108 THROUGH ANGOLA 



Europe, which are closer to Angola by sea than 

 most other parts of Africa. This should be a 

 cattle country, for if Europe failed to give a 

 market, the rich Congo colony would always need 

 ! great quantities of meat. 



If the Portuguese would but colonize the 

 country, or leave others to develop it, Angola 

 would be a second Argentine. Some effort is 

 being made at last to encourage such develop- 

 ment ; fair land laws have been lately made, of 

 which the details are given in Chapter XX. 

 These laws allow a settler to take up 100,000 

 acres at a rent of only a halfpenny an acre, and 

 to hold it without tax, if 200 times the rental is 

 spent within two years. If not, a graduated tax 

 has to be paid. 



There are several native tribes in the Central 

 Angolan plateaux. The chief among them are the 

 Bihenos, who live round Belmonte; the Bailundos, 

 who live to the north of them ; and the Ganguella, 

 who live chiefly in the south-east and south-west 

 of the Bilics. 



This Bihe plateau shows how rapidly Africa is 

 altering her appearance, her fauna and flora, 

 through the march of civilization. 



A hundred and fifty years ago this country, 

 which to-day consists of bare and breezy uplands, 

 cultivated, built over, populated, and practically 

 gameless, was a forested region and a paradise for 

 game, occupied by a few Ganguella villagers. 

 Soon, and this future is not far distant, the railway 

 which already reaches Chinguar will have passed 

 through Bihe ; Belmonte, its capital, a township 



