the one we have
killed." The dogs once more became infuriated. Agounga and Ipay barked with anger, and jumped up at the
tree as high as they could, evidently forgetting their
wounds. Their eyes were glistening; and woe to the
little fellow if he fall on the ground, for I was sure he
would be strangled by the dogs before we could have
time to rescue him. The more we told the dogs to keep
still, the louder they barked, and the more fierce they
seemed to be. At last Okabi cut the branch of a tree
for a whip, and, threatening to give them a sound thrashing with it, drove them a little way off by the flourish
of his menacing weapon.
The little fellow was so small that it was with great
difficulty he could move from one branch to another.
Being of much less weight than friend Okabi, I ascended
the tree, which could, however, hardly bear even my
weight, and then came the tug. The diminutive animal
was perfectly frightened; fright gave him strength, and
he moved quickly from branch to branch. At last I succeeded in getting hold of the end of his tail. He gave
a shriek, but I was determined not to let him go, and,
gradually dragging him toward me, I gave him a grip
on the neck with the left hand, and held him firmly. He
tried to bite, but it was of no use.
How nice the little baby monkey we had captured
was! He was a dear little fellow; and, after thinking
for a while, I said to Okabi, " Let us call him Jack."
So our new friend afterward was always called "Jack."




110           1 IY APINGI KINGD Oi.
For a while I looked at this queer little creature. He
had a bluish-black face, and his little ears looked wonderfully in shape like the ears of a human being. His
lips were small, and when he opened his miniature
mouth he showed a few half-grown teeth. His long, little hands were so queer! his fingers were slender, and
his nails looked wonderfully like human nails. Is eyes
appeared somewhat dark.' His body, with the exception
of his face, and the palms of his hands and feet, was covered with hair, and his fingers had short hair between
the joints. He had, like his mother, a crown of brown
or maroon hair on the top of his head, while the eyelids
had a white hue, which gave him a singular appearance.
I wondered why, after all, some monkeys looked so much
like human beings.
We took him home, and, after a few hours, he seemed
less frightened. I was very glad it so happened at the
time that there was a goat with me that had a kid, so
poor little Jack was sure to have some milk to feed upon,
and I wondered if the goat would not adopt Jack also
for her own. That same day I tried to make Jack suck
the goat, but could not succeed, the goat making too much
fuss about allowing the little nkago to have the rights of
an offspring. When she saw him she would raise herself on her hind legs, and butt against the little fellow,
and would have no doubt killed Jack if I had not taken
care of him.
For a few days I gave little Jack milk, and he began
to know me well, and to get very tame. I fetched soft
little berries every morning for him, and how glad he
was when he saw me coming with them! After a week
lie did not care to taste milk at all. Water and berries
were his only food.




JACK AND I BE6COME FRIE~NDS.    111
Jack grew bigger and bigger every day, and at last
came to be a strong monkey. I know that you will like
to hear a great deal about Jack, how he grew up, and
what he did.
*Jack and I became great friends. Ie would go with
me in my rambles, and I can not tell you how useful he
was sometimes to me. I remember once I was in the
woods without food and very hungry. As I walked I
saw a tree loaded with a bright kind of red fruit, and I
wondered if it were good to eat. Jack was following
me, and I gave him some of the berries, which he immediately devoured. Now I must tell you that monkeys
are said never to make a mistake in their food, and that
they never injure themselves by eating poisonous fruit.
What was good for Jack was, I thought, good for me.
So I tasted the berries, and, finding them to be of a pretty good flavor, I ate heartily of them, without any fear of
being poisoned.
Jack used to like to be petted, and now and then would
delight in a frolic with me. Sometimes you might have
seen him on the top of my head busily engaged in tumbling my hair; next he would be on my back pulling
my clothes; and then again he would come into my hut
and run away with my shoes, and carry them outside,
sometimes putting them where they could not be found
excepting after a thorough search.
He was full of mischief, and would break any thing
that was in his way. It was of no use to lock up bottles,
plates, or cups. He must have his nose in every thing,
and put his fingers into every pie. One day I heard a
great crash at Washington. It was in the pantry. Jack
had succeeded in getting in there, and in pulling down




112            MY APINGI KINGDOM.
JACK PLAYING TRICKS.
upon himself a pile of plates. After he had done this
mischief he decamped, and did not make his appearance
till the next morning, for he knew very well that he
would get a flogging. There was a little grove of trees
near Washington, and there he disappeared. When I
went there to fetch him he dodged me, for Jack was a
great dodger.
Of course you will say," How came Jack to be in your
settlement at Washington." Jack Nkago was on his way
to New York, and was waiting there for a vessel to take
him. I know that you will be pleased when I tell you
that Jack at last reached New York. There were no
amounts of capers he did not carry on on the voyage.
The galley, or kitchen, was the object of his special attention from morning to night, for he knew that there,




JACK NKA GO REACHES NEW YORK.      113
or round it, food was to be found. He would watch for
the cook to get out, and then down the ropes Jack would
go, seize something, and rush up again, the cook hard
after him with a broomstick. Here, when out of the
cook's way, he would make faces at him, give a bite or
two at what he had stolen, and then grin once more at
the cook, as if he would say, " I do not care for you; you
can not catch me;" and then he would make more faces,
and up to the very top of the mast he would go, stay
there a little while, and then jump from one rope to another. He was a great friend of the sailors, and would
be by them at their meals. He had no objection to tea
and coffee well sweetened, to a piece of sea-bread, or a
cracker. If he was not hungry, he had on each side of
his mouth a pouch (a natural bag) where he could store
his food till the time when he felt like eating again.
These nkagos have big pouches, and find them very
useful. Jack seemed to have an especially big one,
which had an unlimited power of extension, to store his
food in, for when I gave him something nice, and he
was not hungry, he would store it away, and then eat it
at leisure afterward. When the pouch was full it looked very queer.
When Jack Nkago reached the port of New York, that
city seemed to be quite a new sight to him, and very different from the African villages he had been accustomed
to; and, when at first he was taken through the street,
he was very much frightened. He did not know what
to make out of the horses, but soon got over his terror.
At last I gave Jack to a friend of mine who had some
nice girls and boys, and Jack departed for his new home
in Newark, New Jersey, and there, I assure you, he had a




114            MY APINGI KIN2GD Oi..
glorious time. It was at my friend Mr. Rankin's, who
had a big garden for him to play in, trees to frolic upon,
and boys and girls to be his playmates.
One day he got out into the street, and then upon the
trees on the sidewalk, and it was a long time before friend
William could coax him to come down.
Jack Nkago, I am sorry to say, turned out to be a
great thief, and I remember the last time I saw him in
one of his depredatory expeditions. It was in my friend's
garden, and he was just coming out of the kitchen, holding a big tomato in his mouth, and two others which he
carried in each hand. This was, of course, all he could
possibly steal at once, as he could not take any more, and
he had to walk off on his hind legs in an almost upright
position, making for some quiet place where he could eat
and hide his plunder in safety; but when he heard my
voice shouting to him'" Jack Nkago, what are you doing "'
he dropped one of the tomatoes in a fright, and ran away
to hide.
Several years have passed since those events in Jack
Nkago's life took place. Poor Jack is now no more.
He is dead; but I shall, for a long time to come, remember him.




CHAPTER XVII.
THE WONDERFUL WHITE ANTS. — THEIR DEPREDATIONS.THEIR CURIOUS BUILDINGS.-I DESTROY THEM.-THE SOLDIERS AND THE WORKERS. —HOW THEY TAKE CARE OF
THE WOUNDED AND YOUNG.
You and I, young folks, have been traveling together
for a long time in an almost impenetrable forest of Equatorial Africa. We have seen many strange things of
which we never dreamed before, and we have studied
the habits of man, beast, and insect. At almost every
step we take in that wild country we meet with new objects to gladden our eyes and cheer us in our lonely hours;
and now I am to describe to you one of the most wonderful insects with which we had become acquainted
during our wandering; and what I am going to tell you
is based upon days of observation, which were carefully
noted in my journal. The study of the termites, or
white ants, was most fascinating to me, and helped
to spend very many pleasant hours, and I hope the description of these wonderful creatures will be as interesting to you as they were to me. The only fear I have is
that I shall not be able to describe the settlements and
habits of these strange insects as well as I would like to
do. I not only wish to amuse you, but I wish to instruct
you.
First let me tell you that there was nothing in that
great country of Equatorial Africa that gave me more




116            MY APINGI KINGDOM.
trouble than these white ants. They were the silent
enemies of which I was always afraid. I was in constant dread of them. Not that I was afraid that they
would attack me, for they are very inoffensive to man
personally; but they are the greatest sneak-thieves that
can be found in the world, and nothing but the most
constant watching and care can keep your property out
of their reach, and even with the greatest vigilance they
still get the better of you sometimes, for their ways of
getting at your things are so sly and so difficult of discovery that it is often impossible to find them out till it
is too late. Frequently they came from under the ground,
and the richest man in worldly goods may become a poor
fellow before he knows it. I need not tell you'that, as I
had to travel with a great many goods of which these little sly robbers and destroyers were very fond, I had to be
on the alert all the time, but in despite of all my watchfulness they would now and then succeed in destroying my
property. Many and many a time they got the best of me;
and, before I describe these wonderful little creatures to
you, I must tell you how I made my first acquaintance
with them. Of course, in the beginning of my arrival in
Africa I was rather " a green horn." I did not know much,
and I did not know how many sly and silent enemies I
had to contend with; so do not be astonished at my mishaps. The first time I discovered that these white ants
had destroyed my property I did not feel in a very pleasant mood, especially as my stock of goods and clothing
was rather low.
One fine Sunday morning, which was, as at home, a
day of rest for me, I thought I would dress up finely.
I knew that I had a little pine chest where I kept some




THE WHITE ANTS DESTRO Y   CY CLOTHES  17
very nice shirts that were still fresh with the iron and
starch of home. These were, of course, only put on for
great occasions, such as the Fourth of July, my birthday,
or when I wanted to impress a king with my greatness.
In that latter case I would let my shirt fall over my
pantaloons, for the effect, in the eyes of these wild Africans, was still more beautiful, and often I wanted to
please them and not myself.
I unlocked the chest and opened it. It was emptythere was no mistake about it. It was certainly the chest,
and the contents that ought to have been in it were written on the lid. Only a few days before I had opened
it and put in letters from dear friends, for it happened
to be handy for me at the time. There could be no mistake; but the letters had also disappeared.
A clear sweep had been made of all the contents of
the chest. Not a single thing had been left in it!
Could the people have dared to rob me? No! Besides, the chest was locked.
Shirts, cotton pantaloons, cotton socks-every thing
gone. I could not understand the mystery at first. I
was puzzled, and am sure you would have been puzzled
also. When, suddenly, looking carefully at the chest, I
saw streaks in the wood at the bottom that looked queer,
and which had an appearance as though the wood had
been eaten up in many places; and, besides, the boards
of the chest were full of little black spots. When I saw
at the bottom the buttons which had been on my pantaloons and shirts, the mystery became greater. I got hold
of the chest, and as I raised it I saw that it had been
perforated in many places; the bottom was almost eaten
up outside, and nothing but a mere shell was left of the




118            MY APINGI K.LVGD Oi.
plank which was the bottom of the chest. The mystery
began to get clearer to my mind when a native entered
my hut, and, as he saw me, in complete bewilderment,
still looking at the chest, he shouted, "The nchellellay
have eaten your things."
The nchellellay were white ants.
I tell you I did not like it at all to have all my fine
things eaten by the white ants. I wished they had been
all at the bottom of the sea. Good-by to my fine clothing and my good show before the kings.
They had come from their subterranean abode right
under the chest, eaten the wood at the bottom, entered
through the crevices they had made, and then devoured
every thing. Two or three days were more than sufficient for them to commit the havoc. In fact, they are,
in many districts, the pest of the country, and it is a good
thing the natives have no clothing to take care of.
The incident I have just related was my first acquaintance with the termites, or white ants; but, believe me, it
was not the last, and I have had my things destroyed by
them many and many times since.
Now I must describe the white ants to you. There
are several species of termites in the equatorial regions
of Africa, each building a different kind of structure,
which form most conspicuous objects in the regions I
have explored. These ants are of wonderful diversity,
both in the form of the body and head, and in their architectural tastes and the manner they build their shelter; but all have a common affinity in their intense dislike to light, and consequently their working at their
building during the night.
All the termites are miners, and they live in vast colo



THE SPECIES OF WHITE ANTS.        119
nies or settlements, which I will endeavor to describe to
you. The "termes bellicosus" form buildings which
sometimes reach the height of fifteen and twenty feet,
and even higher. Just think of the amount of patience
and perseverance it requires. How well built these settlements must be, for, when constructed, they last for years.
The size of the termes bellicosus is about half an inch
or a little more. So, for the sake of comparison, let us
for a moment calculate what sized building they would
make if they were of the same proportions as man.
These buildings would be more than a mile in height!
Would not that be wonderful?
I have studied the habits of four species of termites,
of which I am going to give you an account. These
were the mushroom-hived termites, the tree termites, the
bark termites, and the forest termites. The latter is a
species of termes bellicosus.
Now I will commence with the mushroom-hived ants.
This species forms the most picturesque building, and
in some districts they are found by thousands and tens
of thousands together, for the most part on the open
prairies which I met during my explorations. I remember well the grandest sight I saw of the mushroom building. I had just emerged from the great forest into an
open prairie, situated in a country called Otando, which
is about eighty miles south of the equator, when, lo!
what do I see? All over the country an immense number of objects, which appear to me, in the far distance,
like gigantic nushrooms. These are scattered by thousands and thousands, and are built by what I have called the XMushroom-hived Termes. On the following page
you may see an engraving of these buildings.




120              1Y APLVGI JKIAGD OL.
MUSIJROOIM-RIYVE) TERMES AND TR'EE TERMITEB.
They have exactly the shape of a gigantic mushroom,
the top of which is from twelve to eighteen inches in diameter, and the column about five inches; the total
height is from ten to fifteen or eighteen inches.
After the grass has been burnt the country presents a
most extraordinary appearance. In some places these
hives are met with at almost every step. There are not
two exactly of the same proportions as they appear at a
distance, and, when you come close to them, their difference in roundness, or sharpness of their summits, or in
the thickness of the column is manifested. Not only do
they differ in shape, but some are very much larger tflan
others, as you may see by the engraving before you.




MATERIAL OF THE BUILDINGS.       121
Some of them have three roofs, connected with each
other by a column, the top roof being the smallest.'See!
and you may judge how strange such a sight was to me.
This Otando prairie might have been taken for a big
country of the termites, and the buildings might have
been called the cities and the villages. Now and then
a few buildings, very close together, formed a cluster
which might have been called a settlement; and, indeed,
I have not made my mind up that these settlements, or
clusters, do not communicate with each other.
Many a time I have wished that I could understand
the white ants, and wondered if they had a language of
their own, for such intelligence as you will see by the
description I am going to give you I never met with before among the beasts and the insects I had studied.
After a few days of wonder in that far off Otando
prairie, I made up my mind not to leave the country till
at least I could learn as far as possible the mysterious
ways of the white ants; and now let us go to work together, and do you follow me in my work, and I am almost sure you will be interested, and perhaps you will
fancy yourselves really to be with me.
You will ask yourselves, Of what are these mushroomhived buildings made? They are built of a kind of mortar formed of the earth they eat, after it is digested in
the stomachs of the ants, which, by contact with the air,
becomes very hard, and able to resist for years the storms
of rain and the powerful rays of the sun. The buildings
erected by the different species of termes are constructed
to protect them against the inclemencies of the weather,
against their enemies, which are very numerous, and
which include many predaceous kinds of fellow-ants, and
F




122            MY APINGI KINGDOMX.
especially against daylight; for the white ants can not
bear daylight, and the rays of the hot sun kill them outright, often in less than half a minute.
Early one morning I left the strange village where I
was, taking with me, besides my gun, an axe; and so
the people wondered what I was going to do, though none
dared to follow me, as they were all afraid of me; for,
alas! the plague had been in the country, and I was accused of bringing death and desolation with me; at least
some believed it, while I am happy to say that many did
not believe I was an evil spirit, who delighted in killing
people that had shown me nothing but kindness. I remember how sad I felt to think that any of these benighted people thought such things of me.
I came soon to a cluster of these mushroom-hived
buildings, and felled, with one blow of the axe, one of
the structures, and I found that the base of the pillar
rested only slightly on the ground, leaving a circular hollow foundation, in the middle of which is a ball of earth
full of cells, which enters the centre of the base of the pillar, and these lower cells are eagerly defended by a multitude of the soldier class of ants, which I took first to be
males, all striving to bite the intruder with their pincerlike jaws. On breaking open the ball of which I have
spoken to you, which, when handled, divided itself into
thiree parts, I found them full of very young white ants in
different stages of growth, and also of eggs. The young
ones were of a milky-white color.
I again set to work-one, two, three blows-and break
and crush the upper part of the structure.
What do I see'? Cells which, for the first time since
they had been built, had seen daylight. There were a




A STRANGE SCENE.             123
great number of them, all communicating with each
other. The inhabitants of these dark abodes were in
great dismay. To and fro they moved as if to say, What
is the matter? what has happened? who has been bold
enough to demolish our structures?
These inhabitants were queer looking. A great many
of them had tumbled down with the ruins and debris,
and among them were many young ones and a number
of eggs.
How eagerly I looked, and how strangely every thing
appeared to me!
I must give you a description of the inhabitants, and
the engraving below will give you an idea of their
shape.
First, there were a great many full-grown individuals,
IN THE OELLS-QUEEN, SOLDIERS, AND WOEKERS.




124             IY APINGI KINGD OJ.
who were armed with tremendous long pincers or nip
pers, which could inflict very painful bites; these I took
to be males, but they were soldiers. You will see afterwards why they are called soldiers.
There was another kind much shorter; they have not
elongated nippers like the soldiers, but have very bulky
abdomens, and appeared to all purpose inoffensive; they
were of a yellowish color, with a grayish tinge, on account of the earth or mortar they had in their abdomen.
These were the workers, and you will see by-and-by why
they are called workers.
These two apparently distinct species had tumbled
down, with a great many young ones of different sizes
-some so young that they could not walk-and a good
many wounded by the breaking of the building.
After looking at these for a short time, I examined the
cells which I had partly demolished. These cells were
elongated, and no two were exactly of the same shape.
They were about one inch in length more or less, and a
third of an inch broad, all the cells communicating with
each other by a tunnel or corridor.
Then I saw, at the opening of each cell that had been
partly broken, soldiers who came from the inside to look
on and see what was the matter. They only came to
the light, and then retired.
In the mean time a great scramble had taken place
among the white ants that had been thrown out of the
cells when I demolished the building; and I shall never
forget how astonished I was when I saw them suddenly
wander through the scene of the battle-field, if I may use
the expression, attending to their sick and wounded.
They took no notice of those that were dangerously




BRINGING IN THE WOUNDED.        125
wounded, but carried away only those that were not beyond hope. Of course the dead were left; and how
careful they were to bring into the cells the wounded
and young ones between their pincers! I was perfectly
amazed. Human beings coming out of a railway crash,
or people surrounding houses that had tumbled down,
could not have developed more intelligence. I wish you
could have seen how careful the workers and soldiers
were in looking for the wounded after the battle, in
bringing in the wounded and the young!
They even brought in those that were too young to
walk. The eggs were brought in also; all were carried
into the interior recess of unbroken cells, and there my
sight ended. Oh, how I wished to see more!
This transportation of the wounded, young ones, and
eggs.was but a short work. I could hardly believe my
eyes, for so many had come to the rescue from the inside, which added a great deal to the strength of those
who were not wounded outside, and they all went right
to work with as much system as if nothing had happened. Of course I had missed a good deal that had taken
place elsewhere by watching this operation. So I demolished another shelter with my axe, and paid attention to something else. First I demolished a small part
of the building, and, as soon as the cells were broken, a
few head men or chiefs were seen; these were larger
than the soldiers; each one moved his head all round
the aperture, and then disappeared into the dark galleries, apparently without depositing any thing, for I
looked on closely with a powerful magnifying-glass, and
I could see nothing. But certainly there must have
been a reason for coming, only I could not find out.




126            M Y APING I KINGD OM.
These very large white ants I suspected were really the
males, but I could not be certain, as they had disappeared in their dark recess, where no human eye could follow them. The soldiers made their appearance, looked
on, and kept still. Again, with the help of my powerful
magnifying-glass, I could not see what they were doing.
Then the workers came forward, and each of them turned round and ejected from behind a quantity of liquid
mud or earth into the aperture. This liquid hardened as
it came in contact with the air, and each little load that
was discharged was put carefully on the top of the other in as business-like a way as human bricklayers would
lay bricks in building or repairing a wall.. Their
work was managed with such precision that it would
have done honor to the best bricklayer or stone-mason.
I must own I was astounded. Though I had seen many
ant-hills, I had never taken the trouble to know how
they were made. The most strange thing was, that after an ant had deposited its load, it with great rapidity
disappeared inside, following a line of retreat, and another, with as much quickness, made its appearance, so
that there was no loss of time. A load was put on the
top of another certainly far more quickly than a mason
would put a brick on the top of another in building a
wall. They continued working, till finally the breach I
had made in each cell was perfectly walled up.
The question to my mind was to know if the same
ants went away to eat more earth and came again. Iow
much I would have given to see into the dark recess of
the chambers! but I do not see how this will ever be
done.
After a very short time, all the apertures or breaches




CLOSING'THE BREACH            127
that I had made were closed, so they felt once more safe
in their fortress from their enemies and from daylight.
I had become so intensely interested in my observations that I was covered with perspiration. I must confess I had, during my years of traveling, seen nothing
more curious.
The sun was going down very fast, so I returned back
to the village, promising myself to study the white ants
every day for some time to come.




