142 INVITATION AT LAST. 



take various shapes ; are the most uncouth conceivable speci- 

 mens of art. Some are intended to represent animals and 

 others human heads ; but haste or carelessness sometimes satis- 

 fies itself by setting up a crooked stick, before which to bow in 

 worship. Even the trees are pressed into this service, and 

 passing along there may be seen offerings of maize or manioc 

 laid on the branches of a stately motuia, while faces of beasts 

 or men are carved in the bark about its trunk. 



The prevailing superstition casts its protection over property ; 

 theft is seldom heard of; a trifling charm or piece of medicine 

 bark is enough to guard the most precious articles, however 

 exposed, from native hands. Civilization will kill the charm, 

 and inaugurate prisons. Christianity ought to put the charm 

 in the breasts of the people. It carries a medicine which is a 

 specific in cases of covetousness. The love of Christ in the 

 hearts of men ought to be a surer protection to their fellows 

 than a broken twig or scrap of bark. 



Before the white man could enter the town of Shinte, he was 

 obliged to endure the delay of a tedious interchange of messages 

 between the female master of proceedings and her lordly uncle. 

 Livingstone was vexed by this delay, because he was only 

 then finding out a very important feature of Balonda civility, 

 indeed we may say of African civility. In the Makololo 

 country he had been preceded by the messengers of Sekeletu, 

 and found the villagers always expecting to receive him ; here, 

 however, the case was different, and he had frequently fright- 

 ened whole communities by his sudden appearance in their 

 midst, besides the inconvenience of missing the supplies which 

 he so much needed. True etiquette requires that a travelling 

 party halt before entering a village, and send forward a mes- 

 senger, explaining to the chief the character and objects of his 

 visitors. It is then incumbent on the town to extend its 

 hospitalities, and the chief is glad to do the honors of the 

 occasion in his best style. The unwilling allegiance which Dr. 

 Livingstone was called on- to render the dilly-dallying Manenko 

 turned out a good school to him, and contributed very much to 

 the facility of his future travels and pleasant intercourse with 

 the tribes. 



When the invitation at last came from Shinte the party 



