of the tow-ropes, and thus their comrade was
carried into the swift centre.
On the 30th March a messenger was despatched
to Frank to superintend the transport of the
goods overland to where I had arrived with the
boat. The natives continued to be very amiable
and food was abundant and cheap. They visited
our camp from morning to night, bringing their
produce from a great distance. They are a very
gentle and harmless tribe, the Western Bateke,
and distinguishable by four cicatrices down each
cheek. They are also remarkable for their
numerous bird-snares— bird-lime being furnished
by the Ficus sycamorus— and traps. About
sunset a wide-spreading flock of large birds
like parrots passed north-east over "our camp,
occupying nearly half an hour in passing. They
were at too great an altitude to, be recognized.
Lead-coloured water-snakes were very8 numerous,
the largest being about 7 feet in length and 2%
inches in diameter.
Confined within the deep narrow valley of
the river, • the hills rising to the height of
about 800 feet above us, and exposed to the
continued uproar of the river, we became almost
stunned during our stay of the 31st.
On the 1 st April we cleared the Kalulu Falls,
and camped on the right bank below them. Our
two absentees on the left side had followed us,
and were signalling frequently to us, but we
rApril 1-2, l877-] SOUDl’S STRANGE ADVENTURES. 7 7
I L Kalulu Falls. J
were helpless. The next day we descended a
mile and a half of rapids, and in the passage
^ one more canoe was lost, which reduced our
flotilla to thirteen vessels.
About 2 P.M., to the general joy, appeared
young Soudi and our two absentees who the
[ day before had been signalling us from the opposite
side of the river!
Soudi’s adventures had been very strange. He
had been swept down over the upper and lower
| Kalulu Falls and the intermediate rapids, and
I had been whirled round so often that he became
[ confused. “But clinging to my canoe,” he said,
I “the wild river carried me down and down and
down, from place to place, sometimes near a
[ rock, and sometimes near the middle of the stream,
I until an hour after dark, when J saw it was near
I a rock; I jumped out, and, catching my canoe,
drew it on shore. I had scarcely finished when
my arms were seized, and I was bound by two
men, who hurried me up to the top of the
| mountain, and then for an hour over the high
land, until we came to a village. They then
I pushed me into a house, where they lit a fire,
[ and when it was bright they stripped me naked
and examined me. T h o u g h I pretended not to
understand them, I knew enough to know that
they were proud of their prize. They spoke
j kindly to me, and gave me plenty to eat; and
while one of them slept, the other watched sharp