I said to him, "Tell your king I am not a bad man; I do not steal or kill; I have a message for him. Wait a moment," said I. Taking from one of my boxes a very large cowrie shell, near the size of one's fist, and holding it up, I said, "This we call the father of cowries; present it to the king as a token of friendship."
The men were soon off for the capital and we settled down, hoping and praying for the best. Kueta told me that the head man was King Lukenga's son and his name was N'Toinzide.
N'Toinzide stood more than six feet, of bronze color, blind in one eye, determined set lips, and seemed a man fearless of any foe—man or beast. The villagers told me many things of the king's son, both good and bad.
After some days the messengers reached the capital and reported to King Lukenga. "We saw the foreigner; he speaks our language, he knows all the trails of the country."
The king was astonished and called a council and laid the matter before them. They deliberated over the affair and finally told the king that they knew who I was.
"The foreigner who is at Bixibing," said they, "who has come these long trails and who speaks our language is a Makuba, one of the early settlers who died, and whose spirit went to a foreign country and now he has returned."
The messengers hastened to return and accompany me to the capital.
We had been longing and praying for days for the best. With the king's special envoy were many more men who had come through mere curiosity, as was their custom.
N'Toinzide stood in the center of the town and called with his loud voice saying who I was and giving briefly my history.
The villagers were indeed happy. They flocked around as the king's son drew near and extended their hands to me.