VISITS NSAMA. 527 



reapers for the fields which waved their harvests, like the ban- 

 ner of divine benevolence, which kindly cheers the sorrows that 

 men bring on themselves by their animosities in Africa and 

 America alike. The abundance of food was amazing : " three 

 hundred men, living at free quarters, made no impression on it." 



Xsama had erected a new stockade close by the old one, which 

 had been burned by Hamidi bin Mohamad, and there he sat in 

 state to receive the visitor. When he received Dr. Livingstone's 

 messenger, he returned an invitation to him to come and see 

 him, but to bring no guns. Accordingly the doctor went on to 

 his stockade, attended by a large crowd of people. " Before we 

 came to the inner stockade," says he, " they felt my clothes to 

 see that no firearms were concealed about my person. When 

 we reached Xsama, we found a very old man, with a good head 

 and face and a large abdomen, showing that he "was addicted to 

 pombe : his people have to carry him. I gave him a cloth, and 

 asked for guides to Moero, which he readily granted, and asked 

 leave to feel my clothes and hair. I advised him to try and 

 live at peace, but his people were all so much beyond the con- 

 trol of himself and head men, that at last, after scolding them, 

 he told me that he would send for me by night, and then we 

 could converse, but this seems to have gone out of his head. 

 He sent me a goat, flour, and pombe, and next day we returned 

 to Hara." 



Although Nsama seemed quite pleasant, and, besides manifest- 

 ing considerable respect for the guns which he had learned had 

 largely the advantage over his bows and arrows, had made such 

 positive terms with Hamees, there were no little grounds of 

 suspicion that he might after all be only seeking to encourage a 

 confidence on the part of the Arabs, which might enable him to 

 gain some sudden advantage of them ; he had not kept his word 

 to Hamees, either about promised ivory or the wife, and 

 Hamees was not trustful at best. It was beginning to be doubt- 

 ful whether the hope of going on peaceably might not turn out 

 a false hope. And Hamees was arranging to go back to 

 Chitimba to protect his people and property there, when, much 

 to the gratification of all hands, on the 14th of September, the 

 promised daughter of Nsama made her appearance, in splendid 

 style, the most approved fashion of this country, " riding picka- 



