526 SOCIAL CONDITION OF TEIBES. 



On one occasion I became blood-relation to a young woman by 

 accident. She had a large cartilaginous tumor between the bones 

 of the fore-arm, which, as it gradually enlarged, so distended the 

 muscles as to render her unable to work. She applied to me to 

 excise it. I requested her to bring her husband, if lie were will- 

 ing to have the operation performed, and, while removing the tumor, 

 one of the small arteries squirted some blood into my eye. She 

 remarked, when I was wiping the blood out of it, "You were a 

 friend before, now you are a blood-relation ; and when you pass 

 this way, always send me word, that I may cook food for you." 

 In creating these friendships, my men had the full intention of re- 

 turning ; each one had his Molekane {friend) in every village of 

 the friendly Balonda. Mohorisi even married a wife in the town 

 of Katema, and Pitsane took another in the town of Shinte. 

 These alliances were looked upon with great favor by. the Balonda 

 chiefs, as securing the good-will of the Makololo. 



In order that the social condition of the tribes may be under- 

 stood by the reader, I shall mention that, while waiting for Sam- 

 banza, a party of Barotse came from Nyenko, the former residence 

 of Limboa, who had lately crossed the Leeba on his way toward 

 Masiko. The head man of this party had brought Limboa's son 

 to his father, because the Barotse at Nyenko had, since the de- 

 parture of Limboa, elected JSTananko, another son of Santuru, in 

 his stead ; and our visitor, to whom the boy had been intrusted 

 as a guardian, thinking him to be in danger, fled with him to his 

 father. The Barotse, whom Limboa had left behind at Nyenko, 

 on proceeding to elect Nananko, said, "No, it is quite too much 

 for Limboa to rule over two places." I would have gone to visit 

 Limboa and Masiko too, in order to prevent hostilities, but the 

 state of my ox would not allow it. I therefore sent a message 

 to Limboa by some of his men, protesting against war with his 

 brother, and giving him formal notice that the path up the 

 Leeba had been given to us by the Balonda, the owners of the 

 country, and that no attempt must ever be made to obstruct free 

 intercourse. 



On leaving this place we were deserted by one of our party, 

 Mboenga, an Ambonda man, who had accompanied us all the way 

 to Loanda and back. His father was living with Masiko, and it 

 was natural for him to wish to join his own family again. He 



