Chap. XXIX. BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY. 591 



thunder-shower followed. I shall never forget the dry, hot east 

 winds of that region ; the yellowish, sultry, cloudless sky ; the 

 grass and all the plants drooping from drought, the cattle lean, 

 the people dispirited, and our own hearts sick from hope deferred. 

 There we often heard in the dead of the night the shrill whistle 

 of the rain-doctor calling for ram that would not come, while here 

 we listened to the rolling thunder by night and beheld the 

 swelling valleys adorned with plenty by day. We have rain 

 almost daily, and everything is beautifully fresh and green. I 

 felt somewhat as people do on coming ashore after a long voyage 

 — inclined to look upon the landscape in the most favourable 

 light. The lulls are covered with forests, and there is often 

 a long line of fleecy cloud lying on them about midway up ; 

 they are very beautiful. Finding no one willing to aid us in 

 crossing the river, we proceeded to the village of the cliief 

 Mpende. A fine, large, conical hill now appeared to the N.N.E. ; 

 it is the highest I have seen in these parts, and at some pohits it 

 appears to be two cones joined together, the northern one being a 

 little lower than the southern. Another high hill stands on the 

 same side to the N.E., and, from its similarity hi shape to an axe 

 on the top, is called Motemwa. Beyond it, eastward, lies the 

 country of Kaimbwa, a chief who has been engaged in actual 

 conflict with the Bazunga, and beat them too, according to the 

 version of things here. The lulls on the south bank are named 

 Kamoenja. When we came to Mpende' s village, he immediately 

 sent to inquire who we were, and then ordered the guides who had 

 come with us from the last village to go back and call then masters. 

 He sent no message to us whatever. We had travelled very 

 slowly up to tins point, the tsetse-stricken oxen being now unable 

 to go two miles an hour. We were also delayed by being obliged 

 to stop at every village, and send notice of our approach to the 

 head-man, who came and received a little information, and gave 

 some food. If we had passed on without taking any notice of 

 them, they would have considered it impolite, and we should 

 have appeared more as enemies than friends. I consoled myself 

 for the loss of time by the thought that these conversations 

 tended to the opening of our future path. 



23rd. — Tins morning, at sunrise, a party of Mpende's people 

 came close to our encampment, uttering strange cries and waving 



