290 FROM ISHOGO TO ASHANGO-LAND. Chap. XY. 



from one village to another. In these respects they 

 differ much from their neighbours the Aponos, who 

 are very warlike, Their villages are surrounded 

 with palm-trees, and they are not sparing of the 

 favourite intoxicating beverage obtained from them ; 

 but they do not become, like the Aponos, boisterous 

 and quarrelsome over their cups. They are altogether 

 milder in character. On the other hand, it must be 

 said to their discredit that they are far more given 

 than the Aponos to sell their kindred into slavery. 

 There can be no doubt about this, judging from the 

 much larger proportion of Ishogos than Aponos met 

 with in slavery amongst the coast-tribes. This, how- 

 ever, may be due to the fact that the Ishogos sold 

 into slavery go down the Bembo Ngouyai, and reach 

 the country between Cape Lopez and Fernand Vaz ; 

 while most of the Aponos sold reach the coast by 

 way of Mayomba. In fact, the goods the Aponos 

 get, especially the salt, come from that direction, as 

 far as I could judge from the direction indicated to 

 me by them. The borders of Ishogo-land, near the 

 Apono country, had been visited by the small-pox 

 before my arrival, and indeed were not yet quite 

 free from it. The Ishogos speak the same language 

 as the Apingi, which, as I have already remarked, 

 is quite distinct from the Asliira idiom. 



The Ishogo people are noted throughout the neigh- 

 bouring tribes for the superior quality and fineness 

 of the bongos, or pieces of grass-cloth, which they 

 manufacture. They are industrious and skilful 

 weavers. In walking down the main street of Mo- 

 kenga a number of ouandjas, or houses without walls, 



