386 ACEOSS AFRICA. [Chap. 



September, commanded by two more slaves of Silva Porto, on its way to 

 18*73. Katanga to purchase slaves. 



The principal of the two was a stout old negro about fifty 

 years of age, dressed in a long blue frock-coat with brass but- 

 tons, blue trousers, and broad-brimmed straw hat. He and his 

 companion voluntarily informed me that I could not have trav- 

 eled with a worse caravan than that of Alvez, an opinion in 

 which I fully concurred. 



On seeing the respectable appearance of the leader of this 

 caravan, I hoped that I might obtain some tea or biscuits from 

 him ; but not a thing could I get, and I had to sell my shirts 

 in order to keep us from actual starvation, and also to tear up 

 my great-coat and dispose of it in small pieces. 



During these five days' marching we entered the basin of the 

 Kwanza, and crossed two of its principal affluents, the Vindika 

 and Kwiba, both considerable streams. 



I noticed a most curious hole in the side of a hill close to the 

 source of a small stream, and thinking I saw a clear space in 

 the jungle, I left the path to go toward it. After walking a 

 few yards, I was greatly surprised to find myself standing on 

 the edge of a cliff thirty feet high, overlooking a sunken space 

 about forty acres in extent, the whole, except for about twenty 

 yards, being surrounded by these cliff-like sides. 



The bottom of the hollow was level and of red soil, with dry 

 water-courses full of white sand, and numerous curious-looking 

 hillocks of red clay wwe scattered over its surface. It seemed 

 as though this cavity had been cut in the hill, and numerous 

 model mountains placed there. Some natives told me that a 

 village had once stood there, but the people were very wicked, 

 and a great snake came one night and destroyed them all as a 

 punishment, and left the place as I had seen it. And this they 

 evidently believed. 



At Kanyumba's I took the opportunity of observing an 

 eclipse of the sun to determine longitude. I fitted the dark 

 eye-23iece of my sextant to one tube of my field-glasses, and put 

 • a handkerchief in the other, and managed to time all four con- 

 tacts. The only notice taken of the eclipse by the people was 

 that they ran to their huts. There were no groups of awe- 

 stricken natives expecting to see a snake eating the sun, or sup- 



