1867.] BEAD CURRENCY. MUSHROOMS. 181 



variety; and the "Moiompio" = "new heart," a large pale 

 blue bead, is a favourite amongst the Wabisa ; but by far the 

 most valuable of all is a small white oblong bead, which, 

 when strung, looks like the joints of the cane root, from 

 which it takes its name, " Salani " = cane. Susi says that 

 1 lb. weight of these beads would buy a tusk of ivory, at 

 the south end of Tanganyika, so big that a strong man 

 could not carry it more than two hours.] 



25^ January. — Eemain and get our maere ground into 

 flour. Moaba has cattle, sheep, and goats. The other side 

 of the Chambeze has everything in still greater abundance ; 

 so we may recover our lost flesh. There are buffaloes in 

 this quarter, but we have not got a glimpse of any. If 

 game was to be had, I should have hunted ; but the hopo 

 way of hunting prevails, and we pass miles of hedges by 

 which many animals must have perished. In passing- 

 through the forests it is surprising to see none but old 

 footsteps of the game ; but the hopo destruction accounts 

 for its absence. When the hedges are burned, then the 

 manured space is planted with pumpkins and calabashes. 



I observed at Chibanda's a few green mushrooms, which, 

 on being peeled, showed a pink, fleshy inside ; they are 

 called " chisimba ;" and only one or two are put into the 

 mortar, in which the women pound the other kinds, to give 

 relish, it was said, to the mass : I could not ascertain what 

 properties chisimba had when taken alone ; but mushroom 

 diet, in our experience, is good only for producing dreams 

 of the roast beef of bygone days. The saliva runs from 

 the mouth in these dreams, and the pillow is wet with it 

 in the mornings. 



These Babisa are full of suspicion ; everything has to be 

 paid for accordingly in advance, and we found that giving a 

 present to a chief is only putting it in his power to cheat 

 us out of a supper. They give nothing to each other for 



