"Where is Yoyo?" asked the Nut.
"In a part of the forest which very few people except his family and myself know, I promise you. . . . However, nearly every Sunday he comes to do a little marketing at Sanda's bar and store in the village where the gold-diggers live."
They pushed rapidly forward during the next two days and nights. Every now and then they met natives, who greeted them with the usual civilities but kept their distance.
"Hodeo." ("Good day.")
"Akonno, Feî-de-ba?" ("Thank you, how are you?")
"Li vacca bouilleba." ("Traveling is pleasant, thanks be to Heaven.")
"Diafonno." ("May your journey continue prosperous!")
Sometimes they encountered natives who were able to speak French fairly well. The Nut could not help expressing his astonishment.
"They mix in high circles, my dear fellow," explained Chéri-Bibi. "They're regular frequenters of the wood-cutting establishments and the penal settlements on the coast. Yoyo speaks French as well as you or I."
Other natives jabbered a mixture of French and Pupian which was not without its humor.