To obviate this distressing sort of plundering, I still served out beads to my men, and so kept them in hand a little; but they were fearfully unruly, and did not like my interference with what by the laws of the country they considered their right.
Here I had to stop a day for some of N'yamgundu's women, who, in my hurry at leaving Maula's, were left behind.

A letter from Grant was now brought to me by a very nice-looking young man, who had the skin of a leopard-cat (F.Serval) tied round his neck--a badge which royal personages only were entitled to wear.

N'yamgundu seeing this, as he knew the young man was not entitled to wear it, immediately ordered his "children" to wrench it from him.

Two ruffianly fellows then seized him by his hands, and twisted his arms round and round until I thought they would come out of their sockets.

Without uttering a sound the young man resisted, until N'yamgundu told them to be quiet, for he would hold a court on the subject, and see if the young man could defend himself.
The ruffians then sat on the ground, but still holding on to him; whilst N'yamgundu took up a long stick, and breaking it into sundry bits of equal length, placed one by one in front of him, each of which was supposed to represent one number in line of succession to his forefathers.