aised by the armed party, and a rush made
around us with brandishing of arms. One young man made a charge at my
head from behind, but I quickly brought round the muzzle of my gun to
his mouth, and he retreated. I pointed him out to the chief, and he
ordered him to retire a little. I felt anxious to avoid the effusion
of blood; and though sure of being able, with my Makololo, who had been
drilled by Sebituane, to drive off twice the number of our assailants,
though now a large body, and well armed with spears, swords, arrows, and
guns, I strove to avoid actual collision. My men were quite unprepared
for this exhibition, but behaved with admirable coolness. The chief
and counselors, by accepting my invitation to be seated, had placed
themselves in a trap, for my men very quietly surrounded them, and made
them feel that there was no chance of escaping their spears. I then
said that, as one thing after another had failed to satisfy them, it
was evident that THEY wanted to fight, while WE only wanted to pass
peaceably through the country; that they must begin first, and bear
the guilt before God: we would not fight till they had struck the first
blow. I then sat silent for some time. It was rather trying for me,
because I knew that the Chiboque would aim at the white man first; but
I was careful not to appear flurried, and, having four barrels ready for
instant action, looked quietly at the savage scene around. The Chiboque
countenance, by no means handsome, is not improved by the practice
which they have adopted of filing the teeth to a point. The chief and
counselors, seeing that they were in more danger than I, did not choose
to follow our decision that they should begin by striking the first
blow, and then see what we could do, and were perhaps influenced by
seeing the air of cool preparation which some of my men displayed at the
prospect of a work of blood.

The Chiboque at last put the matter before us in this way: "You come
among us in a new way, and say you are quite friendly: how can we know
it unless you give us some of your food, and you take some of ours? If
you give us an ox, we will give you whatever you may wish, and then we
shall be friends." In accordance with the entreaties of my men, I gave
an ox; and when asked what I should like in return, mentioned food as
the thing which we most needed. In the evening Njambi sent us a very
small basket of meal, and two or three pounds of the flesh of our own
ox! with t