Page:Works of Jules Verne - Parke - Vol 1.djvu/312

 It stretched from the Mountains of the Moon to those of Darfour, a space as broad as the width of Europe.

"We shall undoubtedly cross what is supposed to be the kingdom of Usoga," said the doctor. "Some geographers have pretended that, in the center of Africa exists a vast depression, an immense central lake. We shall see if this hypothesis has any foundation in fact."

"But how have they arrived at such a conclusion?"

"From the reports of the Arabs, these people are great story-tellers; too much so, perhaps. Some travelers, arriving from Kazeh, or the Great Lakes, have seen slaves brought from the central districts. They have questioned these people respecting their country, they have put together a heap of these various statements, and have thence made their deduction. At the bottom of all this there is a substratum of truth, and you have seen that they did not mistake in the origin of the Nile so much after all."

"Nothing could be more correct," said Kennedy.

"It is from these documents that trial-maps have been attempted. So I am about to follow up my route upon one of these, and to rectify it when necessary."

"Is all this region inhabited?" asked Joe.

"Certainly, but thinly."

"I suspect so."

"These scattered tribes are comprised under the general denomination of Nyam-Nyam, and this name is only another name for 'onomatopy'; it reproduces the sound of mastication."

"Perfectly," replied Joe. "Nyam-Nyam."

"My good Joe, if you were the original cause of this onomatopy, you would not be so perfect?"

"What do you mean?"

"Merely that these people are cannibals!"

"Is that certain?"

"Quite certain People also pretended that these tribes had tails, but it was soon discovered that the tails were those of the animals in whose skins they were clothed."

"So much the worse. A tail is a very useful appendage to keep off the mosquitoes," said Joe.

"Possibly, but we must relegate that tale to the ranks of fable, just like the story told by Brun-Rollet of certain tribes having dogs' heads."