238 CHAT WITH COTONDWAY. 



walk home, and ere I reached the village the moon 

 was shinmg brightly on our path. Several times I 

 heard elephants trumpeting in the distance. On 

 nearing Patanda, I was met by about two hundred 

 villagers. One by one they flocked round me to hear 

 the story ; but I was obliged to hurry on, as I was 

 tired and very thirsty. These new comers formed 

 a guard of honour, and conducted me in their centre 

 to the tent of Cotondway, singing all the way a 

 most wonderful song in my praise, with a chorus 

 to each verse, which was interpreted for me as signi- 

 fying — " We've got plenty of meat ! Meat ! Meat ! 

 We have got plenty of meat !" 



When I handed over the buffalo tails to Cotond- 

 way, he went nearly frantic with delight, and rushed 

 about the village, himself proclaiming the news, wav- 

 ing the tails above his head, and giving sundry orders 

 to his men to start early for the meat the following 

 morning. Chinsoro had several large pots of water 

 ready for me, besides a good dinner, which I 

 thoroughly enjoyed after an ample shower-bath at his 

 hands. 



As I sat at the fire after dinner, smoking and talk- 

 ing over affairs in general with my men, Cotondway 

 appeared on the scene, bringing a large pot of fresh 

 pombe for myself and my followers. At my request 

 he joined our circle, and I had a long chat with him. 

 His tribe, he said, were Manganjas,^ and had formerly 

 lived on Lake Nyassa, but being driven away from 

 their homes by the Machingas and Ajawahs had es- 

 tablished themselves on the east bank of the Shire. 

 Subsequently, when the Mavite appeared on the range 



