prifed by two of the natives, armed with bows and arrows, apparently hunting. A half fcream expreffed the first emotions of their furprise; our confufion was no lefs extreme, perhaps it was more fo. They retired foftly to some distance, and immediately ran away with infinite fpeed, and we foon loft fight of them.

My perturbation may be conceived. I revolved past, prefent, and future, with the rapid glance of regret and apprehenfion : Hurdee, too, was loft in reflection; but foon collected himself, and endeavoured to cheer me. We lamented that we had not kept the margin of the great river, where our dangers could not have been greater than they now were; and that our journey could not be many days longer. I faw the abfurdity of this afterwifdom; but it tended to roufe me. Hurdee could not diftinguifh of what nation they were: he fuppofed they might be of the Ebo country, but they alfo refembled natives of the Galla, from which we could not be very diftant. If they were of the former, we might deem ourselves fecure; if the latter, there was fome danger: we concluded it to be fafelt to get out of their way. Hurdee fuggefted that their furprife was principally excited by the fight of a white man; and that curiofity, as well as other motives, might tempt them to follow us with a large body of men.- -We made for the adjacent hills, and as we afcended them, could observe a numerous body of the natives pursuing the course we had taken we accordingly

Ccc

changed our courfe from the S. E. to the N. E. and rather ran than walked.

We had to crofs a mountain, and after labouring to its fummit, we became expofed from the want of cover, there being little elfe of vegetation but a light herbage and bruth wood. We viewed them from an elevated ground as they croffed open patches, and then crept on our hands and knees, and crouched behind cluf ters of the thicket to prevent dif

covery.

From the different views we had of them, we eítimated them at about three hundred in number: they were armed with clubs, lances, bows and arrows, and kept their ufual order, of battle in a very compact body. Hurdee now feemed fatisfied that they were of the Galla nation, and he was certain we must be the objects of their purfuit.

We refolved to keep them in view, and watch till they should encamp, when we might take advantage of the night to countermarch them: we did fo, and embraced the cover of the night to return to our former course, direct to the eastward.

This whole night we travelled without ceafing, under conftant alarm from the roaring of wild beafts. The night was exceffive dark, and we could not difcern any objects at a great distance. I drew the charge from one of my pistols, and when we heard a rustling among the bushes near us, burned priming, as the only expedient we could devife befide firing fhot, which we would not

do, left we fhould alarm our purfuers.

About day break my companion trod upon a fmall green fnake, which bit his right leg clofe to the outer ankle. I was much alarmed; but he very cooly took fome of the root out of his pouch, and chewed it as the good old African had before done; the juice of the root was white like milk, but on applying it to the wound it changed to a yellow, difagreeable colour: having repeatedly applied it until the juice was no longer difcoloured, he tied a bandage round it, and we purfued our route, happy that he had efcaped fo well.

This root I have repeatedly feen; but from a neglect of con-cerns lefs important for the time, I unfortunately did not bring it with me. The lofs of my fight would prevent me from knowing it, fhould it be common in our country; which I think probable, as the American Indians fay they poffefs the knowledge of a fimilar powerful antidote." This root appears to me as acting upon the poifon by decompofing it by fome peculiar quality of its own juice. It is certain that the poif

on does not remain in the wound, and from the colour of the juice being changed, I fuppofe it must be by a decompofition of the conftitutent parts; for a change in its properties and appearance is certainly effected*

Hunger, which we had difregarded in the moments of terror, now came on with the utmost force; and our dried beef and other provifions growing fhort, it was neceffary that we should feek for fome fresh provifions. We were not fufficiently remote from the Galla men to trust to our fire arms; but Hurdee being expert with his bow and arrows, we refolved to use them and fpare our powder and shot.

He accordingly let fly at the first animal we met, and it fell, we could find no wound but a

flight one in the leg. We collected wood, made a fire, and were about to drefs our prey, when, lo! it disappeared. We were about to go in fearch of fome other animals, when we found it ruftling in the bushes, and foon retook it. In fhape and colour it resembled the Opoffum, except that it had no pouch or falfe belly; the hair alfo was much fhorter- however,

when dreffed, it tafted deliciously; and after breakfast, for the first time, we lay down to fleep.

We awoke about ten o'clock, tolerably refreshed; and having yet to pafs a mountain which we hoped would be the laft, we judged it prudent to keep on the verge of the woods, between that and the top of the afcent. About 4 o'clock we difcovered fires at a distance, and veftiges of population in the pathways, which interfected each other, and appeared newly trodden. The appearances of population to the northward were very distinguishable; and therefore, apprehending that we approached fome of thofe numerous nations, that conftantly inhabit the luxurious countries in the neighbourhood of the Congo river, near its fources, and the charming vallies at the feet of the Galla mountains on the fouth and eastern fides; we determined to be circumfpect, and proceed by eafy journies, to avoid falling into the hands of

either of them.

Night was approaching faft, we had defcended the mountain towards the Ealt, fomewhat fouthwardly, and the fun was already hidden from us by the heights we had paffed, which threw their fhadows over the beautiful val lies that we could just diftinguish, expanded to a boundless distance before us. We determined to proceed flowly towards the low country, and repofe once more fccure from the terror of the foreft; to view the country the next day, and to take fuch fteps as might be most likely to enfure our fafe arrival, now that we

could not be remote from the place of deftination.

A few monkies, whofe chattering was no longer deemed an annoyance, after our acquaintance with founds fo chilling and terrific, were our only difturbers during the night; we flept peaceably, and rofe with the dawn.

Having agreed to reconnoitre the country before we fhould proceed, we made a kind of feftival of this charming morning. We unpacked our powder, and repacked our flints and trinkets; we cleaned our arms, and by the time we had partaken of a plentiful breakfaft, the fides of the green hills and plains beneath us were difclofed to our view by the opening fun, in a ftyle of verdure and beauty truly delighting The light fhades of the floping hill on the north-eastern aspect, contrasted by the dusky hue of the vallies, on the fouthern and western fides; and the irregularity of the fhades caft by the profile of the more elevated hills, on the plains fcattered through the winding vallies, gradually defcending, and the whole profpect vividly brightening without mift or cloud in the horizon, altogether exhibited a fcene of ferene grandeur that warmed my heart, and made me almoft forget the inconveniences I had fuftained.

The country was thickly peopled, the marks of cultivation were vifible on the fides of the declining plains, and on the level; but no river could be feen. We confidered it, however, as at no great distance, and refolved to pafs the day as a time of reft, and to purfue our journey under