the shape of chickens, eggs, and honey,
extracted from wooden logs suspended from the boughs of great trees
with the aid of palm ropes. The "great master," the ruler of the
elephant, thunder, and fiery snakes, aroused mainly fear, which soon,
however, changed into gratitude when they became convinced that his
generosity equaled his might. Where the villages were closer to one
another the arrival of the extraordinary travelers was announced from
one village to the other by the beating of drums, for the negroes give
notice of everything with the aid of drumming. It happened also that
the entire populace would come out to meet them, being well disposed in
advance.

In one village, numbering one thousand heads, the local ruler, who was
fetish-man and king in the same person, consented to show them "the
great fetish," which was surrounded by such extraordinary veneration
and fear that the people did not dare to approach the ebony chapel,
covered with a rhinoceros hide, and make offerings any nearer than
fifty paces. The king stated that this fetish not long before fell from
the moon, that it was white and had a tail. Stas declared that he
himself at the command of the "Good Mzimu" sent it, and in saying that
he did not deviate from the truth, for it appeared that the "great
fetish" was plainly one of the kites, despatched from Mount Linde. Both
children were pleased with the thought that other kites in a suitable
wind might fly still further. They determined to fly others from
heights in the farther course of time. Stas made and sent out one that
very same night, which convinced the negroes that the "Good Mzimu" and
the white master also came to earth from the moon, and that they were
divinities who could not be served with sufficient humility.

But more delightful to Stas than these marks of humility and homage was
the news that Bassa-Narok lay only about thirteen days' distance and
that the denizens of the village in which they stopped at times
received from that direction salt in exchange for doom-palm wine. The
local king had even heard of Fumba, as the ruler of the people called
"Doko." Kali confirmed this by saying that more distant neighbors so
called the Wahimas and Samburus. Less consoling was the news that on
the shores of the great water a war was raging, and to go to
Bassa-Narok it was necessary to cross immense, wild mountains and steep
ravines, full of rapacious beasts. But Stas now did not much heed
rapacio