Several days passed by. We got along very well with our captive, although he was kept in stocks. He seemed contented with his lot. He found that we treated him otherwise like one of ourselves. He ate with us, and consequently had the same food. When food was very scarce, we divided it equally among us, but of course when we had only nuts or berries he had only these to eat, and if we were hungry he had to go hungry also.
Several times I proposed to Rogala to take him out of the nchogo, but Rogala was always unwilling. Thinking that he was wiser than I in this matter, as he knew the native character better than I did, I let him have his own way.
We had given the name of Akenda-Mbani ("never go twice to the same place") to our prisoner, for we knew that he would never go back to his own country.
One afternoon Shinshooko and Alapai made their appearance, bringing with them four elephants' tusks. They had found two elephants in the pits they had dug in the forest for the purpose of entrapping the huge beasts.
They were very much astonished when they saw Akenda-Mbani and we told them how we had captured him.
CHAPTER XXVI
NDOVA FALLS SICK—STUNG BY A SCORPION OR BITTEN BY A CENTIPEDE—REFUSES TO EAT—GROWS WEAKER IN SPITE OF ALL OUR CARE AND NURSING—ONE MORNING I FIND HIM DEAD—WE MAKE A COFFIN FOR HIM AND BURY HIM IN THE FOREST