CHAPTER XVIII.
MORE ABOUT WHITE ANTS.-TWO SPECIES.-TERRIBLE FIGHT
BETWEEN THEM. —THE WORKERS AND THE SOLDIERS.THE QUEEN.-SHE IS SURROUNDED BY SOLDIERS. —OTHER
SPECIES OF ANTS.
AFTER my return to the village the people began to
look at me with perfect amazement and with great fear;
they almost appeared to regard it as something supernatural that I should demolish these white ants' buildings.
"What does the Moguizi mean?" said the Otando people. " If he did not mean something, he would not have
gone and staid so long looking after these nchellellays."
Poor people! they could not understand why I did go,
in despite of all the explanations I gave them. They
could not comprehend that it was possible for a human
being to care how the white ants built their shelters and
what they did.
So, early the next morning I started again. I took an
axe with me as before, and very soon, if you had been
close by, you would have seen me hard at work demolishing one of these ant-hills. It required several blows
before I succeeded, for the material was hard, and difficult to break.
While I was busily but quietly demolishing and looking on at the cells and at the havoc I had made, and the
great dismay I had put the ants to, I suddenly discov



A BATTLE AMONG THE WHITE ANTS.      129
ered that there was another distinct species of white ant
mixed up with the proper architects of the edifice.
The fighting fellows, the soldiers of this other species,
were much smaller and more slender, and somewhat of
a darker color, and commenced a conflict with the other
"soldiers," whom I described in the last chapter, with
terrific rage. I could not make out how these fellows,
who could fight with such fury, could live together in
the same building. On close inspection, I found that
these slender fellows came out of cells with a yellow
earth, while the others inhabited cells of black earth like
the structure. The yellow color was due to a coating of
some foreign substance on the walls of the cells. The
chambers inhabited by the slender species were smaller,
and did not at all communicate with those occupied by
the lords of the manor, but were inserted into the vacant
spaces or partition walls between the other cells. They
were smugglers, and had, no doubt, introduced themselves after the buildings had been finished, from under
the ground. Pretty smart fellows, I thought.
What a fight! A regular battle. No enemies could
fight with more fury, with more pluck and determination. It was quite marvelous to see how the soldiers of
the one kind seized the bodies of the others with their
powerful pincer-jaws. The fight became general, and
the larger kind showed no mercy to its less powerful enemy. Here were two fellows squaring it-a powerful
big soldier against a smaller one. The fight was short.
The weaker kind was killed soon. The soft body or abdomen seemed to be the vulnerable point. The soldiers
of the smaller and slender kind possessed also long, pincer-like jaws, and these were powerful and formidable
F2




130            MfY APIX GI KINGD OM.
enemies of the workers of the larger kind, for, though
much smaller in size, they had far more powerful and
elongated pincers.
Suddenly a worker of the larger kind seized a small
worker in its last struggle for life, when one of these
slender soldiers that was passing by ran to the rescue of
its kindred in species, seized the larger kind with its
pincers, and, snapping them into the abdomen of the
assailant, twice its size, killed it instantly. The slender
one then fell from the short pincers of the larger worker
who had been killed, but life was extinct. The rescuer
examined the body, and, seeing that there was no life,
left it on the battle-field instead of carrying it off, went
away, and disappeared in search of more enemies to conquer. In the combat, every where, there was nothing
but fighting, and it was no child's play, for many and
many lost their lives in the conflict; it was a regular
pitched battle, and I must say I was perfectly astonished
at the bravery of these white ants.
By this fight I discovered that the vulnerable point ol
the termites is the abdomen; it is evident that their
powerful pincer-jaws are made for wounding and piercing, while the structure of the workers show their short
pincers are made for the purpose of labor, and that they
are not great fighters. Nothing astonished me more in
those deadly combats than their impetuous mode of attack. The weaker species knew the vulnerable point of
his formidable enemy, who was frequently too busy fighting to know what was going on round it, and could not
protect itself.
A farther examination showed me that the mushroomlike cap of the whole edifice I had demolished was com



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BUILDING MAIERIAL OF THE WHITE ANTS.    133
posed of both black and yellow cells. This curious mixture of two species, each building its own cells in the
same establishment, astonished me.
After this fight I went to see what had become of the
buildings I had partly demolished the day before, and
the operations of which had been closed at once by the
white ants to keep the light out and enemies from getting in. My astonishment was great when I saw that
they had, during the night, built the structures exactly
as they were before I destroyed them. They continued
to rebuild in the original shape, but during the daytime
they only closed the cells. I noticed that now and then
some of the workers brought in their pincers very large
grains of sand or minute pebbles, and deposited them in
the mud, and several of the cells I demolished were filled
with these little pebbles.
Strange to say, the termites called workers have nothing else to do but to work and work, while the soldiers,
apparently, have nothing to do. Now I must look for a
queen ant. But, before doing so, I must try to tell you
how their building material is formed. The earth which
they eat, and which they use in building, as I have told
you before, is seen through the thin skins of their bodies.
This mud is mixed with a gluey matter through the power of digestion, and when it is ejected it gets hard, and
with this material they construct all the buildings, tunnels,
and walls which form their cells, showing a bright example, even to us all, of what time and perseverance can
do. They achieve, mite by mite, the firm and solid
structure of the entire hut, which stands against the
storms for a good many years.. Sun and rain are equally
fatal to these white ants;' thus it is necessary that they




134           1MY APIANGI KINGD OM.
should build a hive impervious to light, heat, and rain.
I have put white ants in the sun, and they were shortly
afterward killed by its heat. I had often thought that
each cell was perhaps inhabited only by one ant, but the
great number I saw in each mushroom-like edifice makes
it quite improbable that it should be so. Many cells are
almost an inch in length, and about a third of an inch
broad.
There are several species of white ants, as I have told
you; some live in subterranean dwellings unseen by the
eyes of man, and suddenly make their appearance
through the floor of one's hut during the night, and devour all substances made of cotton or paper, for they are
exceedingly fond of paper. They are very fond of eating wood, and are often found in dead trees, the wood
of which they gradually devour, leaving but the outside.
They must also have a great sense of smell.
One may retire to bed in fancied security, with no
signs of white ants about, and in the morning wake up
to find little covered ways overspreading the floor, and
over the chest in which one's treasures are, and the contents of the chest partly or-entirely destroyed. In a few
days a store-house of goods would be spoiled. So the utmost care has to be used in keeping away the white ants.
I was fortunate that my settlement of Washington was
situated on a sandy soil, for in such soil the white ants
can not live, on account of not being able to eat sand;
and, besides, their tunnels could not be made in such a
soil.
I was very anxious to find the queen-the head of the
colony, the sovereign of the establishment. So I went
to work, and was soon rewarded for my labor. I discov



THE QUEEN'S COURT.            135
ered a queen, and the engraving shown at page 123 will
give you an idea of the queer shape a white ant queen is.
After demolishing the building carefully, piece by piece,
at last I came to a large chamber several times larger
than any other, in which I found the queen. She was
surrounded by the soldiers, which seemed to keep guard
over her majesty, while workers were in the act of carrying away the eggs which she had recently deposited.
As soon as the cell where the queen was had been partly
broken, the soldiers appeared perfectly infuriated, and
opened and gnashed their powerful nippers. I placed a
little piece of wood as if to touch the queen with it;
they threw themselves upon it, and with their nippers
seized it and bit it furiously. The queen seemed almost
in a torpid state; she was over an inch and a half in
length, and she was continually laying eggs, the workers'
business being to take these eggs to different parts of the
building.
It was easy, at a single glance, to see that it had been
utterly impossible for the queen to enter that chamber
of the size she was.
This will bring me to explain to you how a queen is
made.
Once a year a number of white ants in each colony,
trained up from the eggs, come to maturity, acquire
wings, and fly out of the hive or building on warm evenings. These are males and females; but very few escape,
on account of the great number of their enemies, and
those who do survive all dangers become the kings and
queens of new hives.
The sole parents of a colony are a single female or
queen, and a slender insect called the king. Possibly




136             MY APINGI KINGD O1.
there may be several males, though this latter can never
be seen in the confusion of the demolition of the buiiding, and on account of the male being very similar to
the soldiers.
As you have seen, the queen lives in a much larger
chamber than all the rest of " her people," in the middle
of the building, generally near the base of the hive, and
does nothing but lay eggs, and the workers carry these
to other parts of the hive.
The question naturally arises, How is the building first
made    I suppose that the female intended to form a
colony is seized by numerous ants, which carry her away,
and from under the earth either begin a new building,
or take her to a cell which had been built beforehand for
the queen of a colony.
A queen is found in each colony, and, when once
there, she never stirs, her chamber being devoted to her
sole use.
At each end of the chamber of the queen are two
holes, which communicate, like all the cells, with the other parts of the building, through which soldiers and
workers can get in and out. After the queen has been
installed there she loses her wings. The king, which. I
have never been able to recognize with certainty, loses
his wings also. Then a wondrous change takes place in
the queen, and from an ordinary winged ant the change,
or rather transformation, becomes so great that an ordinary observer would not recognize as the queen the winged insect he had seen a few days before.
She loses her wings, though of course her head, thorax, and legs retain their normal and former dimensions;
her abdomen begins to swell, and becomes so elongated




BUILDING OF THE TREE ANT.         137
and so large that it attains almost two inches in length
among the mushroom-hived ants; among the large termites, to three or four inches. The head is almost lost
sight of, and the creature looks more like a caterpillar
than any thing else, and the exit from her house is so
small then, that, even if the queen could move, she could
not get out. She is imprisoned for life, and the number
of thousands and thousands of eggs she lays is almost incredible. These are carried to every part of the building by the workers, while the soldiers keep watch over
her. So we may say truly that the queen is the mother
of her own subjects.
Besides the species of white ants I have spoken to you
about, there are several others-the tree ant, the bark ant,
and the forest ant.
I will speak to you of the tree ant first. In the forest
there is a species which makes its hives or nests between
the ribs of the trunks of trees. The nests are from four
to seven feet long, and six to eight inches broad, and are
formed externally of several slanting roofs, one above
the other. The ants that make these structures have
long black bodies and white heads, and are unlike the
mushroom-building ants. (See page 120 for engraving.)
The structure begins from the ground in a somewhat
irregular cylindrical piece of walling or building about a
foot high, but varying to as much as eighteen inches, and
full of cells and galleries; then occurs the first slanting
roof. The larger the structure, the more of these slanting roof-like projections it possesses, and they become
smaller toward the top, the middle roof being the broadest; sometimes a few inches will separate one roof from
the other; the roofs communicate with each other through




138             1Y A PIVGI KINGD M.
the cells by the same cylindrical piece of masonry; the
material of which the whole is built is very thick, hard,
and impermeable to rain. The structure of this ant is
not common in the forest; but I found several, and I
could study the habits of their inhabitants.
Bark Ant.-Another much smaller species of white
ant is found under pieces of loose dry bark on the forest trees, on which they feed. The colonies were composed of a very scanty number of individuals, and the
ants were so small and obscure that it was not easy to
detect them. They always choose trees that are old, and
have these scales of loose bark on their trunks from place
to place. It is under these small patches or scales that
the ants live. They feed on the wood, and build covered ways, or rather tunnels, which start from the ground,
and communicate to the different places where the colony has scattered itself. Now and then, scraping under
the bark, I found that the settlement had moved somewhere else as soon as they had come to the green of the
tree. The material which this ant uses to build its tunnels is not earth, but wood-dust. This proves clearly
that these white ants, with, perhaps, the exception of one
species, build their nests of the same material as they eat,
but not till after it has passed through their stomachs,
and received an admixture of glutinous fluid. The quantity thrown by this little species was so minute that I
could hardly have seen it with the naked eye. They
worked exactly like the others I have just described. I
was unable to recognize the three distinct classes of individuals. There seemed to be only two sets-soldiers and
workers. They worked very slowly when joining the
broken portions of the tunnels I had demolished. This




BUILDILNGS OF THE FOREST TERM~ES.    139
was accounted for by the extreme smallness of the particles of material ejected by them, and also by the fact
that, in consequence of the tunnel being very narrow,
only one or two ants could work at the same time.
Forest Termes.-Now I come to the largest, another
species of white ant, much larger than those I have described before, and building far larger structures.
The shelters of this ant are found in the forest, and
are rather uncommon; they are always found single;
their light yellow color makes them quite conspicuous in
the midst of the dark foliage by which they are surrounded; this yellow color comes from the soil which
the ants use in building, and which they get from below
the black loam.
BUILDING 01F FOREST ANTS.




140             MY APIN.I KIN.GD OM
The height of the structure I examined was four feet
and a half, and the diameter, at the broadest part, two
feet and a half; after breaking one sinuosity, I found the
cells to be about one inch and a half in length, and about
half an inch in height, each cell corresponding with the
others by corridors or round tunnels varying from half
an inch to one inch in length, and about a quarter of an
inch in diameter.
In demolishing the sides, I found that the thickness of
the wall was only one inch before the cells were found;
but I found the earth at the top much harder than on
the sides, as though the builders had put a much larger
quantity of glutinous matter in this part of the structure.
After breaking away three inches of this yellow top of
the nest, I suddenly came to another layer half an inch
thick, full of little holes or cells, so small that they had
no doubt been built on purpose for the ants to remain
there alone, but for what reason they required to remain
alone I was unable to discover; at that time there were
no ants there.
Then with the axe I gave a powerful blow, and demolished another part of the structure, which disturbed
the ants from their dark chambers. I saw there the
three different classes of ants: the head men, very large,
with whitish body and black head (these were but few
in number); the workers, with short and thick body and
broad head, but not so large as the chiefs; and, thirdly,
the soldiers, not so large as the workers, more slender,
and possessing longer nippers. These three distinct
classes were the inhabitants of this curious structure.
As I was looking at these ants, my attention was suddenly called to watch their movements. The soldiers




CURIOUS WA Y ANTS BUILD.        1 41
came, and, ranging themselves round the broken cells,
took their stand and remained immovable. Then the
workers came; each carried between its pincers a small
particle of yellow clay, which some of them collected
from the broken pieces, and which stood in my sight,
while others came with their loads from the cells;
there were sometimes two or three busy together at the
same time and in the same cells. Each ant came and
put down its particle of wet clay with the utmost precision, and then with its head moved it right and left,
and by so doing succeeded in making the bits stick together, and so finished the wall. Each bit was put by
the side of the one left by the previous worker, who had
gone to fetch more, for here I saw the same ant go and
fetch fresh pieces of the same clay, which came from
the structure I had broken. I observed that they never
went outside the cells to get their materials. No masons
could have worked more systematically.
But how could the clay which I saw them take dry
become suddenly wet? I took a small reed and advanced it quietly toward some; they made a spring at it
(for these ants' bites are far worse than the others) and
seized it with their nippers, and then threw upon it a little whitish, thickish matter, the same stuff that made the
clay wet and ready for building purposes. During the
working time not one of the largest class was in sight.
The soldiers kept watch, and it was only just before the
wall was closed that they retired.
I give you, on the following page, a picture of the
buildings of the termes bellicosus, which often reaches the
height of twenty feet or more, so that you may see the
great variety there is in the shape of the buildings made




1'2             M{Y APLVGI JILVGDOM.
BUILDING& OF THE TERMES BELLLICOSUS.
by the white ants in Africa, according to the different species. It will show you that there is as much diversity in
the houses of the ants as there is among those of different
races of men. The difference is no greater between a
negro hut and a beautiful stone house, than between the
shelter of the white ant living under the bark of trees,
and the large structures of the more ingenious architects.




CHAPTER XIX.
LEAVE THE APINGI COUNTRY.-GO INTO THE INTERIOR.I AM LOST.-I RAISE THE AMERICAN FLAG ON A BIG TREE.
- LEAVE IT FLYING. — STARVATION AND SUFFERING.RETURN TO REMANDJI.
TIME was passing away, and I feel that I must make
further exploration of the country. It seems to me,
though I did not know why I had this feeling, that the
Apingi did not wish me to go into another country.
They were jealous, and I was afraid they did not want
any other tribe to possess me. I did not tell the people
that I thought so, and kept them good friends with me.
That same evening, the old men were smoking their pipes
under the veranda of Remandji. Old Remandji was
there, and I was ready for another long talk from him
about the country.
He had spoken to me, as I have told you before, of
Sapadi, but this evening he talked to me of a people of
whom I had never seen or heard-of mnen and women
who were all small. There were no tall people among
them. They lived in the woods, like the gorilla and
chimpanzee, and moved from place to place without
fixed habitations. "What!" said I, " Remandji, have you
seen such a people 2" "No," said he, "but slaves of mine
who came from far away (pointing in the direction of
the rising sun) have told me often that they have seen
them." I changed at once the conversation, fully per



144            MY APLYGI KINGDOM
suaded that such people did not exist. I learned that
there were many tribes living in the distant mountains,
and no one among the Apingi, or among their slaves,
could tell where the immense forest in which you have
been traveling with me, in the three volumes I have written for you, came to an end. Strange names of tribes
of wild men, living in this the most gigantic jungle of
the world, were given me, many of which I had never
heard before. Cannibals were not known among them,
with the exception of a tribe living far off in the northeast, called Moshobo. There were tribes called Madouma, Meouandji, Ngalois, Ishogo, Ashango, and others.
So I said, " Remandji, you must give me some people,
for I want to wander in the forest, far beyond the Apingi
country. I want to see if I can find something -new, if
I can see the strange men, and discover new birds and
new animals." I had a vague idea that perhaps I might
meet with the unicorn; at any rate, I thought I could not
help seeing new things.
But I was in trouble, for I was getting very poor, and
would cut a poor figure as a king. Of course I had not
a dollar, for money is perfectly useless there. The people would rather have one big bead than a twenty-dollar
gold piece. I mean that my stock of goods for presents
to the natives was very short. I had no more red caps,
and I had but very few beads left. In fact, I had only
some looking-glasses, a very few yards of calico prints,
a few fine steel files, knives and forks, matches, and a
few other trinkets.
My clothes were entirely worn out. I had but little
powder left, only five or six scores of large bullets, and
not.very many pounds of small shot. My medicines were




MY RAGGED GARMENTS.            145
almost gone. I had but little quinine, and what should
I do without it if I had a return of those violent attacks
of fever which from time to time get hold of me?
You would have laughed if you had seen my wardrobe. It was composed of a coat, a single shirt, and two
very old pairs of pantaloons! Happily, one of them was
made of very strong material, but both were full of holes,
and had been mended over and over again. One pair
was minus half a leg! The shirt I wore was the only
one I had to my back, for -I had given the other to Remandji. I had also a linen coat. It is true, it was almost good for nothing, but, nevertheless, it was very. useful, for I could wear it while my shirt was drying in the
sun after being washed. Besides, I had two old pairs of
socks-I should rather say, remains of socks, for I do not
know how to darn stockings, and consequently the holes
in the heels were getting bigger and bigger every day.
As for the two old pairs of shoes I had on hand, I had
mended them over and over, the needle I used being
that with which I sewed the skins of the wild animals I
prepared.
How sorry I felt not to be richer, for I could have
gone a long way into the interior. Oh how I loved to
roam and wander in the great forest! How strange
every thing looked to me! It was like the discovery of a
new world. So I said to myself, go a little further again,
Friend Paul! Never mind the shoes, never mind the
quinine, never mind any thing. Go ahead for a little
while more.
So one fine morning Remandji and I, with a few
Apingi, left the village and once more entered the forest. We traveled entirely by compass, avoiding the emG




146            MY APIYGI KINGD OM.
inences as far as we could. The way was somewhat
rocky, and the forest dense. Roads there were none, and
for the greater part of the time the rocky beds of rivulets formed our paths. Of course, these were terrible
for the shoes. The very first day the heels of one pair
gave out; but, fortunately, I had another pair.
Good Remandji could not stand this kind of knocking
round in the woods, and telling me at last that he was
too old for such work, he gave me his son Okabi for a
companion, and returned home.
Our way in the woods was so crooked at times that it
seemed to me as if I was really going all round the compass, and began to suspect that the Apingi either did
not want me to leave their country, or did not know the
roads. Several days were thus spent in wandering in the
forest. When night came we would build a camp wherever we happened to be. One evening a tornado blew
over the land, and broke down the trees and their
branches all round us, but, fortunately, none fell on our
camp, or I might not be living to write you this story of
my weary wandering. I always had to sleep with one eye
open, for leopards were plentiful, and their howls filled
the forest during the night. The gloom of the woods
was something quite appalling to the spirits. There were
places where the forest was so sombre and silent that it
seemed a fit place for the haunt of some sylvan monster,
delighting in silence and in the shades of night. I wondered not that the natives should be superstitious, and
say that such monsters do exist. They often imagine
that they see them, but as they approach near to them
they suddenly disappear.
The 31st of December found me in the great forest.




NB V- YEAR IN AFRICA.         147
That evening I thanked the Great Spirit and Maker of
the universe for his great kindness to me during the year
that had just gone by.
The next day was New-year's, 1859. How time had
fled. I had attained my manhood in that great forest
searching after the mysteries of Nature. What wonders
I had seen since I left home! What perils I had gone
through, what warlike tribes I had met! Dangers seen
and unseen I had escaped, and the end had not yet come,
for I was far away from that sea which bathed the shores
from which I was to get a vessel, and I knew not if I
should ever reach those shores.
Oh dear! At last I could go no farther. My last
pair of shoes gave out completely that New-year's-day!
They were torn, both uppers and soles, and at every step
my bleeding feet were more and more lacerated, till at
last the agony became too great, and the strong will
which had sustained me gave way. I had to stop from
time to time, for I could hardly put a step foward without an accompanying scream. The pain obliged me to
lie down near a brook, where I had stopped to bathe my
wounded feet, but I tried hard to show I did not suffer.
To add to the misery, I found that we were lost in the
forest! What was to be done? Not a village could be
seen. We built our camp. I mended my shoes all that
evening, as well as I could, for the morrow's journey.
We ate the last of our plantains. I took a mouthful of
a little brandy I had, which was very precious to me as
a medicine, and we went to sleep.
Thus ended New-year's-day. How different from
New-year's-day at home! But never mind, said I to myself, I have seen many things which nobody else has seen.




148             MIY APINGI KINGD OX.
PAUL MENDING 8HOES.
The next morning my feet were so swollen that I
could not force them into my shoes. We decided to retrace our steps.
On a high hill not far from our camp stood a large
and very tall tree. After a breakfast of berries and
wild nuts, I took from a little sack, in which it had been
laid away, a little American flag; we tied it on that tall
tree on the high hill. When it floated out in the breeze
we all gave three cheers for the Star-spangled banner.
The sight seemed to give me new courage, and I fired a
salute of three guns.




