THE QUEEN OF JINGA. 459 



central part of the pillars stands the village, completely environed 

 by well-nigh inaccessible rocks. The pathways into the village 

 might be defended by a small body of troops against an army ; 

 and this place was long the stronghold of the tribe called Jinga, 

 the original possessors of the country. 



We were shown a footprint carved on one of these rocks. It 

 is spoken of as that of a famous queen, who reigned over all this 

 region. In looking at these rude attempts at commemoration, 

 one feels the value of letters. In the history of Angola we find 

 that the famous queen Donna Anna de Souza came from the 

 vicinity, as embassadress from her brother, Gola Bandy, King of 

 the Jinga, to Loanda, in 1621, to sue for peace, and astonished the 

 governor by the readiness of her answers. The governor pro- 

 posed, as a condition of peace, the payment by the Jinga of an an- 

 nual tribute. " People talk of tribute after they have conquered, 

 and not before it ; we come to talk of peace, not of subjection," was 

 the ready answer. The governor was as much nonplussed as our 

 Cape governors often are when they tell the Caffres " to put it all 

 down in writing, and they will then be able to answer them." 

 She remained some time in Loanda, gained all she sought, and, 

 after being taught by the missionaries, was baptized, and return- 

 ed to her own country with honor. She succeeded to the king- 

 dom on the death of her brother, whom it was supposed she 

 poisoned, but in a subsequent war with the Portuguese she lost 

 nearly all her army in a great battle fought in 1627. She return- 

 ed to the Church after a long period of apostasy, and died in ex- 

 treme old age ; and the Jinga still live as an independent people 

 to the north of this their ancient country. No African tribe has 

 ever been destroyed. 



In former times the Portuguese imagined that this place was 

 particularly unhealthy, and banishment to the black rocks of 

 Pungo Andongo was thought by their judges to be a much se- 

 verer sentence than transportation to any part of the coast ; but 

 this district is now well known to be the most healthy part of 

 Angola. The water is remarkably pure, the soil is light, and the 

 country open and undulating, with a general slope down toward 

 the River Coanza, a few miles distant. That river is the southern 

 boundary of the Portuguese, and beyond, to the S. and S.W., we 

 see the high mountains of the Libollo. On the S.E. we have also 



