356 FOUNTAINS.— VILLAGE OF KABINJE. 



beautiful, and with a stream also in its centre. It may seem 

 mere trifling to note such an unimportant thing as the occur- 

 rence of a valley, there being so many in every country under the 

 sun ; but as these were branches of that in which the Kasai or 

 Loke flows, and both that river and its feeders derive their water 

 in a singular manner from the valley sides, I may be excused for 

 calling particular attention to the more furrowed nature of the 

 country. 



At different points on the slopes of these valleys which we now 

 for the first time entered, there are oozing fountains, surrounded 

 by clumps of the same evergreen, straight, large-leaved trees 

 we have noticed along the streams. These spots are generally 

 covered with a mat of grassy vegetation, and possess more the 

 character of bogs than of fountains. They slowly discharge into 

 the stream below, and are so numerous along both banks as to 

 give a peculiar character to the landscape. These groups of syl- 

 van vegetation are generally of a rounded form, and the trunks of 

 the trees are tall and straight, while those on the level plains above 

 are low and scraggy in their growth. There can be little doubt 

 but that the water, which stands for months on the plains, soaks 

 in, and finds its way into the rivers and rivulets by percolating 

 through the soil, and out by these oozing bogs ; and the difference 

 between the growth of these trees, though they be of different 

 species, may be a proof that the stuntedness of those on the plains 

 is owing to being, in the course of each year, more subjected to 

 drought than moisture. 



Reaching the village of Kabinje, in the evening he sent us a 

 present of tobacco, Mutokuane or "bang" {Cannabis sativa), and 

 maize, by the man who went forward to announce our arrival, 

 and a message expressing satisfaction at the prospect of having 

 trade with the coast. The westing we were making brought us 

 among people who are frequently visited by the Mambari as 

 slave - dealers. This trade causes bloodshed ; for when a poor 

 family is selected as the victims, it is necessary to get rid of the 

 older members of it, because they are supposed to be able to 

 give annoyance to the chief afterward by means of enchant- 

 ments. The belief in the power of charms for good or evil pro- 

 duces not only honesty, but a great amount of gentle dealing. 

 The powerful are often restrained in their despotism from a fear 



