Niger

buctoo the slaughter of the hostile canoemen was
outrageous. The day when Mungo desired to
land in amity among the natives and explore that
city of legend was long past. His one aim now was
to attain the outlet of the Niger—into the waste
sands of the interior, or into the Altantic.
The glare of the sun grew stronger. The news of
the coming of the canoe ran along the banks like
fire, and stirred the tribes to oppose it. Sixty
canoes paddled out from the banks at one place
to dispute their passage. Mungo and Martyn
directed volley after volley upon them, till the
guide Amadi was sickened at the slaughter. He
made a protest to Martyn—in unfortunately
familiar terms. Thereat Martyn turned in the
canoe with a threatening gesture, and a quarrel
would have broken out with disastrous consequences
to the Joliba had not Mungo himself intervened.
The river swept them on.
Rocks appeared. The Joliba struck on one, and
while they laboured to push her off a curious
hippopotamus rose near at hand and approached
to investigate. Muskets were used against it, as
against the natives. The hippopotamus retired
and the canoe was edged off the rock.
That evening they came to an island in mid¬
stream, thick with hippopotami which rushed into
the water and nearly upset the Joliba. They
coasted on past the island in the darkness, and in
the morning light saw three canoes in pursuit.
Again Martyn, Mungo, and the two soldiers lay and
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