get rid of their intolerable burden. Mine commenced to
back and sidle, and Peterkin's made occasional darts forward, and then
stopping suddenly, refused to budge a step. We lost all patience at
last, and belaboured them soundly with twigs, the effect of which was to
make them advance rather slowly, and evidently under protest.

"Look out for branches," cried Peterkin as we came up to a narrow belt
of wood.

I had scarcely time to raise my head when I was swept off my seat and
hurled to the ground by a large branch. Peterkin's attention was drawn
to me, and his ox, as if aware of the fact, seized the opportunity to
swerve violently to one side, thereby throwing its rider off. Both
animals gave a bellow, as of triumph, erected their tails, and ran away.
They were soon recaptured, however, by our negroes; and mounting once
more, we belaboured them well and continued our journey. In course of
time they became more reconciled to their duties; but I cannot say that
I ever came to enjoy such riding, and all of us ultimately agreed that
it was a most undesirable thing to journey on ox-back.

Thus we commenced our journey over this desert or plain of Africa, and
at the end of many weeks found ourselves approaching that part of the
country near the equator in which the gorilla is said to dwell. On the
way we had many adventures, some of an amusing, some of a dangerous
character, and I made many additions to my collection of animals,
besides making a number of valuable and interesting notes in my journal;
but all this I am constrained to pass over, in order to introduce my
reader to those regions in which some of our most wonderful adventures
occurred.

One or two things, however, I must not omit to mention.

In passing over the desert we suffered much from want of water.
Frequently the poor oxen had to travel two or three days without tasting
a drop, and their distress was so great that we more than once thought
of turning them adrift at the first good watering-place we should come
to, and proceed, as formerly, on foot; for we had all recovered our
wonted vigour, and were quite capable of standing the fatigues of the
journey as well as our men. But several times we had found the country
destitute of game, and were reduced to the point of starvation; so we
continued to keep the oxen, lest we should require them for food.

On one occasion we were wending our way slowly along the bed of what in
the rainy season would b