ROGALA LEAVES THE CAMP—NON-APPEARANCE OF SHINSHOOKO AND ALAPAI—WHAT HAPPENED TO ROGALA ON HIS JOURNEY—HE RETURNS AFTER FOUR DAYS WITH A POWERFUL MONDAH WHICH HE BURIES BEFORE THE CAMP

The next day after our talk Rogala, bending low and taking one of my feet in both his hands, said with great fervor: "Oguizi, I want to go home, and if you let me go I will be back in four days. Yes," he repeated, "I will be back in four days. Shinshooko and Alapai will remain with you."

I said: "You can go, Rogala." I did not wish to ask him why he wanted to go home, but I suspected that he wanted to consult the big idol about the illness from which he had recovered, and to try to find out who had bewitched him.

Early the following morning he departed, and I followed him for a short distance and bade him an affectionate farewell.

I had learned to love Rogala, for he was thoughtful, affectionate, and brave. When with me I always felt that he would never leave me in the lurch. Strange to say, Shinshooko and Alapai did not come back that day or night. Were they lost, or had they been killed by gorillas or elephants?

Andekko seemed to know that I was left all alone, and was watching most carefully, walking constantly around our fence and sniffing to find out if there were intruders near. When he had gone round two or three times, he would come back and lie at my feet. Twice during the day he growled, but a few words addressed to him prevented him from barking. We had taught him not to bark when within the camp, but at every growl he gave I listened attentively. Perhaps he had heard the footsteps of Shinshooko and Alapai. Each time the noise had probably been made by some passing antelope or other animal. At any rate, my ladder was inside, and no enemy could reach me unawares.

I did not go out that day. I cleaned "Bulldog" and my other guns, and mended my clothes.

At night I lighted two extra big fires. How strange was the glare of the flames among the big trees that surrounded me! The wind was blowing very hard, for I could hear the rustling of the leaves on the top of the trees. Twice I heard the piercing cries of owls.

I hardly slept. Andekko was wide awake, his ears pricking up at the least noise. Now and then he would go round and round, and when he had made sure that there was nothing, he would return and lie by the fire. At last morning came.

After my breakfast I left the camp, leaving the premises in charge of Andekko, after giving him a good meal and providing more food for him. As I marched along, Ndova, who accompanied me, was looking for something to eat. I heard him utter the chuckle that always meant he had found something good. I went towards him, and found him regaling himself. Looking round, I saw growing on the trunk of a tree large grape-like bunches of a beautiful fruit of a bright scarlet color. Each fruit was of the shape of a very large olive. There were about ten of these bunches on the trunk, and each was about fifteen to eighteen inches long. The seed was large, but the pulp was quite juicy and somewhat acid, with a very pleasant flavor. I petted Ndova to show him that I appreciated his discovery.

If I could have followed Rogala with my eyes on his way from the time he left the camp, I could have seen him (as I afterwards learned from his own account, when he returned) the first day tramping along as fast as he could, now and then stopping and taking his idol from his bag and putting it on the ground, and then talking to her as he would to an old trusted friend; asking her to protect him against witchcraft, to kill his enemies, and to let him go back safe to the Oguizi. When the evening came, he lighted several fires, and took again his little idol from his bag, and made numerous invocations to her. Poor Rogala was very unhappy, for he was fully persuaded that somebody had bewitched him. During the night he heard an owl, and he thought some of his enemies had taken that shape and were following him.

The following day, at daybreak, Rogala left the place where he had slept, and walked as fast as his legs could carry him; then he came to a small plantation where lived a great medicine man, and promised him three brass rods which I had given him if he would follow him. The medicine man assented; then they went to a place where years before Rogala had buried a powerful mondah to drive away witchcraft from the place.

The medicine man made many incantations over the mondah before Rogala dug it out. The mondah was composed of several skulls of nshiegos and bones of other animals. When he had dug up all the relics, Rogala packed them carefully in the otaitai he had with him, then rose and retraced his steps towards our camp, carrying with him the powerful mondah which was to drive away witchcraft from our camp. He was now happy.

The morning of the day that Rogala had promised to return I went into the forest without taking Ndova or Andekko with me. I had "Bulldog,"—not that I wanted to use it, but I thought it was prudent to have my most powerful weapon with me; "for, who knows?" said I to myself, "somebody might come into our camp and steal my best friend 'Bulldog.' It is better to be on the safe side in case something unforeseen should happen." I also took with me a hundred steel-pointed bullets.