MlY FEET ARE so VER Y SORE.      149
As my socks were totally unfit to wear, I tore the
sleeves of my shirt, and bandaged my feet carefully with
them, forced them gently into my old torn, worn-out
shoes, and then, giving a last look at the flag, and shouting good-by to it, I left it to float by itself in the midst
of the mountains and forests of Equatorial Africa.
I suffered dreadfully on my way back. I remember
that my feet got worse instead of better. When my
wretched shoes were beyond even tying together with
vines, I cast them away, and bandaged my feet with
what remained of my shirt, but it was of little use. The
stony path and thorny jungle laughed at such protection.
Starvation, real starvation, with nothing to eat, was also
our lot. But one day our ears were gladdened by the
roar of a gorilla. We killed it, and this furnished us
with food for the remainder of our journey.
At last, after many days of weary wandering, villages
were seen, and finally we got into comfortable quarters
at Remandji. How well I was received! These Apingi
had learned to love me, and were glad to welcome me
back. Old Remandji himself was overjoyed to see his
Spirit, and, in order to celebrate my arrival, got jolly
drunk upon palm wine.




CHAPTER XX.
I MUST LEAVE MY KINGDOM.-ASSEMBLING OF THE PEOPLE.
— THEY COME TO SAY GOOD-BY. —I MAKE A SPEECH.-REMANDJI'S REPLY.-A HEAVY PRESENT.-PRESENTS TO REMANDJI.-THEY ARE SORRY I MUST GO AWAY.
AT last the day is approaching when I must quit
my kingdom and bid good-by to the Apingi people.
I am getting very poor. When I look at the stock of
beads I have on hand, I feel that it is time for me to
leave, for the Apingi people think I have power to make
them; and if I had none to give them they would think
that I did not love them any more, and the consequence
might be that they would become afraid of me. Besides,
I feel very weary and lonely. Hardship and disease have
prostrated my body; when I look in the looking-glass I
can see how sunken are my eyes, and how hollow and
pallid are my cheeks. My lips have lost their color, and
my poor emaciated body says to me "what a hard time
you have had," and warns me that perhaps I shall never
go home. I have a longing to see the deep blue ocean
again, to see my dear little village of Washington, to see
the River Commi, the big pelicans that swim on it, and
to get a peep at the big cranes that waddle on its shores,
and the herds of huge hippopotami which are always
in sight of my settlement.
A fine morning, just a little after sunrise, when the




RE1~ANNDJI LOOKS AT MlIE STEADIL Y  151
birds were singing, I went to the hut of Remandji and
told him that I wanted him to send messengers to all
the villages of the Apingi, for the Moguizi wanted to
leave the country, and bid the people good-by. Good
old Remandji looked me in the face steadily, and said,
with a sad voice," Moguizi, must you go-must you leave
our land?" Then he called Minsho, the great-grandnephew of the King of the Ashira, who had brought me
from that country of his, and said to him," The Spirit
must go back; we are all sorry, but it is his will, and we
must submit."
Then Remandji, with a heart too full to speak any
more, got up and disappeared back of his house, and
went into the house of the Alumbi, where the heads of
some of his great ancestors were, and the ochre upon
which they had rested. He rubbed his forehead, the middle of his chest, and all along his arm with it, and then
came out.
There was a great commotion in the place when they
heard I was going.
Messengers were sent to all the villages of the Apingi
country, and the next day the people began to pour in
from every quarter, loaded with provisions. The village
could not hold all the people, so olakos, or "encampments" were made in the forest by them. Chief after
chief made his appearance. These were the representatives of all the Apingi clans. The forest surrounding
our village was filled with people who had come from
the mountains, from down the river, and from the valleys.
The day for saying good-by had arrived. Two seats
were placed in the middle of the street, close together



152            M Y APIXI KIGD O.
one for Remandji, the other for me. The drummers
ranged themselves in a semicircle on one side, covered
with fetiches. The chiefs or heads of clans had collected
at Remandji's house. Suddenly the drums began to
beat, and Remandji and the chiefs advanced toward my
hut. The people, who completely filled the village,
chanted a plaintive hymn, and when they came in front
of my hut they stopped, and I came out and followed
them. Remandji and I seated ourselves on the seats
that had been reserved for us, while the old men and
chiefs seated themselves on the ground in front of us.
A profound silence reigned. Not a whisper could be
heard. The eyes of every one were turned toward me.
The Ashiras who had taken me to the Apingi country
were seated near me, in front, between the Apingi chiefs
and Remandji and myself.
I got up, and took from off my shoulder the kendo
with which I had been invested when made a king, and
which I have described to you in " Lost in the Jungle,"
and rang it; then, with as loud a voice as I could possibly muster, I said to them, "Apingi, the Spirit, who loves
you, is going away. The sun will not rise twice again
over your village before I shall be far away, for to-morrow morning I shall start in the direction where the sun
disappears beyond yonder forest, and where it sets. My
voice you will hear no more. With your women and
with yourselves I shall talk no more. Your children
will not play with me any more. The ticking of my
clock (pointing in the direction where it was) will go
with me. Apingi, I love you. Apingi, you have been
good to the Spirit. The Spirit will never forget you.
Remandji, you are my friend; Remandji," said I once




I RING THE KENDO.           153
more, taking his two hands in mine, "you are my friend,"
and I looked steadily in his face.
THE SPIRIT TAKING LEAVE.
Then, ringing the kendo once more, I shouted with all
my power, "Apingi, it is the last time I shall ring the
kendo in your land. When you made me king you gave
it to me, and as your chief I had to wear it. To you,
Remandji, I now return it." But as I was ready to hand
the kendo to Remandji, the people, with one voice, shouted, "Keep it! keep it in remembrance of us. Keep it,
Spirit! keep it; for we want you to ring the kendo in the
land of the spirits." So, in the midst of tremendous and
exciting cheers, I replaced the kendo on my shoulder, and
then seated myself. I have since presented the kendo to
my much-venerated friend, Sir Roderick Murchison.
G 2




154             MY APIVGI KINVGtDO 
Then Remandji got up and said: " Apingi people, the
Spirit is going away. The Spirit is to leave us. But
the Spirit can not be angry with us. The. Spirit has
said, and you have heard him say it, that he loved me
and that he loved you. To-morrow morning the Spirit
is going away.. I have seen the Spirit; you have seen
the Spirit. We have heard him talk, and he has given
us his hands many a time. Many of the things he has
given us we wear. But many have not seen him; many
have been afraid of him. By-and-by, when they come
into our villages and do not see the Spirit, and we tell
them once he was amongst us, they will say it is a lieit is a lie; the Spirit has never come among you."
Then he seated himself, and immediately after the
drums began to beat, and the people sung:
"The good Spirit is going away.
The good Spirit is going where the sun goes.
The good Spirit will talk to us no more.
The good Spirit will not hunt any more in-our woods.
The good Spirit is the friend of Remandji.
The good Spirit loves Remandji.
Oh! oh! oh! oh! oh! oh!"
Then a large anvil of iron was brought before me by
two slaves, and presented to me. It was used by the
people in their blacksmithing operations, and must have
weighed, I thought, about one hundred pounds. It was
too heavy to carry away, and, besides, as it came from a
far interior country, and was not made by the Apingi, I
thought the people wanted it a good deal more than I
did. So I said," Apingi, take this anvil; you want it to
work upon. It would be hard for you to get another.
The Spirit wants you to work, for he loves people to be
blacksmiths."




PRESENTS TO REMANDJI.            155
Then Remandji gave me two beautiful caps made of
palm leaves, done in fine crochet work. These I have
always kept, and they have excited the admiration of
many ladies for the neatness of the work.
Then a great quantity of food was laid at my feetbananas, sugar - cane, pea - nuts, pine - apples, plantains,
fowls, smoked fish, etc. These things made a big pile
before me, and the people shouted, " Moguizi, these you
will eat on your way toward where the sun sets, while
you are traveling in the big forest."
Then, in the presence of all the people, I gave to Remandji my knife and fork-the very knife and fork
with which the people had seen me eat every day while
I was among them.
Then, taking a pair of scissors from a bag at my side, I
cut off a long lock of my black hair, and presented it to
Remandji, telling him to keep it in remembrance of me.
Here the excitement of the people became intense. Loud
shouts rang from one end of the village to the other; the
people became wild, jumped to and fro, and danced and
sang-' The Spirit has given his hair to Remandji,
The Spirit truly loves Remandji,
Remandji will always keep the hair of the Spirit."
When this was finished they came toward me in a halfsitting posture, looking me in the face, and clapping their
hands, and singing"Sparit, why do you leave us?
Spirit, why are you going away?"
When these ceremonies were over the people separated,
and returned to their huts, or to their olakos in the forest.




156            MY APINGI KI~NGD OM.
In the afternoon I went into Remandji's house, and,
at his own special request, I covered the walls with New
York papers, which I had received while in the Ashira
country. They had been left for me by some stray vessel on the coast, had found their way to Washington, and
from Washington had gone to Goumbi, and from Goumbi Quengueza had sent them to me at the head-waters
of the Ovenga. Among them were copies of "Harper's
Weekly," and of all the dailies that were at that time
published in New York. What a treat it was!
He was very proud of these decorations, and said that
when another Spirit came to see him he would show
them to him; and if the people should say, "It is a lie,
the Spirit has never come to your country," he would
point to these papers as proof of his assertion. I warned him to guard against the white ants, as they are very
fond of paper.




~~~~~~~~.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~: 1 -— _ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 5E,-:
01~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~;
~~~~~A     PNI  ILG








CHAPTER XXI.
GOOD-BY TO REMANDJI. —I CROSS THE RIVER. —THE ASIIRAS
FEAR THE BAKALAIS. —A BAKALAI VILLAGE.-CROSSING
THE LOIVENDJI. - I MEET QUENGUEZA.- ARRIVAL AT
WASHINGTON.
THE day of departure has at last come. All our provisions have been gathered. For three days past the
Apingi have been coming to say good-by to me. We
are on the banks of the river, and the canoes that are to
ferry us over are waiting.
I am well again. My feet had been getting better every day. With the skin of an antelope I had made some
kind of boots to protect them. You would have laughed if you had seen my attempt at shoemaking.
Remandji is by my side, and leads me to the river
bank. I am followed by my Ashiras. We get into the
canoes. Remandji and I look at each other for the last
time. I take hold of his hand, blow upon it, and I am
off! Soon after I stand on the bluff on the opposite
shore. A wild hurra from the Apingi I have just left
greets our ears. Remandji waves his hands to me. I
wave mine to him, and, just before disappearing in the
great forest, I fire a gun, and look back for the last time
at the good old chief and at his people. As we entered
the great jungle, the sound of a multitude of voices dimly reaches our ears. It is the last good-by from the good
Apingi people to me.




160            MY APINGI JKIN GD OM.
Once more I plunge into the great forest toward where
the sun sets, and shall not stop till the broad Atlantic
stops my footsteps.
My first adventure during the day was to start a flock
of white-nosed monkeys. I was lucky enough to kill
the very biggest of the flock. But how he dogged me!
He seemed to know that I was after him.
The rain had been heavy of late, and the forest was in
many places muddy. Toward evening I spied a village
situated in a little prairie just in the edge of the woods.
I discovered it by the smoke curling up from the huts,
the huts themselves being low, and overshadowed by the
background and tall trees of the forests. As there was
a prospect of a tornado, I insisted on going to the village
for the night.
" But," said Minsho, "suppose they are enemies? Suppose some Ashira are there, and they catch us, what
then?"
Pointing to my revolvers, I said, " Minsho, no one will
capture you when I am with you." This seemed to reassure him.
We entered the village, the people fleeing at the same
time. The old chief and a few other men alone remained. They were Bakalais. These Bakalais people
seem to be scattered all over the country, for I meet
them every where, and they always seem to be dreaded
by the other tribes.
The chief gave me a gazelle, and called his people
back. I gave them a few beads. I could not give
them much, for you know I was very poor.
The chief gave me the nicest hut in his village to
sleep in; but, toward midnight, I was suddenly started




THE TORIiNADO UPSETS THlE VILLA GE.  61
from my sleep by the roof of my establishment being
swept off by a tornado, which had come down with fearful power. I tell you I cleared out in the wink of an
eye into the middle of the street. The whole of the village was upset. There was not a roof standing. I was
blinded by the lightning, and the rain began to fall by
the bucketful. The thunder was deafening, and we all
stood in the middle of the street, the rain pouring down
upon us without mercy, and my clothes sticking to me
as if I had been ducked in a stream.
The next morning we started, and had an awful time
of it, for it rained hard the greater part of the day; and
when at last I reached the Louvendji River, it was so
swollen, and the water rushed down with such a fearful
velocity, that it was utterly impossible to cross. We
must build our camp close to its banks, and there wait
as patiently as we could for the waters to subside.
This part of the forest seemed to be filled with bees.
They came about us in great swarms, and plagued us out
of our lives; and, as if this was not enough, we had also
the boco, the nchouna, and the ibolai. These are old
enemies of ours, as you well know. We were also tormented by several varieties of musquitoes. Our ripe
plantains seemed to attract the bees. It made me wish
to see all the bee-hives in the country out of the. way,
and I did not bless the boco, nchouna, and ibolai. The
next morning I thought I should go mad-with the igooguais. I have described to you all these pleasant flies in
my former volumes.
In the afternoon of the following day we thought we
could venture to cross, although the current was still
very strong. Each of us had armed himself with a




162            NIY APIV.UI KINGDOM.
strong stick six feet long, to be used for support against
the strong current, as no one could have crossed without
them.
Minsho started first, and, before we knew it, he tumbled down, and rolled over in the foaming billows of
the Louvendji several times, but, after a hard struggle, he
succeeded in getting on his legs again, and scrambled
out of the river. As the waters were subsiding fast, we
waited about three hours longer, and then made another
trial.
This time Minsho had no idea of putting himself forward as our pioneer. He had had enough in the first
attempt. Each one advised his neighbor to go first. One
of the Ashiras started, and succeeded in reaching the
left bank with very little trouble; but I saw that the water was still deep, and, as he was tall and I was short, I
was almost sure the water would reach above my head.
At last my turn came. I entered the water, holding
firmly to my stick. The current dashed against me at a
furious rate, but I held my own, and, as I approached
the left bank, a long liane (vine) was held out to me.
I seized it, and made a great effort to reach the bank.
The water lifted me off my feet, but I held firmly, and
was pulled ashore.
We continued our route, and came once more to the
dreaded passage of the Ovigui. I wish the Ovigui had
been in some other country. The stream was very full,
and the current was running at an awful speed. It was
almost up to our neck as we crossed the bridge, clinging
firmly to the guards, and swept against us impetuously.
We had hardly crossed when the rain began to fall in
torrents. No fire could be lighted, though the night was




I MEET QUENCUEZA.            163
pitch-dark, and it was no joke to receive the rain all
night on our unprotected bodies. I seated myself on the
little chest which once contained my clothes, and fired
my gun from time to time to frighten the leopards and
other wild beasts, none of us wanting to be carried off by
them.
The day dawned at last, and we reached Olendo in the
midst of most tremendous cheers. None of us had perished. Then I became very home-sick. I had nothing
more to keep me in Africa. I was out of every thing,
and I longed to leave the Ashira country. So I made
preparations to start off for the sea-shore as soon as possible.
The parting day came. Every thing was ready. Olendo said good-by. The Ashira and Quengueza's people,
who had come to meet me, followed me till I disappeared from the plain, and had plunged out of sight
once more into the great forest.
We had hardly been gone more than two hours when,
before we knew it, we were in the midst of a large army
of bashikouays. Goodness'gracious! I shouted, jumping as high as I could, and making a face, which showed
at once that I felt the bites of these dreadful insects.
They seemed to bite me every where, and they were different from the other bashikouay; in fact, these were a
new species. They were larger, stronger, and much
slower in their movement. Their bite was more severe.
Their heads were armed with heavy pincers, which took
off the flesh at every bite. We jumped high up in the air
to avoid them. The men, at every bite, would say brew,
brew, brew, which is an exclamation meaning "it hurts."
It is very expressive.




164            MY APINGI KIINGD 0-M.
At length we reached the banks of the Ofoubou.
Quengueza's canoes were waiting for us. I slept at good
Obindji's. The next day we started, and finally reached
the village of Goumbi. Quengueza was on the shores to
welcome me. How happy he was to see me. How happy I was to see that he was quite well. It did my heart
good to see the best friend I had in Africa. We hugged
each other in the good old African fashion among equals.
I told him I had been made a king. I can stay but a few
days with him. I must go. I am dreadfully home-sick.
A few days after this I arrived in Washington. Ranpano welcomed me. My houses were in good order, and
nothing had been stolen from me. -The people are honest, and they love me.
I must see the ocean. How it made my heart leap
for joy when I saw the deep blue water! It was grand.
I kneeled down on the sand, and thanked God for his
great kindness to me, the poor and lonely traveler of the
jungle of Equatorial Africa.
How glad I was when I returned to that dear little
bamboo house of mine, and looked at the dear little
akoko (my bed), and saw my little clock still on the mantel-piece waiting for me, though its ticking had ceased.
How refreshing it was to see the little comforts that
were to surround me once more.
I immediately went to look into several tin Japanese
boxes which were full of provisions and other good
things to eat. In one there was a little coffee and tea,
in another some preserved meat, in others rice, crackers,
etc. Not a thing had been touched. It would never
have entered the head of good Ranpano or any of his
people to rob me.




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UNPACKING OF BOXES.           167
I wish you could have seen how glad the Commi were
to see me; how many fowls and bunches of plantains
they brought me.
I was at home again; once more I was in my African
home, in my little settlement of Washington. There
stood piles upon piles of boxes filled with trophies of my
hunting, all well preserved and well kept by the aid of
arsenic, of which, when I left New York, I had taken
with me one hundred pounds.
I wish you had been with me when I unpacked the big
boxes which contained the immense collections in natural history I had made. You would have seen that I
had not been idle. I am sure you would have been delighted with the sight of those boxes. There would come
out of one a huge gorilla, a chimpanzee, or nshiego
mbouv6; from another a wild boar, an antelope, or a
gazelle; then from another would come out hundreds
of birds, with smaller quadrupeds. Then came another
box; then would come crocodiles, queer-looking turtles,
stuffed fish and snakes. The next would be a box of
shells, then one of insects and butterflies, and another
containing otters, hyenas, leopards, squirrels, wild cats,
rats, mice, and I do not know what else.
What are these big things  They are manatees. Then
come three huge hippopotami. I opened their stomachs, and there came out from their inside gorillas and
their skeletons, and any amount of stuffed wild beasts.
Every animal I killed I stuffed and brought home, with
the exception of the elephants, for I did not know how
I could ever carry a stuffed elephant through the jungle. I am sure you will agree with me, it would be a
most difficult work. The hippopotami, which, of course,




168             MY APINGI KIVGD OM.
I killed by the river side, I could put in canoes and
send to Washington by water. I have given one of their
skins to my distinguished friend Bierstadt, whose magnificent paintings some of you have seen. I can assure you
it was an immense work for me to carry these collections
through the jungle and take them to my different dep6ts,
till I took them to my settlement of Washington. It
would have made your heart glad to see the many species
of birds and animals which were entirely new, and which
I have since described before scientific societies. There
were also boxes which did not contain skins of wild
beasts or other specimens. You would have seen that
they contained queer guitars covered with snake skin or
elephants' ears. You would have seen handja, terriblelooking spears, huge square knives, long, double-edged,
sharp-pointed knives, bags of poisoned arrows, sharppointed axes, war-axes, shields made with the skin of
the elephant, and other fearful implements of war made
by those savages; and you would have shouted with one
voice, " Oh, Friend Paul, we wish we had been with you
in those great forests of Equatorial Africa!"
And now let us take a cruise along the western coast
of Africa, live a great part of the time on board of a
ship, and see new countries, unlike the regions where we
have been wandering together so long.
c.IE




CHAPTER XXII.
TIlE ISLAND OF MADEIRA.-SAILING FOR SENEGAL.-A HUGE
SHOAL OF PORPOISES. —THEY SWIM SO FAST.-HARPOONING PORPOISES. REJOICING ON BOARD.-HOW PORPOISE
MEAT TASTES.
SOME years ago I visited the beautiful island of Madeira, where we had come to revictual after a most severe storm, under the violence of which our ship almost
foundered. Our boats had been carried away, the livestock had been washed off by the waves, our provisions
had been partly destroyed, and for a few hours we were
in danger of going to the bottom of the ocean. It was
the first great storm I had experienced at sea, and the
waves appeared frightful to me, for I was no sailor at all.
How beautiful was that island of Madeira, with its hills
covered with grape-vines, and trees bearing all kinds of
fruits. Bananas, pears, apples, chestnuts, walnuts, oranges, lemons, and grapes were to be found in great
abundance. In fact, almost, if not all the fruits belonging to the temperate zone seem to be there, with others
belonging to tropical climates.
Our vessel was called The Roland, commanded by a
rough but good-hearted captain. I made great friends
with a sailor by the name of John, who was always
ready, when off duty, to do any thing for me.
For several days after leaving the island, when ready
to continue our voyage, the breeze was fair and the sky
H




170            MY APINGI KINGDOM.
clear. Only a few white, fleecy clouds were tossed about
by the wind. The sun shone upon the sails of our ship
all day, and made them appear of a snowy whiteness.
The beautiful blue sky seemed to give its color to the
sea, which appeared more blue by the contrast of the
white caps of its gentle waves. How I enjoyed the breeze
as it blew upon my face! I could feel that it made me
strong. What an appetite it gave me. In the evening
I would watch the wake of the ship, which was like a
line of fire.
The Roland was a good sailer, and many a time we
were going at the rate of ten miles an hour. We were
bound for West Africa. The Senegal country was the
first land we intended to put our feet upon after leaving the vessel. A few days brought us to the leeward
of the island of Teneriffe. I shall never forget the time
when I got a sight of the high-towering and snowy peak.
It was in the morning. Not a cloud hung over the land.
The island, for about a third of its height, was covered
with snow. It rose before us like an enchanted land-a
land which seemed to rise so high that it looked as if it
wanted to kiss the sky. It rose right from the sea to a
height of more than 12,000 feet.
It was a sight never to be forgotten. To this day I
have this island before me. I remember well that when
the shades of evening cast their gloom over the sea,
this tall, giant-like island appeared to me like a ghost
gradually fading away from my sight. My eyes were
riveted upon the spot, though I could see nothing, till the
captain called to me, "What are you doing there? You
seem as still as a statue." He was right. I was thinking, when he awoke me from my deep thoughts, of the




