XXII.] UNFAITHFUL GUIDES. 295 



made demands for increased payment. They stated that Mona October, 

 Kasanga, as head-man, received the lion's share of that given by 1^74. 

 me at Tipo-tipo^s, and as M'Nchkkulla had now succeeded to 

 the position of principal guide, he should properly receive the 

 same amount as his predecessor. It was further maintained, 

 that as this new engagement was entered into at the village of 

 his chief, that personage was entitled to a fee ; besides which, 

 M'Nchkkulla refused to proceed without half a dozen of his 

 fellow-villagers, who also expected payment for their services. 



Kongwe would willingly have taken upon himself to show 

 the road, but feared his countrymen ; for, being of lower rank 

 than M'Nchkkulla, he would have been punished had he dared 

 to supersede him. 



No sooner were arrangements made to M'Nchkkulla's satisfac- 

 tion, than he returned to the village, and made merry on pombe. 

 The next day he also devoted to the worship of the African 

 Bacchus ; and he proved a very poor specimen of a guide when 

 brought into camp on the third day, being so drunk at starting 

 that two friends were obliged to help him along. 



We reached the village of Munza on the 21st of October, 

 passing on our way over the rocky Kilwala hills, and through 

 plains, partly forest, with other portions more park - like, with 

 open meadows and many streams. There were also small hills 

 of gneiss and granite, much weather-worn, the effects of sun 

 and rain having split large blocks into fragments, which lay 

 more as though they had been piled together instead of being 

 originally part of one shattered mass. 



Charcoal-burners' fires were frequently seen, and some vil- 

 lages had foundries, the hematite ore being obtained by digging 

 pits sometimes twenty and thirty feet deep. 



At Munza we found a party belonging to Jumah Merikani, 

 .who had a large permanent camp at Kasongo's head-quarters, 

 and they said that a Portuguese trader from the West Coast 

 was also there. They had heard nothing of our approach, and 

 were much astonished at seeing us. 



This meeting was fortunate, since M'Nchkkulla and his friends 

 had taken the opportunity of bolting ; but Jumah's people 

 promised me a guide to his camp, for which I started, after re- 

 maining a day to obtain provisions, as Kasongo's place, Kwin- 



