TIPO TIPO. 531 



gradually became more friendly. He had little ivory to sell, 

 and of those who had, Mtete or Mtema seemed inclined to treat 

 the messengers roughly. Men were also sent to Nsama, asking 

 him to try and induce Mtema and Chikongo to be friendly and 

 sell ivory and provisions, but he replied that these chiefs were 

 not men under him, and if they thought themselves strong 

 enough to contend against guns he had nothing to say to them. 

 Other chiefs threatened to run away as soon as they saw the 

 Arabs approaching. These were assured that we meant to pass 

 through the country alone, and if they gave us guides to show 

 us how, we should avoid the villages altogether, and proceed to 

 the countries where ivory was to be bought; however, the 

 panic was too great, no one would agree to our overtures, and 

 at last when we did proceed a chief on the river Choma ful- 

 filled his threat and left us three empty villages. There were 

 no people to sell, though the granaries were crammed, and it was 

 impossible to prevent the slaves from stealing. 



" When Chikongo heard Tipo Tipo's message about buying 

 ivory, he said : 'And when did Tipo Tipo place ivory in my 

 country that he comes seeking it?' Yet he sent a tusk and 

 said, ' That is all I have, and he is not to come here.'" "Their 

 hostile actions," writes the doctor, "are caused principally by fear. 

 * If Xsama could not stand before the Malongwana or traders, 

 how can we face them? ' I wished to go on to Moero, but all 

 declare that our ten guns would put all the villages to flight: 

 they are terror-struck. First rains of this season on the 5th." 



Nearly the whole of October was lost here, while the Arabs 

 were trying to drive their trades with the chiefs of the neigh- 

 borhood. There was very little to encourage them to continue 

 their journey to the Lake Moero, as all the chiefs seemed de- 

 termined to sell nothing. And it seemed not improbable that 

 Dr. Livingstone would, after all his waiting, be left to continue 

 his journey alone. And under ordinary circumstances there is 

 not much uncertainty whether he would not have gone on much 

 more rapidly. These Arab traders were themselves quite as 

 much a curiosity as the natives; they seemed tremendously 

 religious in their way. They consulted the Koran for every- 

 thing, and depend on all sorts of conjuring. Their wedding 

 and funeral occasions were just such as might be seen in any of 



