The following morning we went after the skin and skeleton of the big beast Rogala and I had killed. I put arsenic on the skin and stuffed it with dry leaves.
CHAPTER XII
NDOVA AS A TEST OF POISONOUS FRUITS AND BERRIES—HE DISCOVERS A BEEHIVE—A FEAST OF HONEY—ANDEKKO'S USEFULNESS IN HUNTING—KOOLA NUTS—WE KILL TWO WILD BOARS—CAPTURE OF A BABY "MAN OF THE WOODS"
One day while out shooting birds, I came to a part of the forest where I saw several kinds of fruits and berries I had never seen before. Some were beautiful to look at and very tempting, but I did not dare to eat them for fear that they might be poisonous.
Remembering what Rotembo had told me about Ndova and other monkeys,—that they never made a mistake in regard to fruits, berries, or nuts, and never ate those that were poisonous, and threw them away if given to them,—I determined to go back to our camp and bring Ndova with me, and show him the fruits.
The following morning I took Ndova with me, leading him by a cord, for I was afraid of his running away. When I came to that part of the forest where I had seen so many berries, I tied Ndova to a tree, and went to collect them. On my return I gave the most tempting one to Ndova. He smelt of it and threw it away, giving at the same time that peculiar grunt of dissatisfaction which he always uttered when things did not please him. I gave him one of another kind with the same result. I began to think that all the berries I had collected were poisonous. I gave him a third one. He smelt of it and gave it a bite to taste it, then ate the rest with sounds of pleasure very unlike the grunts he had uttered before. Then I took him to the place where there were many of these berries. He ate a lot, and filled his pouches.
I myself ate many of these berries. They tasted very good. I was no longer afraid to eat them, for what was good for the monkey was good for me.
After a while I gave Ndova a berry of another kind, which he also ate. Seeing this, I put one in my mouth, but took it out quickly it tasted so bitter. So I found that Ndova and I had sometimes not the same taste, and that some of the fruits, berries, or nuts he ate, though they were not poisonous, were very unpalatable to me. But afterwards in other expeditions I had to eat them in order not to die of starvation.