ke, although we were not in reality very hungry. We had not been
seated long before parties arrived, carrying the tusks of the elephants
we had killed; and others followed, dragging along about thirty
prisoners, among whom we recognised our friend Aboh. As soon as he saw
us he shouted out to the king, who at once ordered him to be released,
when he came up to us.

"Me say talkee for you," he observed, by which we understood that he had
informed the king that he was our interpreter. He then had a long
palaver with his majesty, who seemed well satisfied with what he heard.
The intentions of the king were, we found out from what Aboh said, to
make us useful to fight his battles, to assist him in governing the
country, and to perform any service which he considered white men
capable of doing better than his own subjects. He, by some means or
other, had been informed of our being in the country, and had made the
attack on Quagomolo's camp, expressly for the purpose of getting
possession of us.

"What has become of your king and the rest of your people?" we asked of
Aboh.

"Him no killee, me tinke run 'way," he answered.

"Things are not so bad as they might have been, so we ought to be
thankful," observed Charley; "but still I am afraid that we are as
little likely as before to be allowed to continue our journey."

Our chief anxiety was about Tom Tubbs. We feared that King Quagomolo
was not likely to set him at liberty, nor was it probable that he would
deliver up our knapsacks, even should we send for them, for though he
had hitherto behaved honestly towards us, we could scarcely expect that
he would withstand the temptation of appropriating their contents under
the uncertainty of our fate. Our first object then was to get Tom to
rejoin us, and by some means or other to regain our property. Our
knapsacks contained powder and shot, beads and trinkets, with which to
pay our way, an extra pair of boots, and numerous other articles of the
greatest value to us. We were already more than three days' journey
from King Quagomolo's village, and so much on our way to the north.
Before lying down to sleep, we consulted Aboh on the subject. "Berry
bad, berry bad," he answered, shaking his head, which he always did when
he found a knotty point difficult to unravel. "Me say de King Sanga
Tanga--me go get odder white man and him goods. Suppose let me go, what
say King Quagomolo? when him come, cut off him head me tinkee."