| I |
| The Voyage | [19] |
| Dreadful alternatives—A pork and cabbage saint—The outfit—A parting pain—Canary Islands—The change to the tropics—Sierra Leone—The native yell—Deck passengers—A meal of potato-peelings—Liberia—Shipboard conversation—A shrewd decision. | |
| II |
| The Coast | [36] |
| Wet and dry seasons—The climate—The trader—Old Calabar—The crocodile—The most beautiful place in West Africa—The ugliest place in the world—Mount Cameroon—A ride on a mule—Landing in the surf. | |
| III |
| Bush Travel | [55] |
| Where no white man had been—The greatest forest in the world—The caravan—Outfit—African roads—Bridges—The worst of the road—Blessings in disguise—The art of walking—The arrival in camp—The misery of morning—Rubber stomachs. | |
| IV |
| Bush Perils | [73] |
| The road at the worst—Tired out—A palaver with the carriers—Elephants—A caravan astray—A long night—A borrowed shirt—The sullen forest—Accident the constant factor—A last journey—Advantage of breakfast before daylight. | |
| V |
| The Camp-Fire | [89] |
| The camp—African mimics—The lemur’s cry—Legend of the snail—The chimpanzee and the ungrateful man—A fable of the turtle—Why the leopard walks alone—A “true” story—A magic fight—Discovering a thief—A spirit who spreads disease—A shadow-slayer—A witch discovered—Lying awake at night. | |
| VI |
| A Home in the Bush | [107] |
| Efulen—The “white animal” performs—Africa no solitude—The mail—The first fever—Yearning for a shirt—A vivid account of my funeral—The first house—Cooks and cooking—The medical layman—Mrs. Laffin’s visit. | |
| VII |
| The Bush People | [131] |
| The Bulu tribe—“Better-looking than white people”—Dress—Ornamentation—A sociable queen—The white man’s origin—Our fetishes—A magic letter—Buying and selling—Chief Abesula. | |
| VIII |
| After a Year | [148] |
| Killed by mistake—A woman stolen—A passion for clothes—The Batanga church—Expectoration a fine art—Romantic career of a nightshirt—Bekalida—Keli, the incorrigible—Death of Dr. Good. | |
| IX |
| The Kruboys | [170] |
| The Kru tribe—The “real thing”—Kru English—The Kruboy’s superstition—The ship’s officers—Dressing with much assistance—Loading mahogany—The Kruboy and the surf—The white man out of his element. | |
| X |
| White and Black | [195] |
| St. Paul de Loanda—Canine passengers—Portuguese slavery—An American problem—A health-change—Boma—Belgian atrocities—Matadi—Stanley—What I heard at Matadi—The apathy of the nations. | |
| XI |
| The Fang | [217] |
| Gaboon—The village—The house—The door—The kiss unpopular, and no wonder—Marriage customs—A woman tortured—An elder brother—Immoral customs—The Gorilla Society—War—A troublesome sister—A blessing that resembled a curse—A strange war-custom—Music—Dancing—Story of the elephant and the gorilla—Fable of the sun and moon. | |
| XII |
| Fetishes | [249] |
| The conception of God—Dreams—Ancestor-worship—The conception of nature—The fetish proper—A wonderful medicine-chest—Various fetishes—A case of discipline—Witchcraft—A convicted witch—Wives and witchcraft—The white man and witchcraft. | |
| XIII |
| A Boat Crew | [273] |
| The Evangeline—Makuba—An un-dress ball—Ndong Koni—A saint that lied—Capsized and rescued—A dying slave—Dressed in a table-cloth—Flogging a chief—A story of true love. | |
| XIV |
| A School | [302] |
| The language difficulty—Lacked nothing but the essentials—The late M. de la R.—One of Macbeth’s witches—Death of Nduna—Bojedi—More candid than kind—The racial weakness—A royal romance—Marriage ceremonies—A penitent—A fall. | |
| XV |
| A Little Scholar | [329] |
| A health-change—The brightest of his class—Rotten Elephant—Very sick—An object of wonder—Mount Teneriffe—Adventure with a stage-coach—Adventure with a donkey—The crisis—The Ashantee war—A burial at sea. | |
| XVI |
| A Church | [354] |
| Reality versus romance in missions—Arrival of the steamer—Adventure in a canoe—An Apollo Belvidere in ebony—A sensational call to worship—A white man’s foot—A prayer that caused a panic—Not wickedness, but worms—The right hand, or the left?—“Dawn of the Morning”—M’abune Jésu—Keeping the Sabbath—The harvest—The Jesuits—A building not made with hands—“O’er crag and torrent.” | |