Ndova kept moving up and down his pole, now and then running about on the ground, making great efforts to get to his kind the ndovas.
Suddenly all the monkeys joined in a chorus, which excited Ndova very much. Then they all came down the tree together, and soon I saw their heads peeping over the palisades and looking silently at Ndova, the big fellow being in the centre of them, his big human-like eyes glancing all round. Then they all uttered a peculiar sound, which probably meant "Come on, come on," for Ndova tried anew to go to them. But they did not dare to come inside towards him. All at once I emerged from my hiding-place, and at the sight of me they fled, uttering piercing cries of fright.
On the return of Rogala I told him what had happened.
He replied: "Oguizi, monkeys are a kind of human beings."
UNEASINESS OF ROGALA--HE FEARS THE NEW MOON MAY SEE AND BEWITCH HIM--HE BUILDS A SMALL HOUSE AND HIDES IN IT--HE HAS AN ATTACK OF FEVER, WHICH HE ASCRIBES TO WITCHCRAFT
NOT long after this Shinshooko and Alapai went away, saying that they would return in three or four days and that Rogala would take care of me.
Rogala seemed to be in an uneasy frame of mind. Something seemed to be disturbing him. I said nothing on the subject, for I felt sure that he would tell me at the proper time.
One morning he left the camp all alone, and returned in the afternoon with a big load of palm leaves. The following day he went again into the forest by himself, and returned with a big load of bark. That afternoon he began to build a very small house, and roofed it with the palm leaves, and then made a sliding door of bark. I wondered at his doings, and I asked him why he made such a small house.
He answered: "Oguizi, two days from now will be the day of the new moon, and though we cannot see the moon, on account of the trees, her eyes can penetrate everywhere. The new moon is especially angry and hungry on that day. She looks down over our country and seeks whom she can devour, and we poor black men are very much afraid of her on that account, and we hide ourselves from her sight on that night." After a pause he continued: "From the time of the new moon to that of the full moon many people die, and many amongst those are the ones whom the new moon saw on her appearance in spite of all the precautions they may have taken.