iS6o.] GOING HOME WITH THE MAKOLOLO. 273 



down every evening with the Makololo again, and tell them of Him 

 who came down from heaven to save sinners. The unmerciful toil 

 of the steamer prevented me from following my bent as I should have 

 done. Poor fellows ! they have learned no good from their contact 

 with slavery ; many have imbibed the slave spirit ; many had married 

 slave women and got children. These I did not expect to return, as 

 they were captives of Sekel6tu, and were not his own proper people. 

 All professed a strong desire to return. To test them I proposed to burn 

 their village, but to this they would not assent. We then went out a 

 few miles and told them that any one wishing to remain might do so 

 without guilt. A few returned, but though this was stated to them 

 repeatedly afterwards they preferred running away like slaves. I 

 never saw any of the interior people so devoid of honour. Some com- 

 plained of sickness, and all these I sent back, intrusting them with 

 their burdens. About twenty-five returned in all to live at Tette. 

 Some were drawn away by promises made to them as elephant- 

 hunters. I had no objection to their trying to better their condition, 

 but was annoyed at finding that they would not tell their intentions, 

 but ran away as if I were using compulsion. I have learned more of 

 the degrading nature of slavery of late than I ever conceived before. 

 Our 20 millions were well spent in ridding ourselves of the incubus, 

 and I think we ought to assist our countrymen in the West Indies to 

 import free labour from India. ... I cannot tell you how glad I am 

 at a prospect of a better system being introduced into Eastern Africa 

 than that which has prevailed for ages, the evils of which have only 

 been intensified by Portuguese colonisation, as it is called. Here we 

 are passing through a well-peopled, fruitful region — a prolonged 

 valley, for we have the highlands far on our right. I did not observe 

 before that all the banks of the Zambesi are cotton fields. I never 

 intended to write a book and take no note of cotton, which I now 

 see everywhere. On the Chongwe we found a species which is culti- 

 vated south of the Zambesi, which resembles some kinds from South 

 America. 



" All that is needed is religious and mercantile establishments to 

 begin a better system and promote peaceful intercourse. Here we are 

 among a people who go stark naked with no mqre sense of shame than 

 we have with our clothes on. The women have more sense, and go 

 decently. You see great he-animals all about your camp carrying 

 their indispensable tobacco-pipes and iron tongs to lift fire with, but 

 the idea of a fig-leaf has never entered the mind. They cultivate 

 largely, have had enormous crops of grain, work well in iron, and 

 show taste in their dwellings, stools, baskets, and musical instruments. 

 They are very hospitable too, and appreciate our motives ; but shame 

 has been unaccountably left out of the question. They can give no 

 reason for it except that all their ancestors went exactly as they do. 

 Can you explain why Adam's first feeling has no trace of existence in 

 his offspring 1 " 



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