A CALM AT SEA.171
tremendous volcanic outburst that must have taken place
to raise the island from the bottom of the sea-what
a powerful uprising of the fiery elements below; for
Teneriffe is entirely of volcanic origin. As the island
faded from sight, I knew that I should probably never
see it again, and I silently said good-by to it. That
very same night a gale of wind blew, which made the
ship roll and pitch in a way that was not comfortable.
Happily, the storm lasted only a few hours.
My heart, during the voyage, was bounding with joy,
for I was going to a country which I had never seen,
and of which I had read so much. Senegal was to be
one point we were to visit. We were going to sail along
the coast which forms the boundary of the great Sahara.
The navigation was dangerous, and woe to the poor
shipwrecked mariner who is cast upon that inhospitable
coast.
I shall see the wild Arab, or Moor; I shall ride on
the back of a camel; I shall get a glimpse at the huge
baobab-tree, and probably meet with all kinds of adventures.
I feel in high spirits. The voyage has thus far been
prosperous. The wind has been fair a great part of the
time. The health of the crew is good, and all the damage the great storm has done to the ship has been repaired; so you will not wonder that I feel happy and
hopeful.
One afternoon a dead calm overtook us. There was
not a ripple on the water, which was as smooth as a mirror, but the heavy swells of the sea made the vessel roll
in the most fearful manner, for the sails were of no use
in steadying her. They only flapped and flapped against




172            MY APINGI KINGDOM.
the mast with such force that I really thought the whole
rigging, with mast, would break down. Happily, every
thing on board was lashed carefully to the bulwarks or
to the iron rings in the deck, which were fastened to the
beams underneath.
The rays of the sun were pouring down upon us with
great force.
When thus becalmed, the vessel became unmanageable, the rudder was of no use whatever, and the poor
ship was literally swinging round and round in a circle.
We did not like it at all. We knew that we might be
becalmed for several days, and the prospect of a fair
passage to Senegambia became blue as the sea. The
captain hoped, however, that after sunset a breeze would
spring up. We were disappointed. After sundown it
did not come. I was tired out, for it was impossible for
a man to stand up. I had to hold fast to a rope if order
not to be flung to the other side of the vessel head foremost.
That night it was impossible for any body to sleep,
and as for eating at the table, I gave it up; but I managed to eat what I could, in a very uncomfortable manner, on deck. I can tell you that in such a time we did
not care for hot coffee or soup.
Oh glad was I when the morning came. At sunrise a
light breeze greeted us, and soon after we were under
good headway again. I was sitting at the bow of the
vessel, holding fast to a rope with one hand, and watching the vessel as she went through the water, which she
seemed to cut in two. Oh, how beautiful is a fine morning at sea in that region! The tropical breeze was fanning us, and seemed to come from balmy lands to wel



THE TRAVELING PORPOISES.        173
come me. The sky was blue, and the water seemed still
bluer than the sky; and the sun, as it shone upon the sea,
seemed to say, "I am the source of all life in this world."
The sailors, meantime, were busy washing the deck,
in which the captain took great pride, it was so white
and clean. The cook was busy preparing breakfast, and
every thing was alive on board the good ship Roland.
While sitting at the bow, as I have described, I suddenly spied ahead of us an immense number of porpoises, swimming and jumping out of the water, and
seeming to be migrating to some other region in the
ocean. As they were moving from east to west, they
were going to cross our bows, and I shouted," Captain,
porpoises are ahead of us!" He gave a look, and answered, " That is so-that is so; let us see if we can not
kill one for dinner." The porpoises were moving along
like a vast army, thousands and thousands of them together. Onward they swam, stopping for nothing in
their migration, every now and then springing clear out
of the water. And how fast they did swim! I believe
the porpoise to be one of the fastest fishes in the sea.
"Get the harpoon ready!" shouted the captain. "John,
take the harpoon, go under the bowsprit, and harpoon
one of these fellows if you can."
"Captain," I shouted, "let me have a harpoon too; I
must try to harpoon one of these porpoises."
"If you try," said he, "you must be tied fast with a
cord round your waist, for, as sure as you live, if you are
not made secure with a rope, you will drop into the
water, and that will be the end of you. John," said he,
"fasten a rope round your waist also." It was hardly
said when the captain had a rope round me, as he want



174           M-Y APINGI KINGDOX
ed to make sure himself that I was safe. John had made
himself secure. My harpoon was a real nice one, which
nad done good service before in harpooning porpoises,
and had also gone into the bodies of a good many sharks.
By the time we were ready we were in the midst of the
porpoises. They did not seem to be frightened at all by
the ship, and they swam so fast that they seemed to skim
through the water. Some of them must have really
gone at the rate of fifteen or twenty miles an hour. I
was perfectly amazed. They must have thought our
ship was a big floating rock, for many would swim round
and round us, and that when we were going at the rate
of nine knots (miles) an hour, and seemed to make no
effort to accomplish the feat. They would pass under
our bowsprit with the rapidity of an express train. Three
times John had sent his harpoon at them, and three times
he had missed them. I had sent mine twice, and, of
course, I had missed.
"John," said I, "we must harpoon one of these fellows, for I hear they are good to eat." " I bet they are,"
said John; "the liver is splendid eating, cooked with
onions. The meat has no taste of fish, and looks somewhat like beef." This splendid prospect of a good meal
made me feel more than ever that one of these porpoises
must be harpooned. I was tired of pork and salt beef,
and then I had never tasted of a porpoise, and wanted to
know if they were really good. Some of them did not
swim so fast as others. See, one is coming! John's
eyes are upon it, and his harpoon is ready. I am watching; I am ready too. Down goes John's harpoon; mine
goes down at the same time. I have struck a porpoise!
The captain, who by this time is by me, seizes the line




HA ULING IN PORPOISES.          175
HARPOONING PORPOISES.
of the harpoon. The blood of the porpoise darkens the
blue sea as we slowly draw him in over the side of the
ship.
John, too, has harpooned a big fellow, and the crew
comes to assist in hauling him in.
There is a desperate struggle from the porpoises. It
is of no avail. They are on deck. I am wild with excitement. I shout, "I have harpooned a porpoise!" I
really thought I had done a wonderful thing. This porpoise measured over six feet, and what a beautiful color!




176            MY APINGI KINGDOM.
I really do not think it belongs to the same species which
we have at home, for I do not remember having seen a
single specimen near the African coast similar to this.
These are always met in the middle ocean. The color
on the back was grayish-black, while the sides were
somewhat grayer, and the abdomen was whitish. It
must have weighed two or three hundred pounds.
There was great rejoicing on board, for we were to
have plenty of food. The cook came with his huge knife
to help the sailors, and the two poor porpoises were soon
cut to pieces. They had no fat whatever. The flesh
was red, and not unlike that of beef. The liver, being
considered by the sailors as the best part of the fish, was
given to the captain.
For dinner we had porpoise steak, and it was not bad
at all. Sailors being fond of onions, the steaks were
surrounded with them. I did not care, as there were no
ladies on board; as for the liver, it was perfectly exquisite. We had a glass of good wine after dinner that
day. The sailors had a jolly time, and ate ad libitum
of the flesh.
In the evening they felt quite jolly, and smoked their
pipes with great delight, and sang a great many songs.
I felt very happy to see these good sailors enjoying themselves. These poor fellows have a hard life, and we do
not know how much we are under obligations to them
for fetching to us from distant climes many of the luxuries we enjoy.




CHAPTER XXIII.
APPROACHING THE SENEGAL.- SAILORS YARNS. — DANGEROUS NAVIGATION.- SHIPWRECKS OF VESSELS.-TERRIBLE
SUFFERING OF THE CREW OF THE MARGARET. —OUR
FEARS.-TAKING SOUNDINGS.
WE were getting every day nearer our point of destination, and approaching the great desert of Sahara.
Our evenings were spent with the captain in relating
our adventures. The captain had traveled all round the
world, and spoke to me of strange countries where I had
never been. Oh, I wished to go where he had been-to
China, Japan, India, and the East Indian Archipelago.
He had seen the orang-outang in its native wilds. He
had been in Brazil, the West Indies, and many islands
of the Pacific. But then he had not been in the equatorial regions of Africa. He had not seen the gorilla,
the chimpanzee, the nshiego mbouve, or the kooloo-kamba. Now and then I would have a talk with the sailors
on the forecastle, for I love the sailors dearly. Yes, they
are blunt, rough if you like, but they are natural. They
always say right out what they mean, and are almost
always kind-hearted. Those who are not are rare exceptions.
They would frequently tell me about their wild pranks,
and what a laugh we would have over some of them!
At other times they would almost start tears from my
1H2




178             M Y APINGI KINGD O.
eyes by telling me some of their great trials, shipwrecks,
and stories of starvation and thirst on desert islands.
Especially was my heart full of sympathy for them when
I heard their story of their lying in port surrounded by
pestilence and death, the yellow fever, the black vomitthese terrible scourges carrying away sometimes almost
every body on board, and often leaving but one or two
as witnesses of the terrible plague, so that they might
tell the story of their sufferings to their fellow-men. At
other times they would tell of their hardships on the
coast of Africa, and the terrible fever they had been
subjected to in the Gulf of Guinea. It was by moonlight that we had our last talk. The evenings were cool
and pleasant, and it was so nice on deck!
At last the voyage drew near its close. The captain
expected soon to see land. We were not to see green
fields, nor hills covered with trees, but the sandy and
bleak shores of the great desert of Sahara, and feel its
hot winds.
The face of the captain began to appear anxious as we
approached the shore, for we were nearing the famous
land of Arguin, where many and many a wreck had
taken place. There the Medusa found her watery grave,
and many of the brave hearts that were on board died on
the raft they had made, after long days of agony from
starvation and thirst.
And no wonder that the captain began to feel anxious,
for the navigation became more dangerous as we approached nearer and nearer to the coast of Arguin. The
natives were fierce, and the shipwrecked people were
either murdered, or made to suffer the most abominable
kind of slavery.




THE CAPyAIN'S STORY.          179
At last, one afternoon, we got sight of land north of
Cape Blanco. The next day we rounded the cape, and
came to the Bay of Arguin, which is most dangerous
to navigators on account of its numerous banks and
shoals.
I began to feel anxious too. I did not care to be
made a slave. I did not care to travel as the slave of a
wandering Arab or Moor in the great desert. The very
thought made me shudder; and I am sure, my dear
young folks, that you would have felt the same, for you
know what the fate of many a shipwrecked sailor has
been in that part of the world. The stories of their sufferings have been published far and wide.
The evening of the day when we reached such dangerous ground, the captain related to me stories of some
of the wrecks that had taken place there. I well remember that of a friend of his, who was on board of the
ill-fated " William Vaughan."
The "William Vaughan" left London on the 29th of
April, 1844. On the 20th of May she rounded Cape
Blanco, and entered the Bay of Arguin. Suddenly the
ship found itself in shallow water; but, before she could
be got round, she stuck fast in the sand. Large quantities of ballast were thrown overboard, the ship was lightened, and the next day she was afloat. In the mean
time, the chief mate had been sent to take soundings
ahead, for all the charts were incorrect, no doubt on account of the shifting of the sand-banks. The sea being
very heavy, he was obliged to anchor his boat for the
night under the island. Just as he was rounding the
point again to return to the ship next morning, he saw
two natives and a white man coming toward the boat.




180           MlY APINGI KINGDOM.
Was it possible? It was so. The white man hailed the
boat in English. He was a countryman-a poor unfortunate white man that had been wrecked. The kindhearted mate again rounded the point, where the sea was
not so heavy, to take in his countryman. But the moment he landed the two natives set upon him and beat
him unmercifully with bludgeons. The poor mate had
landed unarmed. Revolvers at that time were not in
use, though pistdls were known. They would not have
caught me in such a scrape. I never leave my revolvers
any where, especially when traveling in a wild and dangerous country. One of the sailors hastened back to the
boat and fetched a gun, which he gave to the natives, who
took it and ran away, leaving the poor white man in their
hands.
How glad the poor fellow must have been when he
saw his countryman! How his heart must have beat at
the thought that his days of slavery were over, and how
he must have thanked God for his safe delivery 1
Then came his sad story. He belonged to the bark
Margaret, of London, which had been wrecked the preceding year, in the same month of May. Nearly all the
hands had been murdered by the savages, and those who
were not had been made slaves. Four more were upon
the island. When they reached the vessel, and the captain was made acquainted with the facts, he immediately took means to ransom his countrymen. The natives
agreed to receive a certain amount of goods, and then
release the prisoners; but after they had received the
amount they asked for more; and, after this second demand was granted, they again asked for more, and finally fired at the men, and compelled them to flee for their




THE ATTACK ON THE " WILLIAM VAUGHAN."  181
lives and to take refuge in their boats, leaving their property behind.
The boat had gone ashore well prepared. They had a
small brass gun on board, but it would seem that they did
not know how to make effective use of it. It appears to
have been too heavily loaded, for when it was fired it recoiled with such force that one of the gunners was killed, and, in falling overboard, by some unaccountable misfortune he upset the boat, and all the ten men were either
drowned or killed. Not one of them came to tell the
story of their fate. The natives got possession of the
boat, righted and loaded her up with warriors, and came
to attack the vessel. Only four men and the captain
were left on board.
It must have been a terrible moment of suspense
among these five men. They knew it was a question of
life or death. Every thing was ready for a deadly fight.
Hatchets, matches, sabres, guns, pistols were at hand,
and every thing that was heavy and handy to throw into
the boat. What a feeling of anguish there must have
been in the hearts of these men! All their companions
were dead, and they knew that the same fate awaited
them if they were captured, for these cruel savages would
show no mercy.
The boat came nearer and nearer. It was swarming
with savage men; but fortunately, as it came broadside,
the master, who was no doubt a good gunner, took careful aim, fired and sunk her, with all on board. Then he
slipped his cable, and, with only four men for a crew,
sailed off. How anxious the poor captain and crew
must have felt, and how much they must have dreaded
those treacherous sand-banks in the Bay of Arguin, for




182            MY APINGV KINGDOM.
they knew what fate awaited them if they were wrecked.
How much they must have felt the loss of their brave
companions, whose kind hearts and courage led them to
try to rescue their fellow-countrymen. How desolate
and dreary the deck of that poor ship must have seemed.
The merry songs of the sailors were heard no more as
they furled and unfurled the sails.
No doubt the frenzy of the savages on shore was terrible when they saw that so many of their number had
perished; they must have precipitated themselves like
tigers on the poor white men ashore, and cut them to
pieces.
See how rash it was for these men to fire the big gun
from their boat. What good could they have done?
If they had killed any of the natives on shore, the white
men would have been murdered instantly; so it would
have been far wiser for them to go on board without
firing. It shows that, in a case like the one just related,
it is very important for men to be cool and calculating,
to look ahead, and to let the head control the impulses
of the heart.
Some of you may perhaps remember that in "Lost in
the Jungle" I gave you an account of a trial for witchcraft, where a great friend of mine was accused of sorcery and killed. How I fought in my heart! I was on
the point of rushing among the crowd and shooting
down the natives that held her. Oh, I remember how
near I was to doing it; but suddenly reason told me not
to do it. It seemed to me very hard that reason should
govern the kind impulse of my heart; but I let reason
have the upper hand. I suppose, if I had fired and killed the nephews, and sons, and people of my friend King




THIROWING THE LEAD.          183
Quengueza, and fled, even if I had not been killed, the
good chief would have said to me, " White man, whom I
love, why have you killed my people? What have they
done to you  To save one you have killed several."
So what a pity it was that the men in the boat were
so rash. Of course, it was hard to be attacked for nothing, and if there had been no white man ashore they
would have been right in firing at the natives for their
treachery. But white men had to be saved, and prudence would have been the best policy. They might
have told the story to some man-of-war on the coast,
whose captain would have been able, no doubt, to ransom the men; if not, he would have been able to inflict
on the natives such terrible punishment that they would
not have been ready to fire again.
You will not be astonished to hear, after this, that there
were men constantly on the watch. One sailor was always kept at the top of the mainmast, the time of his
watch being two hours, when another would relieve him.
Men were continually throwing out the lead to take soundings. It is not every sailor who knows how to throw the
lead, and only three on board were skillful at it. I can
assure you it is hard work-an elongated piece of lead,
flat at one end, and smeared with tallow, so that when it
touched the bottom they could ascertain the character of
the bed of the sea where the lead was cast. If it was
mud, of course mud would show on the tallow, and if it
was sand, sand would show, etc., etc. This piece of lead
appeared to weigh about from twelve to fifteen pounds.
It was attached to a long line, which could go with the
lead to a depth of about sixty fathoms. Sailors always
measure by fathoms (six feet).




184            MY APINGtI KINGDOM.
-a /9  /`2,
HEAVING THE LEAD.
ging of the foremast, just outside of the bulwark. He
held the line, which was so coiled about his right arm
that it would pay out easily, about six feet from the end
to which the lead was fastened. Before throwing it, he
would swing it a moment with great force, and then, letting go, send the heavy lead flying ahead beyond the bow
of the ship before it struck the water.




CHAPTER XXIV.
AT THE MOUTH OF TIE GREAT SENEGAL RIVER.-APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTRY.-A VILLAGE.-THE HOUSES. —A
SANDY COUNTRY. —HOW THE PEOPLE CARRY MILK.
WE passed through the much-dreaded region without
any serious mishap. Our vessel arrived before the great
Senegal River, and anchored outside of the bar.. I must
confess that I was very glad, for I did not relish the idea
of a wreck on the inhospitable shores I have just described to you.
A few days after the arrival of the Roland, I was
quietly settled in a quaint old negro town on the seashore opposite the island of St. Louis, the chief French
settlement on the Senegal River. What a queer village
it was! It had stood on the same spot for several generations, on the narrow tongue of land which separated
the river from the sea, a few miles from its mouth. This
land might properly be called the beginning of the Great
Sahara. On the left or south of the village, as far as
the mouth of the river, the eye met only a continuous
stretch of white sand; on the right or north, the same
aspect of country presented itself to view; but as the
eye followed the shore northward, the extent of country
became broader, and toward the river side stunted trees
and scraggy bushes or shrubs were visible on approaching its banks; otherwise a vast sandy tract of country




186           LMY APINGI KINGD M0.
was all that could be seen. The country presented an
appearance of utter desolation, entirely unlike the great
equatorial regions where I have led you in this and the
three preceding volumes. How unlike the villages of the
forest was this village of the lower Senegal country. It
was built on the downs or sandy hills which had been
formed by the sands which were constantly accumulating there by being shifted from the Great Desert by the
winds blowing from it. Some of these sand-hills were
quite high.
II
VILLAGE ON TIIE LOWER SENEGAL.
The houses were round, the walls built of clay collected from the river, and generally from four to six feet in
height. There were no windows to these huts, and only
one door led to the interior. The sharp-pointed, some



HO USEHOLD FURNITURE.          187
what sugar-loaf shaped roofs were high, and thatched
with straw. Inside of these huts the people cooked and
slept. There were no regular streets, the houses being
scattered all about, without any order or symmetry. Inside, a bullock-hide, or a mat upon sticks about two feet
from the ground, formed the bed. One or two waterjars, some cooking-pots, a few wooden vases, several immense calabashes used as dishes or for washing, and one
or two low stools, constituted all the furniture to be met
with in these huts. A group of huts belonging to one
family were surrounded by fences as a kind of wall.
This town had, I should think, several thousand inhabitants. From a distance it had a very picturesque appearance, as you may judge by the picture before you,
but, after entering it, the charm disappeared.
The situation of the village was certainly very picturesque. In front there was the sea, back of it the River
Senegal, and then the white sand of the desert on every
other side. The people were neatly dressed, in queershaped garments made of cotton goods.
A few little horses, some donkeys and camels which
belonged to a caravan just arrived, might often be seen
wandering about. But judge of my astonishment when,
sauntering through this labyrinth of houses, I came to a
hut in front of which were three live lions lying flat on
the ground-three young tame lions. As I approached
they looked at me, as if to say, "Who is this stranger "'
but there was no anger in their gaze; they were young,
though quite formidable to look at. They were for sale.
I wondered why they were not chained, and found, on
looking more closely, that they were tied with a cord by
the neck.




188             MY APINGI COUNTRY.
The people of the village were of the negro race, but
of a far superior type than the Congo negro. They belonged to a tribe, if I remember well, called Jaloff, and
were certainly very fine negroes. They were not heathen, but very strict Mohammedans, for in the days of
old the followers of Mohammed had converted them,
They were generally tall, and very black, and among
them some could be seen with straight noses, thin lips,
and fine features. Most of them could speak the French
language as well as their own, learned through constant intercourse with the French, under whose sway
they lived.
The people of the village were great fishermen, their
chief business being to catch fish. They were very experienced canoemen, for the whole of that coast is defended by formidable breakers, which dash against the
sandy shores of the Great Desert with irresistible force.
Many and many days during the year these natives find
it impossible to cross over the breakers to go a fishing,
and often, after making vain efforts to go through them,
have to give up the attempt, after upsetting time after
time.
So I need not tell you that they are splendid swimmers and canoemen. Nevertheless, accidents take place;
men are drowned now and then, either from sheer exhaustion from swimming when they upset in the breakers farthest from the shore, but more generally from the
canoe striking them with great force as it turns over, or
by being thrown against them by the next angry wave.
They are, like most Mohammedans, fatalists, and believe that Allah (God) has ordered beforehand every
thing that is ever to happen to them. The efforts of the




COMING TO MARKET.            189
missionaries to convert them have been of very little
avail, as far as I could see.
Of course nothing could grow in that arid region, and
their food had to be raised on the islands higher up the
river, or near the lagoons, swamps, and marshes on the
right bank, where patches of fertile land are found. The
chief food used by this people is made of a kind of millet,
which they pound, and call kouskous. Cattle are very
abundant in Senegal, and form the chief wealth of the
people of the country.
I really enjoyed the sights in this village, especially in
the morning, when the people were coming to market.
St. Louis, being a large settlement, with a population of
twelve or fifteen thousand people, required a good deal
of food, and the people would come from villages and
farms situated higher up the river, where, as I have said,
vegetation could be found, and where many things'would
grow; but a good deal of the produce came also from
the left bank of the river.
It was amusing to see them come with milk in large
leather bags, or bottles made of goat or sheep skins sewed carefully together, so there was no leakage; they
were made just like those mentioned in the Bible, these
people having made no improvement in these utensils
for thousands of years. These bottles could hold sometimes as much as five gallons and more. The women
carried them on their heads.
The butter was soft, and was also brought to market
in the same manner-in skins. It is frequently used by
the natives to rub their bodies with.




