I said: "You can go, Rogala." I did not wish to ask him why he wanted to go home, but I suspected that he wanted to consult the big idol about the illness from which he had recovered, and to try to find out who had bewitched him.
Early the following morning he departed, and I followed him for a short distance and bade him an affectionate farewell.
I had learned to love Rogala, for he was thoughtful, affectionate, and brave. When with me I always felt that he would never leave me in the lurch.
Strange to say, Shinshooko and Alapai did not come back that day or night. Were they lost, or had they been killed by gorillas or elephants?
Andekko seemed to know that I was left all alone, and was watching most carefully, walking constantly around our fence and sniffing to find out if there were intruders near. When he had gone round two or three times, he would come back and lie at my feet. Twice during the day he growled, but a few words addressed to him prevented him from barking. We had taught him not to bark when within the camp, but at every growl he gave I listened attentively. Perhaps he had heard the footsteps of Shinshooko and Alapai. Each time the noise had probably been made by some passing antelope or other animal. At any rate, my ladder was inside, and no enemy could reach me unawares.
I did not go out that day. I cleaned "Bulldog" and my other guns, and mended my clothes.
At night I lighted two extra big fires. How strange was the glare of the flames among the big trees that surrounded me! The wind was blowing very hard, for I could hear the rustling of the leaves on the top of the trees. Twice I heard the piercing cries of owls.
I hardly slept. Andekko was wide awake, his ears pricking up at the least noise. Now and then he would go round and round, and when he had made sure that there was nothing, he would return and lie by the fire. At last morning came.
After my breakfast I left the camp, leaving the premises in charge of Andekko, after giving him a good meal and providing more food for him. As I marched along, Ndova, who accompanied me, was looking for something to eat. I heard him utter the chuckle that always meant he had found something good. I went towards him, and found him regaling himself. Looking round, I saw growing on the trunk of a tree large grape-like bunches of a beautiful fruit of a bright scarlet color. Each fruit was of the shape of a very large olive. There were about ten of these bunches on the trunk, and each was about fifteen to eighteen inches long. The seed was large, but the pulp was quite juicy and somewhat acid, with a very pleasant flavor. I petted Ndova to show him that I appreciated his discovery.