248 ACROSS AFRICA. [Chap. 



July, Marching again on July 1st through a populous and well- 



1874. cultivated country, with many streams of bright water all flow- 

 ing to the Luama, we reached the village of Moene Bugga, and 

 were warmly welcomed by the chief, who is held in respect 

 by the surrounding villages. There is not that incessant petty 

 warring in this part of Manyuema as in other districts, where 

 every village is constantly at variance with its neighbors. 



Moene Bugga follows his father's policy of maintaining cor- 

 dial relations with traders, and, indeed, wishes them to establish 

 a regular settlement at his village. He spoke very warmly of 

 Livingstone, who was evidently much liked while here. 



Many chiefs, accompanied by their musicians and arm-bear- 

 ers, called on us, and two of them each brought a dwarf, who 

 carried a rattle, and shouted his master's name after this style, 

 " Ohe Moene Boote, Ohe Oh^ !" and rattled the while. Moene 

 Boote's dwarf was covered with blotches and had a deformed 

 knee, and was altogether a repulsive-looking object. 



Tlie musicians played an instrument called "marimba," 

 formed of two rows of gourds of different sizes fitted into a 

 frame -work. Over each pair of gourds was a clef made of 

 hard wood, which gave a metallic sound when struck with sticks 

 having india-rubber heads. Gf these sticks there were differ- 

 ent sizes, the player dexterously changing one for another, as a 

 sharper or a duller sound was required. 



Moene Boote came shuffling up to me with a sort of slid- 

 ing, half-dancing step, which did not get him ahead much more 

 than a yard a minute ; and every two or three minutes he halt- 

 ed while his marimba player and dwarf extolled his greatness. 



The people here seemed very affectionate among themselves, 

 and decidedly more prolific than any other race I had seen in 

 Africa ; but though endowed with many good qualities, it can 

 not be denied that they are cannibals, and most filthy cannibals. 

 Not only do they eat the bodies of enemies killed in battle, but 

 also of people who die of disease. They prepare the corpses 

 by leaving them in running water until they are nearly joutrid, 

 and then devour them without any further cooking. They 

 also eat all sorts of carrion, and their odor is very foul and re- 

 volting. 



I was entertained with a song setting forth the delights of 



