up and down in the water.  Mountmorres is just ahead in his canoe and easily within reach but to my surprise his paddlers suddenly turn away from the bank and make for mid-stream evidently straining every muscle.  Turning round I order my crew to pull rapidly to the rescue but to my disgust they also turn into mid-stream and take no notice of my command.  Having asked Chikaia the meaning of this he replied:  La petite bete qui mange l’homme.  Chikaia’s knowledge of zoology and French being somewhat limited every animal is for him either a petite. or a grande bete.  The information was therefore not very valuable for it was impossible to imagine what small beast was in the habit of eating people.  Thinking, however, of a crocodile I took my rifle but Chikaia laughed and said:  “Non, non, la petite.” By this time we were well out in mid-stream opposite the kitchen canoe which—­to add to the mystery—­was not upset at all.  The cook, the crew, the goats and the fowls were all, however, in the water.  No danger was apparent for the crew were swimming at their ease and hoisting the live stock back into the canoe.  It is useless being astonished at anything in Africa and there was obviously nothing to do but sit still while the crew raced along as fast as they could paddle.  In a few minutes they pulled into the bank and there we waited for the kitchen which presently appeared with the cook reclining in the arms of one of the crew and moaning:  “Je mart, je mort.”  After a rapid examination, however, I could find nothing at all the matter.  At length we discover the truth.  His canoe had run into a large hornet’s nest hanging from the branch of a tree and he had been stung in the head.  To avoid further damage, he and the whole of the crew not only jumped into the water themselves but threw all the live stock overboard as well, for the natives believe that the sting of this insect kills and they fear it more than an encounter with a wild beast.  The cook was therefore in a highly hysterical condition and no doubt in considerable pain also although no mark of a sting could be discovered, amidst his thick curly black hair.  Still I took him into my canoe, gave him whisky internally and bathed his head with permanganate of potassium and he was quite well next day.  After this delay we struggle on until just before dark we reached the worst rapid on the river the Kandoko Falls, up which the canoes are lifted inch by inch.  Everything was already wet so the fact that a terrific tornado burst before we could pitch the tents added but little to our discomfort.