I went towards them, and when they saw me they stood still. I raised “Omemba,” which they recognized at once as the stick of King Mombo, their master, and which reassured them.
These slaves, from their appearance, seemed to belong to many different tribes. Some belonged to tribes which filed their front teeth sharp to a point. Others had their four upper and lower front teeth pulled, this being considered beautiful among some tribes. Some had two upper middle front teeth somewhat filed in the middle. They also varied in the color of their skins; some were quite black, others less so, and some dark-brown color. Many shaved their eyebrows, and two women wore rings in their noses.
They were all more or less tattooed. This form of adornment among the Africans is not done without pain; the skin is cut in such a manner that it is made to stand up in small ridges.
Regundo soon rejoined me, and told the slaves that the great Oguizi, of whom they had heard, was before them.
When I was talking to these slaves, four or five men made their appearance. They looked like great warriors. They carried with them long, single-barrelled flint-lock guns, of heavy calibre—the only kind of guns the natives like. They are called “tower guns,” and are made in England especially for the West African trade.
They were followed by queer-looking hunting-dogs, which at once began to bark furiously at me.
These dogs seemed half starved, they were so lean. They had short hair, straight ears, a somewhat elongated muzzle, with powerful jaws and sharp teeth. Their tails were curly, a sign of their being thoroughbred. They were not large, and had rather long legs for their size. They were yellow and white, or black and white. Some were almost all of one color.
Then Regundo, pointing to one of these four men, said: “This man is Oshoria; he is the greatest hunter among us all, and knows not what fear is. He hunts all the time, and spends many days in the forest by himself; and when he finds no game he has to feed on berries, nuts, and fruit. He knows every part of the forest for a long way.”
I looked at Oshoria. He was a fine-looking man, about five feet seven in height, well proportioned, with broad chest, and strong, muscular arms and legs, and small feet. He had broad, thick lips, deep, searching, and suspicious-looking eyes, which seemed to look all round at the same time, as if expecting danger everywhere, and he had a very determined face. He was not much tattooed. His teeth were not filed. After eying him I said to myself: “Regundo is right. The whole appearance of Oshoria shows that he is a cool and brave man, who knows not what fear is.”
