Chap. XIX. THE BAMBOO. 361 



degrees of hardness, the most indurated being at the bottom. 

 This red clay shale is named " keele " in Scotland, and has always 

 been considered as an indication of gold ; but the only thing we 

 discovered was, that it had given rise to a very slippery clay soil, 

 so different from that which we had just left, that Mashauana, 

 who always prided liimself on being an adept at balancing himself 

 in the canoe on water, and so sure of foot on land that he could 

 afford to express contempt for any one less gifted, came down 

 in a very sudden and undignified manner, to the delight of all 

 whom he had previously scolded for falling. 



Here we met with the bamboo as thick as a man's arm, and 

 many new trees. Others, which we had lost sight of since 

 leaving Shinte, now re-appeared; but nothing struck us more 

 than the comparative scragginess of the trees in this hollow. 

 Those on the high lands we had left were tall and straight ; here 

 they were stunted, and not by any means so closely planted 

 together. The only way I could account for this was by sup- 

 posing, as the trees were of different species, that the greater 

 altitude suited the nature of those above, better than the lower 

 altitude did the other species below. 



Sunday, 2nd April. — We rested beside a small stream, and 

 our hunger being now very severe, from having lived on manioc 

 alone since leaving Ionga Panza's, we slaughtered one of our 

 four remaining oxen. The people of this district seem to feel the 

 craving for animal food as much as we did, for they spend much 

 energy in digging large white larvse out of the damp soil adjacent 

 to their streams, and use them as a relish for their vegetable diet. 

 The Bashinje refused to sell any food for the poor old ornaments 

 my men had now to offer. We could get neither meal nor manioc ; 

 but should have been comfortable, had not the Bashinje chief 

 Sansawe pestered us for the customary present. The native 

 traders informed us, that a display of force was often necessary 

 before they could pass this man. 



Sansawe, the chief of a portion of the Bashinje, having sent the 

 usual formal demand for a man, an ox, or a tusk, spoke very 

 contemptuously of the poor tilings we offered him instead. We 

 told his messengers, that the tusks were Sekeletu's : everything 

 wag gone, except my instruments, which could be of no use to 

 them whatever. One of them begged some meat, and, when it 