CHAPTER XXV.
THE SENEGAL RIVER.-THE JALOFFS.-THE FEHLAHS. —THE
FULAHS. — THE MANDINGOES.- HABITS.OF THESE TRIBES.
— THE MOORS.-DESERT WINDS.-RECEPTIONS IN JARS. —
a HOW NICE IT IS!"
Now that I have given you a description of the Senegal village, I must speak to you about the country.
The Senegal River is one of the most important rivers
of Africa, and the colony of that name is the largest and
most thrifty on the West Coast. The country belongs
to France, and the forts along the banks of the river extend to a long distance into the interior. The river
takes its rise in the region of the Kong Mountains, and
empties into the sea in about 16~ north latitude. The
head or chief trading settlement is St. Louis.
From Senegal comes a very large quantity of gum
arabic, amounting to several millions of pounds every
year. An immense trade in pea-nuts is also carried on.
These are taken to Marseilles, where soap and oils are
made from them. Gold is also brought from the interior; and hides, wax, and ivory form also important articles of trade.
The people inhabiting the great Senegal country are
all warlike. Among the chief negro tribes are the Fehlahs, the Jaloffs, the Fulahs, and the Mandingoes.
The Jaloffs are an active, powerful race. They are
tall, very black, and their noses are not so flat, nor their




THE NEGROES OF SENEGAL.          191
lips so thick as those of the true negro; indeed, some
have straight noses.
The Fulahs are much attached to a pastoral life, and
their hair is soft and not very woolly. Their chief wealth
consists in the possession of cattle, which have very long
horns.
The Mandingoes are Mohammedan negroes, mild, and
of pleasant disposition. They manufacture a good deal
of cotton cloth with an ingenious loom of their own, and
occupy a large tract of country.
In fact, these negroes of the Senegambia country are,
I think, far superior to those found in other parts of Africa, not only in looks, but in intelligence.
But on the right bank of the River Senegal, and in
the interior, live tribes of people far more powerful than
the negroes, by whom they are dreaded. These are the
Moors of the desert, a martial, treacherous, and vindictive
race, always at war with their neighbors.
As I have said, a very great part of the gum arabic
used in the world comes from the Senegal River, and
the Moors possess all the country from which it comes.
These Moors have a very wild, staring look; their
treachery is notorious, and they regard the negro villages
that surround them the same as game, which they plunder at will, and the people of which they lead into captivity. These people are nomadic; when the heat of the
desert becomes intense, and every thing there is burned
up, they move southward toward the negro country, and
stay there till the rains have commenced in the beginning of July, when they go northward again. It is at
that time that they commit the most depredations. They
despise the negroes, who are very much afraid of them.




192             MY APINGI KINGDOM.
But the negroes themselves are often at war with each
other. In fact, war seems to be the normal state of Africa wherever the traveler goes.
With the negroes and with the Moors, cattle are the
wealth of the country. The Moors possess great herds
of cattle, and a great many horses, camels, and donkeys.
The armies of these tribes of the desert are composed
entirely of cavalry, each tribe being able to raise from
two to four thousand horsemen.
There are three forests in which the gum arabic is produced in great quantities; these are called, if I remember rightly, Sahel, Lebiar, and Alfatack. Besides these,
there are other groves of gum arabic trees in different
parts of the desert. The three first-mentioned forests
are claimed by three different tribes of Moors. The language of these people is, of course, Arabic, and they are
named Trazas, Aulad-el-Hagi, and Ebraguana. Each
tribe has its own chief. They are nomadic, and are continually fighting with each other. Their features are
dark brown, but fine; their hair is black and glossy.
The gum arabic tree has a very peculiar growth. I
know you would like to have a description of it. It is
an acacia, not at all beautiful, from fifteen to twenty feet
high when full grown; a few specimens attain a greater
height, but in general it is more like a shrub than a tree.
The wood is white and hard. It is very seldom that one
sees a straight tree, and the trunk is covered, almost from
the ground, with crooked branches of different sizes,
which mates the tree not pretty to look at. The leaves
are small, and under each leaf are three crooked blackish
thorns. The flowers are white and small, and the seeds
are contained in pods.




THE G UiM ARABIC.            193
The month of March is the time when the harvest of
the gum arabic takes place. You must not think that
the gum arabic comes all in small pieces. A good
deal of it comes out of the trunk of the tree in quite
large lumps. I have seen pieces twice as large as an orange, and even larger, and, after breaking them open, the
centre would be filled with liquid gum arabic, which was
most delicious to the taste. While in the country I ate
much of it, and it was often my chief food. It is very
nutritious and satisfying to the appetite. It is only the
red gum arabic which is often found in such large pieces.
Of course, as it grows older, the liquid gradually dries
up, though it does not become brittle like the white gum,
some forests of which are also found near the Senegal
River. The two gums are, however, entirely distinct.
There are a good many islands in the River Senegal,
some of which are very fertile, and produce millet, Indian corn, yams, sweet potatoes, plantains, and bananas.
At about ninety miles from the mouth of the Senegal
River is a flourishing trading station, where a great quantity of gum is brought by the Moors.
The climate of the Senegal country is any thing but
pleasant, being subject to sudden changes. At certain
seasons of the year the hot winds from the desert make
it almost unbearable. The rainy season is short, and the
climate is dry the greater part of the year.
How much I suffered there from the hot weather! I
remember one day a terrible hot wind from the desert
begun to blow. The atmosphere was terribly heated,
and the air, which seemed to come from an oven, was
prostrating to the physical system. It blew from the
northeast, over the scorching sands of the Sahara-sands
I




194            MY APINGI KINOD OM
which had been heated for months without a drop of
rain to cool them. The powerful rays of the sun had
been pouring upon the white sand day after day, week
after week, month after month, till the whole atmosphere
became heated, and the whole country of the desert,
which was once a sea whose waters cooled the air of the
countries round it, was apparently but a vast expanse
where heat sprang from the very soil.
I took refuge at length in St. Louis, where the houses
are made of stone, and, like other people, I shut myself
up in the house, and kept the windows and the doors
closed, so that no hot air could come in. In this way the
houses are kept tolerably cool. For three days this terrible weather lasted, except that the nights were somewhat cooler. These hot winds from the desert often
blow two or three days at a time, and sometimes last a
whole week, bringing with them disease and death to the
white man.
When, perchance, I would come out of the place where
I had to shut myself up, I felt the hot wind blowing in
my face, and breathed this heated atmosphere with a feeling that it was gradually killing me. What must it be
then, I thought, in the desert, far from the sea and from
rivers! There life must be sometimes almost unbearable. In certain seasons of the year these hot winds
blow quite frequently, and sometimes only a few hours
a day. Fortunately, the people living by the sea-shore
do not suffer from them as much as the people of the
interior.
If you had called on me during this hot weather, my
dear young folks, you would have probably been astonished to see the way I would have received you, and the




FLEEING FROM THE HEAT.          195
queer manner in which I held my reception, inviting my
guests to do the same as I did; but, in order to give you
an idea of this, I must explain how water is kept in that
part of the world.
The dry season in Senegal lasts about eight months.
The white people, during the rainy season, collect all the
water they can, either in cisterns, or in immense earthen
jars, some of which are so large that a man can go into
them through the opening. These jars are manufactured in Marseilles, and some of them must hold fifty or
sixty gallons, and even more. The water is kept in them
deliciously cool. A very fat man could not get in one
of these jars, as the opening is small compared with the
body.
In one of my rooms I had several of these jars, in some
of which I kept a little water, while in others I kept
none..When the terrible hot weather came, it struck me
that the coolest place I could find was inside of one of
these jars, as they were very thick, and not liable to become heated through. So I made the trial, and found
the experiment worked to a charm, and that I had discovered a cool retreat. As soon as the desert wind began blowing, I would quietly put myself in one of these
jars, and stay there for a few hours. When my friends
were too stout to follow my example, I would apologize
to them, and give the excuse that I had the largest jars
that were made. Then my fat friend would look curiously at me, and say, "I wish I was as slender as you
are."
The first time I tried the jars I had a great deal of
fun. Somebody came to see me, and was sent into my
room; but, in the mean time, having heard him coming,




196           IMY APINGI KINGDO 1l.
I had drawn my head inside, and so remained perfectly
concealed. Seeing nothing but jars, my visitor went
into the next room, and, seeing nobody there, he shouted, "Where are you?" I answered back, still keeping
my head below the opening, "Here I am!" He came
back into my room and began to be bewildered. I could
stand it no longer, and, bursting out with a loud laugh,
showed my head above the jar-opening, and invited him
to follow my example and "take a jar."
i }          Jlli ii   l 1  JiiJl
T'RANGE RECEPTION.
During these hot spells the visitor would generally
come in, feeling quite prostrated by the dry heat; and,
after the usual salutation of " How do you do, sir?" the
conversation would generally take the following turn:
"How is the weather outside?"
"Terribly hot, sir; suffocating; the scorching wind is




CONVERS.ATIO.VN f A JAR.        197
almost unbearable. The thermometer yesterday and today stood between one hundred and fifteen and one
hundred and twenty."
"This is terrible, sir."
"Yes, sir; this is terrible."
"Won't you take off your coat, sir, and get in? I
think you are not too large to get into one of these big
jars. They are quite cool and comfortable, as the pottery is quite thick, and is glazed. There is a stool; step
on it; it will make it more easy for you. If you are
afraid the jar will tumble down, I will call somebody to
help you. Two jars have water in, sir. Two are without. Take either one you like best."
Then, if the visitor was happy enough not to be too
stout, he would, immediately after being bottled up, or
rather, I should say, jarred up, shout, " How nice it is'
How cool and pleasant! It is perfectly delightful 
What a glorious idea! It is a good thing for you to be
so slender!"
If the visitor was too fat to enter the jars, his first
recognition of me would be that of wonder. Then-he
would come and examine the aperture of the jar, look at
his body, and then give a tremendous sigh, and exclaim,
"How unfortunate it is for a man to be too stout!"




CHAPTER XXVI.
WAITING FOR A START. - THREE YOUNG LIONS. - I PLAY
WITH THEM. — HOW THEY WERE CAPTURED. — TERRIBLE
COMBAT WITH THE LION AND THE LIONESS. — THEY ARE
BOTH KILLED.
HAVING but little time to spare in Senegal, I wanted
to make the most of it while there, and was waiting
anxiously for a caravan that should leave for some part
of the desert, in order to go with it.
While waiting for the opportunity, I would sometimes
amuse myself with the three young lions that were in
the village, and had a good deal of fun with them.
Each lion had a name, which I wish I could remember.
All I can say is, that they were real difficult names to
pronounce, for the language of the people is hard and
guttural. They were very tame, and as playful as young
dogs; but, though young, they were much larger than
any dog I ever saw.
I would go and play with them every morning, and
sometimes during the day, but I always liked to go after
they had had their meals. They knew exactly the time
these were coming, and, for almost an hour before, they
were too busy thinking about their breakfast or dinner to
be playful. I must say I did not like to venture near them
when they were in such a mood; for, though very tame,
and though they had never bitten any body, yet they
might have tried it on me for the first time. Their jaws




THREE STRANGE PLAYJA TES.        199
were quite powerful, and I had strong doubts whether I
should have come safely out of them had they once fastened on me.
They were also armed with somewhat powerful claws,
which certainly could have torn my flesh with the greatest ease. I have no doubt that, as soon as they saw the
blood flow, their natural instinct would have come back,
and they would have pounced upon me. The sight of
warm blood from the body would have awakened all
their dormant feeling, if hungry. Even without going
so far as to fear that I might become a prey to their
young ferocity, I knew that, judging by the pain a cat
can inflict with her sharp claws, that the more powerful
lions might prove to be very unpleasant playmates. At
any rate, although the natives had assured me that their
claws had been cut and that there was no dangerj, had
no desire to have them tried on me.
I noticed that whenever a goat came in sight their
eyes would glare, and their tails would wag angrily, and
it was very evident that the goats would stand a poor
chance if these young beasts of prey had their own way.
After their meals I would sometimes seat myself
among them, caress them, and scratch them. This they
seemed to enjoy amazingly, and would look at me with
their peculiar eyes, which have nothing unkind or treacherous in them when they are not hungry or angry. Their
look contrasted strangely with that of the treacherous
tiger or leopard.
I wanted to know how these lions had been captured.
I wanted to hear the story of my three "friends," how
they had been deprived of their freedom, and how they
had lost theirp pa and mamma. I knew that they could




200            iIY APLVGI KINGD OM.
i:
PLAYING WITH YOUNG LIONB.
not have been taken away easily, unless the "old folks"
were out of the way on some excursion to get food for
themselves and their young. At last my curiosity was
satisfied, and their story was told me by the side of the
young lions themselves. If they could have understood
the speech, they would have known how they were made
prisoners. They certainly could not recollect the incidents which led to their captivity, as they were too
young at that time.
The man who told me the story was an old man with
a very white beard. Before he began, several people
came and seated themselves on the ground by our side.
The old man then began as follows:
"A party of Moors were returning with their herds
from the pastures, which the heat had dried up. They




TIlE LIONS ARE AIO UND.        2ol
were going to the southern part of the desert, where water was not so scarce, and where the grass was still fresh
and sweet. The heads of the party were riding on camels. At length they came to an oasis, chiefly composed
of dates and palm-trees. On reaching it they found evidences that lions were accustomed to go there, and, as
there was a spring there, they concluded the beasts had
come to drink.
"That day, with their large herd of cattle, they encamped by that oasis. Their beasts could satisfy their
thirst at the spring, and eat of the grass in the surrounding country that was not quite parched up.
"At night the roar of lions that were lurking round
told them that they must keep a strict watch over their
cattle and horses. Fires were lighted with branches
from the stunted trees, and throughout the night the
people shouted, and now and then fired glms, to frighten
the fions away; but, despite of all their care, one cow
was carried off by the king of the desert.
"The next day the party of herdsmen moved again
in a more southern direction; but four of the most daring Moors resolved to remain behind and see if they
could not kill the lions, lest they might follow their track
and destroy some of their cattle. These Moors belonged to the Trazas tribe, and among them was a young
man who was very ambitious to be enrolled among their
great warriors. As he had neither slain a lion nor an
enemy in battle, he could not be so called, according to
the custom of the tribe.
"So the herd moved on, and the rest of the people with
them; but our four Trazas remained behind, and all that
day were busy looking for traces of the lions. They were
I2




202            MY APINGI KLVGD O1M.
armed, like all the Trazas, with double-barreled flint
guns, pistols, and huge knives. After searching many
hours in vain, they came to a thicket of trees, which they
entered cautiously, mistrusting that lions might be hidden there. Suddenly they saw three young cubs playing together, though no old lions were to be seen. No
doubt the old folks had gone to visit the carcass of the
cow they had killed the day before, for the purpose of
bringing food home to their youngsters.
" Looking carefully to their guns, in order to be ready
for any thing that might happen, two of them descended
from their camels, seized the young lions, and remounted with their game, handing the third cub to one of their
companions. They then left with the utmost speed their
camels could make, for their only safety was to be out of
the reach of the lions' pursuit when they should come
back and find their young taken away. Their rage
would be terrific, and woe to the men who had dared to
take their young. Of course they had guns, and would
try to kill the lions if attacked, but it would be a dangerous business. So on they went, now and then looking behind to see if the lions were after them. Never
did their camels go so fast before.
" They had been gone about two hours, and began to
think themselves safe, when, to their horror, looking back
on reaching an open country, they saw the lion and lioness in hot pursuit. They urged their camels on as fast
as they could, but gradually the lions gained upon them,
until their roars of rage could be distinctly heard. Nearer and nearer the pursuers came, till at last the Moors
saw it was of no use to attempt to escape by running
away, and that they must prepare for a fight if they




A TTA CKED BY THE LIONS.        203
wanted to get clear. with their lives. In the mean time,
two of the young cubs had been securely tied in a kind
of basket or bag.
" They agreed that, as soon as the lions should come
near enough, they would throw off one of the young cubs
to distract the attention of the lioness. At the same
time one of them would fire at the lion, and, if he was
not killed by the shot, another would fire at him again.
As they were all good marksmen, they were very hopeful to be able to kill them.
" The lions came roaring and bounding on, and one of
the young ones was thrown down to the lioness, who immediately stopped to caress it, while her mate continued
the chase. As he sprang forward in the air, one of the
young Moors fired at him. The bullet took effect, and
the huge beast, giving a tremendous, roar of pain, rolled
over in the sand, the blood pouring from his wound in a
torrent. Another bullet went into his massive forehead,
and, giving utterance to a most appalling and terrific
roar, he rolled over and died. The lioness was then dispatched by two or three well-aimed shots, and the cub
was recaptured without difficulty.
In this way," added the old man, in conclusion, " these
young lions were taken, and afterward sold to us by the
Trazas people. We have brought them up in our village,
and intend to sell them after a while."




CHAPTER XXVII.
DEPARTURE.-A CARAVAN.-APPEARANCE OF THE PEOPLE.
-RIDING A CAMEL.-I AM CAMEL-SICK.-WELLS IN THE
SAND.
I WAS obliged to wait so long for a caravan that I began to feel somewhat fearful that I should have to leave
the Senegal country without a visit to the Great Desert;
but at last the opportunity arrived. An excursion was
arranged with which I was to go, which would at least
take me to the borders of the Sahara. While waiting
for my companions to get ready, I usually employed my
afternoons in walking along the shore till I came to a
spot where nothing was before me but the ocean sparkling in the sunlight. Not a soul was ever within sight.
Behind me lay an ocean of barren sand, so loose that it
was most difficult and fatiguing to walk through it.
How strangely the wind whispered as it blew from that
immense extent of scorching desert! The landscape was
gloomy and forlorn, and had a most depressing influence
over me. Between the sad murmurs of the wind, and
the solemn and monotonous noise of the waves as they
broke on the shore, I could not tell which was the most
melancholy sound to hear. But still I loved to seat myself on the edge, if I may so term it, of the Great Desert, and have before me the wide Atlantic; for then
thoughts of home would come over me, and many memories of the dear friends I had left behind.








S~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ -
A CARAVAN OF' MOORS.




WHY CAMELS CAN STAND THIRST.       207
At last, when my patience was almost exhausted, the
preparations for our trip were finished, and the day of
departure came. The caravan was going somewhere far
to the north, and was to follow the line of the sea-shore;
and it was arranged that a certain number of men were
to remain with me whenever I chose to stay behind for
the purpose of hunting, for I did not intend to go with
them to the end of their journey. I only wanted to enjoy the novelty of real desert-life for a little while.
The men were mounted on a great variety of animals,
camels, horses, and donkeys; and when offered my choice,
I selected a camel, having never ridden one in my life.
Every man was armed with a double-barreled flint-lock
gun, and some had pistols and swords. The party was
accompanied by a marabout (Mohammedan priest); he
was a strange-looking old man, with a white beard, and
seemed to be very much venerated by the people.
We had with us all that was necessary for a camp.
Our tents were made of the coarse cotton cloth manufactured by the people, and for beds we had soft tanned
leather mats. For myself, I had bought a splendid rug,
made by the Moors, exceedingly soft, the material of
which was young calves' skins.
One splendid morning, immediately after our Mohammedan priest had recited his prayers, we set out, and I
must say that there was something very picturesque in
our departure. The men all wore broad-brimmed hats
and loose barbaric costumes; some were mounted on
small, hardy donkeys, others on horses, and a very few
on camels. Other beasts were loaded with provisions
and goods which were to be taken to the Moors.
My camel was made to kneel down by his master to




208            MY APINGI KINGDOM.
enable me to climb upon his back. I was told that he
was very gentle and docile. I must have looked queer
enough with that immense straw hat on my head, my
double-barreled gun over my shoulder, my pistols hanging by my side, and a huge hunting-knife, as sharp almost as a razor, the bright steel of which shone splendidly as the rays of the sun struck upon it.
A camel-saddle is a queer-looking affair, and as for
the riding, I must say I did not like the camel's jolting
gait very much.
Our road lay along the barren and shadeless sea-shore,
and gradually the sun reminded me that the day was advancing, and that it was getting hot. The glare on the
white sand and the reflection from the sea were very
painful to the eyes, and I did not wonder that ophthalmy
was so prevalent among the people there. It became
positively unbearable as the day wore on, in despite of
my big broad-brimmed hat, and at length I put over my
face a very thick green veil with which I had happily
provided myself, and for which I was very thankful.
After riding some time I began to feel a queer sensation
in my stomach. The long, swinging strides of my camel,
to which, of course, I was not accustomed, did not seem
to agree with me, and I was beginning to feel symptoms
of sea-sickness. "What," said I to myself, " sea-sick on
the back of a camel?" There was no mistake about it.
It was a kind of camel-sickness. The men had a good
laugh at me; but I tried to fight it down, and after a
while succeeded, just as I was on the point of giving up
friend camel and betaking myself to the back of a highspirited donkey, on which I had fixed my eyes before we
started. He was a beauty of his kind; but I was told




DIGGING WELLS IN THE SAND.        209
that he was a very obstinate creature when he took it
into his head to be so. After all, I did not find that my
camel was such a gentle and docile animal as I had been
told. I thought it was pretty obstinate.
By noon the air became very hot, and the sand was so
scorching that it would have been no fun to walk through
it barefooted. We were going very slowly, and toward
four o'clock we thought we would pitch our tents and
encamp for the night. A spot by the sea-shore was
chosen for a site, and then the people began to busy
themselves in digging holes in the sand about high-water
mark. I did not know at first what they were doing
this for, but soon discovered that they were digging
wells. These were six or seven feet in diameter, and, as
the sand was very loose, the workmen were constantly
hindered by the caving in of the sides; but, in spite of
this drawback, the wells in a short time were completed
to a depth of about six feet, when water began to show
itself, as they had dug below the level of the sea. In
two wells the water was brackish, while in two others it
tasted quite fresh and sweet. We kept one for ourselves,
and made the approach to the other accessible for our
beasts. The poor creatures, suffering from thirst, came
and drank so greedily that twice they had to be driven
back to let the water come in again, they having completely emptied the well.
These rude wells are very useful, and, if properly protected by iron tubes, would be of immense benefit. This
manner of digging wells is the usual method of getting
water by the sea-shore.
Mohammedans are always very devout, and a little before sunset all the people became quiet, and listened rev



