CHAPTER XIV.
DEPARTURE FROM ASHIRA LAND.—A SILENT LEAVE-TAKING.—THIEVISH PORTERS.—A CUNNING OLD RASCAL.—MISFORTUNE ON MISFORTUNE.—WITHOUT FOOD IN THE FOREST.—A DESPERATE PLOT.—FEASTING ON MONKEY-MEAT.—OUT OF THE WOODS.
The threat of Quengueza had the desired effect. At last Ondonga succeeded in getting porters, who, with my own men, made the number of our company about thirty. No amount of pay could induce more to come. They were afraid of trouble. They could not tell what the trouble would be, but they had a vague fear that something dreadful was impending.
Every thing that we could not take with us I either gave away or destroyed.
Early in the morning of the 16th of March I left Ashira Land. How I had suffered in that poor, unfortunate land! The plague had destroyed the people, and the survivors accused me of having destroyed the victims of the plague. Then things had looked so dark that many and many a time I thought the end had come; that no more explorations were to be made, and I fully expected to be murdered by the infuriated savages.
My party of ten Commi men had been reduced to seven. Retonda had died; Rogueri, a slave, had run away, and it was he who had advised the Ashira to rob me, and who had tried to disabuse them of my power. The plague had disabled Igala-Yengo. He was going back to Goumbi now that he was much better, and he was to take letters for me.