.

The party who had brought me to this remote spot were of an entirely
different race from those among whom I now found myself, and the fact
that we were making our way toward what was obviously the aristocratic
part of the town, coupled with the expressive conversation carried on by
the leader of my custodians with three or four individuals who had
joined us, led me to surmise--although of course I did not understand a
word of what was said--that I had been brought up the river as a peace-
offering or something of that sort, which conclusion was again the
reverse of reassuring.

As we drew near to the exceedingly narrow gate in the palisade, which
had been thrown open to admit us--and which, I presently saw, was
strongly guarded by a number of warriors armed with heavy, broad-bladed
spears, murderous-looking swords, and small round shields, or targets,
of wood covered with what looked like crocodile hide--I became sensible
of a horrible charnel-house smell; but it was not until we had passed
through the gate, and were inside the palisaded enclosure, that I
discovered from whence it emanated. Then, observing the direction of
the wind which wafted this dreadful odour to my nostrils, I looked that
way and presently noticed a large dead tree standing in the middle of
the square that formed the centre of this part of the town. It was the
immense number of birds that wheeled and screamed about this tree that
first caused me to regard it with particular attention, but even then I
could not, for the moment, see anything to account for either the birds
or the odour. But a minute or two later, as we drew nearer the tree,
the stench meanwhile becoming almost overpoweringly strong, I detected
fastened to the trunk of the tree, in a manner that was not at first
apparent, nine human corpses, some of them so far advanced in
decomposition that even the birds would not approach them! Then I
understood that I saw before me that detestable thing of which I had
often heard as the most prominent object in the typical African native
town or village, the "crucifixion tree," upon which the petty despot who
rules over that particular community is wont summarily to put to a cruel
and lingering death such of his subjects as may be unfortunate enough to
offend him! In some cases, I believe, the monarch is content to cause
his victims to be securely lashed to the crucifixion tree by stout
lianas, there to perish slowly of hunger and thirst;