Chap. III. NATIVE MUSICIANS. 



CHAPTER III. 



fietum from Kebrabasa — Native musicians and their instruments — Ignorance 

 at Tette — Changes produced by rain after hot season — Christmas in tropi- 

 cal dress — Opinions modified by early associations in Northern chines — 

 The seasons at Tette — Cotton-seed not needed — African fever — Quinine 

 not a preventive of — The best precaution and remedy — " Warburgh's 

 chops " — Expedition turns from Kebrabasa towards Kiver Shire in January, 

 1859 — Keported barrier to navigation — First intercourse with unknown 

 people — Navigation of Shire — Progress prevented by Murchison's cataracts 

 — Eeturn to Tette — Second trip' up the Shire in March, 1859 — Chibisa — 

 Nyanja Mukulu — Maniac guides — Discover Lake Shirwa on 18th April, 

 1859 — Mountains — Betum to vessel — Severe case of fever — Keturn to 

 Tette 23rd June — Vessel found to be built of unstable materials — At Kon- 

 gone in August. 



A band of' native musicians came to our camp one evening, 

 on our own way down, and treated us with their wild and not 

 unpleasant music on the Marimba, an instrument formed of 

 bars of hard wood of varying breadth and thickness, laid 

 on different-sized hollow calabashes, and tuned to give the 

 notes; a few pieces of cloth pleased them, and they 

 passed on. 



As our companion had told us, the people were perfectly 

 willing to sell us provisions on our way back. When we ar- 

 rived at Tette the Commandant informed us that, shortly after 

 we had left, the river rose a foot and became turbid ; and on 

 seeing this, a native Portuguese came to him with a grave 

 countenance, and said, " That Englishman is doing something 

 to the river." This, we regret to say, is a fair sample of the 

 ignorance and superstition common to the native-born, and, 

 unfortunately, sometimes shared in even by men reared 



