320 CONVERSATION WITH SHINTE. 



bed, another message was received, " Shinte wished to say all he 

 had to tell me at once." This was too tempting an offer, so we 

 went, and he had a fowl ready in his hand to present, also a bas- 

 ket of manioc-meal, and a calabash of mead. Referring to the 

 constantly-recurring attacks of fever, he remarked that it was the 

 only thing which would prevent a successful issue to my journey, 

 for he had men to guide me who knew all the paths which led to 

 the white men. He had himself traveled far when a young man. 

 On asking what he would recommend for the fever, "Drink 

 plenty of the mead, and as it gets in, it will drive the fever out." 

 It was rather strong, and I suspect he liked the remedy pretty 

 well, even though he had no fever. He had always been a friend 

 to Sebituane, and, now that his son Sekeletu was in his place, 

 Shinte was not merely a friend, but a father to him ; and if a son 

 asks a favor, the father must give it. He was highly pleased 

 with the large calabashes of clarified butter and fat which 

 Sekeletu had sent him, and wished to detain Kolimbota, that he 

 might send a present back to Sekeletu by his hands. This prop- 

 osition we afterward discovered was Kolimbota's own, as he had 

 heard so much about the ferocity of the tribes through which we 

 were to pass that he wished to save his skin. It will be seen far- 

 ther on that he was the only one of our party who returned with 

 a wound. 



We were particularly struck, in passing through the village, 

 with the punctiliousness of manners shown by the Balonda. The 

 inferiors, on meeting their superiors in the street, at once drop on 

 their knees and rub dust on their arms and chest ; they continue 

 the salutation of clapping the hands until the great ones have pass- 

 ed. Sambanza knelt down in this manner till the son of Shinte 

 had passed him. 



We several times saw the woman who occupies the office of 

 drawer of water for Shinte ; she rings a bell as she passes along 

 to give warning to all to keep out of her way ; it would be a 

 grave offense for any one to come near her, and exercise an evil 

 influence by his presence on the drink of the chief. I suspect 

 that offenses of the slightest character among the poor are made 

 the pretext for selling them or their children to the Mambari. 

 A young man of Lobale had fled into the country of Shinte, and 

 located himself without showing himself to the chief. This was 



