In African Forest and Jungle

by Paul B. Du Chaillu

There was a great noise inside. Soon I heard the tomtoms beat. They sounded to me very warlike. As it was getting late, I decided not to enter the village until the following morning, and retired noiselessly into the forest at quite a distance from the village, and after lighting my fires I went to sleep, wondering what sort of people I was to encounter the following day.

At daylight I was up, but waited until the day was more advanced before going to the village. I kept pondering whether the natives would receive me well, run away, or show fight. At last I left my hiding-place, and a short time afterwards I stood before the village gate and between the two idols. I could hear numerous voices in the distance, sometimes shouts, and the beating of the tomtoms. I judged that the people belonged to the Bakalai tribe.

Then hearing the voices of two women inside close to me, I said to them: "Please open the gate to the Oguizi, who is your friend."

When they heard me, they ran away; but soon three men came up and talking through the palisades, asked who I was, for they could not see my face.

I replied: "I am the Oguizi; I come to see you."

When they opened the gate, I found myself in presence of three fierce-looking fellows, armed with barbed spears, bows, and poisoned arrows. They were tall and young and looked like warriors. Closing the gate behind me, they looked at me with signs of awe, and one of them said: "Are you the Oguizi who has come to see the people of the forest?"

I answered, "I am."

It was fortunate that I could talk the Bakalai language. The three men told me to follow them. As soon as the villagers got a glimpse of me there was a great commotion; the meeting was suspended, the tomtoms beat with greater fury than before, and soon I found myself surrounded by savage men.

The people formed a great circle, and danced round me, singing, at the same time taking most beseeching postures and making invocations to me, asking me to do them no harm. They acted as if I were an idol. When they stopped, I learned that the name of the chief was Penday. I asked to see him. Some of the men went after him, but came back without him. He sent the following message to me: How could he dare to come before the great Oguizi, whom his forefathers had never seen? He would surely drop dead at the sight. He knew that I was coming, because for several nights a gentle wind hovered over the house where he slept and murmured, "The great Oguizi is coming! the great Oguizi is coming!" But he sent word that in three days he would come before me.