TRADERS.— A GRAVE. 337 



a few beads to barter for bees'-wax. They are all armed with 

 Portuguese guns, and have cartridges with iron balls. When 

 we meet we usually stand a few minutes. They present a little 

 salt, and we give a bit of ox-hide, or some other trifle, and then 

 part with mutual good wishes. The hide of the oxen we slaugh- 

 tered had been a valuable addition to our resources, for we found 

 it in so great repute for girdles all through Loanda that we cut 

 up every skin into strips about two inches broad, and sold them 

 for meal and manioc as we went along. As we came nearer An- 

 gola we found them of less value, as the people there possess cat- 

 tle themselves. 



The village on the Kweelo, at which we spent Sunday, was 

 that of a civil, lively old man, called Sakandala, who offered no 

 objections to our progress. We found we should soon enter on 

 the territory of the Bashinje (Chinge of the Portuguese), who 

 are mixed with another tribe, named Bangala, which have been 

 at war with the Babindele or Portuguese. Rains and fever, as 

 usual, helped to impede our progress until we were put on the 

 path which leads from Cassange and Bihe to Matiamvo, by a 

 head man named Kamboela. This was a well-beaten footpath, 

 and soon after entering upon it we met a party of half-caste 

 traders from Bihe, who confirmed the information we had al- 

 ready got of this patli leading straight to Cassange, through 

 which they had come on their way from Bihe to Cabango. They 

 kindly presented my men with some tobacco, and marveled 

 greatly when they found that I had never been able to teach 

 myself to smoke. On parting with them we came to a trader's 

 grave. This was marked by a huge cone of sticks placed in the 

 form of the roof of a hut, with a palisade around it. At an 

 opening on the western side an ugly idol was placed : several 

 strings of beads and bits of cloth were hung around. We learn- 

 ed that he had been a half-caste, who had died on his way back 

 from Matiamvo. 



As we were now alone, and sure of being on the way to the 

 abodes of civilization, we went on briskly. 



On the 30th we came to a sudden descent from the high land, 

 indented by deep, narrow valleys, over which we had lately been 

 traveling. It is generally so steep that it can only be descended 

 at particular points, and even there I was obliged to dismount, 



