138 LIVINGSTONE'S LAST JOURNALS. [Chap. VI. 



•carry the meat we should have met the marauders, for 

 the men of the second party of villagers had remained 

 behind guarding their village till the Mazitu arrived, and 

 they told us what a near escape I had had from walking 

 into their power. 



25$ October. — Came along northwards to Chimuna's 

 town, a large one of Chipeta with many villages around. 

 Our path led through the forest, and as we emerged into 

 the open strath in which the villages lie, we saw the 

 large anthills, each the size of the end of a one-storied 

 cottage, covered with men on guard watching for the 

 Mazitu. 



A long line of villagers were just arriving from the south, 

 and we could see at some low hills in that direction the smoke 

 arising from the burning settlements. None but men were 

 present, the women and the chief were at the mountain called 

 Painbe ; all were fully armed with their long bows, some flat 

 in the bow, others round, and it was common to have the 

 ■quiver on the back, and a bunch of feathers stuck in the 

 hair like those in our Lancers' shakos. But they remained 

 not to fight, but to watch their homes and stores of grain 

 from robbers amongst their own people in case no Mazitu 

 came ! They gave a good hut, and sent off at once to let 

 the chief at Painbe know of our arrival. We heard the 

 cocks crowing up there in the mountain as we passed in 

 the morning. Chimuna came in the evening, and begged 

 jne to remain a day in his village, Pamaloa, as he was the 

 greatest chief the Chipeta had. I told him all wished the 

 same thing, and if I listened to each chief we should never 

 get on, and the rains were near, but we had to stay over 

 with him. 



26th October. — All the people came down to-day from 

 Pambe, and crowded to see the strangers. They know 

 very little beyond their own affairs, though these require a 

 good deal of knowledge, and Ave should be sorely put about 



