<H? THE WEATHER. 



half-caste Portuguese in one of these tribes, and the father 

 had tried in vain to get him from the mother's parents. 

 Wo saw several things to confirm the impression of the 

 higher position which women hold here ; and, being anxious 

 to discover if I were not mistaken, when we came among 

 the Portuguese I inquired of them, and was told that they 

 had ascertained the same thing; and that, if they wished 

 a man to perform any service for them, he would reply, 

 "Well, I shall go and ask my wife." If she consented, he 

 would go and perform his duty faithfully ; but no amount 

 of coaxing or bribery would induce him to do it if she 

 refused. The Portuguese praised the appearance of the 

 Banyai ; and they certainly are a fine race. 



We got on better with Nyakoba than we expected. He 

 bas been so much affected by the sesenda that he is quite 

 decrepit, and requires to be fed. I at once showed his 

 messenger that we had nothing whatever to give. Nya- 

 koba was offended with him for not believing me, and he 

 immediately sent a basket of maize and another of corn, 

 saying that he believed my statement, and would send 

 men with me to Tete who would not lead me to any other 

 village. 



The birds here sing very sweetly, and I thought I heard 

 the canary, as in Londa. We had a heavy shower of rain; 

 and I observed that the thermometer sank 14° in one hour 

 afterward. From the beginning of February we expe- 

 rienced a sensible diminution of temperature. In January 

 the lowest was 75°, and that at sunrise; the average at 

 the same hour (sunrise) being 79°; at 3 p.m., 90°; and at 

 sunset, 82°. In February it fell as low as 70° in the course 

 ot the night, and the average height was 88°. Only once did 

 it rise to 94°, and a thunder-storm followed this; yet the 

 sensation of heat was greater now than it had been at 

 much higher temperatures on more elevated lands. 



We passed sevei'al villages by going roundabout ways 

 through the forest. We saw the remains of a lion that had 

 been killed by a buffalo, and the horns of a putokwane, 



