OMNIVOROUS FISH. 185 



meD on foot crossed these gullies holding up their burdens 

 at arms' length. 



Great numbers of the omnivorous-feeding fish Glanis 

 siluris, or mosala, spread themselves over the flooded plains, 

 and, as the waters retire, try to find their way back again 

 to the rivers. The Balonda make earthen dikes and 

 hedges across the outlets of the retreating waters, leaving 

 only small spaces through which the chief part of the 

 water flows. In these open spaces they plant creels, simi- 

 lar in shape to our own, into which the fish can enter but 

 cannot return. They secure large quantities of fish in 

 this way, which, when smoke-dried, make a good relish for 

 their otherwise-insipid food. They use also a weir of mats 

 made of reeds sewed together, with but half an inch be- 

 tween each. Open spaces are left for the insertion of the 

 creels as before. 



In still water, a fish-trap is employed of the same shape 

 and plan as the common round wire mouse-trap, which has 

 an opening surrounded with wires pointing inward. This 

 is made of reeds and supple wands, and food is placed 

 inside to attract the fish. 



Besides these means of catching fish, they use a hook of 

 iron without a barb; the point is bent inward instead, so 

 as not to allow the fish to escape. Nets are not so common 

 as in the Zouga and Leeambye ; but they kill large quan- 

 tities of fishes by means of the bruised leaves of a shrub 

 which may be seen planted beside every village in the 

 country. 



On the 7th we came to the village of Soana Molopo, 

 a half-brother of Katema, a few miles beyond the Loka- 

 lueje. When we went to visit him, we found him sitting 

 with about one hundred men. He called on Intemese to 

 give some account of us, though no doubt it had been done 

 in private before. He then pronounced the following sen- 

 tences : — " The journey of the white man is very proper ; 

 but Shinte has disturbed us by showing the path to the 



Makololo who accompany him. He ought to have taken 



16* 



