CHAPTER XI
ON THE WAY FROM KANGWE TO LAKE NCOVI
July 22nd, 1895.—Left Kangwe. The four Ajumba[1] did not turn up early in the morning as had been arranged, but arrived about eight, in pouring rain, so decided to wait until two o'clock, which will give us time to reach their town of Arevooma before nightfall, and may perhaps give us a chance of arriving there dry. At two we start. Good Mme. Jacot comes down to Andande beach to see us off, accompanied by Edmond; M. Jacot, I am sorry to say, has a bad touch of fever, but insists that he will be all right to-morrow; and as he is a person whom one automatically believes in, and also is a disciple of Kühne, one can do nothing; so I go, though feeling anxious for Mme. Jacot. I myself have an awful headache, complicated by the conviction that I am in for a heavy bout of fever: but as an Aduma canoe is one of the most comfortable things in Africa, or out of it, this is no cause for delay. We go down river on the Kangwe side of Lembarene Island, make a pause in front of the Igalwa slave town, which is on the Island and nearly opposite the Fan town of Fula on the mainland bank, our motive being to get stores of yam and plantain—and magnificent specimens of both we get—and then, when our
- ↑ These four Ajumba had been engaged, through the instrumentality of M. Jacot, to accompany me to the Rembwé River. The Ajumba are one of the noble tribes and are the parent stem of the M'pongwe; their district is the western side of Lake Ayzingo.
