502 THE BABISA. Chap. XXIV. 



whether it is as common as the long arms, which formerly 

 gave so much advantage in the use of the broadsword among 

 ourselves. 



Chinsamba had many Abisa or Babisa in his stockade, and 

 it was chiefly by the help of their muskets that he had 

 repulsed the Mazitu. These Babisa are great travellers and 

 traders, and, in fact, occupy somewhat the same position in 

 this country, as the Greeks do in the Levant. About the first 

 words they addressed to us were — " I have seen the sea ; I 

 have been to Iboe, Mosambique, Quillimane ; I know ships, 

 steamers, Englishmen ; I am a great trader." On this 

 knowledge a claim was founded for familiarity, such as pro- 

 bably is permitted by half-caste traders on the coast. While 

 the Manganja viewed us with awe, as totally unlike any 

 people they had ever seen before, the Babisa entered our 

 hut, and sat down with the air of men accustomed to good 

 society. Wishing to be civil to the intruders, we compli- 

 mented them on their extensive travels, and trading, and 

 expressed the hope that, as they had learned so much, and 

 become so rich, they would be more than usually generous 

 towards the weary, hungry, and thirsty strangers; but this 

 had no effect. We never here or elsewhere received the 

 smallest present from the Babisa. The Makololo usually 

 put the matter pretty forcibly by telling intrusive visitors of 

 this tribe, " that from presuming to sit near to English- 

 men, it was plain that they had never seen one before — 

 that their travels were lies from end to end — that they 

 never could have met the real English of the sea, but 

 only mongrel things with hair like this" (pointing to their 

 own heads). Without being rude, we usually obtained only 

 just as much of their company as we required, and found 

 that they had more knowledge of the interior than of the 

 seaboard. 