210            iMlY APINGI KING&D O.1
erently while the marabout prayed aloud. Afterward
they seated themselves cross-legged on the sand, with
their faces turned toward the setting sun, saying their
evening prayer to Allah, whose sole prophet they believed to be Mohammed. Then the camels and other
animals, so tethered as to prevent their straying far from
camp, were turned loose to graze on the scanty herbage
that grew here and there along the shore. The evening
meal was eaten with good appetite, and after this important duty was dispatched I took a solitary stroll along
the beach to watch the camels feeding. As I observed
these faithful, patient, and docile creatures, I could not
help thinking how bountiful and wonderful is Nature in
providing for man's wants in the different countries of
the world. Every where animals are found adapted for
the mode of life required according to the formation and
climate of the country. In desert and arid lands, where
food is scarce, and even water is far from being abundant, the camel is found, and proves to be the best friend
of man. Not only can this animal go several days without drinking as it crosses the great Sahara, but the milk
of the female camel furnishes her master with drink.
Many a wanderer's life has been saved in that manner.
As for food, the camel will be satisfied with the parched
grass, the scraggy vines, or the dry branches of the stunted trees found in the desert, or a few handfuls of grain
or dry dates. I do not wonder that the natives love their
camels, for what would they do in that desert country
without them?
How is it that the camel, unlike other animals, can go
so long a time without drinking water? I will tell you.
In its stomach are a great number of deep cells into




HOW THE CAMEL KEEPS WVATER.       211
which the water passes when the camel drinks, and is
then prevented from escaping by a muscle which closes
the mouth of the cells. When the camel feels thirsty,
it has the power of using some of this reserved store
of water. The natives say that when a camel has been
accustomed to a certain route, he knows exactly how
long to keep this supply of water to make it last from
one well or spring to another. Hence there is sometimes danger of a camel's suffering from thirst, and
even dying, if a long journey is to be performed over a
route with which he is unacquainted. The camel's feet
are broad, and so constructed that they present a broad
surface to the desert sands, to prevent his sinking into it
too deeply. Their knees are hard and horny, from the
habit of kneeling down to be loaded and unloaded.
The Moors come frequently down to the banks of the
Senegal River with an imposing array of camels, loaded
with gum arabic. The sight of one of these caravans is
curious and picturesque, as may be seen by the illustration on another page.
~: ~~8' " ~.~~~.;~..~ ~.~.j~f




CHAPTER XXVIII.
PART WITH THE CARAVAN.-A NEW CAMP. —DISCOVER OSTRICH TRACKS.-AN OSTRICH'S NEST.-AN OMELETTE.CHASING OSTRICHES ON HORSEBACK.-I AM UNSUCCESSFUL.
— LARGE NUMBER OF SEA-SHELLS IN THE DESERT.
WHEN I came out of my tent early the next morning,
I saw the Mohammedans scattered all over the sand
round our encampment, with their faces turned toward
the rising sun, saying their morning prayers before the
start. Then the camels and asses were milked, they were
fed with grain, and then led to the wells to drink. Breakfast over, then we started on our way again. That day
I was to be left by the caravan, for they did not wish to
take me farther, on account of the unsafe condition of
the country northward. The plundering Moors were
roving about in strong bands, and frequently attacked
caravans after dark.
I was overjoyed to find evidences that ostriches had
been in the region through which we passed. This assured me that there was to be good sport in the Sahara,
and not far from the sea.
Late in the afternoon I took leave of the caravan.
Several donkeys and a fleet horse were left for my use.
After many a good-by we parted, and I remained with
a few splendid Jaloffs for companions. We built our
camp near a scrubby grove, and dug a well, finding pretty good water at a depth of six feet. During the night




OSTRICHES ARE ARO UNA.         213
we kept a very careful watch lest the plunderers of the
desert should surprise us. The Moors might capture and
make me a slave-I, who love to be free! What should
I do if I was to lose my freedom  I shudder at the
thought! I would rathet die, I said to myself, than suffer such a terrible fate; and then the story of the poor
wretched men who had been taken captives on the coast,
which I have told you in a former chapter, came into
my mind. You will not be surprised to learn that I
slept but little that night. Fortunately, nothing happened to disturb us.
In the morning, after a hearty breakfast, I began
hunting on the country back of the spot where we had
encamped. I had to be very careful, and keep a sharp
lookout, as sometimes lions were found in these regions.
I was after ostriches, and had not gone far from our camp
with my four companions, when we discovered fresh
tracks, which must have been made by these singular
birds but a short time before. Among the scanty shrubs
thereabout were some creeping vines, which bore a kind
of fruit upon which the ostriches had been feeding. I
was on the alert, but the ground was flat, and there was
little probability of my getting near the birds, as they
could see me, and run away. Their swiftness is almost
incredible, for they have most extraordinary muscular
power in their legs, and, though they can not soar into
the air, their wings assist them wonderfully in their flight.
I could not understand at first how these ostriches
had strayed into this region, and finally concluded that
they must have been driven from the north by hunters,
and had taken refuge here. But there was no mistake
about it; my guide said the footprints were really made




214            MY APILVGl KINGDOM.
by ostriches. I therefore continued my chase till I came
unawares upon an ostrich nest, which was a piece of
very good fortune for me.  It was not built of straw
nor dead branches, but was simply a hole scooped out in
the sand by the mother bird. I was glad to observe that
there were five in the nest, which, if they were fresh,
would make a fine omelette. Satisfied with our good
luck, and considerably tired with the long tramp over
the sandy plain, we concluded to return to camp with
our five eggs. They were quite a nice little load.
Our camp was somewhat sheltered from the fresh seabreeze by a little sand-hillock heaped together by the action of the wind. The broad Atlantic was before us,
and the waves came dashing heavily on the beach. In
the evening the sky was clear, and the stars shone out
most beautifully. We had no matting, our bed being
nothing but the white desert sand, and a very nice and
comfortable bed it made, I can assure you.
When we were comfortably settled, I said to Mokar
Sidi, "Bring us the frying-pan. I must have an omelette made of an ostrich egg." But what a big omelette
it was going to be, for the capacity of an ostrich egg is
about thirty times that of a hen's egg. I wondered if
the omelette would be good. One thing was certain, the
egg was newly laid. We had with us a large quantity
of butter, which was carefully kept in a leather bag. I
had my frying-pan-a large tin plate -and was ready
to begin.
The shell of the ostrich egg was rather thick, and it
required two or three good blows with my hunting-knife
to break it. The contents of the egg half filled quite a
large dish. I beat it with my fork for a long time, till




lIMAKING AN OM1ELETTE.        215
the yellow and the white were thoroughly mixed. Then
I put the pan on the bright fire we had built with pieces
of wood collected from the shrubs around our camp. I
melted about a pound of butter, and, while it was very
hot, mixed the egg and the butter thoroughly with a
spoon. With the addition of salt and pepper, the omelette was soon ready, and such an omelette as it was! It
would have done you good to see it. I am sure it would
have given you a keen appetite. It looked and tasted
very much like an ordinary omelette. It was somewhat
coarser in flavor, but nourishing; and, as it was the first
time in my life I tasted of an ostrich-egg omelette, I relished it very much. Most of my fellows made their supper on couscous, a kind of millet, but some of them had
a dish of pounded grasshoppers. Among the children
of the desert this is considered a great dainty, and I was
told the Moors are also very fond of it.
As I wished to carry home the rest of the eggs, I
made a hole in one end of each, through which I emptied
the contents. The natives sometimes use these egg-shells
to hold water, or cut them up into spoons, dishes, cups,
and other articles of household convenience. One of
these eggs will hold about three pints.
The following day, before sunrise, while walking near
the camp, I spied two ostriches in the distance, too far
off to be conscious of my presence. I went back into
my tent as quickly as I could, and saddled and mounted
my horse, and started quietly in pursuit, taking every advantage of the ground as I advanced, in order not to be
seen by the game.
I felt somewhat anxious about my riding qualities, for
I knew I was not at all a good horseman, but I had the




216            M Y API1YNGI KIGNGDO 0J
consolation of knowing that if I fell off it would be
upon the soft sand, for there were no rocks on which I
should break my head.'After this reflection, I started
on a tremendous gallop after the ostriches. My little
horse went on splendidly, and we gained rapidly on
them. There was a fair prospect, I thought, for me to
bag one, when, just as I was ready to cock my gun,
down I fell at full length on the sand! My gun pitchtIAN OSTRICH HUNT.
ed a long way ahead of me, and my mouth was filled up
with sand. I gathered myself up, and, finding that there
were no bones broken, picked up my gun and started in
pursuit of my horse. He was a gentle and well-trained
animal, and suffered himself to be caught without difficulty.
The game, by that time, were far away, and I return



SEA-SHELLS INV THE DESERT.       21
ed to the camp, promising myself not to go after ostriches on horseback again, or, at any rate, not before I had
a little more practice in riding.
The ostrich does not run so fast as people generally
suppose; at least they can not run a long distance, and a
horse can easily overtake them, in spite of their legs and
wings. The natives say they can kick tremendously,
and that dogs are often killed in that way, as the powerful sharp claw with which the foot is armed can make
fearful wounds.
The male is a splendid bird; the lower part of the
neck and the body is of a beautiful shiny black, and the
plumes of the wing and tail are white. The female is
of a grayish-brown color, sprinkled with white, and her
tail and wing-plumes are clear white. The male possesses the finest feathers. They are from six to eight
feet in height, and the body weighs probably from two
to three hundred pounds.
I returned to camp somewhat crestfallen in regard to
riding. The least agreeable part of all had been that I
got my mouth full of sand, and could not get rid of it
till I came back to the camp, where I could rinse its out
with water.
I was surprised at the number of sea-shells scattered
about in the sands of the desert, showing conclusively to
my mind that once this barren and scorching expanse
had been covered by a sea. As the level of the desert is
not much above that of the ocean, I feel certain that if
wells were dug all over the desert, and protected with iron
tubes to prevent the sands from falling in, water could
be easily supplied to caravans and bands of travelers in
their journeys across that terrible expanse of territory.
K




CIIAPTER XXIX.
A SAND-STORM PREDICTED.-THE WIND FROM THE NORTIEAST.-THE STORM.-AFTER OSTRICHES.-TWO ARE KILLED.-RETURN TO CAMP.-ROAST OSTRICH FOR SUPPER.RETURN TO THE SETTLEMENT.
ON my return to the camp the men said we were
going to have a storm from the desert. They could tell
it was coming, and they hoped it would not last long, for
these storms are very unpleasant. They did not mean a
storm of rain, but that a strong wind would blow from
the east or northeast, and, in passing over the Great Desert, would raise clouds and columns of sand, so that the
atmosphere would be thick with it, as if a fog had spread
itself over the country.
I may say I was glad to hear this. Like you, my dear
young folks, I had heard before of these sand-storms,
and that the sand would even be carried far away out to
sea and fall on the decks of ships. I wanted to see one
of these awful storms, which are said to be so violent in
the Great Desert that men, and sometimes caravans, are
buried alive beneath the immense masses of sand.
The men were not mistaken. The wind, which had
been blowing lightly in an east-northeast direction, began
to increase gradually, till at last it blew a perfect gale.
The sand began to fly, and the storm increased still more.
The air soon became murky with sand, which flew to



JT BL 0 WS JAlD.            219
S6ANT-STORIM IN THE DESERT.
ward the sea like a thick fog. It was a grand and splendid sight. The light of the day had become quite dim,
because the sun's rays could hardly pierce the clouds of
sand. It continued blowing for several hours. The wind
was hot; my lips became parched and my eyes sore, as,
in spite of my thick veil, the sand penetrated every where.
Now that I had seen a genuine sand-storm, I hoped that
the wind would moderate. Little hillocks and mounds
were formed here and there, and our wells were filled up
with the drifting sand.
The sand got into my clothes through every opening
in them. It filled my hair, my nose, my ears, and even
my mouth. It covered every thing in our camp, and
completely spoiled our food. But we had to eat it as it
was, as there was no choice,




220           MIY APHIVGI KINGDOM.
Toward evening the wind gradually calmed down, and
by the time the sun had set below the horizon nature became quiet again. The sand-storm of the desert was
over, and I was glad I had seen it.
The next morning I again prepared myself to hunt
the ostrich. Some of them had been seen the day before by some of the men who had wandered off a little
way into the desert. It was but seldom that ostriches
were seen where we were, and I wished to take advantage of the opportunity, the more so that I should have
to turn back very soon and leave the Senegal region for
the Gulf of Guinea.
But first we moved our camp a few miles northward
from where we were, because better wells of water could
be got in that locality. As soon as our tents were pitched
again, I started once more on an ostrich hunt, taking two
guides with me.
Our course lay through the desert near the sea-shore.
It was exceedingly tiresome walking, for at every step
we made our feet would go deep into the sand, and the
heat was intense. We had to take every advantage of
the ground in order to hide ourselves from sight, for the
ostriches, as you know, were very shy, and, though I had
been more than three hours on the way, and was assured
by my two guides that I should see some, I was yet to
discover the first one. I did not expect to see their
tracks, as the storm of the day before had obliterated
every trace of them.
Yet I had good reason to look for fine sport, for this
was the time-just at the close of May, and before the
setting in of the rainy season-when the ostriches are
accustomed to visit the sea-shore in great numbers. The




GOING AFTER OSTRICHES.          221
natives say they wade into the sea during the heat of the
day, and splash round in the water at a great rate. This,
as you may suppose, is the best time of the year to shoot
them.
All at once, as I reached the top of a sand-down or
hill, I looked carefully over the crest to see if I could
discern any signs of game, and, to my great delight, I saw
several ostriches near the sea-shore, and not far from
where I was posted. I instantly stopped, and stood still
for an instant to observe them. I had never seen them
in their wild state till the day previous, and was very
much interested in watching their movements as they
were strutting about on the shore.
After satisfying my curiosity, I crept toward them
with all the caution I could use. They were unaware
of my presence, and seemed to be perfectly unconcerned
about every thing around them; but, knowing how keen
their scent was, I advanced cautiously and slowly, reserving my fire until I came within very short range. If
you had been with me you would have become, I am
sure, quite as much excited as I was, and you would have
enjoyed the chase.
At last I eame to a gap between two sand-hills, which
put me in great anxiety, as there was danger of my being
discovered by the ostriches in crossing, and if I should
be, good-by to my hopes! The gap was about forty
yards wide, and I must cross it in the quickest and most
sly manner. So, protected behind a little hillock of
sand, I watched carefully for a chance to scud across.
My eyes were riveted on the ostriches, and I waited for a
time till they should all look toward the sea or go into the
surf, so that I could shift my position without being seen,




222            MY APINGI KINGDOM O
AFTER OSTRICIIES.
and gain a hillock that stood within easy range of my
beautiful game. At last a good chance came; they all
clustered together and turned their backs toward me,
looking in the opposite direction. I seized the opportunity, and crossed over the open space in a jiffy, never letting my eyes lose sight of the ostriches, so that if they
had suddenly looked back I should have thrown myself
flat in the sand and lain as still as a log or a stone.
Using all this caution, I crossed in safety, and, on reaching the other shelter, drew a long breath of relief. I
was within range of the ostriches at last, and sure of my
game.
I rested several seconds in order to get breath to calmn
my nerves, so that I might take good aim and make a
dead shot. Then I slowly raised my gun, took a steady;                         ~~~~~-~ —-=~~-r;-.-~~ —-~ —= —-1Ti
dead shot. Then I slowly raised my glen, took a steady




SAIL FOJ THE GULF OF GUINEA.      223
aim at the male, who led the flock, and pulled the trigger. Bang! down came the male ostrich. Bang again!
and down came another. The three others that remained alive fled with very great swiftness. This was great
sport. I had been entirely successful. I gave a wild
shout of joy, and my two friends, who had remained behind, and were watching my movements, ran toward me
as fast as they could. I sent one of them back to the
camp to fetch the other men to assist in carrying the
game. The beautiful feathers were pulled out, the ostriches were cut into small pieces, and then, singing
songs of triumph, we returned to camp. That evening
we had a splendid supper of roast ostrich.
The next day I thought it was time to go back, for
the vessel was soon to be ready to sail, and I must reluctantly say good-by to the Great Desert. So we raised
our camp, loaded our donkeys, and departed on our homeward way. It was with a feeling of sorrow that I said
good-by to these desert and sandy shores, where I had
really enjoyed myself, and learned something that I did
not know before.
A few days after my return to the settlement of St.
Louis we weighed anchor and sailed for the Gulf of
Guinea.




CHAPTER XXX.
A PLEASANT VOYAGE.-IN SIGHT OF THE CAMEROONS. —THE
ISLAND OF FERNANDO PO.-SHARKS. —T-IE PILOT-FISH. —
WHAT THEY DO.-HOOKING OF A BIG SIHAR. —ITS STRUGGLES.-ITS DEATH.
FOR a few days after getting under way we had a
light breeze, and then sailed into the region of calms,
where vessels are sometimes detained for weeks for want
of wind enough to fill their canvas. We were not so
unfortunate, however, and thirty-eight days after our departure from Senegal our ship was plowing through the
water finely. We had a nice breeze, all our sails, were
set, and the studding-sails were out. As I looked back
one morning, I could see our wake for a long distance.
The sun had risen half an hour before, and the deck had
just been washed. I was enjoying the coolness of a
morning at sea under the tropics. The captain was
smoking a pipe as hard as he could. I could see that he
was nervous and excited. The fact was that he had been
expecting to see the land at sunrise, and had been disappointed. He concluded that the strong currents had
thrown us northward.
One man had been sent to the top of the mainmast to
watch for the land, for of course he could see it from
such a height long before those who were on deck.
The captain and I were talking of the strength of the




LOOKING FOR THE LAND.          225
currents, and wondering how far we might be out of our
course, when suddenly the cry of "Land ahead! land
ahead!" came down to us from the man on the watch at
the top of the mainmast. Immediately the captain and I
took our spy-glasses and ascended the rigging, though I
was satisfied not to go as high as the captain. The fact
was that I did not care to go higher up, not being much
of a sailor, and not knowing how I should like it up
there, or how I should keep my footing. I had no idea
of trying, for I knew that if I did not succeed I should
have a terrible fall. While I was thinking of these
things, the captain looked down and said to me," Do not
go up higher." I was only too ready to obey. After
looking a while through my glass, I shouted to him,
"Land ahead! land ahead!" The captain said," Where?"
I pointed toward the land, and said, " Don't you see it
there?" I could not be mistaken. What I saw could
not be a cloud, though it looked very much like one, so
faint and very far away. All I could see above the sea
was an indistinct bluish mass, having the appearance of
a cloud or bank of mist; but there was a hazy atmosphere about it which looked very much as if it were
land. As we came near it became more substantial,
and at last the blue outlines of the great peak of Cameroons were seen. What a grand sight it presented! apparently rising like an island from the sea, for the country that surrounds it is low and marshy, and the peak,
which rises to a height of thirteen thousand feet above
the sea, is visible for several hours before the low lands
above which it towers come into sight.
I wondered if this Peak of Cameroons was the same
land which Hanno, the great Carthaginian admiral, menK 2




226            1LY APINGI KINGDOil.
tions in the Periplus, where he says: " We discovered, at
night, a country full of fire. In the middle was a lofty
fire, larger than all the rest, which seemed to touch the
stars. When day came we discovered it to be a large
hill, called Teonochema, the Chariot of the Gods."
The Cameroons Mountains, being of volcanic origin,
would seem to corroborate this theory. Extinct craters
are to be seen there which must have been for ages in a
state of repose, and there is no other spot on the West
Coast where remains of volcanoes can be seen.
Hanno, if you remember well, mentions also the gorilla in the same book.
At a distance the Cameroons seems to rise abruptly
from its base by a continuous slope; but, on nearer approach, it is seen to consist of a succession of hills and
valleys, covered with alternating forest and pasture land.
Perhaps one third is covered with dense forest, while the
summit is bare.
After a few hours the island of-Fernando Po, whose
peaks rise to a height of more than ten thousand feet,
was in sight, and we could see, at the same time, the two
highest points found on the West Coast of Africa, for
Fernando is only about twenty miles from the main land.
It is situated in the very Bight of Biafra, which is the
extreme end of the Gulf of Guinea. One of the affluents of the great River Niger here falls into the sea.
While our vessel was heading for Fernando Po, I was
seated near the rudder, looking now and then at the high
land of which I have just spoken, when suddenly I saw
the fins of a large shark in the water. By their size it
must have been an enormous creature. It seemed to be
hunting after fish, as it swam pretty fast. No doubt the




WATCHING THE SHARK.            227
shark was hungry. I threw something heavy in the water, which made a good deal of splashing, to attract its
attention. I was not mistaken. The huge fish made for
the vessel, swam round it, though we were sailing fast,
and then came back to the stern, and followed us closely. Sometimes it almost seemed as if it touched the
rudder. What a huge creature it was! how ugly, how
voracious! Its little eyes seemed to see every thing; but
its mouth could not be seen, for it is placed in such a
way that it can only be seen when the shark turns over.
I wondered how many rows of teeth the creature could
have, and a cold shudder ran over me; for just at that
time I hlad seated myself on the bulwarks of the vessel,
and the least jerk might have sent me over into the sea,
and, as the shark was swimming close to the vessel, there
would have been no way of escape. I immediately jumped down on deck and looked at the creature. I do not
wonder that the natives often call it the "leopard of the
sea," for such a voracious creature seldom can be met
any where. You may perhaps remember that in "Lost
in the Jungle" there is an eagle called by the people
" the leopard of the air" on account of its fierceness and
boldness. The water has its representative for voracity,
fierceness, and treachery in the shark, and the land has
the leopard, which, as the natives say, can not be trusted.
As I was looking at that shark, I saw eight little fish
swimming round it, on which the shark seemed to look
complacently. At first I wondered why the shark did
not gobble them up as he would other fish. Now these
little tiny things would seem to rest on the back of their
huge companion, then they would swim under its belly
and round him. As I watched these little creatures, I




