382 mpende's friendship. 



half a mile As the country is covered with trees, we did 

 not see them; but every now and then a few came about 

 us as spies, and would answer no questions. I handed a 

 leg of the ox to two of these, and desired them to take it 

 to Mpende. After waiting a considerable time in suspense, 

 two old men made their appearance and said they had 

 come to inquire who I was. I replied, " I am a Lekoa," 

 (an Englishman.) They said, " We don't know that tribe. 

 We suppose you are a Mozunga, the tribe with which we 

 have been fighting." As I was not yet aware that the 

 term Mozunga was applied to a Portuguese, and thought 

 they meant half-castes, I showed them my hair and tho 

 skin of my bosom, and asked if the Bazunga had hair and 

 skin like mine. As the Portuguese have the custom of 

 cutting the hair close, and are also somewhat darker than 

 we are, they answered, "No; we never saw skin so white 

 as that," and added, "Ah! you must be one of that tribe 

 that loves [literally, has heart to] the black men." I, of 

 course, gladly responded in the affirmative. They re- 

 turned to the village, and we afterward heard that there 

 had been a long discussion between Mpende and his coun- 

 cillors, and that one of the men with whom we had re- 

 mained to talk the day before had been our advocate. He 

 was named Sindese Oalea. When we were passing his 

 village, after some conversation, he said to his people, " Is 

 that the man whom they wish to stop after he has passed 

 so many tribes ? What can Mpende say to refusing him a 

 passage ?" It was owing to this man, and the fact that I 

 belonged to the " friendly white tribe," that Mpencte was 

 persuaded to allow us to pass. When we knew the favor- 

 able decision of the council, I sent Sekwebu to speak about 

 the purchase of a canoe, as one of my men had become 

 very ill, and I wished to relieve his companions by taking 

 him in a canoe. Before Sekwebu could finish his story, 

 Mpende remarked, "That white man is truly one of our 

 friends. See how he lets me know his afflictions !" Sek- 

 webu adroitly took advantage of this turn in the convcrsa 



