164 DENSE FORESTS. 



were dependents of some of Sliinte's principal men. and 

 had no power to part with the maize of their masters. 



The forests became more dense as we went north. We 

 travelled much more in the deep gloom of the forest than 

 in open sunlight. No passage existed on either side of the 

 narrow path made by the axe. Large climbing plants 

 entwined themselves around the trunks and branches of 

 gigantic trees like boa-constrictors, and they often do con- 

 strict the trees by which they rise, and, killing them, stand 

 erect themselves. The bark of a fine tree found in abun- 

 dance here, and called "motuia," is used by the Barotse for 

 making fish-lines and nets, and the "molompi," so well 

 adapted for paddles by its lightness and flexibility, was 

 abundant. There were other trees quite new to my com- 

 panions : many of them ran up to a height of fifty feet of 

 one thickness, and without branches. 



In these forests we first encountered the artificial bee- 

 hives so commonly met with all the way from this to 

 Angola. They consist of about five feet of the bark of a 

 tree fifteen or eighteen inches in diameter. Two incisions 

 are made right round the tree at points five feet apart, 

 then one longitudinal slit from one of these to the other; 

 the workman next lifts up the bark on each side of this slit, 

 and detaches it from the trunk, taking care not to break it, 

 until the whole comes from the tree. The elasticity of the 

 bark makes it assume the form it had before ; the slit is 

 sewed or pegged up with wooden pins, and ends made of 

 coiled grass rope are inserted, one of which has a hole for 

 the ingress of the bees in the centre, and the hive is com- 

 plete. These hives are placed in a horizontal position on 

 high trees in different parts of the forest, and in this way 

 all the wax exported from Benguela and Loanda is col- 

 lected. It is all the produce of free labor. A "piece of 

 medicine" is tied round the trunk of the tree, and proves 

 sufficient protection against thieves. The natives seldom 

 rob each other, for all believe that certain medicines can 

 inflict disease and death; and, though they consider that 



