Page 104 - Adventures in Africa

was, Two or three others made their appearance soon
afterwards in the neighbourhood. My unde and I
agreed that the sooner we were away from the spot

the better, as any of the savage brutes coming under
the raft might upset it, and we should be committed

to their tender mercies.
W e were very glad, therefore, when the blacks,
having finished their meal, returned on board, and we

once more began to float down the stream.
W e were in hopes that at the rate we were proceed­

ing we should meet our friends before the close of the
day, but darkness approached, and the blacks gave us
to understand that we must go on shore and spend

the night at a village of their tribe, where we should
be hospitably entertained. To this we could offer no

objection, though it involved the necessity of landing
our goods, as we had no fancy to spend the time
on the raft, with the prospect of finding it melting

away below our feet, and we ourselves left to be
devoured by the crocodiles, or perhaps, to have it

capsized by the heave of an hippopotamus beneath
it.
A s we glided on, we saw a collection of bee-hive

looking huts on the top of the south bank. The raffc
was directed towards them. The natives7 leaping on

rshorc, secured it as before by a rope to a tree growing
<rOn, the beach. They then assisted in carrying our
property to the shore. Having piled it up in a heap

and covered it over with a roof of leaves, they
assured us that it would be as safe as if guarded by a
hundred men. A s they had hitherto shown themselves

to be scrupulously honest, we had no reason to doubt