of my skin, when exhibited in evidence of our all being made of one stock originally, and the children of one Maker, seemed to strike him with wonder.  I then showed him my watch, and wished to win my way into his confidence by conversation; but, when about to exhibit my pocket compass, he desired me to desist, as he was afraid of my wonderful things.  I told him, if he knew my aims as the tribes in the interior did, and as I hoped he would yet know them and me, he would be glad to stay, and see also the pictures of the magic lantern; but, as it was now getting dark, he had evidently got enough of my witchery, and began to use some charms to dispel any kindly feelings he might have found stealing round his heart.  He asked leave to go, and when his party moved off a little way, he sent for my spokesman, and told him that, “if we did not add a red jacket and a man to our gift of a few copper rings and a few pounds of meat, we must return by the way we had come.”  I said in reply “that we should certainly go forward next day, and if he commenced hostilities, the blame before God would be that of Sansawe;” and my man added of his own accord, “How many white men have you killed in this path?” which might be interpreted into, “You have never killed any white man, and you will find ours more difficult to manage than you imagine.”  It expressed a determination, which we had often repeated to each other, to die rather than yield one of our party to be a slave.

Hunger has a powerful effect on the temper.  When we had got a good meal of meat, we could all bear the petty annoyances of these borderers on the more civilized region in front with equanimity; but having suffered considerably of late, we were all rather soured in our feelings, and not unfrequently I overheard my companions remark in their own tongue, in answer to threats of attack, “That’s what we want:  only begin then;” or with clenched teeth they would exclaim to each other, “These things have never traveled, and do not know what men are.”  The worrying, of which I give only a slight sketch, had considerable influence on my own mind, and more especially as it was impossible to make any allowance for the Bashinje, such as I was willing to award to the Chiboque.  They saw that we had nothing to give, nor would they be benefited in the least by enforcing the impudent order to return whence we had come.  They were adding insult to injury, and this put us all into a fighting spirit, and, as nearly as we could judge, we expected to be obliged to cut our way through the Bashinje next morning.

3D April.  As soon as day dawned we were astir, and, setting off in a drizzling rain, passed close to the village.  This rain probably damped the ardor of the robbers.  We, however, expected to be fired upon from every clump of trees, or from some of the rocky hillocks among which we were passing; and it was only after two hours’ march that we began to breathe freely, and my men remarked, in thankfulness,