54 THE MANGANJAS. 



It is a curious fact that this marauding tribe of Zulu 

 Kaffirs have never been known to cross a river. They 

 have visited the western bank of the Zambesi, where 

 they used to come for the purpose of receiving tribute 

 from the Portuguese, but they never crossed the river. 

 The tribe which is now on the hills to the east of the 

 river have come from the north-west of ISTyassa, round 

 the north of the lake, and it is believed by the inhabi- 

 tants of this part of the country that they are march- 

 ing south with a view of being joined by their tribes 

 on the western bank of the Zambesi, for the purpose 

 of fighting the Portuguese at Senna or Tette. The 

 fact of these people, who have never been known to 

 cross a river, having come round Nyassa, leads me to 

 suppose that there is no stream of any consequence 

 running into or from the northern extremity of the 

 lake. 



The Manganjas are a subtle and treacherous tribe, 

 and quite capable of giving an invitation, such as is 

 reported, to the chief of the Mavite. They never 

 fight if they can help it in the daytime, their usual 

 system being to watch their foes to their place of 

 sleep, and when all have retired to rest to attack them 

 at a moment when they are least prepared for their 

 presence, first setting fire to their huts, and killing 

 them when trying to escape from the flames. This 

 trait in their character is, to a certain extent, confirm- 

 ed by the fact that they are not in the habit of hunt- 

 ing their game and killing it in a manly way ; but 

 many of them, on the contrary, are expert trappers. 



The Ajawahs are a much more manly and warlike 

 race, and dread the treachery of the Manganjas. 



