OUR PROVISIONS FAIL—ATTACKED AGAIN BY BASHIKOUAYS—RELEASE OF AKENDA-MBANI FROM HIS FETTERS—HE PROVES A GOOD TRAPPER—"GOUAMBA"—MY WAKING VISIONS—ANOTHER HUNTING EXPEDITION—WE KILL TWO MONKEYS, THEN STARVE AGAIN

Berries and nuts had become very scarce and we had to go a long way to gather them, for those that were near our camp had been eaten. Game had also become very scarce. One day we all set out for the depths of the forest together. Before leaving the camp we made signs to Akenda-Mbani that we were going after food, by opening our mouths and drawing our stomachs in, to show that they were empty. He evidently understood us, for he smiled.

"If we fail to find food," said Rogala, "it will be on account of witchcraft; yes," he shouted, "it will be on account of witchcraft. I have always suspected Okambi of being a sorcerer, and it will be his witchcraft that will cause our starving."

"Sh-sh-sh, Rogala," said I, "if you speak so loud you will scare the game." The very thought of witchcraft had made Rogala forget himself.

Though we walked all day, we found no nuts or berries of any consequence. The season of the koola nuts was nearly over, and the wild boars had been under the trees we knew. We saved some of such nuts and berries as we found, however, for Akenda-Mbani.

Suddenly we were attacked by the dreaded bashikouay ants and had to flee for camp. "Let us hurry as fast as we can, Rogala," said I, "for Akenda-Mbani is in nchogo, and if the bashikouays pass that way he is sure to be devoured by them, and we may only see his skeleton on our arrival."

We hurried back as fast as our legs could carry us, and it was a good thing that we returned. Otherwise we should surely have found only the skeleton of Akenda-Mbani, as I had said, for we had not been at home an hour before the bashikouays made their appearance.

Fortunately we were ready to receive them. In a number of places within our enclosure firewood had been piled up and was all ready to be lighted. Water was boiling in all the pots we had, and we had plenty of hot ashes. The smoke prevented the bashikouays from ascending the trees, and we spread hot ashes wherever they appeared.

After this I said to Rogala: "We must take Akenda-Mbani out of the nchogo. I do not care whether he runs away or not. I do not want his death on my head or on yours. The Oguizi wishes nobody to die. Just think what a narrow escape he had! If he had been eaten up by the bashikouays, it would have been our fault. It will never do to keep a man in nchogo unless some one is near to watch him."

"You are right, Oguizi. It is so; it is so," he repeated half a dozen times. Then he added thoughtfully: "Yes, when people have been discovered to be wizards, they are tied to a tree when the bashikouays are in the neighborhood, and in a short time nothing is left of them but their bones."

So Rogala and I took Akenda-Mbani out of his nchogos, first freeing his hands, and then his feet.

I felt now quite happy, for Akenda-Mbani was free, and if we had been sure of him at first he would not have been placed in nchogo at all. He was now one of us. The next day we all went again into the forest in search of firewood, and without being told to do so, Akenda took a heavy load on his back, and carried it to the camp. The day following, he went into the forest by himself, and set traps for game, coming back with a porcupine and a pangolin or ant-eater. So plenty was in the camp once more for the moment. The porcupine meat is very good, the pangolin's was very strong.

But when these were eaten, no more game was trapped, and we again boiled some of the antelope skin.

I had such a "gouamba"—that is, such a longing for meat—that the nuts and the boiled antelope skin became loathsome to me. I ate them just as a man would eat, day after day, bread soaked in water.

What a fearful meaning there is, I said to myself, "in that native word 'gouamba'!" I spent hours in a sort of waking dream in which I fancied that I had returned home, and had met many friends, one after another, as I walked about the streets. The first one would say: "Hello, is that you, Paul? Welcome home. Won't you dine with me to-day? My wife and children will be so glad to see you back again. We have roast beef to-night."

Then, in a moment, I found myself at the family table. A big, juicy piece of roast beef was before my eyes on the table. I saw my friend cut the roast beef. A big piece was served to me. I was then asked if I would have sweet potatoes, corn, and other vegetables. I could see the smoke rise from these hot dishes. How I enjoyed the pudding and the ice-cream at the end of the dinner!

I went out and met another friend who also asked me to dinner. This one had turkey instead of roast beef. How I looked at the turkey! It had been roasted to a nicety, and was a rich brown all over. Then my friend asked: "Paul, which piece do you like best?" To which I answered: "I have no choice." Then a large piece was put on a plate for me with the stuffing. The waitress would pass the cranberry sauce, then the potatoes and the green peas. How good all these tasted! Then came the strawberries and the ice-cream. Then more dinners, with other friends. How I enjoyed these in my imagination! Then hunger would stop, and then come back with ten times greater force. We drank as much water as we could, for there is nourishment in water.

Akenda-Mbani went to look after his traps one day, and Rogala and I went hunting. We were in desperate straits. We had gone quite a distance from the camp, and had seen nothing, when suddenly I thought I heard something in the distance. I gave a "click." As soon as Rogala heard it he stopped and then came to my side. I had heard, as I thought, monkeys leaping from tree to tree. We stood still, and the noise became gradually louder. The monkeys were evidently coming in our direction. Hope of food loomed before our eyes. Then all became silent; the monkeys had manifestly stopped upon some fruit-bearing trees, and were feeding. At such times they are always still, for they do not want to attract the attention of other monkeys.

We went in the direction where we thought they were, looking at the tops of the trees as we went along. After a while we heard nuts falling on the ground. Soon we came under the tree, and pulp and seeds fell upon our heads and all around us. Looking up, we saw the monkeys. I counted seventeen of them; they were nkagos, and were so busy eating that they did not notice us.

We picked out two of the biggest, aimed at them carefully, and fired. They fell on the ground with a great crash. In the meantime the troop gave a shrill cry of fear and decamped with the utmost speed, and for a long time afterwards we could hear the noise of the branches as they rose again after the monkeys had leaped to others. When they thought they were far from danger, they stopped and uttered the peculiar nkago cry, calling upon their missing companions; but no answer came back to them, for our two monkeys were stone dead.

They kept calling again and again, however, for a time; then at last we heard nothing more. We swung the monkeys over our backs, and had regained the hunting path leading towards our camp, when I thought I heard a slight noise on a tree. I looked up, thinking a bird had made it, when to my surprise I saw a monkey looking down upon us. He was a nkago, and was following his dead mate, and looking down upon her in deep silence. I could see his human-like eyes watching us. He had wondered why his call had not been answered by her, had left the troop to seek her, and then seen her lifeless form on the back of Rogala. He seemed to know that something was wrong. I would have given a good deal to know his thoughts.

We continued on our way. The monkey kept following us, watching, peeping down upon us and upon his dead mate. When we stopped, he stopped, his eyes always looking down upon us. I see them still to this day. I was so sorry I had killed his mate. I noticed that he never jumped from one limb of a tree to another, but crept along their trunks and branches, evidently wishing to make no noise to attract attention. He followed us to our camp. I could not tell why, but I did not feel like eating monkey that evening, for I thought I had never in an animal seen eyes with such a human expression. The next morning I saw him for an instant; he was still looking for his mate. But that was my last glimpse of him. He probably went back to his troop.