566 CIVILITIES OF THE WOMEN. Chap. XXVII. 



the Lesungwe at this very time, headed by a "white Portu- 

 guese — probably one of the convict soldiers of the Governor. 

 Guinea-fowl abounded, but no grain could be purchased, 

 for the people had cultivated only the holmes along the 

 banks with maize and pumpkins. Time enough had not 

 elajDsed since the slave-trader's invasion, and destruction of 

 their stores, for them to raise crops of grain on the adjacent 

 lands. To deal with them for a few heads of maize was the 

 hungry bargaining with the famished, so we hastened on 

 southwards as fast as the excessive heat would allow us. 

 It was impossible to march in the middle of the day, 

 the heat was so intolerable ; and we could not go on at 

 night, because, if we had chanced to meet any of the 

 inhabitants, we should have been taken for marauders. In 

 making a detour one day in search of buffaloes or guinea- 

 fowls, in company with Masego, we came upon some women 

 working in their maize-gardens. They drew water for us, 

 and spoke to us cheerily as we sat under a tree. One of their 

 husbands soon came running up in alarm, and made a great 

 demonstration of fighting. It was amusing to notice the 

 effect of Masego' s quiet chaff on our pugnacious visitor, 

 who took up a defensible position on a slope some fifty 

 yards off while we rested in the shade. "The women," 

 said Masego, "had understood our civil petition for water 

 perfectly ; they showed no fear of peaceable men ; we 

 asked water from them because we had no vessel to 

 draw with and they had; but if he insisted on fighting, 

 he had better call all his friends and come on; it was 

 daylight, and all would see who was the coward, and who 

 was not." The arrow was first taken from the bow-string and 

 put alongside the bow, then it was placed in the quiver, and, 

 though he continued talking and justifying his alarm, he 

 listened, sat down, followed us at a distance, and, uninvited, 



