1867.] ENORMOUS TUSKS. 19.7 



in a little hut at Molemba ; that I was better in the open 

 air ; that huts contained vermin ; and that I did not mean 

 to remain any while here, but go on our way. He pressed 

 us to come to his village, and gave us a goat and kid, with a 

 huge calabashful of beer. I promised to go over and visit 

 him next day ; and went accordingly. 



23rd February. — Moamba's village was a mile off, and 

 on the left bank of the Merenge, a larger stream than the 

 Merungu flowing north and having its banks and oozes 

 covered with fine, tall, straight, evergreen trees. The village 

 is surrounded with a stockade, and a dry ditch some fifteen 

 or twenty feet wide, and as many deep. I had a long talk 

 with Moamba, a big, stout, public-house-looking person, 

 with a slight outward cast in his left eye, but intelligent 

 and hearty. I presented him with a cloth; and he gave 

 me as much maere meal as a man could carry, with a large 

 basket of ground-nuts. He wished us to come to the Merenge, 

 if not into his village, that he might see and talk with me : 

 I also showed him some pictures in Smith's 'Bible Dic- 

 tionary,' which he readily understood, and I spoke to him 

 about the Bible. He asked me " to come next day and tell 

 him about prayer to God," this was a natural desire after 

 being told that we prayed. 



He was very anxious to know why we were going to 

 Tanganyika ; for what we came ; what we should buy there ; 

 and if I had any relations there. He then showed me some 

 fine large tusks, eight feet six in length. " What do you 

 wish to buy, if not slaves or ivory?" I replied, that the 

 only thing I had seen worth buying was a fine fat chief like 

 him, as a specimen, and a woman feeding him, as he had, 

 with beer. He was tickled at this ; and said that when we 

 reached our country, I must put fine clothes on him. This 

 led us to speak of our climate, and the production of wool. 



2±th February. — I went over after service, but late, as 



