We crossed in canoes.
_1st January, 1870._--May the Almighty help me to finish, the work in hand, and retire through the Basango before the year is out.

Thanks for all last year's loving kindness.
Our course was due north, with the Luasse flowing in a gently undulating green country on our right, and rounded mountains in Mbongo's country on our left.
_2nd January, 1870._--Rested a day at Mbongo's, as the people were honest.
_3rd January, 1870._--Reached a village at the edge of a great forest, where the people were excited and uproarious, but not ill-bred, they ran alongside the path with us shouting and making energetic remarks to each other about us.

A newly-married couple stood in a village where we stopped to inquire the way, with arms around each other very lovingly, and no one joked or poked fun at them.

We marched five hours through forest and crossed three rivulets and much stagnant water which the sun by the few rays he darts in cannot evaporate.

We passed several huge traps for elephants: they are constructed thus--a log of heavy wood, about 20 feet long, has a hole at one end for a climbing plant to pass through and suspend it, at the lower end a mortice is cut out of the side, and a wooden lance about 2 inches broad by 1-1/2 thick, and about 4 feet long, is inserted firmly in the mortice; a latch down on the ground, when touched by the animal's foot, lets the beam run down on to his body, and the great weight of the wood drives in the lance and kills the animal.