392 THE QUANGO. 



across the bottom of the Quango Valley, which we found broken 

 by clay shale rocks jutting out, though lying nearly horizontally. 

 The grass in all the hollows, at this time quite green, was about 

 two feet higher than my head while sitting on ox-back. This 

 grass, wetted by the rain, acted as a shower-bath on one side of 

 our bodies ; and some deep gullies, full of discolored water, com- 

 pleted the cooling process. We passed many villages during this 

 drenching, one of which possessed a flock of sheep ; and after six 

 hours we came to a stand near the River Quango (lat. 9° 53 / S., 

 long. 18° 37 / E.), which may be called the boundary of the Por- 

 tuguese claims to territory on the west. As I had now no change 

 of clothing, I was glad to cower under the shelter of my blanket, 

 thankful to God for his goodness in bringing us so far without 

 losing one of the party. 



4th April. We were now on the banks of the Quango, a river 

 one hundred and fifty yards wide, and very deep. The water was 

 discolored — a circumstance which we had observed in no river in 

 Londa or in the Makololo country. This fine river flows among 

 extensive meadows clothed with gigantic grass and reeds, and in 

 a direction nearly north. 



The Quango is said by the natives to contain many venomous 

 water-snakes, which congregate near the carcass of any hippo- 

 potamus that may be killed in it. If this is true, it may account 

 for all the villages we saw being situated far from its banks. We 

 were advised not to sleep near it ; but, as we were anxious to 

 cross to the western side, we tried to induce some of the Bashinje 

 to lend us canoes for the purpose. This brought out the chief of 

 these parts, who informed us that all the canoe-men were his 

 children, and nothing could be done without his authority. He 

 then made the usual demand for a man, an ox, or a gun, adding 

 that otherwise we must return to the country from which we had 

 come. As I did not believe that this man had any power over 

 the canoes of the other side, and suspected that if I gave him my 

 blanket — the only thing I now had in reserve — he might leave us 

 in the lurch after all, I tried to persuade my men to go at once 

 to the bank, about two miles off, and obtain possession of the 

 canoes before we gave up the blanket ; but they thought that this 

 chief might attack us in the act of crossing, should we do so. 

 The chief came himself to our encampment and made his 



