Travellers, as a rule, have not been so fortunate. General Baker, whom I have just mentioned, says that he attempted one day to make a negro chief understand the immorality of the slave trade, and that, just as he fondly hoped that he had convinced him, the chief said, abruptly—
"Have you any children?"
"Alas! no," replied Baker. "I have lost them all."
"Well," said the chief, "I have a son, my only child; he is very small and very thin, but with you he will grow fat if you only look at him. You will be able to feed him up to any extent. He is always hungry, eating day and night without ever being satisfied. You can do anything you like with him, provided you fill his stomach. You cannot think what a dear good child he is. Well! I will sell him to you for a molote" (a kind of African shovel).
As regards cannibalism, we have been far more successful. Munza is not convinced, but he does not appear as insensible to our arguments as was the negro chief to those of Baker.
After some further conversation, the King proposed to hold a review of a part of his army. We gladly fell in with the idea, as much from a motive of curiosity, as to ascertain how far we could rely on his troops; and, more important still, to find out whether we could fight them with any chance of success, when the time should come for Munza to express a wish to bring us back to his dominions.
About two thousand men were drawn up on a large parade ground adjoining the palace. The rokko tunics, which I have already described, were their only uniform, their legs, arms, and breasts, daubed with red, black and blue war-paint, being uncovered. The officers were distinguished from the soldiers merely by the plumes of various colours which ornamented their cylindrical head-dresses. They were armed to the teeth; in their girdles were swords with bent blades, axes, knives, and daggers with small grooves to allow the blood to run off; in their right hands a lance or a bow and arrows, and in their left a primitive shield made of wood, about four feet long, and carried by means of a copper handle. This body went though a series of manoeuvres, and surprised us by their strict discipline and the precision of their movements.
"We should have to keep these men at a distance with our rifles," said de Morin to me, in an undertone. "Their swords, axes and daggers are formidable weapons, and would be very dangerous at close quarters. But their arrows, though, as you see, they carry for about three hundred paces, are so light and describe so extensive a curve, that they would only hit the mark by accident."
The review was brought to a close by a charge of the whole line; all the soldiers, after having withdrawn for about a hundred yards, came on towards us, some brandishing their axes, others with lance in rest, whilst the remainder drew their bows to their full stretch and aimed their arrows at us. The whole force yelled horribly, put on their fiercest expression, ground their teeth, and appeared both ready and willing to eat us. Without any feeling of cowardice, or being over-timid, we might very easily have believed that these men were bent on our destruction. However, none of us quailed, for, even if we had not known that the whole affair was merely a review, our European pride would have prevented our showing, in the sight of these savages, the slightest symptom of fear.
The King had stationed himself at some distance from us, with the undoubted object of increasing our fears and letting us think that he had let his army loose upon us. He scanned us closely, and must have been quite satisfied with our bearing. If his idea was to put us to the test, he could now rest assured that his new allies were not easily to be frightened.