a large party on October 23rd when we leave Yakoma in a drizzling rain, the remains of the usual nightly tornado.  Although the paddlers wear no clothes and do not hesitate to jump into the water at any moment it is curious that they dislike rain very much and never work so well as when a hot sun is shining.  The least diminution of temperature indeed affects them very much and they sit drowsily over the fire hugging themselves, being aroused to action only with difficulty.  We number now about two hundred including the thirty soldiers and armed capitas, but as the current is not very strong we make good headway through somewhat flat and uninteresting country until we arrive at Prekissa, a large village on the north bank of the Uele.

Here we were received by the Chief of the Abira tribe, a great potentate who sat in a long hammock chair surrounded by courtiers and ministers squatting on the ground and holding spears of state on each side of him.  Having welcomed us he escorted us through the village which is of great extent and well arranged.  Opposite his square hut or palace is the Guard House in which are a few soldiers armed with cap-guns for he has some independent authority and the power of life and death in certain limited cases.  Behind the palace are many rows of round huts close together.  Not a soul is visible or a sound heard for these are the quarters of the wives of the Chief and except the official lady who acts as legal queen none are presented to the white men.  The present Chief is a keen commercial man and understands the advantage of being on good terms with the Slate for he has a large rubber plantation and also works metals.  The blast furnace is most interesting.  It is simply a pit about two feet wide and deep formed by banking up clay and earth for several feet around which has been dried by the great heat of the furnace into a hard stony substance.  Indeed at first sight the pit looks like a hole dug in solid rock.  In it is placed iron stone and wood charcoal which is lighted and a blast made by several pairs of bellows formed of antelope skins.  The molten metal is not run off but remains with the slag in the pit until it is cool when the latter is chipped away and the shapeless mass of iron is ready to be worked into spears and lances by the blacksmiths.  Probably this method is a very ancient one indeed, and it is curious that it should resemble so closely the modern Bessemer process for making steel.  Having walked through the village we return to our camp on the river bank and the Chief presents spears.  He then proceeds to ask for anything he takes a fancy to in return.  We had already given him cloth much more valuable than his lances when he suddenly demanded tobacco.  I gave him the contents of my pouch and he then asked for that also.  He next asked me to give him my jacket and finally wished to buy my cap for two ivory finger rings.  To receive a present from a Congo chief is thus a very expensive honour.  He then sat down and smoked while we eat, for it is contrary to custom to ask a native to dine at the same table as a white man.