COLONY OF BIRDS. 531 



CHAPTER XXV. 



Colony of Birds called Linkololo. — The Village of Chitlane. — Murder of Mpololo's 

 Daughter. — Execution of the Murderer and his Wife. — My Companions find that 

 their Wives have married other Husbands. — Sunday. — A Party from Masiko. — 

 Freedom of Speech. — Canoe struck by a Hippopotamus. — Gonye. — Appearance 

 of Trees at the end of Winter. — Murky Atmosphere. — Surprising Amount of 

 organic Life. — Hornets. — The Packages forwarded by Mr. Moffat. — Makololo 

 Suspicions and Reply to the Matebele who brought them. — Convey the Goods to 

 an Island and build a Hut over them. — Ascertain that Sir R. Murchison had rec- 

 ognized the true Form of African Continent. — Arrival at Linyanti. — A grand 

 Picho. — Shrewd Inquiry. — Sekeletu in his Uniform. — A Trading-party sent to 

 Loanda with Ivor}-. — Mr. Gabriel's Kindness to them. — Difficulties in Trading. — 

 Two Makololo Forays during our Absence. — Report of the Country to the N.E. 

 — Death of influential Men. — The Makololo desire to be nearer the Market. — 

 Opinions upon a Change of Residence. — Climate of Barotse Valley. — Diseases. 

 — Author's Fevers not a fair Criterion in the Matter. — The Interior an inviting 

 Field for the Philanthropist. — Consultations about a Path to the East Coast. — 

 Decide on descending North Bank of Zambesi.— Wait for the Rainy Season. — 

 Native way of spending Time during the period of greatest Heat. — Favorable 

 Opening for Missionary Enterprise. — Ben Habib wishes to marry. — A Maiden's 

 Choice. — Sekeletu's Hospitality. — Sulphureted Hydrogen and Malaria. — Con- 

 versations with Makololo. — Their moral Character and Conduct. — Sekeletu wish- 

 es to purchase a Sugar-mill, etc. — The Donkeys. — Influence among the Natives. 

 — "Food fit for a Chief." — Parting Words of Mamire. — Motibe's Excuses. 



On the 31st of July we parted with our kind Libonta friends. 

 We planted some of our palm-tree seeds in different villages of 

 this valley. They began to sprout even while we were there, but, 

 unfortunately, they were always destroyed by the mice which 

 swarm in every hut. 



At Chitlane's village we collected the young of a colony of 

 the linkololo (Anastomus lamalligerus), a black, long-legged bird, 

 somewhat larger than a crow, which lives on shellfish (A mpullaria), 

 and breeds in society at certain localities among the reeds. These 

 places are well known, as they continue there from year to year, and 

 belong to the chiefs, who at particular times of the year gather most 

 of the young. The produce of this " harvest, " as they call it, which 



