452 PECULIARITIES OF NATIVES. Chap. XXIII. 



CHAPTEE XXIII. 



Make a detour southward — ■ Peculiarities of the inhabitants — Scarcity of 

 animals — Forests — Geological structure of the country — Abundance and 

 cheapness of food near the Chihombo — A slave lost — The Makololo 

 opinion of slave-holders — Funeral obsequies in Cabango — Send a sketch 

 of the country to Mr. Gabriel — Native information respecting the Kasai 

 and Quango — The trade with Lmba — Drainage of Londa — Keport of 

 Matiamvo's country and government — Senhor Faria's present to a chief — 

 The Balonda mode of spending time — Faithless guide — Makololo lament 

 the ignorance of the Balonda — Eagerness of the villagers for trade — 

 Civility of a female chief — The Chief Bango and his people — Refuse to eat 

 beef — Ambition of Africans to have a village — Winters in the interior — 

 Spring at Kolobeng — White ants : " Never could desire to eat anything 

 better" — Young herbage and animals — Valley of the Loembwe — The 

 white man a hobgoblin — Specimen of quarrelling — Eager desire for calico 



— Want of clothing at Kawawa's — Funeral observances — Agreeable 

 intercourse with Kawawa — His impudent demand — Unpleasant parting 



— Kawawa tries to prevent our crossing the river Kasai — Stratagem. 



We made a little detour to the southward, in order to get pro- 

 visions in a cheaper market. This led us along the rivulet called 

 Tamba, where we found the people, who had not been visited so 

 frequently by the slave-traders as the rest, rather timid and very 

 civil. It was agreeable to get again among the uncontaminated, 

 and to see the natives look at us without that air of supercilious- 

 ness, which is so unpleasant and common in the beaten track. 

 The same olive colour prevailed. They file their teeth to a point, 

 which makes the smile of the women frightful, as it reminds one 

 of the grin of an alligator. The inhabitants throughout this 

 country, exhibit as great a variety of taste, as appears on the 

 surface of society amongst ourselves. Many of the men are 

 dandies ; their shoulders are always wet with the oil dropping 

 from their lubricated hair, and everything about them is orna- 

 mented in one way or another. Some thrum a musical instrument 

 the livelong day, and, when they wake at night, proceed at once 

 to their musical performance. Many of these musicians are too 

 poor to have iron keys to their instrument, but make them of 



