CATTLE.— A FEAST. 347 



they have always plenty to bestow as well as receive. We were 

 strangers, and knew that, as Makololo, we had not the best of 

 characters, yet his treatment of us was wonderfully good and 

 liberal. 



I complimented him on the possession of cattle, and pleased 

 him by telling him how he might milk the cows. He has a herd 

 of about thirty, really splendid animals, all reared from two which 

 he bought from the Balobale when he was young. They are 

 generally of a white color, and are quite wild, running off with 

 graceful ease like a herd of elands on the approach of a stranger. 

 They excited the unbounded admiration of the Makololo, and 

 clearly proved that the country was well adapted for them. 

 When Katema wishes to slaughter one, he is obliged to shoot 

 it as if it were a buffalo. Matiamvo is said to possess a herd of 

 cattle in a similar state. I never could feel certain as to the 

 reason why they do not all possess cattle in a country containing 

 such splendid pasturage. 



As Katema did not offer an ox, as would have been done by 

 a Makololo or Caffre chief, we slaughtered one of our own, and 

 all of us were delighted to get a meal of meat, after subsisting 

 so long on the light porridge and green maize of Londa. On 

 occasions of slaughtering an animal, some pieces of it are in the 

 fire before the skin is all removed from the body. A frying-pan 

 full of these pieces having been got quickly ready, my men 

 crowded about their father, and I handed some all round. It 

 was a strange sight to the Balonda, who were looking on, won- 

 dering. I offered portions to them too, but these were declined, 

 though they are excessively fond of a little animal food to eat 

 with their vegetable diet. They would not eat with us, but 

 they would take the meat and cook it in their own way, and 

 then use it. I thought at one time that they had imported 

 something from the Mohammedans, and the more especially as an 

 exclamation of surprise, "Allah," sounds like the Illah of the 

 Arabs ; but we found, a little farther on, another form of saluta- 

 tion, of Christian (?) origin, "Ave-rie" (Ave Marie). The saluta- 

 tions probably travel farther than the faith. My people, when 

 satisfied with a meal like that which they enjoy so often at 

 home, amused themselves by an uproarious dance. Katema 

 sent to ask what I had given them to produce so much excite- 



