MESSAGE TO MASIKO. 1 1& 



m the tribe whose protection they can claim, and selling 

 them fur clothing to the Mambari, we thought the objec- 

 tion of the women to go first to his town before seeing their 

 friends quite reasonable, and resolved to send a party of 

 our own people to see them safely among their relatives. 

 I told the captive young man to inform Masiko that he 

 was very unlike his father Santuru, who had refused to 

 sell his people to Mambari. He will probably be afraid to 

 deliver such a message himself, but it is meant for his peo- 

 ple, and they will circulate it pretty widely, and Masiko 

 may yet feel a little pressure from without. "We sent 

 Mosantu, a Batoka man, and his companions, with the cap- 

 tives. The Barotse whom we had were unwilling to go to 

 Masiko, since they owe him allegiance as the son of San- 

 turu, and while they continue with Makololo are consi- 

 dered rebels. The message by Mosantu was that " I was 

 sorry to find that Santuru had not borne a wiser son. San- 

 turu loved to govern men, but Masiko wanted to govern 

 wild beasts only, as he sold his people to the Mambari ;" 

 adding an explanation of the return of the captives, and 

 an injunction to him to live in peace, and prevent his 

 people kidnapping the children and canoes of the Makololo, 

 as a continuance in these deeds would lead to war, which 

 I wished to prevent. He was also instructed to say, if 

 Masiko wanted fuller explanation of my views, he must 

 send a sensible man to talk with me at the first town of the 

 Balonda, to which I was about to proceed. 



We ferried Mosantu over to the left bank of the Leeba. 

 The journey required five days, but it could not have been 

 at a quicker rate than ten or twelve miles per day; the 

 children were between seven and eight years of age, and 

 unable to walk fast in a hot sun. 



Leaving Mosantu to pursue his course, we shall take but 

 one glance down the river, which we are now about to 

 teave, for it comes at this point from the eastward, and our 

 eourse is to be directed to the northwest, as we mean to 

 go to Loanda in Angola. From the confluence, where we 



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