Dec. 1 5, 1856.] LIVINGSTON". 241 



the mother. If a young man falls in love with a young woman of another 

 village, he must leave his own village and live with her ; and he is obliged to 

 keep his motlier-in-law, in firewood. If he goes into her presence, he must 

 go in a decent way, clapping his hands in a supplicatory manner ; and if he 

 sits, he must not put out his feet towards her — he must bend his knees hack, 

 and sit in a half-bent position. I was so astonished at this, that 1 could 

 scarcely believe their own statements as to the high estimation in which they 

 held the ladies, until I asked the Portuguese, if they understood the same, as I 

 did. They said, exactly the same ; they had been accustomed to the natives 

 for many years, and they say that the women are really held in very great 

 estimation. I believe they deserve it ; for the whole way through the centre 

 of the country, we were most kindly treated by them. When I went up the 

 Zambesi, I proceeded as far as the 14th degree, and then returned to Linyanti. 

 I found the country abounding in all the larger game. I know all the country 

 througli which Mr. Gordon Cumming and others have hunted, and I never 

 saw anything before like the numbers of game that are to be found along the 

 Zambesi. There are elephants all the way toTete, in prodigious numbers, and 

 all the other large game, buffaloes, zebras, giraffes, and a great variety of ante- 

 lopes. There are three new species of antelope that have never been brought 

 to Europe. 



. Seeing the country was well supplied with game, I thought it was of little use 

 burdening my men with other provisions ; I thought I could easily supply our 

 wants with the gun, and 1 did not wish to tire them and make them desire to return 

 before we had accomplished our journey ; so we went with scarcely anything. 

 All the way up the river we had abundance of food, and any one who is anything 

 of a shot, may go out and kill as much in two or three hours, as will serve for 

 three or four days. The animals do not know the gun, and they stand still, at 

 bowshot distance. We got on very well in this way, imtil we came to 

 Shinte. There we found that the people, having guns, had destroyed all the 

 game in the district, and that there was nothing left, iDut mice ; you see the 

 little boys and girls digging out the mice. I did not try to eat them, but we 

 were there obliged to live entirely u];on what the people gave us. We found the 

 women remarkably kind to all of us ; the same in going down the Zambesi. 

 Whatever they gave, they always did it most gracefully, ver}- often with an 

 apology for its being so little. Then, when coming to the eastward, we found 

 it just the same, 'i'hey supplied us liberally with food wherever we went, all the 

 way down, till we came near to the settlements of the Portuguese. In the centre 

 of the country, we found the people generally remarkably civil and kind ; but as 

 we came near to the confines of civilization, then they did not improve. We 

 had a good deal of difficulty with different tribes, as they tried to make us pay 

 for leave to pass. It so happened that we had nothing to pay with. 1'hey 

 wanted cither an ox, a gun, or a man. I told them that my men had just 

 as good a right to give me, as I had to give one of them, because we were in 

 the same position — we were all free men. Then they wanted an ox, and we 

 objected to it, saying, " These oxen are our legs, and we cannot travel without 

 them ; why should we pay for leave to tread upon the ground of God, our 

 common Father?" They agreed it was not right to ask payment for that, 

 but said it had always been the custom of the slave-traders, wlien they came 

 in, to give a slave or an ox, and we ouyht to do the same. But 1 said, " We 

 are not slave-dealers, we never buy nor sell slaves." *' But you may as well 

 give us an ox," they replied, " it will show your friendship ; we will give joii 

 some of our food, if you give us some of yours." If we gave them an ox, they very 

 often gave us back two or three pounds of our own food : this is the generous way 

 they paid us back. But with the women we never found any difficulty 



Let me mention the punishment which women inflict upon their husbands in 

 some parts. It is the custom of the country for each woman to have her own 



