IV.] THE AFRICAN NEGRO : II. IO/ 



arrested by the intervention of the German administrators 1 . 

 Clearness would be gained by replacing the term u Damaraland," 

 a distinct misnomer, by the German " Hereroland," for the whole 

 territory north of Walvisch Bay, and by substituting for Hill 

 Damaras the expression Ova-Zorotit, or " Hillmen," as they are 

 called by their neighbours of the plains, who should of course be 

 called Hereros to the absolute exclusion of the expression "Cattle 

 Damaras." These Hereros show a singular dislike for salt ; the 

 peculiarity, however, can scarcely be racial, as it is shared in also 

 by their cattle, and may be due to the heavy vapours, perhaps 

 slightly charged with saline particles, which hang so frequently over 

 the coastlands. 



No very sharp ethnical line can be drawn between Portuguese 

 West Africa and the contiguous portion of the Congo Free State 

 south and west of the main stream. In the coastlands between 

 the Cunene and the Congo estuary a few groups, such as the 

 historical Eshi-Kongo and the Kabindas, have developed some 

 marked characteristics under European influences, just as have the 

 cannibal Manyuemas of the Upper Congo through association with 

 the Nubo-Arab slave-raiders. But with the exception of the Tu- 

 Shilange, the Ba-Lolo and one or two others, much the same 

 physical and mental traits are everywhere presented by the 

 numerous Bantu populations within the great bend of the 

 Congo. 



The people who give their name to this river present some 

 points of special interest. It is commonly supposed 

 that the old " Konsro Empire" was a creation of The Old 



Kongo 



the Portuguese. But Mbanza, afterwards re- Empire, 

 christened " San Salvador," was already the capital 

 of a powerful State when it was first visited by the expedition of 

 1491, from which time date its relations with Portugal. At first 

 the Catholic missionaries had great success, thousands were at 

 least baptized, and for a moment it seemed as if all the Congo 

 lands were being swept into the fold. There were great rejoicings 

 on the conversion of the Mfumu ("Emperor") himself, on whom 



1 So recently as October, 1890, the famous Hottentot chief Witbooi gained 

 a great victory over the Hereros, killing their chief Epias, and carrying off 

 much plunder. 



