1866.] THE BOKONTO TREE. KULU ABSCONDS. 127 



said to bear eatable fruit. Many fine flowers were just 

 bursting into full blossom. After about four hours' march 

 we put up at Chitimba, the village of Kangomba, and were 

 introduced by Kawa, who came all the way for the purpose. 

 11th October. — A very cold morning, with a great bank 

 of black clouds in the east, whence the wind came. Therm. 

 59° ; in hut 69°. The huts are built very well. The roof, 

 with the lower part plastered, is formed so as not to admit a 

 ray of light, and the only visible mode of ingress for it is 

 by the door. This case shows that winter is cold : on pro- 

 posing to start, breakfast was not ready : then a plan was 

 formed to keep me another day at a village close by, be- 

 longing to one Kulu, a man of Kauma, to whom we go next. 

 It was effectual, and here we 

 are detained another day. A 

 curiously cut-out stool is in 

 my hut, made by the Mkwisa, 

 who are south-west of this : 

 it is of one block, but hol- 

 lowed out, and all the spaces 



x Curiously cut-out Stool made of one block of 



indicated are hollow too : wood hollowed out. 



about 1\ feet long by 1J foot high. 



12th October. — We march westerly, with a good deal 

 of southing. Kulu gave us a goat, and cooked liberally for 

 us all. He set off with us as if to go to Kauma's in our 

 company, but after we had gone a couple of miles he slipped 

 behind, and ran away. Some are naturally mean, and some 

 naturally noble : the mean cannot help showing their 

 nature, nor can the noble ; but the noble-hearted must enjoy 

 life most. Kulu got a cloth, and he gave us at least its 

 value ; but he thought he had got more than he gave, and 

 so by running away that he had done us nicely, without 

 troubling himself to go and introduce us to Kauma. I 

 usually request a headman of a village to go with us. 

 They give a good report of us, if for no other reason 



