24 THE CONGO.
1883.
June 6.
Irebu.
fetish-man pricked each of our right arms, pressed the
blood out, then, with a pinch of scrapings from my gun-
stock, a little salt, a few dusty scrapings from a long
pod, dropped over the wounded arms, and the black
and white arms were mutually rubbed together. The
fetish-man took the long pod in his hand and slightly
touched our necks, our heads, our arms, and our legs,
muttering rapidly his litany of incantations. What
was left of the medicine Mangombo and I carefully
folded in a banana leaf, and we bore it reverently
between us to a banana grove close by, and buried the
dust out of sight.
Mangombo, now my brother, by solemn interchange
of blood, consecrated to my service as I was devoted
in the sacred fetish bond to his service, revealed his
trouble, and implored my aid. The notables of Irebu
were gathered round us, and then Mangombo spoke, of
which the following is the substance :
“ Some time ago I sent three canoes to Iboko (Ban-
gala). My men traded prosperously ; they had obtained
a valuable cargo of ivory, and were about returning,
when a sudden quarrel took place between the Bangala
and Irebu. Our people were on shore; they fought
stubbornly to save their ivory; out of seventy people
thirty-three were killed ; thirty-seven of them managed
to save a few tusks, seized one of their canoes, and
paddled away to tell us this dismal story. Of course
all trade was stopped. Of those thirty-three men who
were slain in the fight, twenty-eight were of my town ;
but five belonged to Lower Irebu. You must know
iv
WAR IN IREBU. 25
that the community of Irebu is divided into three parts
—Lower, Upper, and Central Irebu. Magwala is chief
of Lower Irebu; Mpika is chief of Central Irebu; I
am lord of the upper portion. Magwala and Mangombo
are the principal chiefs, and before this misfortune,
which I am about to tell you, occurred, I was considered
the superior chief of all. Some months after
the massacre of our young men at Iboko, a flotilla of
Bangala canoes were seen going down river bound to
Ngombe. Mpika heard of this, and giving chase
captured a canoe with eight of the Bangala on board.
Mpika, forgetting that I had lost twenty-eight men to
his five, did not deign to let me have my share of the
prisoners, but when I sent to him asking him to be
fair, he replied, ‘ No ; they were my men who captured
them. I keep these in revenge for my five. G-o you
and do likewise, for I will not give you one of my
prisoners.’ On appealing to Magwala, he answered
that Mpika was right, and should keep what he -had
obtained by force of arms. My people, however, were
not satisfied with th is; their loss was too recent and
too great, and they forced me to declare war. About
ten days ago we began it. I have lost six more of my
people in four fights : over twenty of my men have
been wounded. Magwala and Mpika have also lost
heavily. Irebu lifts its hands against Irebu; friends
and brothers slay one another. All trade is stopped.
We go out and come in by night only. The women
of Irebu are mourning daily; and if this evil, which is
worse even than the small-pox, continues much longer,