ds through dense forest and is evidently full of fish, for at
intervals, barricades are erected which stretch right across the river,
with the exception of a small space to allow canoes to go up and down.
In the middle or one side however, an opening is left which can be
closed by lowering one of the bamboo nets heavily weighted, vertically
down. Platforms are erected ten or twelve feet high to raise or lower
these nets and the whole structure is ingeniously and strongly put
together. The fish are thus allowed to swim up and are then enclosed in
a section of the river, when they are easily caught in baskets. All the
riverside population engages in fishing. On the way I shot a toucan,
which must have weighed ten or twelve pounds, with number five shot
which happened to be in the gun at the time. The bird however, was hit
in the head and breast. The natives at once plucked it and having
scarcely warmed it at the fire greedily eat it.

At a village called Bokoto a boy was brought to me with his right hand
missing, for I was very anxious to see an original of the photos which
are so common in England. I was indeed beginning to despair of finding
one at all for most of the white men had never seen a case, none of the
natives understood what I wished and hitherto no missionary knew where
one was to be found. Here however, was a boy with his right hand missing
and it had evidently been removed by a sharp instrument, but not I think
by a surgeon, for the scars were not such as follow amputation at the
wrist joint. Mr. Clarke acted as interpreter and the following
conversation took place.

--When was this done?

--During the rubber war when the boy was an infant.

--Who did it?

--The soldiers who came from Bofiji.

--Why did they come?

--Because the natives had not collected rubber.

--Where did this take place?

--In the country behind Bikoro and the mother was killed at the same
time as she was carrying away her infant.

Neither the date nor the age of the boy is known, but he appears to be
12 or 13 years of age and his name is Imputela. Although therefore, no
proof can be adduced, for the child of course remembers nothing and only
knows what he has been told, there is a possibility that a native
soldier may have cut off his hand. On the other hand, it may have been
injured or cut by a native chief. I mention this case at length, because
it was the only one I ever found in a tour of several thousand miles in
the