396 THE UE — monina's village. 



but for one who was becoming as thin as a lath, thioug^. 

 the constant perspiration caused by marching day after 

 day in the hot sun, the only good I saw in it was that it 

 gave an honest sort of a man a vivid idea of the tread- 

 mill. 



Although the rains were not quite over, great numbers 

 of pools were drying up, and the ground was in many 

 parts covered with small green cryptogamous plants, which 

 gave it a mouldy appearance and a strong smell. As we 

 sometimes pushed aside the masses of rank vegetation, 

 which hung over our path, we felt a sort of hot blast on our 

 faces. Every thing looked unwholesome; but we had no 

 fever. The Ue flows between high banks of a soft red 

 sandstone streaked with white, and pieces of tufa. The 

 crumbling sandstone is evidently alluvial, and is cut into 

 twelve feet deep. In this region, too, we met with pot- 

 holes six feet deep and three or four in diameter. In some 

 cases they form convenient wells ; in others they are full 

 of earth; and in others still the people have made them 

 into graves for their chiefs. 



On the 20th we came to Monina's village, (close to the 

 sand-river Tangwe, latitude 16° 13' 38" south, longitude 

 32° 32' east.) This man is very popular among the tribes, 

 on account of his liberality. Boroma, Nyampungo, J\Io- 

 nina, Jira, Katolosa, (Monomotapa,) and Susa, all acknow- 

 ledge the supremacy of one called Nyatewe, who is re- 

 ported to decide all disputes respecting land. 



When we told Monina that we had nothing to present 

 but some hoes, he replied that he was not in need of those 

 articles, and that he had absolute power over the country 

 in front, and if he prevented us from proceeding no one 

 would say any thing to him. His little boy Boromo having 

 come to the encampment to look at us, I gave him a knife, 

 and he went off and brought a pint of honey for me. The 

 father came soon afterward, and I offered him a shirt. He 

 remarked to his councillors, "It is evident that this man 

 has nothing, for, if he had, his people would be buying 



