She was friendly with everybody, for every one brought her berries, nuts, and fruits, and also ripe plantains and bananas, of which she was very fond, and she continued to eat cooked food also.
It happened that while the nshiego was travelling to the sea, a nkengo, somewhat larger and stronger than she, was captured, after the killing of his mother and father. He was also sold, and in the course of time came to the seashore, but for some reason he was vicious and could not be tamed, and never became friendly with the people. So he had a much harder time in his captivity, for he had bitten a couple of people. He would have been killed, but the natives knew that one day or another they could sell him for a good price to some white trader who would come to the coast with his ship.
It came to pass in the course of time that both the nshiego and the nkengo were sold to two sea captains and sailed for Portugal in two different ships. On their voyage they wondered very much at the ship, at the blue ocean, and that no more trees were to be seen. To them it was a very strange world. On board both got accustomed to eat the food of the white man when the plantains and bananas were all eaten up. In the course of time they reached their destination in very good health; they were now in the country of the white man.
After several years of trials and tribulations, both the nshiego and the nkengo crossed the broad Atlantic and one fine day landed in New York. They were owned by “the biggest circus show on earth.” They had become big and strong since they had left the west coast of Africa, and people were more or less afraid of them.
The day of their arrival their cages were changed and they found themselves again behind strong iron bars in two boxes close together, and saw wonderful animals, such as lions, tigers, rhinoceroses, and many others they had never seen before. They were very much frightened when they heard their roars and yells. Their hair stood erect on their bodies, and they uttered great yells also, and if they had been in the forest how fast they would have run away!
They saw some njokoos, but were not afraid of them, for it was like meeting old acquaintances of the great forest.
In the course of time they became reconciled to their new lot, and did not mind any more the noises of the menagerie. Their places of confinement were close together and separated inside by iron bars. This arrangement was made in order to enable them to become friends if they chose. They travelled through the big cities of the United States and saw many things which they had never seen before. They were very much astonished when they journeyed on railroads, and at first were frightened, but became accustomed to this and to many other ways of civilization.
They had been put under the charge of a special keeper, who had nothing to do but to take care of them, for they were considered the rarest and most valuable creatures of the big show, and experience had taught their owners that the American climate was not good for the men of the woods, that they did not live long here, and generally died of consumption or pneumonia. So the greatest care was given them.
During their travels great crowds of people came to see them, and no wonder, for no such large nshiego and nkengo had ever been seen before. They looked so much like people that some thought that they were a sort of human being, the “missing link” between man and beast.