356 THE WORLD'S WONDERS. 



may be observed quietly making their way to their feeding 

 grounds ; hippopotami snort by night and at early morning." 



THE LAKE PEOPLE. 



THE Balungu people, who inhabit the south shores of the lake, 

 are exceedingly affable, and would be superior subjects for the 

 civilizing influences of missionaries, were it not for their cowardice 

 and laziness. The Mazitu tribe attack them very often, and take 

 their women and children captives without meeting any resist- 

 ance. Their politeness, however, is remarkable ; in marching 

 with them they labor incessantly to promote the comfort of 

 strangers, and bow and salute on every occasion, like the most 

 fastidious Frenchman. 



There is nothing interesting in a heathen town. All are busy 

 in preparing food or clothing, mats or baskets, while the women 

 are cleaning or grinding their corn, which involves much hard 

 labor. They first dry this in the sun, then put it into a mortar, 

 and afterward with a flat basket clean off the husks and the dust, 

 and grind it between two stones ; the next thing is to bring wood 

 and water to cook it. The mode of salutation among relatives 

 is to place the hands round each other's chests, kneeling ; they 

 then clasp their hands close to the ground. Some more abject 

 individuals kiss the soil before a chief ; the generality kneel only, 

 with the forearms close to the ground, and the head bo wed down 

 to them, saying, " O Ajadla chiusa, Mari a bwino." The TJsanga 

 say, "Aje senga." The clapping of hands to superiors, and 

 even equals, is in some villages a perpetually-recurring sound. 

 Aged persons are usually saluted ; how this extreme deference to 

 each other could have arisen cannot be conceived ; it does not 

 seem to be fear of one another that elicits it. Even the chiefs 

 inspire no fear, and those cruel old platitudes about governing 

 savages by fear seem unknown, yet governed they certainly are, 

 and upon the whole very well. 



4. WEDDING IN AFRICA, 



LIVINGSTONE'S intention was co pass along the lake cost, but 

 from this purpose he was persuaded by a report that a powerful 