I found a place where there was a kind of berry I had not seen before, but I did not dare to eat any before Ndova had tasted of them. I took a few of them with me to give them to him on my return. If they were good, then I would come to get more the following day. I continued to go further, thinking that I might find a koola tree, when, to my terror, I found that I had been on the point of stepping over a huge snake, my heel almost brushing it as it touched the ground. The snake lay across the path, and was just the color of the dead leaves. I ran instinctively from the reptile, then stopped. I could not help it, but every time I came unawares upon a dangerous snake my first impulse was always to move away quickly. Then, when I thought I was out of danger, I took my hunting-knife and cut a long, somewhat slender stick, then retraced my steps and looked at the snake. It was thick and short, with a triangular head. I could see by the shape of its head that it was poisonous. Raising my stick, I let it fall heavily upon its spine, breaking it and thus preventing the ugly reptile from turning upon me and from retreating or advancing. But the breaking of his spine did not prevent him from hissing at me when I faced him. Another blow crushed his head; his fangs could not possibly do any more harm, and how big these were! I cut his head off and threw it away. Then I saw that he had swallowed a tiny little gazelle that was not yet digested. I cut the snake into several pieces to take with me to the camp, for I knew that my hunters were very fond of snakes. Then I retraced my steps towards the camp.

As I approached, I thought I saw through the jungle a man by the fence just at the foot of the ladder. I was astounded. I could not believe my eyes. Had any one discovered our abode? Was the inside of our fortress full of enemies waiting for Rogala, Shinshooko, Alapai, and me? How was it that Andekko did not bark? Had they killed dear Andekko? Ndova's voice was not to be heard. Was he killed also? I looked at "Bulldog," then lay flat on the ground and crawled, like a snake, on my stomach towards the man. I lost sight of him for a few seconds, and I thought he had gone. "Then," said I to myself, "our abode has been discovered, and this man has gone to tell the news to his people, who will surely come and attack us."

Fortunately I got sight of the man again. I stood perfectly still, watching him through the jungle. Suddenly it occurred to me that his skin was of the same color as that of Rogala. I looked and looked. Yes, it was Rogala. There was no mistake about it. I recognized his body, though at first I could not recognize his face, for it was so disfigured by being painted with ochre. One side was yellow, the other side white, and his forehead was red.

But what was he doing? I came nearer and watched. I saw his idol by his side, and near it skulls of animals, pieces of broken plates from the white man's country, and some large sea-shells. I recognized the skulls as those of nshiegos and two or three as those of monkeys. I saw Rogala bury them at the foot of the ladder; then he covered them with earth, put dead leaves upon the spot, and tried to make it as natural-looking as it was before. Then he went to the place where we hid the ladder, and came back with it. Taking a monkey he had killed, he climbed the ladder, and soon after was inside. I heard Andekko's bark of joy and Ndova's muttering of contentment.

I remained still awhile, then went hunting again, so that when I returned Rogala could not possibly suspect that I had seen him, and about two hours afterwards I returned to the camp.

Dear Rogala was very happy to see me again. Immediately after his arrival he had made a big fire to get charcoal in order to roast the monkey he had killed on his way back to the camp. In the meantime I presented him with the pieces of the snake I had killed. The berries I had gathered were good, for Ndova ate them, and when I tasted them I found them very palatable. Then Rogala lighted his pipe and looked at me.

His body had been cut very badly by the sword-grass; so he washed himself with warm water, then rubbed himself with oil, and lay flat on a mat by the fire. He was very tired. As he saw that I was looking at him, he said:

"The reason I am so cut by the sword-grass is because I travelled a part of the night. I had told you that I would be back on the fourth day and I wanted to keep my word. I walked with a torch which I made from the gum of an elimi tree I found on the way, but though the torch gave a good light, once in a while I found myself entangled in the midst of long sword-grass." Then he added: "If I had not found that elimi tree, I could not have walked in the dark, for if I had been without a torch a prowling leopard in search of prey might have pounced upon me, and then you would never have seen your friend Rogala again."

Before we went to sleep I said: "Rogala, I know where you have been, I know why you left me." Rogala's face began to appear frightened, for he evidently thought I knew what he had done. Without giving him time to reply, I continued: "You went to dig up an old mondah from the ground, and you brought it here; you have buried it where we hang our ladder."

Rogala looked at me with a sort of dread, then taking hold of my feet, he said: "Oguizi, you know everything." Then he told me what I have just recounted to you, and concluded: "Now no witchcraft can come here."

Shortly afterwards Shinshooko and Alapai, who had gone to see if any animals had been caught in their various traps, returned, but without game.