WE BUILD A FORTIFIED CAMP IN THE DEPTHS OF THE FOREST—STRUCTURE OF THE CAMP—LAYING IN STORES OF PROVISIONS—KOOLA NUTS—SOURCE OF MY INFLUENCE OVER THE NATIVES

One evening as Rogala, Shinshooko, Alapai, and I were seated around a blazing fire, we talked about gorillas, elephants, and other big game, and determined to go and build an "olako" camp in the deep and gloomy recesses of the forest, taking with us Andekko and Ndova.

The following day the women put a large quantity of cassava roots or manioc in the stream running near Rogala's house; these were to remain in the water three days, after which they were to be cut, pounded, cooked, and made into cakes.

I was short of soap; so my hunters collected a quantity of palm nuts, the kind from which palm oil is made. These nuts we boiled until the pulp became quite soft. Then the women pounded the nuts in wooden mortars, and the pulp furnished the oil. I then gathered all the ashes from the fires, boiled these for a long time, then leaving the ashes at the bottom of the vessel, took the water and boiled it with a certain amount of palm oil. By this process I made soft soap.

I had to wash my own clothes, for not only did the people not know how, but in one sense did not know what clean linen was. They could not tell whether my clothes were soiled or not. I did not wonder, seeing the way they made their toilet. After taking a bath, they rubbed their bodies with oil mixed with clay, or with oil mixed with the powder of odoriferous woods. This was what they called making themselves clean.

The wives of the men and the children were to go with us to help carry the food to our camp; and when the day of our departure arrived, three canoes were loaded with food, bunches of plantain, and our outfit.

We had four axes with us, queer-looking ones, several machetes, two sharpening stones, and ammunition; above all, my "precious box" with its invaluable instruments.

Our party divided and went in different canoes.

After ascending the river for a few hours, we stopped by a path which had led formerly to the village of Rotembo's slaves. There we camped, landing our outfit. A few miles further navigation stopped. We lighted many fires, and the men collected branches of trees for me to sleep upon.

Early the next morning we got ready to start. We followed in single file the footpath—which was almost obliterated, for it was seldom used now except for hunting—and passed through former plantations of plantain and cassava, now covered with a dense impenetrable jungle, far worse than any part of the forest.

The walking was very tedious, for since the path had been used but seldom, numerous trees or their branches had fallen across it. We halted a little after midday to rest and to eat near a lonely crystal-like little rivulet from which we could get delicious water to drink. Then we continued our way until almost sunset.

Rogala, who was leading, suddenly stopped, and I followed his example. The rest of the party, who were behind, gradually came up with us one by one. Then the men said: "Here, Oguizi, we are to build our camp," pointing to a little spring bubbling out of the ground.

I said to myself: "We need not bother about water if we are besieged in our camp, for the spring will be within our enclosure."

We slept under the trees, and the next morning we were all at work getting material for our camp. The men went to cut poles; the women carried them to the camping-ground, or went after leaves to be twisted into ropes.

The cutting of long poles was the most laborious work, for a great many were required. The axes had to be sharpened many times. But after much hard toil we succeeded in making a fortified encampment forty feet square, with the spring in one of the corners.

After that we built separate shelters for every one of those who were to remain behind, to sleep under; then a little house made entirely of sticks close together for Ndova, in which we were to shut him when we went into the forest without him, so that he might be protected from snakes, or birds of prey, such as eagles, or carnivorous animals. Then we made two ladders with lianas. They were almost as flexible as if they had been ropes made of hemp. One was to hang inside and the other outside. I made two shelters to keep our powder in, for I did not want to have the whole of it in one place in case of fire. We cut all kinds of briars, thorn-bushes, big aloes, and small branches of trees, and put them outside the fence for quite a distance, so that if any one came through them, no matter how careful he might be, we should hear them.

In the centre of our encampment was a tree from which we could look over the fence, and we left uncut two thick bushes in which we could hide.

I said to Rogala: "My 'precious box' must not remain on the ground, for the white ants (nchelaylays) are sure to eat the wood at the bottom and penetrate within. So we will hang it to a branch of a young tree, where it will be safe, for, as you know, the white ants never ascend a green tree-trunk."

There was a koola tree close to our encampment, and we collected the nuts that had fallen. These were to be kept in reserve, and were to be eaten only in case of starvation and not otherwise. For I did not know what might happen; fierce natives might find us out, and lie in wait for us and besiege us.

"Woe to any one who attacks us," I exclaimed to my men.

"Yes," shouted Rogala, his eyes shining with fierceness, "woe to them, for the Oguizi will show them how he fights."

It was good for me that these wild men thought I was endowed with extraordinary power. I never told them I was an Oguizi, or spirit, but I never told them I was not. My safety depended entirely on their superstitious regard for me. If it had not been so, and if they had thought I was a man like themselves, I should not have lived to tell the tale of my wanderings.

After five days of hard work our encampment was finished. By that time almost all our plantains had been eaten up, but we had all the cassava, and the cakes of it would last us a goodly number of days.

The women and the children now thought of returning home. We followed them as far as the river. They were soon in their canoes, taking only two with them. The other was left for us to use on our return. We bade them good-bye, and soon they were out of sight. Then we hid our canoe in the forest.