496 KATOSA'S VILLAGE. Chai\ XXIV. 



we had just left, we entered the village of Katosa, which is 

 situated on the bank of a stream among gigantic timber 

 trees, and found there a large party of Ajawa — Waiau, 

 they called themselves — all armed with muskets. We sat 

 down among them, and were soon called to the Chiefs 

 court, and presented with an ample mess of porridge, buffalo 

 meat, and beer. Katosa was more frank than any Manganja 

 Chief we had met, and complimented us by saying that " we 

 must be his ' Bazimo ' (good spirits of his ancestors) ; for when 

 lie lived at Pamalombe, we lighted upon him from above — 

 men the like of whom he had never seen before, and coming 

 he knew not whence." He gave us one of his own large and 

 clean huts to sleep in ; and we may take this opportunity of 

 saying that the impression we received, from our first journey 

 on the hills among the villages of Chisunse, of the excessive 

 dirtiness of the Manganja was erroneous. This trait was con- 

 fined to the cool highlands. Here crowds of men and 

 women were observed to perform their ablutions daily in the 

 stream that ran past their villages ; and this we have observed 

 elsewhere to be a common custom with both Manganja and 

 Ajawa. 



Before we started on the morning of the 1st September, 

 Katosa sent an enormous calabash of beer, containing at 

 least three gallons, and then came and wished us to "stop 

 a day and eat with him." On explaining to him the reasons 

 for our haste, he said that he was in the way by which 

 travellers usually passed, he never stopped them in their 

 journeys, but would like to look at us for a day. On our 

 promising to rest a little with him on our return, he gave 

 us about two pecks of rice, and three guides to conduct us to 

 a subordinate female Chief, Nkwinda, living on the borders 

 of the Lake in front. 



The Ajawa, from having taken slaves down to Quillimane 



