the place of their origin, their manners and customs, with such knowledge as they have of iron and of poison, and such changes in life as the different circumstances of the country may necessitate, may be characteristic of the tribes beyond.

The Fans are a very superstitious people. Witchcraft seems to be a very common thing to be accused of among them, and the death penalty is sternly executed. They set little value on life; and as the dead body has its commercial value, this consideration too, probably, has its weight in passing sentence of death.

Polygamy is a fertile source of quarrels and bloodshed among them; and the growing desire for "white man's goods," to pay for which, in the present miserable system of trade, they can not get sufficient ivory, induces them to send many of their criminals. to the coast to be sold to the slavers. As before mentioned, they have but few slaves-a circumstance which is probably in part accounted for by the fact that they eat the prisoners taken in war, whereas other tribes only enslave them.

They have a great reverence for charms and fetiches, and even the little children are covered with these talismans, duly consecrated by the doctor or greegree man of the tribe. They place especial value on charms which are supposed to have the power to protect their owner in battle. Chief among these is an iron chain, of which the links are an inch and a half long by an inch wide. This is worn over the left shoulder, and hanging down the right side. Besides this, and next to it in value, is a small bag, which is suspended round the neck or to the side of the warrior. This bag is made of the skin of some rare animal, and contains various fragments of others, such as dried monkey's tails, the bowels and claws of other beasts, shells, feathers of birds, and ashes of various beasts. All these are of the rarer animals, in order that there may not be too many charms of one kind, which would diminish their value and power.

The chief village of each family of the Fans has a huge idol, to whose temple all that family gather at certain periods to worship. This worship consists of rude dances and singing. The idolhouses are mostly surrounded by a number of skulls of wild animals, prominent among which I recognized the skull of the gorilla. To take away or disturb these skulls would be counted sacrilege, and worthy of death. I do not think they offer human sacrifices.

The cannibal tribes do not intermarry with their non-cannibal neighbors, as their peculiar practices are held in too great abhorrence. Trade is, however, like to break down this barrier. Within two or three years the ivory of the Fans has so far excited the cupidity of their neighbors that two or three chiefs, among whom Mbene was one, have been glad to take Fan girls to wife, in order thus to get the influence of a Fan father-in-law. The poor Fans, who are farthest of all from the coveted white trade, are but too glad to get a son-in-law nearer the sea-shore; and I have little doubt but in a few years they will even succeed in intermarrying with other tribes to a considerable extent.

Notwithstanding their repulsive habit, the Fan have left the impression upon me of being the most promising people in all Western Africa. They treated me with unvarying hospitality and kindness; and they seem to have more of that kind of stamina which enables a rude people to receive a strange civilization than any other tribe I know of in Africa. Energetic, fierce, warlike, decidedly possessing both courage and ingenuity, they are disagreeable enemies; and I think it most probable that the great family or nation of which they are but a small offshoot, and who should inhabit the mountainous range which subsequent explorations convince me extends nearly if not quite across the continent -that these mountaineers have stayed in its course the great sweep of Mohammedan conquest in this part of Africa.

It should be added here that the Fan are known on the coast as the Paouen.

FAN SPOON.

I

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CLIMATE OF THE MOUNTAINS.

CHAPTER IX.

The return Trip.-Climate of the mountain Region.-Native Courage.—Mode of Warfare.-Heavy Rains.-On the Noya.-Visits to native Chiefs.-Ezongo.Attempt at Black-mail.-Alapay.-The Mbicho.-Net-hunting.-Bad Shooting of the Negroes.-Attacked by the Bashikouay Ants.-Toilet of the Mbicho.-Superstition about the Moon.-Ivory of this District peculiar.-Igouma.--Fan of the Country.-An immense Cavern.-Crossing a mangrove Swamp.

We now began to make ready for our return to the sea. I was to go as far as his village with Mbene, and thence take my new route. Mbene had since our arrival obtained a daughter of King Ndiayai for his wife; a point of great exultation to this politic old negro, who rejoiced that so rare an honor should fall to him, and hoped to receive large consignments of ivory from his father-in-law's people, on which he would pocket a profitable per-、 centage. Mbene, therefore, had relatives to take leave of-not a very affecting circumstance, however.

The Fans seemed very sorry that I was about to leave them, and all expressed a wish for my return. Ndiayai gave me a native knife as a token of remembrance, which was as much as receiving a be-diamonded snuff-box from another sovereign-for knives are precious in Africa. I offered a large price to another man for a superb knife he had, but could not get it. His father had given it to him, he said, and he could not part with it.