2 IcIa MXY APINGI AKINGDOM.
was filled with wonder because they swam so fast. They
seemed to be his best friends, and, as I learned, are called
the shark's pilots, and follow him every where. Only
large sharks have pilots. Wherever the shark goes his
"little pilots" follow him.  I believe they sometimes
tell him of danger, for the great enemy of the shark is
the " sawfish."  At any rate, they never leave the shark,
and it may be that they help to keep its skin clear from
insects and parasites. I went to my stateroom, and took
from a box two or three very small fish-hooks, which I
tied to a thread, and then put a very small piece of fat
pork on the hook, and dropped it in the water, but the
little pilots would not bite.
At times I fancied the old big shark was looking at
me, hoping all the time that I would come down into
the water, when he would have made a jolly meal of me.
At last I gave up trying to catch the little pilot-fish.
It is not often that I give up, but I saw that in this case
it was of no use, for it did not even come and smell of
my bait. Whatever little things I would throw over,
such as crusts of bread, little pieces of chicken-meat,
etc., they would not trouble themselves in the least about;
so I came to the conclusion that they fed themselves on
the parasites of the shark.
Just as I was thinking of catching the big shark, the
bell for dinner rang, and I went down into the cabin in
a hurry, for I was very hungry. A piece of salt pork
and some beans was all we had for our dinner. I confess I should have willingly exchanged the salt pork for
something else, for we had had so much of it.
After dinner I went immediately on deck again, and
saw that the shark was still following the vessel. The




THE SHARK IS CA UGHT.         229
sailor at the wheel whispered to me, in a very low tone,
that one of the crew was sick, and that he had no doubt
that the shark was waiting for him to die; " for," added
the sailor, "those horrid creatures smell sickness on
board, and I have seen them follow a ship day after day
till the man died and his body was buried in the sea."
Almost every sailor believes what this man just told me,
and that it is always a bad sign to see a shark follow
after a sick man. I said, " Nonsense; I do not believe a
word about it. You sailors are full of superstitions. At
any rate, I am going to try to hook the'fellow,' so that
it shall be his last day in the sea." We had on board the
vessel two large fish-hooks, which I had got specially for
shark fishing. These big hooks were held by a chain
about eighteen inches long, for a rope would have stood
a poor chance against several rows of teeth.
As I was preparing my hook and was ready to put on
it a piece of pork which weighed about one pound, the
captain came and helped me. We attached to the chain
a new, strong rope, for the shark was a big one, and we
secured it to the deck. The vessel was not going at that
time more than three miles an hour, for the breeze had
become light; but we were going fast enough. The
hook, with its piece of pork as a bait, had hardly dropped
into the water, when the shark came at it, and suddenly
turned over on its back, and showed a tremendous mouth,
which it opened, and swallowed pork, fish-hook, and part
of the chain. We gave a sudden jerk to our line, and
the hook fastened itself tightly inside the jaw of Master
Shark. Then came a great struggle to haul him up, especially when we got him out of the water and against
the ship's side. The crew had to be called to assist us




230            1MY APNLYI KING'D OLM
before we succeeded in landing him on the deck. It
was all that eight men could do to pull him up. Now
and then his powerful tail would strike with terrific force
against the sides of the ship; the water was lashed into
foam, and was soon discolored with blood from the
wound made by the hook. At last we succeeded in
drawing it out of the water, and the little pilot-fish swam
about at random, not knowing where their protector and
friend had disappeared. Then came the hardest part of
the work, for the shark made a tremendous struggle,
having no idea of being hauled on deck. Nevertheless,
in spite of its desperate efforts, we succeeded. As soon
as the huge creature fell on the deck we jumped out of
its reach, for a single blow from its tail would have broken a man's leg. Now and then the shark would remain
OAPTUBE OF A BHABK.
OAPTURE OF A SHARK.




THlE iEATHY oi' A SHAMlA       231
still a moment, then a quiver would follow, and the body
would flop and twist till the strength of the monster appeared to be exhausted.
Finally it lay quite still. Having armed myself with
a big axe belonging to the carpenter of the ship, I cut
off the shark's tail with one blow. It was a monstrous
shark. One of the sailors gave him a fearful blow on
the head which almost split it in two. Even this rough
treatment did not kill him, and it was still dangerous to
approach within his reach. At length a powerful blow
with an axe on the spine cut the monster in two and finished him, though the fragments of the body quivered
for some time afterward.
This shark belonged to the most voracious species; it
had a flat head, a big and very ugly-looking mouth, with
several rows of teeth which looked like those of a woodsaw.
We had hardly killed this fellow than seven others
appeared and followed in the wake of the ship. I threw
overboard some pieces of the shark we had killed, upon
which they threw themselves voraciously and gobbled
them up. So tley were cannibals, if we may use the
expression, and, as the negroes say, they eat "their own
people." They kept following the ship as if expecting
that something more would be thrown over to them.
The thought came to my mind how dreadful it would
be if one of the sailors should fall into the sea. It would
be sure death to him, for the sharks would pounce upon
him as the hungry and voracious hyena pounces upon a
dead carcass. The captain seemed to have the same feeling, and, though such an accident hardly ever happens,
he warned the men to look out sharp and be careful.
I was bound to kill these seven sharks if I could, for




232            MY APINGI KINGDOM.
if I succeeded there would be, I thought, seven monsters
less in the sea-seven creatures that would never again
make a meal of a man. So the two hooks were again
put out with big pieces of pork upon them. They hardly
touched the water when two sharks were caught, and,
after a great struggle, but not so severe as that with the
one we had just captured, they were hauled up half way,
and then I put a bullet through the head of each, cut
their tails off, and then let their bodies drop into the
water; the five that remained pounced upon them with
a fury and a voracity which astonished me. Of course,
the sharks could not swim, their tails having been cut off,
though they seemed to try. They sank gradually, the
five sharks sinking with them into the depths of the
ocean, to devour them. I did not count on that. It
never entered my head that these would follow the disabled and half dead sharks in this manner.
Half an hour after another immense fellow made its
appearance. We were decidedly in a great region of
sharks. This fellow was a blue-skinned shark, long, and
of slender proportions. The baited hook was thrown
over to him, and he approached it slowly and with great
caution, smelling at it three or four times, and as often
rejecting it. He was certainly not very hungry; but at
last he swallowed the bait and was caught. We had
great work to bring him on deck. This monster was
fourteen feet long, and you may judge my astonishment
when I found that his stomach was filled with fish, some
of which were still alive, and the captain had them
broiled for his dinner. In the mean time we were getting nearer to the island of Fernando Po, and by sunset
we were safely anchored in Clarence Bay, within twenty
or thirty yards of the shore.




CHAPTER XXXI.
THE BOOBEES. —CAMP BY THE SEA. — WE SPY A CANOE.
-FUGITIVES FROM SLAVERY. -THE STORY OF THEIR
CAPTIVITY.-THEIR FLIGHT.
THE next morning when I went on deck, the beautiful
island rose before me in all its picturesque charms. Not
a cloud hung over its high summit. The hills were covered ivith dense forest to their very tops, and from their
gentle declivities numberless little rivulets ran sparkling
down to the sea. The island is very beautiful to the eye,
but very unhealthy for a residence.
There was at that time on the island a settlement of
negroes captured from slavers, called Freetown, where
several missionaries lived who had undertaken the care
of the benighted people. The village was pretty and
quite clean. Fruit-trees had been planted about the
houses, and the little settlement appeared to be very
thrifty. The island seemed to be under English rule,
though belonging to Spain. A good, kind Hollander,
who had been many years on the island, was the virtual
governor.
Two or three days after my arrival, as I was rambling
among the valleys and hills of the island, shooting birds
and other small game (for, of course, there were no elephants nor leopards to be found, no hippopotami, etc.,
etc., there), I came across several settlements of the prim



234            MY APINUI KINGD OM.
itive inhabitants. These natives are called Boobees, and
are, no doubt, the remnants of a powerful tribe which
once inhabited the island. Strange to say, these Boobees
are unlike the negroes of the main land, being far more
ugly and degraded. They were accustomed to rub their
bodies with clay and palm-oil mixed together, and many
had a curious way of arranging their hair in plaits, each
of which was stuck together with the same disgusting
mixture in the shape of cigars. Some of them seemed to
have hundreds of these cigar-shaped plaits or braids on
their heads, sticking out on all sides like the quills on a
porcupine.
Our camping-ground was situated in a nice little nook
on the shore of one of those charming miniature bays
which are found now and then along the coast of Fernando Po. Close beside it ran a beautiful little rivulet,
the waters of which were as clear as crystal, and so cool
that one might have been tempted to think that it came
from some snowy peak. This little stream, indeed, rose
in the mountains, and had meandered on its way to the
sea through the dark forests of the island. Before us
lay the sea. On the beach were two small canoes for
fishing.
One morning when I returned from a hunt, in which
I had succeeded in killing several squirrels, which were
to be roasted that day on sticks, before a bright fire, for
my dinner, and had stretched myself out on the sand under the protecting shade of some huge cotton-trees, I was
looking at the water, and thinking that I would like,
after a while, to go a-fishing. There was a lazy feeling in
the atmosphere, and my men were taking their afternoon
nap not far from where I was lying. I had been lying




THE CANOE IS GsETTIXNG NEARER.     235
on the ground for about an hour, I suppose, when my
attention was suddenly drawn to a black spot in the
offing. What could it be? It was so far off that I took
my spy-glass to examine it, and then discovered it was a
small canoe, with a sail made of matting.
The little black spot grew bigger and bigger, for the
wind was strong and from the sea. By the way the canoe sailed, I could see that the people wanted to make
for the island. I wondered where the canoe could
come from, and my curiosity was much excited; so I
kept watching it as it came nearer and nearer, and after a while I could see that it contained five people. By
the time it came within half a mile of the land, and was
about that distance to the leeward of where our camp
was, the breeze had gradually died away, and there was
a dead calm. The canoe-men then took to their paddles, but, to my surprise, paddled very slowly. Examining them carefully thiough my glass, I recognized distinctly that there were four men and one woman in the
canoe. They appeared to be emaciated, and, as they
paddled very feebly, I concluded that they must be either sick or starving. Nevertheless, they were making
headway. Who knows, said I to myself, but that it is a
canoe belonging to the Boobees, which has been driven
far out to sea by one of the fearful tornadoes which
blow with such terrific force at this time of the year?
I awoke my men, who immediately declared it was a
canoe with fugitive slaves from Prince's or St. Thomas
Island.
My sympathies were at once fully aroused, and I said,
" Boys, suppose we launch one of our canoes and go to
meet them?"  "No," said my men; "for we might




236           IMfY APINGI KINGDOM.
frighten them away." So I suggested that we should
skirt the beach in the woods, and be near them when
they landed. This was no sooner said than done, with
all the more alacrity because the negroes forming my
own camp were also fugitives from slavery. One of
them, who had escaped from St. Thomas Island, and had
lived on the banks of the Ogobai River, had been sold
into slavery by his people because suspected of being a
wizard. He had been three years in the English settlement of Fernando Po, and could speak the English language tolerably well, besides the Portuguese. His name
was Fasiko.
We kept skirting the beach, taking good care to remain in the woods, in order not to raise the suspicions of
the fugitives. By the time we came opposite them they
were not more than one hundred yards from the shore.
Through my glass I could see how careworn they were.
They seemed to be very suspicious and shy as they approached the land, and I could see fear and anxiety on
their faces. I was not surprised, for they had never seen
the country, and knew not if the people were wicked and
ready to kill them, or make slaves of them again. Now
and then they would stop their paddles, look around anxiously, give two or three more strokes, then stop again,
and look around. At last they landed, and appeared to
be hardly able to walk. What a little bit of a canoe it
was that they came in! I wondered that they had not
been swamped.
After they had all landed, they looked carefully in
every direction, while we kept ourselves hidden. Suddenly they saw human footsteps on the beach, where Boobees had been walking, and a kind of panic seized them.




WE BRING THEMI TO THE CAMP.       237
Poor people! I felt sorry for them. At last my men
came out of the forest, shouting to them not to be afraid;
but the shouts were of no avail. They took to their heels
and ran away as fast as they could; but, in their weakened condition, they were no match for us. We ran
after them, and in a short time they were all captured.
They immediately recognized friend Fasiko, however,
who had lived on a neighboring plantation to theirs, and
all at once their fears were allayed.
We took them back to the camp, and gave them a
good meal of boiled plantains. Two chickens I had
brought for myself were cooked for them, and the broth
seemed to do them good. They were very grateful to
us, and, after they had eaten, they lay down to seek the
rest and sleep of which they stood so sadly in need.
They were negroes from the interior of Africa, as we
knew without being told by their sharp-pointed teeth
and tattooed bodies.
Darkness had come, and we had given a fresh start to
our fires, which were bright and cheerful, and our five
runaway captives were lying by them with anxious looks,
for they did not know what was to happen to them. Perhaps they thought I was one of the whites who bought
slaves by the sea-shore, and that they were going to be
re-enslaved.
"I want to hear your story," said I. "I want to know
how you dared to go to sea in such a small canoe, and
why you were sold into slavery by your own people."
The eldest of the five rose from his reclining position,
seated himself on the ground, and began to tell his story
in Portuguese, which Fasiko translated into English.
"All of us you see here," said the old man, "belong




238           MlY APINGI KINGD OM.
to a tribe called Ishogos, living far away from that big
water" (he pointed to the sea), "of which we had never
heard before we came to it, as none of those who go
away from our country and see the ocean ever come
back to tell the tale of what they have seen, for many
tribes are between the ocean and our land; and, even if
we escaped from the people of the coast, we should be
enslaved by other tribes. A stranger in a strange land
is not safe in the country of the black man." Here the
man gave a sigh, and the others said, "Yo, yo, yo," which
meant " That is so."
"White man," he continued, "seest thou that woman 
She lived in a village not far from mine. We grew up
together. I saw her father and mother killed for witchcraft, and she saw my father and mother sold into slavery for the same cause; and, if we had dared to-cry, or
say that our parents were not sorcerers, we should have
been killed, and therefore we were obliged to join the
crowd, and shout with the rest of the people,'Death to
the wizards! Death to those who bring disease and death
among us!' For, white man, in the country of the Ishogos, we all believe that people can become sorcerers;
and if the people suspect that there are sorcerers in the
village, we are afraid of each other, for we know not if
our next neighbor does not wish to kill us. The father
mistrusts his son, the son the father, the mother her children, the husband his wife, and the wife her husband, the
uncle his nephew, and the nephew his uncle. Fear seizes
every body, and there is no peace in the village till the
sorcerers are found.
"So the people mistrusted us as belonging to a family
of aniembas (sorcerers), and, as our people wanted brass




HOW THEY LEFT THEIR COUNTRY.       239
rings, we were sold. In our country even mothers and
fathers sell their own children, and our own family sold
us into slavery. So one morning we left our village
with a people called Apingi. They tied our hands behind our backs, and led us through the forest to their
own country. This woman and I kept together. Oh
how afraid we were of being separated; for when we
were young we loved each other, and I wanted her to be
my wife; but another man gave her father one slave
more than I could afford to give, and two goats, and
she became his wife.
"When we reached the Apingi village we saw three
more Ishogos, and knew they too had been sold into slavery. This Apingi village was on the bank of a large
river. After a few days the man who owned us sold us
to another tribe called Aviia, living lower down on the
banks of the river. A canoe took us there. Oh how
frightened we became as we sailed in the little canoe!
Happily we were sold together again, but the three other
Ishogos did not go with us, so we had to bid them goodby. When night would come our new masters would
leave people to watch us, and would put us in nchogo (a
kind of stocks), and threatened us with death if we tried
to escape.
"The Aviia man who owned us, wanting to marry a
girl of another village, gave us to her father in order to
get her, for he had bought us especially for this object.
The Apingi had bought us for four large copper rings,
and this man had bought us for eight-such as women
wear round their ankles.
"We noticed, as we came down the river, that it got
wider and deeper continually, and this filled our hearts




240            MY APINGI KINGD OM
with fear. We were resold again, and traveled in the
forest, and afterward came to the river again. In this
manner we were sold from tribe to tribe living down the
river, taking larger canoes as we came down, till, one
morning, when we came out into the sea, the canoe began
to rock, and Mishoumbi and I almost died with fright.
"We then sailed along the coast till we came to the
land of the Oroungous, who had bought us in the Ngalois country. The next morning they took us to some
people looking like you. They were white men. They
looked at us, they touched us, they felt us all over, and
opened our mouths. Then the Oroungous sold us to
them. We were so glad that Mishoumbi and I were sold
together, for then we could talk together of Ishogo landof our people. We knew that our country lay in the direction where the sun rose, and that we had come to the
sea where the sun set. So every morning we would lock
toward the rising sun.
" A few days after we were resold to a white man, who
sent us, before daylight, with many others, on board of
a ship. It was quite dark. During the night we were
put under the deck, and during the day we came out.
There were on board many white men armed with guns
and pistols, and the sight of them frightened us very
much. All the men were kept together, and the women
were apart, so I could only look at Mishoumbi, for we
were not allowed to talk to any one.
"We could see that we were going away from where
the sun rises, and going toward where it sets-going
away, away, far away from the good Ishogo country,
where we were born, and where our fathers of old were
born. Fear was on the countenance of us all, for we




THEY LAND IN ST. THOMAS.         241
knew not what was to become of us. We knew not if
the white men were not to kill and eat us. We were
afraid of the water, for land was nowhere to be seen.
" After two days and two nights we came in sight of an
island. The land was as high as that of our Ishogo
mountains. As we came near the land, canoes came
alongside with white and black men on board, and took
us all away, and landed us in the woods, where we slept,
the people keeping guard over us. By-and-by some other white men came and bought us by sixes, eights, or
tens. I parted with Mishoumbi, as I thought, forever;
but no one dared to cry, for we were afraid of being
killed on the spot.
" I was led, with seven others, to a plantation, and there
I remained tillI ran away, and it is there that I learned
to speak Portuguese."
"How is it," said I, "that Mishoumbi and your three
Ishogos friends are with you to-day?"
"Wait," said he, "and I will tell you. The island we
came from is called St. Thomas.* The name of the
master to whom I belonged was Silva; he was kind, and
his plantation was by the sea. It had a great quantity
of coffee-trees. All his slaves were free, after work, to
walk to and fro. After being accustomed to the country, I began to visit round, and one day whom should I
meet on a neighboring plantation but Mishoumbi-yes,
Mishoumbi. She told me that our three Ishogos were
living not far from her on another plantation, and from
that time we saw each other very often. We would
sometimes meet after our work was done, and talk of
* St. Thomas is about 250 miles from the coast, and is situated directly
under the equator, almost in a parallel line with the Oroungou country.
L




242            MY APINGI KINGD OM.
Ishogo land, and look in the direction where the sun
rises, knowing that the land we left- was there. Often
we said to ourselves,' Only two days took us to this island; how pleasant it would be if we could go back, and
live in the woods, and be free.'
"Then we began'to talk all the time about running
away, and very soon events occurred which helped us.
My master wanted to teach me how to fish, and, after I
had learned, I took a canoe every day and went out and
fished. Of course I never went far from the land. After a while I became quite an expert canoeman. Dry
seasons and rainy seasons passed away in that manner.
One day I was ordered to make a big canoe from a tree
that was in the forest, and, when the canoe was nearly
finished, the idea came into my head of running away,
and going again toward where the sun rises. When I
told Mishoumbi of it, she said,' Let us run away.' We
swore to keep our plan a profound secret, and every
evening) when we all met, we would say,'Let us run
away,' for the three Ishogos were to escape with us.
" The canoe was finished, and I was to take it to the
beach in front of my master's house within a few days.
In the mean time I had made paddles and prepared a
sail of matting; and we collected food on the sly. One
dark evening we all met in the woods, and, going down
to the beach, launched the canoe, got into it, and paddled away from the island in the direction toward where
the sun rises. The next morning we were far away, the
land of St. Thomas appearing dimly in the horizon. The
breeze bore us rapidly toward where the sun rises, but
still we were afraid the people would chase us.
"Two days passed away, and no land came in sight.




HOW FRIGHTENED THEY WERE!         243
Fear began to seize us, and we were sorry we had ran
away. Four days more passed away, and still no land;
we thought we should never see it again. Happily we
had plenty of food, but the water began to get scarce.
The fifth night a tornado blew and threatened to swamp
us, but we collected a little water after the wind went
down. The tornado was followed by a dead calm.
" While we were in all this trouble we spied a sail, and
at first we thought it was in pursuit of us, which put us
in great terror. Was it a St. Thomas vessel? If so, it
would take us back, and our master would be hard upon
us. But the vessel, after a while, changed its course; its
sails grew dimmer and dimmer, and became lost to our
sight. We continued to sail toward where the sun rises,
hoping to find the land; but for a long time no land was
to be seen, and at last we made up our minds that it was
all over with us. But at last we saw the land! It did
not look like the land of the Oroungous, and we were
afraid, as we knew not where we were. But we had no
food, no water, and we had to land or choose to die in
our canoe."
We were much affected by the man's pathetic story,
and told our new friends that they were free forever, as
on this island there were no slaves. Here they would
meet with some who, like themselves, had fled from
where they came, though many more had perished in
their attempt, while others have landed on the main land,
and then were re-enslaved by the natives. We told themn
to go to sleep without fear. The next day they went to
the old governor, who made them welcome to the little
settlement of Freetown.




CHAPTER XXXII.
DEPARTURE FROM FERNANDO PO. —THE GULL.-HER CREW.
— A TORNADO.-STARVATION.-CAPE ST. JOHN.-CORISCO.
-GOOD-BY.
AFTER a short visit to Fernando Po, I thought of going
southward toward the equator to meet the Roland, but
there was no vessel going there. Nothing was left for
me to do but to buy a large boat, a kind of fishing-smacky
which the governor of the island wished to sell. This
boat was about ten tons burden. My great objection to
it was that it had no deck; but, as there was no choice, I
had to take it.
After buying the boat, the next thing was to get a
crew. I went to friend Fasiko, and asked him to engage
me a crew of four men, and sail down the coast with me.
I immediately gave the name of GULL to our craft.
The next morning Fasiko came with four strong, strapping fellows, all runaway slaves from the island of St.
Thomas. They had before gone as sailors on board of
vessels whose crews had been disabled by sickness. They
said they were thoroughly good seamen-could splice a
rope, go up the mast, knew how to cast an anchor, and
steer a ship. They had kept their Portuguese namesPedro, Antonio, Francisco, and Joannes. I named Fasiko
captain, Pedro mate, Antonio and Joannes sailors, and
Francisco cook, steward, and sailor into the bargain, if it
became necessary. The boat was to be theirs when I




-~~~~~~~~
IOEPAETlUllE FR.OM lIRN'AlqlO PO.








