118 LIVINGSTONE'S LAST JOURNALS. [Chap. V. 



advice which I gave him the last time I saw him, and not 

 selling his people, that his village is now three times its 

 former size. He has another village besides, and he was 

 desirous that I should see that too ; that was the reason 

 he invited me to come, but the people would come and 

 visit me. 



2nd October. — Kimsusa made his appearance early with a 

 huge basket of beer, 18 inches high and 15 inches in diameter. 

 He served it out for a time, taking deep draughts himself, 

 becoming extremely loquacious in consequence. He took 

 us to a dense thicket behind his town, among numbers of 

 lofty trees, many of which I have seen nowhere else ; that 

 under which we sat bears a fruit in clusters, which is eat- 

 able, and called " Mbedwa." A space had been cleared, 

 and we were taken to this shady spot as the one in which 

 business of importance and secrecy is transacted. Another 

 enormous basket of beer was brought here by his wives, but 

 there was little need for it, for Kimsusa talked incessantly, 

 and no business was done. 



. 3rd October. — The chief came early, and sober. I rallied 

 him on his previous loquacity, and said one ought to find 

 time in the morning if business was to be done : he took 

 it in good part, and one of his wives joined in bantering 

 him. She is the wife and the mother of the sons in whom 

 he delights, and who will succeed him. I proposed to him 

 to send men with me to the Babisa country, and I would 

 pay them there, where they could buy ivory for him with 

 the pay, and, bringing it back, he would be able to purchase 

 clothing without selling his people. He says that his 

 people would not bring the pay or anything else back. 

 When he sends to purchase ivory he gives the price to 

 Arabs or Babisa, and they buy for him and conduct his 

 business honestly ; but his people, the Manganja, cannot be 

 trusted : this shows a remarkable state of distrust, and, 

 from previous information, it is probably true. 



