318 SUPERSTITIOUS CUSTOMS. Chap. XVII. 



other tribes tliink of their deeds. The Makololo have such a 

 bad name on account of their perpetual forays, that they have 

 not been known in Londa except as ruthless destroyers. The 

 people in Matiamvo's country submit to much wrong from their 

 chiefs ; and no voice can be raised against cruelty, because they 

 are afraid to flee elsewhere. 



We left Quendende's village in company with Quendende him- 

 self, and the principal man of the ambassadors of Matiamvo, and 

 after two or three miles' march to the N.W., came to the ford of 

 the Lotembwa, which flows southwards. A canoe was waiting 

 to ferry us over, but it was very tedious work ; for though the 

 river itself was only eighty yards wide, the whole valley was 

 flooded, and we were obliged to paddle more than half a mile to 

 get free of the water. A fire was lit to warm old Quendende, 

 and enable him to dry his tobacco-leaves. The leaves are taken 

 from the plant, and spread close to the fire, until they are quite 

 dry and crisp ; they are then put into a snuff-box, which, with a 

 little pestle, serves the purpose of a mill to grind them into 

 powder; it is then used as snuff. As we sat by the fire the 

 ambassadors communicated their thoughts freely respecting the 

 customs of their race. When a chief dies, a number of servants 

 are slaughtered with him to form his company in the other world. 

 The Barotse followed the same custom, and this and other usages 

 show them to be genuine negroes, though neither they nor the 

 Balonda resemble closely the typical form of that people. Quen- 

 dende said if he were present on these occasions he would hide 

 his people, so that they might not be slaughtered. As we go 

 north, the people become more bloodily superstitious. 



We were assured that, if the late Matiamvo took a fancy to 

 anything, such, for instance, as my watch-chain, which was of 

 silver wire, and was a great curiosity, as they had never seen 

 metal plaited before, he would order a whole village to be 

 brought up to buy it from a stranger. When a slave-trader 

 visited him, he took possession of all his goods ; then, after ten 

 days or a fortnight, he would send out a party of men to pounce 

 upon some considerable village, and, having killed the head man, 

 would pay for all the goods by selling the inhabitants. This has 

 frequently been the case, and nearly all the visitants he ever had 

 were men of colour. On asking, if Matiamvo did not know he 



