[ Pygmy Elephant-Hunters. ]
To the north-east of Mani Kesock are a kind of little people called Matimbas,180 which are no bigger than boys of twelve years old, but are very thick, and live only upon flesh, which they kill in the woods with their bows and darts. They pay tribute to Mani Kesock, and bring all their elephants’ teeth and tails to him. They will not enter into any of the Marombos181 houses, nor will suffer any to come where they dwell; and if by chance any Maramba, or people of Longo [Loango], pass where they dwell, they will forsake that place and go to another.
The women carry bow and arrows, as well as the men, and one of these will walk in the woods alone, and kill the Pongos [gorillas] with their poisoned arrows. I have asked the Marombos whether the elephant sheddeth his teeth or no, and they say no! But sometimes they find their teeth in the woods, but they find their bones also.