PECULIAEITIES OF NATIVES. 439 



CHAPTER XXIII. 



Make a Detour southward. — Peculiarities of the Inhabitants. — Scarcity of An- 

 imals. — Forests. — Geological Structure of the Country. — Abundance and Cheap- 

 ness of Food near the Chihombo. — A Slave lost. — The Makololo Opinion of 

 Slaveholders. — Funeral Obsequies in Cabango. — Send a Sketch of the Coun- 

 try to Mr. Gabriel. — Native Information respecting the Kasai and Quango. 



The Trade with Luba. — Drainage of Londa. — Report of Matiamvo's Country 

 and Government. — Senhor Faria's Present to a Chief. — The Balonda Mode of 

 spending Time. — Faithless Guide. — Makololo lament the Ignorance of the Ba- 

 londa. — Eagerness of the Villagers for Trade. — Civility of a Female Chief. — 

 The Chief Bango and his People. — Refuse to eat Beef. — Ambition of Africans 

 to have a Village. — Winters in the Interior. — Spring at Kolobeng. — White Ants : 

 "Never could desire to eat any thing better." — Young Herbage and Animals. — 

 Valley of the Loembwe. — The white Man a Hobgoblin. — Specimen of Quarrel- 

 ing. — Eager Desire for Calico. — Want of Clothing at Kawawa's. — Funeral Ob- 

 servances. — Agreeable Intercourse with Kawawa. — His impudent Demand. — 

 Unpleasant Parting. — Kawawa tries to prevent our crossing the River Kasai. — 

 Stratagem. 



We made a little detour to the southward in order to get pro- 

 visions in a cheaper market. This led us along the rivulet called 

 Tamba, where we found the people, who had not been visited so 

 frequently by the slave-traders as the rest, rather timid and very 

 civil. It was agreeable to get again among the uncontaminated, 

 and to see the natives look at us without that air of supercilious- 

 ness which is so unpleasant and common in the beaten track. 

 The same olive color prevailed. They file their teeth to a point, 

 which makes the smile of the women frightful, as it reminds one 

 of the grin of an alligator. The inhabitants throughout this 

 country exhibit as great a variety of taste as appears on the 

 surface of society among ourselves. Many of the men are 

 dandies ; their shoulders are always wet with the oil dropping 

 from their lubricated hair, and every thing about them is orna- 

 mented in one way or another. Some thrum a musical instrument 

 the livelong day, and, when they wake at night, proceed at once 

 to their musical performance. Many of these musicians are too 

 poor to have iron keys to their instrument, but make them of 



