508 RECEPTION AT CHITAPANGA. 



A noticeable feature of the ceremony was the regular approach- 

 ing and receding of the rattlers, who seemed to give to their chief 

 some special reverence by advancing before him' and holding 

 their toy-looking instruments quite near the ground, while they 

 kept up still with the drummers. 



Chitapanga was a strongly-built burly-looking fellow, with a 

 jolly, laughing face. Livingstone was seated on a huge tusk, 

 and the talk began. He found little difficulty in interesting 

 the chief in those things which he had to tell, and was treated 

 with a respect and cordiality which impressed him very favor- 

 ably with him. "When they had got a little acquainted, the 

 chief walked with his visitor toward a group of cows and with 

 a generous air pointed out one and said, " That is yours." 



Various circumstances conspired to protract the stay of Living- 

 stone twenty days at this village. Though quite favorably 

 impressed with Chitapanga, the necessity of holding all his inter- 

 views through others gave rise to serious annoyances. He was 

 particularly troubled and vexed, after killing the cow which 

 had been given him, by the chief's demanding a blanket for it. 

 This was more annoying because he had none except such as 

 belonged to the men who were with him. This demand was 

 pressed, however, and it at length turned out that one of the 

 Nassick lads, who had acted as interpreter at their interviews, 

 had not stated the conversation correctly. The chief had given 

 the cow, expecting a blanket, but the boy had said to Living- 

 stone, " he says you may give him any little thing you please." 

 This presumptuous interference of interpreters is one of the most 

 serious annoyances of travelling in any country; particularly is 

 it so in Africa: not only Dr. Livingstone but many travellers 

 there have been greatly troubled by it. 



At this village Livingstone met a small party of black Arab 

 slave-traders from Bagamoio, on the coast near Zanzibar, by 

 whom he was able to send a packet of letters, which reached 

 England safely and greatly relieved the public mind concerning 

 the great traveller, who had been reported dead by Musa after 

 he had so heartlessly deserted him near Nyassa. These Arab 

 traders had come into the country by a much nearer route : a 

 route too which was full of villages and people who have plenty 

 of goats. By these men Dr. Livingstone ordered another supply 



