288 MODE OF APPROACHING VILLAGES. Chap. XVI. 



the sun shone, so as to allow us to dry our clothing and other 

 goods, many of winch were mouldy and rotten from the long- 

 continued clamp. The guns rusted, in spite of being oiled every 

 evening. 



During the night we were all awakened by a terrific shriek 

 from one of Manenko's ladies. She piped out so loud and long 

 that we all imagined she had been seized by a lion, and my 

 men snatched up their arms, which they always place so as to 

 be ready at a moment's notice, and ran to the rescue ; but we 

 found the alarm had been caused by one of the oxen thrusting 

 his head into her hut, and smelling her : she had put her hand 

 on his cold wet nose, and thought it was all over with her. 



On Sunday afternoon messengers arrived from Shinte, ex- 

 pressing his approbation of the objects we had in view in our 

 journey through his country, and that he was glad of the pros- 

 pect of a way being opened by winch white men might visit 

 him, and allow him to purchase ornaments at pleasure. Ma- 

 nenko now threatened in sport to go on, and I soon afterwards 

 perceived that what now seemed to me the dilly-dallying way of 

 this lady, was the proper mode of making acquaintance Avith the 

 Balonda ; and much of the favour with which I was received in 

 different places was owing to my sending forward messengers, to 

 state the object of our coming, before entering each town and 

 village. When we came in sight of a village, we sat down under 

 the shade of a tree, and sent forward a man to give notice who 

 we were, and what were our objects. The head man of the 

 village then sent out Ins principal men, as Shinte now did, to bid 

 us welcome, and show us a tree under which we might sleep. 

 Before I had profited by the rather tedious teaching of Manenko, 

 I sometimes entered a village, and created unintentional alarm. 

 The villagers would continue to look upon us with suspicion as 

 long as we remained. Shinte sent us two large baskets of 

 manioc, and six dried fishes. His men had the skin of a monkey, 

 called in their tongue "polunia" (Colobus guereza), of a jet black 

 colour, except the long mane, winch is pure white ; it is said to 

 be found in the north, in the country of Matiamvo, the para- 

 mount chief of all the Balonda. We learned from them, that 

 they are in the habit of praying to their idols when unsuccessful 

 in killing game, or in any other enterprise. They behaved with 



