XXIX.] EXCHANGE OF PRESENTS. 383 



Before we started on the following clay, lie was again in camp September, 

 witli more mead, which he warmed over the fire, and, the morn- ^^''^■ 

 ing being chilly, I found this stirrnp-cnp very comforting. 



A short march brought ns to a valley through which a small 

 stream ran. On one side was Mona Polio's village, hidden 

 among the trees, and on the other we made our camp, having 

 to exercise the greatest care, in felling trees for building, not to 

 touch any with bee-hives on them. 



A very large party from Bilie was here engaged in collecting 

 bees-wax, and I found that the account given by Alvez of their 

 being forcibly detained was a gratuitous and uncalled-for false- 

 hood. 



Alvez bought cloth from these peoj)le, and I endeavored to 

 obtain some from him. He promised to give it me on my note 

 of hand, and then only supplied me with about a dozen yards, 

 instead of the forty or fifty agreed upon. 



In the afternoon Mona Peho called on us, being escorted by 

 about twenty men, firing guns, and shouting and yelling as they 

 drew near. He was dressed in an old uniform coat, a kilt of 

 print, and a greasy cotton night -cap, and immediately behind 

 him were some men bearing huge calabashes of mead. He in- 

 sisted on my hobnobbing with him over this liquor ; but as my 

 men were around us and joined in draining the flowing bowl, 

 it was all consumed without any disastrous results. 



As a present he brought me a little flour, and a pig which 

 was in an expiring condition, and died a natural death immedi- 

 ately it reached the camj) ; and, apologizing for having such a 

 small supply of food, gave me cloth to buy something for my 

 men. 



Having to make him a return present, I was sorel}^ puzzled, 

 but managed to satisfy him with a flannel sleej)ing-suit. With 

 this cloth, in addition to what I had screwed out of Alvez, I 

 was enabled to serve out sufficient to provide my men with 

 some rations, but it left me destitute. 



From Alvez, Mona Peho wanted a slave with whom the lat- 

 ter was very loath to part, as he averred he could obtain fifty or 

 sixty dollars for him in Benguela. The dispute thus arising 

 delayed us a day, although it ended in the slave being given. 



While we were here, a man came into camp dressed in a suit 



28 



