Chap. XV. TIN — CHILOMBE ISLET. 315 



were somewhat different from the common goatskin bags, 

 and more like those seen in Madagascar, They consisted of 

 two wooden vessels, like a lady's bandbox of small dimen- 

 sions, the upper ends of which were covered with leather, 

 and looked something like the heads of drums, except that 

 the leather bagged in the centre. They were fitted with 

 long nozzles, through which the air was driven by working 

 the loose covering of the tops up and down by means of a 

 small piece of wood attached to their centres. The black- 

 smith said that tin was obtained from a people in the north, 

 called Marendi, and that he had made it into bracelets ; we 

 had never heard before of tin being found in the country. 



Our course then lay clown the bed of a rivulet, called Mapa- 

 tizia, in which there was much calc spar, with calcareous 

 schist, and then the Tette grey sandstone, which usually 

 overlies coal. On the 6th we arrived at the islet Chilombe, 

 belonging to Sinaniane, where the Zambesi runs broad and 

 smooth again, and were well received by Sinamane himself. 

 Never was Sunday more welcome to the weary than this, 

 the last we were to spend with our convoy. 



Sinamane is an active-looking man of a light complexion, 

 and is the ablest and most energetic of the Batoka chiefs we 

 have met. He was independent until lately, when he sent 

 in his adhesion to Linyanti ; and, as all that Sekeletu asks of 

 him is not to furnish the Matebele with canoes when they 

 wish to cross the Zambesi to attack the Makololo, he will 

 probably continue loyal. Leshore's mission, as we have said, 

 was to ratify this vassal-ship, to request Sinamane to furnish 

 us with what canoes he could, and to assure him that Mosho- 

 botwane had not received, and never would receive, authority 

 from Sekeletu to go on forays among his countrymen. This 

 message was communicated also to the offending Batoka at 

 the Falls, with whom it would have a good effect. We 



