342 SUPERSTITIOUS CUSTOMS. 



other tribes think of their deeds. The Makololo have such a bad 

 name, on account of their perpetual forays, that they have not been 

 known in Londa except as ruthless destroyers. The people in 

 Matiamvo's country submit to much wrong from their chiefs, and 

 no voice can be raised against cruelty, because they are afraid to 

 flee elsewhere. 



We left Quendende's village in company with Quendende him- 

 self, and the principal man of the embassadors of Matiamvo, and 

 after two or three miles' march to the N.W., came to the ford of 

 the Lotembwa, which flows southward. A canoe was waiting to 

 ferry us over, but it was very tedious work ; for, though the river 

 itself was only eighty yards wide, the whole valley was flooded, 

 and we were obliged to paddle more than half a mile to get free 

 of the water. A fire was lit to warm old Quendende, and enable 

 him to dry his tobacco-leaves. The leaves are taken from the 

 plant, and spread close to the fire until they are quite dry and 

 crisp ; they are then put into a snuff-box, which, with a little pes- 

 tle, serves the purpose of a mill to grind them into powder ; it is 

 then used as snuff. As we sat by the fire, the embassadors com- 

 municated their thoughts freely respecting the customs of their 

 race. When a chief dies, a number of servants are slaughtered 

 with him to form his company in the other world. The Barotse 

 followed the same custom, and this and other usages show them 

 to be genuine negroes, though neither they nor the Balonda resem- 

 ble closely the typical form of that people. Quendende said if he 

 were present on these occasions he would hide his people, so that 

 they might not be slaughtered. As we go north, the people be- 

 come more bloodily superstitious. 



We were assured that if the late Matiamvo took a fancy to 

 any thing, such, for instance, as my watch-chain, which was of 

 silver wire, and was a great curiosity, as they had never seen 

 metal plaited before, he would order a whole village to be 

 brought up to buy it from a stranger. When a slave-trader 

 visited him, he took possession of all his goods ; then, after ten 

 days or a fortnight, he would send out a party of men to pounce 

 upon some considerable village, and, having killed the head man, 

 would pay for all the goods by selling the inhabitants. This has 

 frequently been the case, and nearly all the visitants he ever had 

 were men of color. On asking if Matiamvo did not know he 



