352 ACEOSS AFRICA. [Chap. 



July, er had evidently fallen considerably since tlie cessation of the 

 1875. rains, as there were signs of its having been treble its present 

 width, and fully twelve feet in depth. The banks were fringed 

 with the beautiful feathery date-palm growing on a grassy 

 strip, while a background of fine timber gave a charming effect 

 to the whole. 



The Lovoi here forms the boundary between Urua and Us- 

 sambi. Beyond it I observed no oil-palms, the height above 

 the sea now being over two thousand six hundred feet, which 

 appears to be the general limit of their growth. In a few in- 

 stances they may be met with at two thousand eight hundred 

 feet, and, according to Dr. Livingstone, at Ma Kazembe's they 

 grow at three thousand feet above the sea, that being undoubt- 

 edly a very exceptional case. 



Three miles of a steep ascent from the river brought us to 

 camp near the heavily stockaded village of Msoa. 



The different parties of which the caravan consisted were as 

 follows : my own party foi'med one camp ; Alvez and his peo- 

 ple, with their slaves, formed another ; Coimbra, his wives and 

 slave gang, a third ; and Bastian a fourth ; besides which there 

 were two camps of independent parties from Bihe ; another of 

 Kibokwe people ; and yet one more of Lovale men, or, as they 

 were usually called, Kinyama men, after a chief of that country. 



Fire again came upon us shortly after we arrived, one of these 

 small camps being burned ; and the whole country, which was 

 covered with long grass, was soon in flames. The other camps 

 were fortunately pitched where the grass was short, and thus 

 escaped. Some slaves wisely took advantage of the excitement, 

 and regained their liberty. 



Around Msoa, the country was pretty and prosperous, the 

 districts being populous, and the villages protected by stockades 

 and large dry ditches encircling them. The trenches were ten 

 or twelve feet deep and of the same width, and the excavated 

 earth was used to form a bank on the outside of the stockade, 

 so as to render it perfectly musket-proof. These unusual forti- 

 fications were intended as a protection against the raids of Mshi- 

 ri, the chief of Katanga. 



Of Mshiri I had before heard, and he was reputed to be " a 

 very bad man " {intu mhaya sana) ; but I had no idea that he 



