100 MATIAMVO'S CONDUCT. 



On inquiring whether human sacrifices were still made, as 

 in the time of Pereira, at Cazembe's, we were informed 

 that these had never been so common as was represented 

 to Pereira, but that it occasionally happened, when certain 

 charms were needed by the chief, that a man was slaugh- 

 tered for the sake of some part of his body. He added 

 that he hoped the present chief would not act like his 

 (mad) predecessor, but kill only those who were guilty of 

 witchcraft or theft. These men were very much astonished 

 at the liberty enjoyed by the Makololo; and, when they 

 found that all my people had cattle, we were told that 

 Matiamvo alone had a herd. One very intelligent man 

 among them asked, " If he should make a canoe, and take 

 it down the river to the Makololo, would he get a cow for 

 it V This question, which my men answered in the affirma- 

 tive, was important, as showing the knowledge of water- 

 communication from the country of Matiamvo to the 

 Makololo; and the river runs through a fertile country 

 abounding in large timber. If the tribes have intercourse 

 with each other, it exerts a good influence on their chiefs 

 to hear what other tribes think of their deeds. The Ma- 

 kololo have such a bad name, on account of their perpetual 

 forays, that they have not been known in Londa except aa 

 ruthless destroj^ers. The people in Matiamvo's country 

 submit to much wrong from their chiefs, and no voice can 

 be raised against cruelty, because they are afraid to flee 

 elsewhere. 



We left Quendende's village in company with Quendende 

 himself, and the principal man of the ambassadors of Ma- 

 tiamvo, and, after two or three miles' march to the N.W., 

 came to the ford of the Lotembwa, which flows southward. 

 A canoe was waiting to ferry us over, but it was very 

 tedious work ; for, though the river .itself was only eighty 

 yards wide, the whole valley was flooded, and we were 

 obliged to paddle more than half a mile to get free of the 

 water. A fire was lit to warm old Quendende and enable 

 him to dry his tobacco-leaves. The leaves are taker from 