So at last we were fully ready, and left the Fans and their mountains. These mountains have a climate which is by no means African in the popular conception. Since we have been here we have had rain during every night; and it has been so much clouded that I do not think the sun has shone clearly for three consecutive hours on any day in as many weeks. The country seems well watered, and the soil is exceedingly fertile. The climate is, of course, much healthier than it is on the rivers near the coast, and the people in consequence are more robust and energetic. It is a most promising country for the labor and settlement of white men at some time, or of civilized black men.

Mbene had spent some days before our start in collecting pro

MODES OF WARFARE.

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visions. But, though we had a good supply, he asked me to stop at a Mbicho village not far on our route for more. I consented, and found that he was more desirous of exhibiting me to another father-in-law of his, the Mbicho chief, Imana by name, who was hugely pleased to find his son-in-law in such creditable company, and presented me with two fowls and two bunches of plantains in token of his pleasure, besides supplying our whole party with abundant provisions next morning, when we went rejoicing on our way, the men singing songs as they marched through the woods.

The Mbicho are like the Mbondemo in looks, and their language is also like the Shekiani. They are not a very numerous tribe.

Our party from here consisted of twenty men, thirteen women, and two boys. I caused the women to be relieved of their loads, to their surprise and that of their idle husbands, who could not understand why I should object to a woman doing all the drudgery. As we marched along gayly enough, about two P.M. one day my men seemed suddenly uneasy. I asked what was the matter, and received for reply that a party of Shekianis were approaching, they thought, and then there would be trouble, as some Shekiani men had had a palaver lately with Mbene. I felt very uncomfortable, for, on listening, I too heard sounds as of men approaching, and I knew that if there was a fight it would be of the cruel, treacherous kind which the negroes affect-not open, but a sudden surprise, which would give no chance for me to interfere and prevent bloodshed. I therefore determined to stop the palaver if I could, but meantime to stick to my party as the safest way. We got ready our guns, and then cautiously advanced. After about half an hour's suspense we discovered the enemy-not a party of Shekianis, but a large party of chattering monkeys, of which we immediately shot half a dozen, which were roasted by the men for their suppers.

The warriors of this part of Africa-with the exception of the Fans and Osheba-are not overstocked with courage. They applaud tricks that are inhumanly cruel and cowardly, and seem to be quite incapable of open hand-to-hand fight. To surprise man, woman, or child in sleep, and kill them then; to lie in ambush in the woods for a single man, and kill him by a single spear-thrust before he can defend himself; to waylay a woman going to the

spring for water, and kill her; or to attack on the river a canoe much smaller and weaker than the attackers: these are the warlike feats I have heard most praised, and seen oftenest done in this part of Africa. No rude or barbarous people seems fairly brave. Even the North American Indians dealt in surprises, fought, like these negroes, from behind trees, and were cruel rather than brave; so that my ideas of a fair fight were not understood or appreciated by the negroes.

The night of September 19th was one of the most uncomforta ble of my journey. It rained in the evening when we began to arrange our camp, and I built two large fires to keep me dry, and got under shelter as well as I could. But about nine o'clock it came on a rain so heavily that it was scarcely possible to keep our fires alight. I had to use my neighbor's wood, which was readily given me. It rained thus till four o'clock, pouring down in one continuous stream, as though another deluge had come.

Then we all fell asleep, wet as we were, and when we waked up saw the sun peeping at us through the dark, glistening, rainrefreshed foliage of the trees.

The rainy season had by this time fairly set in in these mountains, and the thunder, lightning, and heavy showers are common both day and night. We find great comfort in using the shelters erected, and conscientiously kept in repair by the caravans or trading-parties of negroes who pass over this track. They give at least some shelter from the everlasting rains. We have found them kept in good repair wherever we have been. It is customary for every party to do what repairs are necessary.

On the 29th we saw many elephant-tracks but no animals; and as we were now bound in we did not stop to hunt. On the 30th we crossed the Noonday River, and now a messenger was sent forward to announce our arrival. We arrived at the town about eight P.M., amid salvoes of old muskets and very general rejoicing, and singing and dancing. I was tired, and was glad to get to bed in a house once more after eating something. But unfortunately two or three of the king's babies, who were separated from me only by a few feet, cried all night, so that I did not get much sleep.

Mbene's people had not time now to attend even their own children. The rainy season had fairly come, and their crop was not yet in the ground, and they had to strain every nerve to get done.