softened by the silvery mist
which rose from the lake. The village was very similar in character to
that which Stanley had visited,--so I concluded from his description. A
plentiful repast was placed before us by the chief's wife and her
attendants soon after we arrived. The principal dish consisted of
hippopotamus flesh, but there were plantains and cassava porridge, with
an abundance of wild fruits, the best of which was the moshoma, both
fresh and dried. We had seen the tree growing outside the village. It
grows to a great height. The trunk was beautifully straight, and the
branches did not begin to spread out till very nearly at the summit.
The fruit can thus only be gathered when it falls to the ground. It is
then collected and exposed to the sun for some time. After it has been
dried it is pounded in a mortar, when it is fit for use. In that state
it will keep for some time. It is generally mixed with water, and made
into a sort of jelly, which tastes and looks not unlike honey. It is
especially useful for giving a flavour to the otherwise tasteless
cassava porridge.

The chief seemed very well disposed towards us, and now, as the day was
drawing to a close, he pointed to some mats in a corner of his hut, and
signified that we might sleep there. Having been in exercise all the
day, in spite of our anxiety we slept very soundly. The village was
astir at an early hour. Though the appearance of the people was not
attractive, they were more civilised than I had expected, and in the
neighbourhood of the village we saw a wide extent of fairly cultivated
ground. A bowl of cassava porridge, sweetened with moshoma, was placed
before us for our morning meal, and Natty and I did ample justice to it.
We now thought that we might let the chief know we were in a hurry to
go away, but he shook his head, saying that that could not be. What his
object was in keeping us we were unable to comprehend. It was very
evident that he had made up his mind we should stay with him, for some
time at least. The more we urged him to allow us to take our departure,
the more determined he seemed to keep us. At last I thought it wise to
give up the point for the present. We were allowed, however, to walk
about, but were always accompanied by either the chief himself, or four
or five of his attendants armed with spears, or bows and arrows. Some
of the latter were blunt-headed, and others were barbed, and, I
suspected, poisoned.