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



sheep to boot ; but the owner being unwilling to part with 

 his covering, Kauma tolcl me that he had not sent for his 

 Babisa travellers on account of my boy refusing to deal with 

 him. A little childish this, but otherwise he was very hos- 

 pitable ; he gave me a fine goat, which, unfortunately, my 

 people left behind. 



The chief said that no Arabs ever came his way, nor 

 Portuguese native traders. When advising them to avoid 

 the first attempts to begin the slave-trade, as it would 

 inevitably lead to war and depopulation, Kauma replied 

 that the chiefs had resolved to unite against the Waiyau 

 of Mponde should he come again on a foray up to the- 

 highlands; but they are like a rope of sand, there is no- 

 cohesion among them, and each village is nearly indepen- 

 dent of every other : they mutually distrust each other. 



14th October. — Spent Sunday here. Kauma says that 

 his people are partly Kanthunda and partly Chipeta. The 

 first are the mountaineers, the second dwellers on the plains. 

 The Chipe'ta have many lines of marking : they are all 

 only divisions of the great Manganja tribe, and their 

 dialects differ very slightly from that spoken by the same 

 people on the Shire. The population is very great and very 

 ceremonious. When we meet anyone he turns aside and 

 sits down : we clap the hand on the chest and say, " Re 

 peta — re peta," that is, " we pass," or " let us pass :" this is- 

 responded to at once by a clapping of the hands together. 

 When a person is called at a distance he gives two loud 

 claps of assent ; or if he rises from near a superior he does 

 the same thing, which is a sort of leave-taking. 



We have to ask who are the principal chiefs in the 

 direction which we wish to take, and decide accordingly. 

 Zomba was pointed out as a chief on a range of hills on 

 our west : beyond him lies Undi m'senga. I had to take 

 this route, as my people have a very vivid idea of the 

 danger of going northwards towards the Mazitu. W r e made 



