1SGG.] TWO WAIYAU RECEDITS ENLIST. 155 



3rd December, 1SG6. — March through a hilly country 

 covered with dwarf forest to Kande's village, still on the 

 Lokuzhwa. We made some westing. The village was sur- 

 rounded by a dense hedge of bamboo and a species of bushy 

 fig that loves edges of water-bearing streams : it is not 

 found where the moisture is not perennial. Kande is a fine 

 tall smith ; I asked him if he knew his antecedents ; he 

 said he had been bought by Babisa at Chipeta, and left 

 at Chilunda's, and therefore belonged to no one. Two 

 Waiyau now volunteered to go on with us, and as they 

 declared their masters were killed by the Mazitu, and 

 Kande seemed to confirm them, we let them join. In 

 general, runaway slaves are bad characters, but these two 

 seem good men, and we want them to fill up our com- 

 plement : another volunteer we employ as goatherd. 



A continuous tap-tapping in the villages shows that bark 

 cloth is being made. The bark, on being removed from the 

 tree, is steeped in water, or in a black 

 muddy hole, till the outer of the two 

 inner barks can be separated, then com- 

 mences the tapping with a mallet to 

 separate and soften the fibres. The head 

 of this is often of ebony, with the face 

 cut into small furrows, which, without breaking, separate 

 and soften the fibres. 



Ath December. — Marched westwards, over a hilly, dwarf 

 forest-covered country: as we advanced, trees increased 

 in size, but no people inhabited it; we spent a miserable 

 night at Katette, wetted by a heavy thunder-shower, which 

 lasted a good while. Morning (5th December) muggy, 

 clouded all over, and rolling thunder in distance. Went 

 three hours with, for a wonder, no water, but made westing- 

 chiefly, and got on to the Lokuzhwa again : all the people 

 are collected on it. 



Gth December. — Too ill to march. 



