DIFFERENCE IN COLOR OF AFRICANS. 209 



woids as these: — ""What a fine country for cattle! My 

 heart is sore to see such fruitful valleys for corn lying 

 waste." 



While at the villages of the Kasabi we saw no evidences 

 of want of food among the people. Our beads were very 

 valuable, but cotton cloth would have been still more so; as 

 we travelled along, men, women, and children came running 

 after us, with meal and fowls for sale, which we would 

 gladly have purchased had we possessed any English manu- 

 factures. "When they heard that we had no cloth, they 

 turned back much disappointed. 



The amount of population in the central parts of the 

 country may be called large only as compared with the 

 Cape Colony or the Bechuana country. The cultivated 

 land is as nothing compared with what might be brought 

 under the plough. There are flowing streams in abundance, 

 which, were it necessary, could be turned to the purpose 

 of irrigation with but little labor. Miles of fruitful country 

 are now lying absolutely waste, for there is not even game 

 to eat off the fine pasturage, and to recline under the ever- 

 green, shady groves which we are ever passing in our pro- 

 gress. The people who inhabit the central region are not 

 all quite black in color. Many incline to that of bronze, 

 and others are as light in hue as the Bushmen, who, it may 

 be remembered, afford a proof that heat alone does not 

 cause blackness, but that heat and moisture combined do 

 very materially deepen the color. 



Having, on the aforementioned date, reached the village 

 of Njambi, one of the chiefs of the Chiboque, we intended 

 to pass a quiet Sunday; and, our provisions being quite 

 spent, I ordered a tired riding-ox to be slaughtered. As 

 we wished to be on good terms with all, we sent the hump 

 and ribs to .Njambi, with the explanation that this was the 

 customary tribute to chiefs in the part from which Ave had 

 come, and that we always honored men in his position. He 

 returned thanks, and promised to send food. Next morn- 

 ing he sent an impudent message, with a very 3mall present 

 18* 



