Our Plans are Suddenly Altered—Wicked Designs Discovered.  
For several weeks after this we wandered about in the woods searching for gorillas. We were very successful, and shot so many that I had the satisfaction of making elaborate notes of specimens of nearly all ages and kinds.
 
But an event was looming in the future which we little thought of, and which ultimately compelled us to abandon the gorilla country and retrace our steps towards the southern part of the continent.
 
One day we set out, as was our wont, to hunt for gorillas, accompanied only by our faithful follower Makarooroo. It chanced to be a lovely day, and the country through which we were passing was exceedingly beautiful, so that we found more pleasure at that time in conversing together on the beauties of nature and on the wonderful works of nature’s God than in contemplating our chances of falling in with game.
 
“It’s a splendid country,” said Jack, as we walked along under the shade of some magnificent ebony trees. “I wish that it were inhabited by a Christian people. Perhaps this may be the case one of these days, but I don’t think we shall live to see it.”
 
“There’s no saying, Jack,” observed Peterkin. “Does not the Bible speak of a ‘nation being born in a day?’ Of course that must be figurative language; nevertheless it must mean something, and I incline to think that it means that there shall be a time when men shall flock rapidly, and in unusually great numbers, to the Saviour.”
 
“It may be so,” observed I, “but I have made up my mind on this point, that Christian people are not sufficiently awake to the terrible condition of the natives of countries such as this, or to the fact that they have much in their power to do for the amelioration of both their temporal and spiritual welfare. I, for one, will, if spared to return home, contribute more largely than I have been wont to do to the cause of missions.”
 
“Talking of that,” said Peterkin, “do you think it right to support the missions of other churches besides your own?”
 
“Do I think it right?” I exclaimed in surprise. “Of course I do. I think it one of the greatest evils that can befall a Christian, that he should become so narrow-minded as to give only to his own church, and think only of his own church’s missions. Why, surely a soul saved, if a matter of rejoicing in heaven, ought to be a matter of joy on earth, without reference to the particular church which was the instrument used by the Holy Spirit for that end. I feel very strongly that all Christians who love our Saviour with deep sincerity must of necessity have a warm feeling towards His people in all churches. At any rate we ought to cultivate such a feeling.”
 
“Who can these be?” cried Jack, stopping and pointing to some figures that appeared to be approaching us in the distance.
 
“They are negroes, at any rate,” said I; “for they seem to be black, and are evidently naked.”
 
“Warriors, too, if I mistake not. They have not yet observed us. Shall we hide and let them pass?”
 
Jack hesitated a moment, then leaping behind a bush, cried—
 
“Ay, ’tis well to be cautious when nothing is to be gained by daring. These fellows outnumber us, and war-parties are not to be trusted—at least not if these of Africa resemble those of North America.”
 
“Hollo! there’s a white man with them,” cried Peterkin, as he peeped over the bushes behind which we were hid.
 
“You don’t say so, eh? So there is. Come; we have nothing to fear from the party of a traveller.—What, Mak, you shake your head! What mean you?”
 
Makarooroo increased the shaking of his head, and said, “Me no know dat, massa. P’raps hab more to fear dan you tink.”
 
“Oh, stuff! come along. Why, Mak, it seems as if gorilla-hunting had failed to improve your courage.”
 
As Jack said this he stepped out from among the bushes and advanced to meet the strangers. Of course we all followed, and although we carried our rifles in a careless manner, as if we expected no evil, yet we held ourselves in readiness to take instant action if necessary.
 
The moment the negroes perceived us, they set up a great shout and brandished their spears and guns, but the voice of their leader was instantly heard commanding them to halt. They obeyed at once, and the European stranger advanced alone to meet us. As he drew near we observed that he was a splendid-looking man, nearly as large as Jack himself, with a handsome figure and a free, off-hand gait. But on coming closer we saw that his countenance, though handsome, wore a forbidding, stern expression.
 
“Dat am a slabe-dealer,” whispered our guide, as the stranger came up and saluted us in French.
 
Jack replied in the same language; but on learning that we were Englishmen, he began to talk in our own tongue, although he evidently understood very little of it.
 
“Do you travel alone with the natives?” inquired Jack, after a few preliminary remarks.
 
“Yaas, sair, I doos,” replied the stranger, who was a Portuguese trader, according to his own account.
 
“You seem to carry little or no merchandise with you,” said Jack, glancing towards the party of natives, who stood at some distance looking at us and conversing together eagerly.
 
“I has none wis me, true, bot I has moche not ver’ far off. I bees go just now to seek for ivory, and ebony, and sl–a–— w’at you call him? barwood.”
 
The man corrected himself quickly, but the slip confirmed Makarooroo’s remark and our own suspicions that he was a slave-dealer.
 
“De day is far gone,” he continued, putting as amiable a smile on his countenance as possible; “perhaps you vill stop and we have dine togedder.”
 
Although we did not much like the appearance of our new friend or his party, we felt that it would be uncourteous in so wild a country, where we had so few chances of meeting with white faces, to refuse, so we agreed. A camp-fire was speedily kindled, and the two parties mingled together, and sat down amicably to discuss roast monkey and venison steaks together.
 
During the course of the meal the Portuguese trader became so communicative and agreeable that we all began to think we had judged him harshly. We observed, too, that Makarooroo and the negroes had fraternised heartily, and our guide was singing and laughing, and making himself agreeable at a very uncommon rate, so much so as to call forth our surprise.
 
“Mak seems to be mad to-day,” observed Peterkin, as one of our guide’s jovial laughs rang through the wood and was echoed by his new acquaintances.
 
“Bees him not always so?” inquired the Portuguese.
 
“He’s always hearty enough,” replied Jack, “but I must confess I never saw him in such high spirits as he seems to be in just now. It must be the effect of meeting with new faces, I suppose.”
 
“Ah! s’pose so,” remarked the trader.
 
I was struck with the manner in which this was said. There was a tone of affected indifference, such as one assumes when making a passing remark, but at the same time a dark frown rested for one moment on his brow, and he cast a piercing vindictive glance at our guide. Next moment he was smiling blandly and making some humorous remark to Peterkin.
 
I looked at my companions, but they had evidently not observed this little piece of by-play. It seemed to me so unaccountable, considering that the two men had never met before, that I resolved to watch them. I soon observed that Makarooroo’s mirth was forced, that he was in fact acting a part, and I noticed once or twice that he also cast an occasional stealthy and piercing glance at the Portuguese. It afterwards turned out that both men had been acting the same part, and that each had suspected what the other was doing.
 
When our meal was concluded we prepared to resume our separate routes.
 
“I goes to de west,” observed the Portuguese, in a casual way, as he buckled on t............