rticulars I noted through
my telescope on rounding the bend of the river just beyond the town; and
I could not help feeling that a community of savages intellectual enough
to find pleasure in the adornment of their houses would be likely to
prove very difficult to deal with unless I could contrive to make their
inclination coincide with my own wishes.

Our appearance--the _Felicidad_ being probably the first ship that had
ever penetrated so far up the river--created a profound sensation in the
town, the inhabitants rushing in and out of their dwellings and about
the streets for all the world like an alarmed colony of ants, and
finally congregating along the margin of the river to the extent of
fully one thousand, most of them being men, every one of whom, so far as
I could make out, was armed; the weapons being spears, bows and arrows,
and clubs with heavy knobs on the end. They seemed to be a fine,
powerful race, evidently accustomed to warfare, if one might judge by
the readiness with which, at the command of an immensely stout and
powerful man--whom Lobo declared to be none other than Matadi himself--
they formed themselves up into compact and orderly squadrons, and I
thought, ruefully, that if it became necessary to resort to forcible
measures for the release of our countrymen, we were likely to have a
pretty bad time.

To attempt to open communications with a thousand armed savages, whose
evident purpose in mustering on the river bank immediately in front of
their town was to resolutely oppose any attempt at landing on our part,
was a rather delicate operation; still, it had to be done, and it was
worse than useless to exhibit any sign of trepidation or hesitation. I
therefore ordered the gig to be lowered, and with four men, fully armed,
at the oars, and Lobo and myself in the stern-sheets, pushed off for the
shore. This bold action on our part created a profound sensation upon
the savages massed upon the shore, the boat being no sooner under way
than they raised their spears above their heads, shook them furiously
until the blades clashed upon each other with the sound of a falling
torrent of water, and emitted a blood-curdling yell that almost drove
poor Lobo out of his senses. We had, however--at Lobo's suggestion--
provided ourselves with palm branches, cut on the night before at our
previous anchorage, and now, seizing one of these, the Portuguese
scrambled forward into the eyes of the boat and stood the