138 THROUGH ANGOLA 



In my little room in the railway hotel, sleep 

 was impossible through the barking of dogs when 

 the window was open, and the stifling heat and 

 want of air when it was closed. 



As midnight found me still awake, my camp 

 bed was carried to the verandah of the railway 

 station, where I slept peacefully till morning, not- 

 withstanding the pleasant remarks of the hotel 

 proprietor's son that the Catengue lions would 

 probably partake of an English supper. 



I left this inhospitable inn at daybreak next 

 day to find another, where I met as much kindness 

 as I had experienced discourtesy at the first. 

 In my long journey through Angola this was the 

 only occasion when I had met with rudeness and 

 hostility to myself and my country, for, among 

 other unpleasant remarks, this hotel proprietor, 

 who was also Administrator, accused me of being a 

 spy. He said he knew all about spies, as he had 

 seen the Germans come to Angola, and, like me, 

 travel round the country with a big camera. It 

 was not difficult to deal with the hotelkeeper ; 

 the difficulty was to keep one's temper with the 

 Administrator of Catengue, the post he held for 

 the Portuguese Government ; but I kept it 

 notwithstanding. 



The carriers allotted to me by this gentleman 

 were Mondombes of the Benguella province, who 

 wore skins dyed red with tacula, anoint ed their 

 bodies with oil, and were even less cleanly than the 

 other tribes met on the journey. The men, great 

 hunters and wanderers, are a pastoral people, 

 keeping large herds of cattle. The women arrange 



