King Mombo

LOST IN THE FOREST—A HERD OF ELEPHANTS LURES ME ON—SEPARATED FROM MY HUNTERS—TWO NIGHTS ON THE GROUND AND ONE IN A TREE—FOUND AT LAST—JOY OF THE MEN.

THE ELEPHANT HUNTING-GROUND—THE BEAUTIFUL PRAIRIE SKIRTING THE FOREST—THE WELCOME SKY AND SUN AND STARS AFTER THE FOREST GLOOM—HUNTING ELEPHANTS BY MOONLIGHT—THREE LARGE HERDS—N...

DEPARTURE FROM THE SLAVES’ PLANTATIONS—ARRIVAL AT KING MOMBO’S—A WARM GREETING FROM THE OLD KING—HIS SACRED PROMISE NEVER TO PART WITH HIS SLAVES—FAREWELL TO HIM AND HIS PEOPLE.

After the feast the slaves and I became more friendly than ever. The following evening they all came to see me. I told them to fill their pipes and sit down—that I was going to...

WE START AFTER THE GORILLAS—CAUTIOUS WALKING THROUGH THE FOREST—THE DOGS FIND THE NGINA—YELLS OF THE MONSTER BROUGHT TO BAY—HE SLAUGHTERS TWO OF THE DOGS—TAUNTS OF THE HUNTERS—S...

Poor King Mombo was, you will see, excessively superstitious. He was often unhappy on that account. He was thinking almost all the time that some of his relations wanted to bewi...

One summer morning I found myself on board a small schooner lying at anchor in the beautiful bay of New York. This little vessel, though so small, was large enough to sail safel...

I followed the path. I had hardly walked fifteen steps when I heard the sound of an axe—some one evidently was chopping wood. The path was a well beaten one, showing that many p...

THE KILLING OF A SECOND ELEPHANT—HOW BULL ELEPHANTS FIGHT—THE CONTEST FOR THE LEADERSHIP OF THE HERD—OSHORIA’S GRAPHIC ACCOUNT OF A BATTLE ROYAL WITNESSED BY HIM—RETURN TO THE P...

One afternoon Regundo said to me: “Oguizi, all the hunters and all the men on the different plantations have gone into the forest to hunt, for we want to give a big feast. They...

“Oguizi,” he replied, “all the dogs have gone to the forest. They act in this way when they are hungry. They found that we had no food for them, and, having gnawed all the bones...

The slaves assembled the next evening. I said to them: “Yesterday I heard about the people living in the big forest. Now tell me of the strange beasts that roam amongst the trees.”

When I arrived I saw that there were a great many people who had come from many different villages. The king was seated, and bade me sit by his side. He had an old silk hat on h...

KING MOMBO’S PLANTATION—WORK OF THE SLAVES IN CLEARING AND CULTIVATING THE FOREST—STRANGE VILLAGE OF THE SLAVES—HOUSES OF THE SPIRITS—REGUNDO’S ACCOUNT OF WITCHCRAFT AND ITS PUN...

NEWS BROUGHT THAT GORILLAS ARE NEAR BY IN THE FOREST—THE DOGS GOT READY FOR THE HUNT—THEIR NAMES—A GRAND HUNTING COUNCIL—REGUNDO’S WISE ADVICE—CAUTIONS TO BE OBSERVED.

DIFFICULTY OF MAKING OUR WAY—FALLEN TREES AND DENSE THICKETS—OUR MEAT GIVES OUT—LOOKING FOR KOOLA TREES—A MEAL OF THEIR NUTRITIOUS NUTS—THEIR IMPORTANCE TO THE TRAVELLER IN THE...

We continued on our way, and about two hours afterwards entered a small creek, and then got into very tall and dense reeds, through which we had great difficulty in advancing. S...

THE OTHER APES OF THE GREAT FOREST—OSHORIA TELLS ABOUT THE NSHIEGO MBOUVÉS—CAPTURE OF A BABY “MAN OF THE WOODS”—HIS MOTHER KILLED—CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DIFFERENT APES WITH THE V...

In spite of the counter currents and contrary squalls, we crept slowly southward to meet the southeasterly winds, the captain taking advantage of every opportunity offered by th...

When I came on deck in the morning there was a great storm raging. The sky above our heads was dark and threatening. The clouds were low and moved with great swiftness. The wind...

The following morning I got up before any one, and immediately wound my Waterbury clock and hung it on the wall under the veranda. “Ticktock,” it went. Close to it I put my musi...

I was anxious to go on a long hunting expedition. One day when Regundo, Oshoria, Ogoola, Ngola, Quabi, and I were seated under a big tree, I said to them: “We must go and hunt e...

After wandering in that part of the great forest north of the equator and seeing many of its wild and fierce inhabitants—and hunting and killing many strange animals and birds—I...

Our happy days in this enchanted region of the Atlantic Ocean were coming to an end. The northeast trade-winds became less strong as we neared the equator, and soon died away. T...

A few days after the fight between the swordfish and the whale, as I came on deck early in the morning, a strange sight met my eyes. I could not see the water of the ocean, the...

A few days after my return from the gorilla hunt I found myself one morning all alone. Regundo had gone for the day. The men were cutting trees for a new plantation; the women w...

The people had been filled for some time with the fear of witchcraft. Two men had died away from the village; and, since, they had been unlucky in fishing and hunting. Certainly...

Early the next morning all the slaves on the plantation gathered near Regundo’s house, for I had gone hunting by myself, and they thought I was far away. Suddenly I changed my m...

Departure from the slaves’ plantations—Arrival at King Mombo’s—A warm greeting from the old king—His sacred promise never to part with his slaves—Farewell to him and his people 214

We start after the gorillas—Cautious walking through the forest—The dogs find the ngina—Yells of the monster brought to bay—He slaughters two of the dogs—Taunts of the hunters—S...

The elephant hunting-ground—The beautiful prairie skirting the forest—The welcome sky and sun and stars after the forest gloom—Hunting elephants by moonlight—Three large herds—N...

The other apes of the great forest—Oshoria tells about the nshiego mbouvés—Capture of a baby “man of the woods”—His mother killed—Correspondence of the different apes with the v...

Difficulty of making our way—Fallen trees and dense thickets—Our meat gives out—Looking for koola trees—A meal of their nutritious nuts—Their importance to the traveller in the...

Lost in the forest—A herd of elephants lures me on—Separated from my hunters—Two nights on the ground and one in a tree—Found at last—Joy of the men 178

The killing of a second elephant—How bull elephants fight—The contest for the leadership of the herd—Oshoria’s graphic account of a battle royal witnessed by him—Return to the p...

King Mombo’s plantation—Work of the slaves in clearing and cultivating the forest—Strange village of the slaves—Houses of the spirits—Regundo’s account of witchcraft and its pun...

News brought that gorillas are near by in the forest—The dogs got ready for the hunt—Their names—A grand hunting council—Regundo’s wise advice—Cautions to be observed 134

PAGE I leave New York for Africa—Narrow quarters on the schooner—Our cargo—Out of sight of land—The sea and all that therein is—A storm brewing 1

Wandering through the forest and learning the country—I reach King Mombo’s village—Received by the king—His fear of witchcraft—Visits my dwelling and receives presents from me 35

The animals of the forest—Five kinds of apes—The ngina or gorilla—His great strength and fierceness—How he attacks man and other animals—Oshoria’s account of him 116