378 MARENGA'S GENEROSITY. Chap. XIX. 



Marenga's on the 7th October. When he could not prevail 

 upon us to forego the advantage of a fair wind for Ins 

 invitation to " spend the whole day drinking his beer, which 

 was," he said " quite ready," he loaded us with provisions, all 

 of winch he sent for before we gave him any present. In 

 allusion to the boat's sail, his people said that they had no 

 Bazimo, or none worth having, seeing they had never in- 

 vented the like for them. The Chief, Mankambira, likewise 

 treated us with kindness ; but wherever the slave-trade is 

 carried on, the people are dishonest and uncivil ; that invari- 

 ably leaves a blight and a curse in its path. The first ques- 

 tion put to us at the lake crossing-places, was, " Have you 

 come to buy slaves?" On hearing that we were English, 

 and never purchased slaves, the questioners put on a super- 

 cilious air, and sometimes refused to sell us food. This want 

 of respect to us may have been owing to the impressions con- 

 veyed to them by the Arabs, whose dhows have sometimes 

 been taken by English cruisers when engaged in lawful trade. 

 Much foreign cloth, beads, and brass-wire, were worn by these 

 ferrymen — and some had muskets. 



By Chitanda, near one of the slave crossing-places, we were 

 robbed for the first time in Africa, and learned by expe- 

 rience that these people, like more civilized nations, have 

 expert thieves among them. It might be only a coincidence ; 

 but we never suffered from impudence, loss of property, or were 

 endangered, unless among people familiar with slaving. 

 We had such a general sense of security, that never, 

 save when we suspected treachery, did we set a watch at 

 night. Our native companions had, on this occasion, 

 been carousing on beer, and had removed to a distance 

 of some thirty yards, that we might not overhear their 

 free and easy after-dinner remarks, and two of us had a 

 slight touch of fever; between three and four o'clock in 



