318 INTERVIEW WITH MONZE. 



advanced, and I inquired the prisoner's offence. He stated 

 that he had come from the Bashukulompo as a fugitive, and 

 he had given him a wife and garden and a supply of seed; 

 but, on refusing a demand for more, the prisoner had 

 threatened to kill him, and had been seen the night before 

 ekulking about the village, apparently with that intention. 

 I declined interceding unless he would confess to his father- 

 in-law, and promise amendment. He at first refused to 

 promise to abstain from violence, but afterward agreed. 

 The father-in-law then said that he would take him to the 

 village and release him; but the prisoner cried out, bitterly, 

 "He will kill me there! don't leave me, white man." I 

 ordered a knife, and one of the villagers released him on 

 the spot. His arms were cut by the cords, and he was 

 quite lame from the blows he had received. 



We spent Sunday, the 10th, at Monze's village, who is 

 considered the chief of all the Batoka we have seen. He 

 lives near the hill Kisekise, whence we have a view of at 

 least thirty miles of open undulating country, covered with 

 short grass and having but few trees. These open lawns 

 would in any other land, as well as this, be termed pas- 

 toral ; but the people have no cattle, and only a few goats 

 and fowls. 



The chief Monze came to us on Sunday morning, wrapped 

 in a large cloth, and rolled himself about in - the dust, 

 screaming "Kina bomba," as they all do. The sight of 

 great naked men wallowing on the ground, though intended 

 to do me honor, was always very painful : it made me feel 

 thankful that my lot had been cast in such different cir- 

 cumstances from that of so many of my fellow-men. One 

 of his wives accompanied him; she would have been comely 

 if her teeth had been spared: she had a little battle-axe in 

 her hand, and helped her husband to scream. She was 

 much excited, for she had never seen a white* man before 

 We rather liked Monze, for he soon felt at home among us, 

 and kept up conversation during much of the day. One 

 head-man of a village after another arrived, and each oi 



