1866.] COURSE OF THE RIVER LOANGWA. 166 



seemed out of spirits. Near sunset we encamped by water 

 on the cool height, and made our shelters with boughs of 

 leafy trees ; mine was rendered perfect by Dr. Stenhouse's in- 

 valuable patent cloth, which is very superior to mackintosh : 

 indeed the india-rubber cloth is not to be named in the 

 same day with it. 



28th December. — Three men, going to hunt bees, came 

 to us as we were starting and assured us that Moerwa's 

 was near. The first party had told us the same thing, and 

 so often have we gone long distances as "pafiqn" (near), 

 when in reality they were " jpatari " (far), that we begin to 

 think pafupi means " I wish you to go there," and patarl 

 the reverse. In this case near meant an hour and three- 

 quarters from our sleeping-place to Moerwa's ! 



When we look back from the height to which we have 

 ascended we see a great plain clothed with dark green 

 forest except at the line of yellowish grass, where probably 

 the Loangwa flows. On the east and south-east this plain is 

 bounded at the extreme range of our vision by a wall of dim 

 blue mountains forty or fifty miles off. The Loangwa is 

 said to rise in the Chibale country due north of this 

 Malambwe (in which district Moerwa's village is situated), 

 and to flow S.E., then round to where Ave found it. 



Moerwa came to visit me in my hut, a rather stupid man, 

 though he has a well-shaped and well-developed forehead, 

 and tried the usual little arts of getting us to buy all we 

 need here though the prices are exorbitant. " No people in 

 front, great hunger there." " We must buy food here and 

 carry it to support us." On asking the names of the next 

 headman he would not inform me, till I told him to try and 

 speak like a man ; he then told us that the first Lobeniba 

 chief was Motuna, and the next Chafunga. We have 

 nothing, as we saw no animals in our way hither, and 

 hunger is ill to bear. By giving Moerwa a good large 

 cloth he was induced to cook a mess of inaere or millet 

 ami elephant's stomach ; it was so good to get a full meal 



