ith the revolver in my hand. Kawawa ran away among his
people, and they turned their backs too. I shouted to my men to take up
their luggage and march; some did so with alacrity, feeling that they
had disobeyed orders by remaining; but one of them refused, and was
preparing to fire at Kawawa, until I gave him a punch on the head
with the pistol, and made him go too. I felt here, as elsewhere, that
subordination must be maintained at all risks. We all moved into the
forest, the people of Kawawa standing about a hundred yards off, gazing,
but not firing a shot or an arrow. It is extremely unpleasant to part
with these chieftains thus, after spending a day or two in the most
amicable intercourse, and in a part where the people are generally
civil. This Kawawa, however, is not a good specimen of the Balonda
chiefs, and is rather notorious in the neighborhood for his folly. We
were told that he has good reason to believe that Matiamvo will some day
cut off his head for his disregard of the rights of strangers.

Kawawa was not to be balked of his supposed rights by the unceremonious
way in which we had left him; for, when we had reached the ford of the
Kasai, about ten miles distant, we found that he had sent four of his
men, with orders to the ferrymen to refuse us passage. We were here duly
informed that we must deliver up all the articles mentioned, and one of
our men besides. This demand for one of our number always nettled every
heart. The canoes were taken away before our eyes, and we were supposed
to be quite helpless without them, at a river a good hundred yards
broad, and very deep. Pitsane stood on the bank, gazing with apparent
indifference on the stream, and made an accurate observation of where
the canoes were hidden among the reeds. The ferrymen casually asked one
of my Batoka if they had rivers in his country, and he answered with
truth, "No, we have none." Kawawa's people then felt sure we could not
cross. I thought of swimming when they were gone; but after it was dark,
by the unasked loan of one of the hidden canoes, we soon were snug in
our bivouac on the southern bank of the Kasai. I left some beads as
payment for some meal which had been presented by the ferrymen; and, the
canoe having been left on their own side of the river, Pitsane and his
companions laughed uproariously at the disgust our enemies would feel,
and their perplexity as to who had been our paddler across. They were
quite sure that Kawawa wo