Chap. XYIII. POOE HAMLETS. 355 



on briskly. A deputation from a Chief near Mount Zoniba had 

 just passed on its way to Chibisa, who was in a distant village, 

 to implore him to come himself, or send medicine, to drive 

 off the Waiao, Waiau, or Ajawa, whose marauding parties were 

 desolating the land. A large gang of recently enslaved 

 Manganja crossed the river, on their way to Tette, a few 

 days before we got the ship up. Chibisa's deputy was civil, 

 and readily gave us permission to hire as many men to carry 

 the Bishop's goods up to the hills as*were willing to go. With 

 a sufficient number, therefore, we started for the highlands 

 on the 15th of July, to show the Bishop the country, which, 

 from its altitude and coolness, was most suitable for a station. 

 Our first day's march was a long and fatiguing one. The few 

 hamlets we passed were poor, and had no food for our men, 

 and we were obliged to go on till 4 p.m., when we entered 

 the small village of Chipindu. The inhabitants complained 

 of hunger, and said they had no food to sell, and no hut for 

 us to sleep in ; but, if we would only go on a little further, we 

 should come to a village where they had plenty to eat ; but 

 we had travelled far enough, and determined to remain where 

 we were. Before sunset as much food was brought as we 

 cared to purchase, and, as it threatened to rain, huts were 

 provided for the whole party. 



Next forenoon we halted at the village of our old friend 

 Mbame, to obtain new carriers, because Chibisa's men, never 

 before having been hired, and not having yet learned to trust 

 us, did not choose to go further. After resting a little, Mbame 

 told us that a slave party on its way to Tette would presently 

 pass through his village. " Shall we interfere ?" we inquired 

 of each other. We remembered that all our valuable private 

 baggage was in Tette, which, if we freed the slaves, might, 

 together with some Government property, be destroyed in 

 retaliation; but this system of slave-hunters dogging us 



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