310 KINDNESS OF THE PEOPLE. 



flocking from a distance, and seldom empty-handed. Their 

 presents I distributed among my men. 



Our progress down the Barotse valley was just like this. 

 Every village gave us an ox, and sometimes two. The 

 people were wonderfully kind. I felt, and still feel, most 

 deeply grateful, and tried to benefit them in the only way 

 I could, by imparting the knowledge of that Savior who 

 can comfort and supply them in the time of need; and my 

 prayer is that he may send his good Spirit to instruct them 

 and lead them into his kingdom. Even now I earnestly 

 long to return and make some recompense to them for 

 their kindness. In passing them on our way to the north, 

 their liberality might have been supposed to be influenced 

 by the hope of repayment on our return, for the white 

 man's land is imagined to be the source of every ornament 

 they prize most. But, though we set out from Loanda 

 with a considerable quantity of goods, hoping both to pay 

 our way through the stingy Chiboque and to make presents 

 to the kind Balonda and still more generous Makololo, the 

 many delays caused by sickness made us expend all my 

 stock, and all the goods my men procured by their own 

 labor at Loanda, and we returned to the Makololo as poor 

 as when we set out. Yet no distrust was shown, and my 

 poverty did not lessen my influence. They saw that I had 

 been exerting nryself for their benefit alone, and even my 

 men remarked, " Though we return as poor as we went, 

 we have not gone in vain." They began immediately to 

 collect tusks of hippopotami and other ivory for a second 

 journey. 



