XXIIL] ALVEZ, ALIAS KENDELE. 299 



much delight on recognizing any object similar to what they October, 

 had seen near the West Coast, such as cups, books, or any thing 1874. 

 European. These they pointed out to. the Warua, who had 

 joined them in staring at me and my belongings, as being quite 

 common in their country, and claimed superiority on that ac- 

 count. 



Kasongo, accompanied by many people both from Jumah 

 Merikani's and the Portuguese caravan, was absent, being en- 

 gaged in traveling about his kingdom, collecting tribute and 

 punishing such villages as did not pay. During his absence he 

 was represented by his chief wife, who lived in a quadrangle 

 of considerable size, containing a large hut for Kasongo, an- 

 other for herself, and many smaller ones for members of the 

 harem. 



Jumah Merikani, when he heard of an Englishman being 

 near, thought that he must be Livingstone, whom he had once 

 met, having heard nothing of his death or of Stanley's journey 

 to relieve him. He also met Speke and Burton at Ujiji, and 

 they gave him some percussion-caps (Eley & Joyce's), which 

 were still perfectly good ; though the French caps he had re- 

 ceived from Zanzibar within the last live years were entirely 

 useless from the effects of climate. 



Kendele, as the Portuguese trader was called by the natives, 

 though his true name was Jos^ Antonio Alvez, visited me the 

 next day. He came in state, being carried in a hammock with 

 an awning by two bearers, with belts covered with brass bells 

 round their waists, and followed by men with flint-Jock muskets 

 and a boy carrying his gun— a worthless Birmingham double- 

 barrel — and his stool. 



I had almost taken it for granted, from the manner in which 

 he came, and as I had hitherto only heard him spoken of as a 

 msuugu, that he was a white man who might possibly give me 

 some information. Great was my disappointment, however, 

 when an old and ugly negro turned out of the hammock. Cer- 

 tainly he was dressed in European fashion, and spoke Portu- 

 guese ; but no further civilization could he boast of, notwith- 

 standing his repeated asseverations that he was thoroughly civ- 

 ilized, and the same as an Englishman or any other white man. 

 One point upon which he specially insisted was that he never 



