528 A FLAT COUNTRY, Chap. XXV. 



we mounted this highland plain, we remained two clays with 

 Muazi. 



A herd of fine cattle showed that no tsetse existed in the 

 district. They had the Indian hump, and w r ere very fat, and 

 very tame. The boys rode on both cows and bulls with- 

 out fear, and the animals were so fat and lazy, that the old 

 ones only made a feeble attempt to kick their young tor- 

 mentors. Muazi never milks the cows ; he complained that, 

 but for the Mazitu having formerly captured some, he should 

 now have had very many. They wander over the country at 

 large, and certainly thrive. 



Cotton-bushes are rarely seen along the slave route ; this is 

 not from soil or climate being unsuitable for them, for we 

 passed some specimens which had grown well, and yielded 

 cotton of superior quality, but from the fact that the people 

 can supply their wants by exchanging grain for foreign calico, 

 as the slave-traders pass. Many of these highlanders wear 

 goatskins. Though they have plenty of food, they are not 

 eager sellers. They are accustomed to eager purchasers at 

 a very high rate. 



After leaving Muazi's, we passed over a flat country sparsely 

 covered with the scraggy upland trees, but brightened with 

 many fine flowers. The grass was short, reaching no higher 

 than the knee, and growing in tufts with bare spaces between, 

 though the trees were draped with many various lichens, 

 and showed a moist climate. A high and very sharp wind 

 blew over the flats ; its piercing keenness was not caused by 

 low temperature, for the thermometer stood at 80°. 



We now began to notice a very curious circumstance. 

 Wherever a Manganja village was placed, a Babisa one was 

 sure to appear in the vicinity. The former are the owners 

 of the soil, but the latter did not seem to be considered 

 intruders. Indeed, the uncultivated tracts are so large, that 



