EIGHTY-FIVE SLAVES IN A PEN. 461 



so enormous that their legs, as remarked by our men, seemed 

 very small. Mponda is a blustering sort of person, but im- 

 mensely interested in everything European. He says that he 

 would like to go with me. ' Would not care though he were 

 away ten years.' I say that he may die in the journey. ' He 

 will die here as well as there, but he will see all the won- 

 derful doings of our country.' He knew me, having come 

 to the boat, to take a look incognito when we were here for- 

 merly." 



In this town Livingstone found an Arab slave-party, and 

 went to look at the slaves ; seeing this, Mponda was alarmed 

 lest he should proceed to violence in his town, but he said to 

 him that he went to look only. Eighty-five slaves were in a 

 pen formed of dura stalks (Holcus sorghum). The majority 

 were boys of about eight or ten years of age ; others were grown 

 men and women. Nearly all were in the taming-stick ; a few 

 of the younger ones were in thongs, the thong passing round the 

 neck of each. Several pots were on the fires cooking dura and 

 beans. A crowd went with him, expecting a scene, but Living- 

 stone sat down, and asked a few questions about the journey, in 

 front. The slave-party consisted of five or six half-caste coast 

 Arabs, who said that they came from Zanzibar ; but the crowd 

 made such a noise that nothing could be heard. Livingstone 

 asked if they had any objections to his looking at the slaves ; 

 the owners pointed out the different slaves, and said that after 

 feeding them, and accounting for the losses in the way to the 

 coast, they made little by the trip. " I suspect," says the 

 doctor, " that the gain is made by those who ship them to the 

 ports of Arabia, for at Zanzibar most of the younger slaves we 

 saw went at about seven dollars a head. I said to them it was 

 a bad business altogether. They presented fowls to me in the 

 evening." 



The next day the chief begged so hard that the doctor would 

 stay another day and give medicine to a sick child that he con- 

 sented. He promised plenty of food, and, as an earnest of his 

 sincerity, sent an immense pot of beer in the evening. The 

 child had been benefited by the medicine, and in his gratitude 

 the poor man gave more than could be taken. 



One very pleasant feature of this country was the interest 