OUTFIT OF THE GULL.           247
had done with it, and they would return to Fernando Po
in it. I engaged them at the rate of ten dollars a month,
with the promise of extra pay if they worked well. Discipline must be observed, and the night watches must be
strictly kept.
I was afraid that the sailing qualities of the Gull were
not very good, for her bow was not sharp, and she was
too broad and too short. The first thing to be done was
to put her in thorough trim for her voyage, and get provisions on board. So I bought from the natives sweet
potatoes, yams, and a dozen fowls. I tried to get some
sea-bread, but none could be obtained; but the good governor promised me some loaves of bread. I bought a
brass kettle, an iron pot, some butter, two big pieces of
salt pork, and two pieces of salt beef for my men, and a
dozen boxes of sardines for myself. We also put on
board a large quantity of fire-wood. Then I managed to
get an old cask, which I sawed in two, and filled one half
with sand. This one was to be our kitchen, and our fire
was to be lighted on the sand. The other half was to be
used as a kind of roof to the galley or kitchen, to protect the fire from the heavy rain and from the wind.
This fire was to be kept up all through the voyage. My
men being great smokers, I bought a good quantity of
tobacco for them. I bought thick sailors' flannel shirts
for each man. For myself, I had a thick water-proof
cloak and several blankets. The uncomfortable point
about the Gull was that there was no special place to
sleep in.
As it would not have done to sail unarmed, I bought
five trade-guns for my men, and, with my own, we had
a formidable armament. I got papers from the govern



248            MY APINGI KINGD OM.
or for fear of being taken for a slave-dealer trading between the Coast and the island of St. Thomas.
Every thing being ready, we sailed. The morning was
hot and sultry, and the very light breeze coming from
the mountains of Fernando Po was hardly strong enough
to move the boat. We sailed slowly past the island. The
land-breeze gradually died away, and then the heat became intense. We had no awning, and I had not even
an umbrella. There was, in fact, nothing to shelter me
from the powerful rays of the sun, which seemed to pour
down upon us with greater force than usual. When the
land-breeze died away there was no sea-breeze coming to
our help, and there we lay, a few miles from shore and
from our point of departure, drifting slowly seaward.
I had not bargained for this. The day passed away, and
the sun began to sink beneath the horizon.. Darkness
followed, and with it came a certain relief from the terrible heat. During the day I kept three wet pockethandkerchiefs in my hat to prevent me from being sunstruck.
Then came the rub. We must see what could be done
to fix a place for sleeping. All that the sailors could do
was to sleep on the bottom of the boat the best way they
could. As for myself, I would sleep on the seat near
the rudder. Before going to sleep I arranged for two
watches. Fasiko, Pedro, and Antonio were to be in one;
Francisco and Joannes were to belong, with myself, to
the other. Happily, my Portuguese friends had learned
English at Fernando Po, and could understand my directions pretty well. I said to them, " Boys, we are going
to be good friends, but remember that there must be no
sleeping when people keep watch, and" (pointing to a




STRICT KEEPING OF WATCHES.       249
stick) " look out for the one who goes to sleep! for you
know, boys, that this is the season of tornadoes, and that
they sweep with terrible force across the sea, and should
we be caught sleeping by the wind we should all be lost.
I won't sleep when my turn for the watch comes," I added, in a laughing tone. "You may use the stick also on
me if you catch me sleeping." Each watch was to last
four hours-from eight to twelve P.M., from twelve to
four, and from four to eight o'clock A.M. During the
day, those who felt like sleeping could do so. Those
whose watch lasted from eight P.M. to midnight were to
sleep from six o'clock to eight.
During the whole of the night there was not a breath
of wind. The sky was clear, and the stars shone beautifully. Toward four o'clock in the morning a light landbreeze began to be felt, and we commenced to make
headway. The first twenty-four hours we had made
very little progress from our starting-point, but I had
great hopes that we should fare better the second day.
But the second day was not a bit more favorable than
the first, for we had neither land nor sea breeze. The
way to navigate on this part of the coast is to take advantage in the morning of the land-breeze, and tack seaward, and in the afternoon, with the sea-breeze, to change
the tack and make for the shore. The land-breeze would
take us away from the coast almost in a straight line,
while with the sea-tack we would approach the coast in
a southeast direction; but thus far we had had a good
deal more land than sea breeze, and were not successful
in approaching the island. The farther we were from
land the stronger became the current, which seemed to
run somewhat from the southeast.
L2




250            MY APINGI K&LVGlDOML.
We were getting in a bad way. Four days had elapsed
since we sailed from Fernando Po, and we were still in
sight of the island, though far from it. It is true, I had
ten days' provisions on board; but, if things went at this
rate, we ran the risk of being twenty days on our voyage. I began to feel really anxious, though I did not
want to show my feelings to the crew. I was thinking
seriously of shortening our food allowance. Happily, we
had two casks of water on board; and had plenty of it
yet. The days were so hot that I did not know really
what to do with myself, and I suffered very much from
the glare of the sun. Toward nine o'clock on the evening of the fourth day out, the sky toward the land became dark and threatening, and it looked very much as
if a storm was coming. After a while lurid flashes of
lightning were seen. The distant mutterings of thunder
could be heard, and these were getting nearer and nearer. I kept a sharp lookout on the horizon, and made
every thing ready, so that the sails might be hauled down
at the first glimpse of a tornado.
At length the thunder began to peal with tremendous
force, and the rain to pour down in torrents. The
claps of thunder were terrific. The storm lasted about
four hours, and after it came a dead calm. Of course
we were drenched to the very bone. The only thing to
be done was to leave our clothes to dry upon us. The
next morning, the fifth day after our departure, the sun,
as usual, rose brightly, but there was hardly a breath of
wind. As the storm had come directly from the land,
it had blown us away from the coast, and, looking in the
direction of the land, I saw that the bold outlines of the
Peak of Fernando were lost to our sight.




WE DESPAIR OF 1EA CHI3N LAND.      251
The situation would certainly become critical if it
lasted much longer. There we were, out of sight of
land, with no breeze, and seemingly in one of those long
spells of calm, when there was nothing to counteract the
force of the strong contrary currents.
"Boys," I said to my crew, " we have plenty of provisions yet; but, as you see, we have been unfortunate
with the breeze. Suppose we do not eat so much now
as we did before, so that for sure we may not get out of
food."  " We will do just as you say," they replied, cheerfully; "we will only eat half of what we ought till we
see a fair prospect of reaching the land." "That is
right, boys," said I. So we began our short allowance
of food from that day.
Quite a change in the weather soon took place, but, I
am sorry to say, not for the better. Night after night
the storm would burst upon us with terrible thunder,
lightning, and rain. In one respect, however, these
storms were of benefit to us, as they enabled us to collect water in our sails, and to fill our casks. The days
were still intensely hot.
I took advantage of every little breeze we had, but the
current was so tremendous that the Gull seemed to lose
all the benefit of the wind. I was steering southeast,
that is, making for the Coast; and now fourteen days
had passed away, and there was no land in sight, though
the last two days we had had a steady, good breeze.
It occurred to me at length that the compass by which
I steered might be out of order, though I did not see how
this could be, as there was no iron round it, my guns being all forward. The following day, when the sun rose,
I took bearings with the compass, and, making due al



252            MY APINGI KINGDOM.
lowance for the deviation according to the longitude, 1
saw that the instrument was correct. Either the strong
currents had put us out of the way, or some of the sailors
must have steered badly. So I steered the Gull directly
for the land. I was getting weak, as for the last ten
days we had eaten very little food, just enough to keep
us from starvation. I did not like the looks of an enormous shark that had been following us for three days.
At night I could see its wake by the phosphorescent light
it left behind it as it swam. He would come and almost touch the rudder. I shuddered at the thought of
falling into the water, or of being upset by a tornado.
We all gradually became very weak. Were we to die
of hunger at sea? It looked very much as if we were,
as there was no more food left on board; happily we
still had water to sustain us.
Seventeen days had passed since we left Fernando Po.
That night the sky was clear, and the stars shone beautifully. The men were lying at the bottom of the boat,
prostrated by heat and want of food. I was steering, for
I did not dare to give the care of the rudder to any one.
I wanted to make sure that the Gull was going right according to the compass. I had no strength left, as for
two days I had taken no food except four little sardines,
and my weak arm had all it could do to guide our boat.
The wind was fair, and I was making right in the direction of the land. Shall we see it or not? As I looked
toward the stars, I raised a silent prayer to God. The
moon rose, and by its dim light I looked with sorrow on
the care-worn, emaciated faces of my five faithful men,
who had not even uttered a word of grumbling since we
left. The night passed away, and the next morning, just




WE SEE THE LAND.            253
as the sun was rising, I happened to look eastward.
What do I see? " Land! land! boys," I shouted; " there
is the land; look at it!" They all sprang to their feet
to gaze at the blessed sight. It was Cape St. John. Joy
succeeded sorrow. God had been with us, and had looked
down upon the little Gull and its crew.
Toward noon we landed, so weakened by exposure and
want of food that we could hardly walk. I tottered like
a drunken man, I was so weak. The natives knew me,
for, if you remember, we had been before at Cape St.
John. The king of the village welcomed me and my
men in a very friendly manner. Food was given us, and
some chickens were presented to me by the kind African women. I forbade the men to eat much for a while,
and that afternoon we had chicken broth. In the evening, also, we ate very little, for, if we had eaten heartily, no doubt it would have done us harm if it had not
killed us.
That night I rested badly, for I was sore all over. The
reaction had taken place, and all my strength seemed to
have gone away with my anxiety. The next morning
I was sick with fever, while a violent headache made
me suffer terribly. The second day I felt better, and
three days after my arrival at Cape St. John I sailed for
the island of Corisco, thence down the Coast to meet the
Roland.
This voyage from Fernando to Corisco had been fearful, and it required a long time for me to get over it.
In my preceding volumes you have been made acquainted with Corisco " the beautiful," and the countries
of the main land; so I will leave you here, and promise
to take you with me in my next volume into the country




254            MY APINGI KINGDOM.
of the Dwarfs, which is situated far away in the interior
mountains of Africa. These singular people are, no
doubt, descendants of the same race described by the
great historian Herodotus. They inhabit a country where,
perhaps, some day, my dear Young Folks, one or two of
you may follow me, and bring home news of what you
have seen that will make the ears of your auditors tingle
with wonder.




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Pines.
Abbott's Illustrated Histories. Illustrated with numerous Engravings. i6mo, Cloth, $I 20 per vol. The volumes may be obtained separately; or
the Set complete, in box, for $36 oo:
Cyrus the Great.-Darius the Great.-Xerxes.-Alexander the Great.-Romulus.-Hannibal.-Pyrrhus.-Julius Cesar.- Cleopatra. - Nero.-Alfred the
Great.-William the Conqueror.-Richard I.-Richard II.-Richard III.Mary Queen of Scots. —Queen Elizabeth.-Charles I.-Charles II.-Josephine.-Maria Antoinette.-Madame Roland.-Henry IV.-Margaret of Anjou.-Peter the Great.-Genghis Khan.-King Philip.-Hernando Cortez.Joseph Bonaparte.-Queen Hortense.
Abbott's Young Christian Series. Very greatly Improved and
Enlarged. Numerous Engravings. The volumes sold separately. Complete in
4 vols., i2mo, Cloth, $I 75 each:
The Young Christian.-The Corner-Stone.-The Way to do Good.-Hoaryhead and M'Donner.
Aikin's Evenings at Home; or, The Juvenile Budget Opened.
By Dr. AIKIN and Mrs. BARBAULD. With 34 Engravings by ADAMS. I2mo,
Cloth, $I 50.
A Child's History of England.   By CHARLES DICKENS. 2 vols.,
i6mo, Cloth, $2 oo.
A Child's History of the United States.    By JOHN BONNER. 3
vols., i6mo, Cloth, $3 75.
A Child's History of Rome.'By JOHN BONNER. With Illustrations. 2 vols., i6mo, Cloth, $2 50.
A Child's History of Greece.   By JOHN BONNER.     With Illustrations. 2 vols., i6mo, Cloth, $2 50.
Edgar's Boyhood of Great Men.       With Illustrations.   i6mo,
Cloth, $1 20.
Edgar's Footprints of Famous Men.     With Illustrations.  I6mo,
Cloth, $I 20.
Edgar's History for Boys; or, Annals of'the Nations of Modern
Europe. Illustrations. I6mo, Cloth, $I 20.
Edgar's Sea-Kings and Naval Heroes. A Book for Boys. Illustrated. I6mo, Cloth, $I 20.
Edgar's Wars of the Roses.    Illustrations.  I6mo, Cloth, $I 20.
Reid's Odd People. Being a Popular Description of Singular Races
of Men. By Captain MAYNE REID. Illustrations. I6mo, Cloth, 75 cents.
Miss Mulock's Our Year. A Child's Book in Prose and Verse.
Illustrated by CLARENCE DOBELL. i6mo, Cloth, Gilt Edges, $i oo.
Children's Picture - Books.   Square 4to, about 300 pages each,
beautifully printed on Tinted Paper, with many Illustrations by WEIR, STEINLE,
OVERBECK, VEIT, SCHNORR, HARVEY, and others. Bound in Cloth, Gilt, $I 50 a
volume; or the Series complete, in neat case, $7 50:
The Children's Bible Picture-Book.-The Children's Picture Fable-Book.The Children's Picture-Book of Quadrupeds and other Mammalia. -The
Children's Picture-Book of the Sagacity of Animals.-The Children's PictureBook of Birds.




Interesting Books for the Young.                 3
Harper's Boys' and Girls' Library. 32 Volumes. Engravings.
i8mo, Cloth. Sold separately at 75 cents a volume:
Lives of the Apostles and Early Martyrs.-The Swiss Family Robinson, 2 vols.
-Sunday Evenings, comprising Scripture Stories, 3 vols.-Mrs. Hofland's
Son of a Genius.-Thatcher's Indian Traits, 2 vols.-Thatcher's Tales of the
American Revolution.-Miss Eliza Robins's Tales from American History, 3
vols.-Mrs. Hofland's Young Crusoe; or, The Shipwrecked Boy.-Perils of
the Sea.-Lives of Distinguished Females.-Mrs. Phelps's Caroline Westerley.-Mrs. Hughs's Ornaments Discovered.-The Clergyman's Orphan; the
Infidel Reclaimed.-Uncle Philip's Natural History.-Uncle Philip's Evidences of Christianity. - Uncle Philip's History of Virginia. - Uncle Philip's
American Forest.-Uncle Philip's History of New York, 2 vols.-Uncle Philip's Whale Fishery and the Polar Sea, 2 vols.-Uncle Philip's History of the
Lost Colonies of Greenland.-Uncle Philip's History of Massachusetts, 2 vols.
-Uncle Philip's History of New Hampshire, 2 vols.
Harper's Fireside Library: expressly adapted to the Domestic
Circle, Sunday-Schools, &c. Cloth, 75 cents each:
Alden's Alice Gordon.-Alden's Lawyer's Daughter.-Alden's Young Schoolmistress.-Burdett's Arthur Martin.-The Dying Robin.-Ellen Herbert; or,
Family Changes.-Mayhew's Good Genius that turned every thing into Gold.
-William the Cottager.-Mayhew's Magic of Kindness.
Harper's Story Books. Narratives, Biographies, and Tales for
the Young. By JACOB ABBOTT. With more than Ioo beautiful Engravings.
" HARPER'S STORY BOOKS" can be obtained complete in Twelve Volumes,
each one containing Three Stories, at the price of $21 oo; or in Thirty-six Thin
Volumes, each containing One Story, at the price of $32 40. The volumes sold
separately, the large ones at $1 75 each, the others at go cents each.
Volume I.-Bruno; Willie and the Mortgage; The Strait Gate.
"  II.-The Little Louvre; Prank; Emma.
III.-Virginia; Timboo and Joliba; Timboo and Fanny.
IV.-The Harper Establishment; Franklin; The Studio.
V.-The Story of Ancient History; The Story of English History; The
Story of American History.
"   VI.-John True; Elfred; The Museum.
VII.-The Engineer; Rambles among the Alps; The Three Gold Dollars.
"VIII.-The Gibraltar Gallery; The Alcove; Dialogues.
IX.-The Great Elm; Aunt Margaret; Vernon.
X.-Carl and Jocko; Lapstone; Orkney the Peacemaker.
"   XI.-Judge Justin; Minigo; Jasper.
XII.-Congo; Viola; Little Paul.
Some of the Story Books are written particularly for Girls, and some for Boys;
and the different volumes are adapted to various ages, so that the Series forms a complete Library of Story Books for Children of the Family and the Sunday-School.
Mayhew's Boyhood of Martin Luther; or, The Sufferings of the
Little Beggar-Boy who afterward became the Great German Reformer. Beautifully Illustrated. i6mo, Cloth, $s 25.
Mayhew's Peasant-Boy Philosopher. The Story of the PeasantBoy Philosopher; or, "A Child Gathering Pebbles on the Sea-Shore." (Founded on the Early Life of Ferguson, the Shepherd-Boy Astronomer, and intended to
show how a Poor Lad became acquainted with the Principles of Natural Science.)
Illustrations. x6mo, Cloth, $I 25.
Mayhew's Wonders of Science; or, Young Humphrey Davy (the
Cornish Apothecary's Boy, who taught himself Natural Philosophy, and eventually became President of the Royal Society). The Life of a Wonderful Boy written for; Boys. Illustrations. x6mo, Cloth, $I 25.
Mayhew's Young Benjamin Franklin; or, The Right Road through
Life. A Story to show how Young Benjamin Learned the Principles which Raised
him from a Printer's Boy to the First Embassador of the American Republic. A
Boy's Book on a Boy's own Subject. With Illustrations by JOHN GILBERT.
x6mo, Cloth, $s 25.
Folks and Fairies.   Stories for Little Children.  By LUCY RANDALL COMFORT. Illustrated. Square 4to, Cloth, $I oo.




4                 Interesting Books for the Young.
Mrs. Mortimer's Reading without Tears; or, A Pleasant Mode of
Learning to Read. Beautifully Illustrated. Small 4to, Cloth, 75 cents.
Mrs. Mortimer's Reading without Tears, Part II. Beautifully Illustrated. Small 4to, Cloth, $1 25.
Mrs. Mortimer's Lines Left Out; or, Some of the Histories left out
in " Line upon Line." The First Part relates Events in the Times of the Patriarchs and the Judges. With Illustrations. I6mo, Cloth, 75 cents.
Mrs. Mortimer's More about Jesus. With Illustrations and a
Map. I6mo, Cloth, 75 cents.
Mrs. Mortimer's Streaks of Light; or, Fifty-two Facts from the
Bible for Fifty-two Sundays of the Year. Illustrations. I6mo, Cloth, Gilt, 75 cts.
Harry's Laddei to Learning. With 250 Illustrations. Square
4to, Cloth, 75 cents.
Harry's Summer in Ashcroft. Illustrations. Square 4to, Cloth,
75 cents.
Kingston's Fred Markham in Russia; or, The Boy Travellers in
the Land of the Czar. By W. H. G. KINGSTON. Profusely and elegantly Illustrated. Small 4to, Cloth, Gilt, 75 cents.
The Adventures of Reuben Davidger, Seventeen Years and Four
Months Captive among the Dyaks of Borneo. By JAMES GREENWOOD. With
Engravings, 8vo, Cloth, $I 75.
Wild Sports of the World: A Book of Natural History and Adventure. By JAMES GREENWOOD, Author of " The True History of a Little Ragamuffin," "The Seven Curses of London," &c. With 147 Illustrations. Crown
8vo, Cloth, $2 50.
Self-Made Men. By CHARLES C. B. SEYMOUR. Many Portraits.
12mo, 588 pages, Cloth, $I 75.
Smiles's Self-Help: with Illustrations of Character and Conduct.
By SAMUEL SMILES. i2mo, Cloth, $1 25.
Thackeray's Rose and the Ring; or, The History of Prince Giglio
and Prince Bulbo. A Fireside Pantomime for Great and Small Children. By Mr.
M. A. TITMARSH. Numerous Illustrations. Small 4to, Cloth, $ oo.
Wood's Homes without Hands: Being a Description of the Habitations of Animals, classed according to their Principle of Construction. By J.
G. WOOD, M.A., F.L.S., Author of " Illustrated Natural History." With about
140 Illustrations, engraved on Wood by G. PEARSON, from Original Designs made
by F.W. KEYL and E. A. SMITH, under the Author's Superintendence. 8vo,
Cloth, Beveled, $4 50.
A French Country Family. Translated by the Author of "John
Halifax" from the French of Madame DE WITT, nee GUIZOT. Illustrations.
i2mo, Cloth, $i 50.
Nineteen Beautiful Years; or, Sketches of a Girl's Life. Written
by her Sister. With an Introduction by Rev. R. S. FOSTER, D.D. I6mo, Cloth,
$I 00.
Hooker's Child's Book of Nature. The Child's Book of Nature,
for the Use of Families and Schools: intended to aid Mothers and Teachers in
Training Children in the Observation of Nature. In Three Parts. Part I. Plants.
Part II. Animals. Part III. Air, Water, Heat, Light, &c. By WORTHINGTON
HOOKER, M.D. Engravings. The Three Parts complete in One Volume, Small
4to, Cloth, $2 oo; or separately, 90 cents each.
Mace's History of a Mouthful of Bread, and its Effect on the Organization of Men and Animals. x2mo, Cloth, $1 75.
Mace's Servants of the Stomach. The Servants of the Stomach.
By JEAN MAC*, Author of " The History of a Mouthful of Bread," " Home Fairy
Tales," &c., &c. Reprinted from the London Edition, Revised and Corrected.
I2mo, Cloth, $I 75.
Miss Warner's Three Little Spades. Illustrations. i6mo, Cloth,
$I oo.