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CHAPTER X. 



Grand reception of the traveller. Casembe and his wife. Long stay in 

 the town. Goes to explore Moero. Despatch to Lord Clarendon, with 

 notes on recent travels. Illness at the end of 1867. Further explora- 

 tion of Lake Moero. Flooded plains. The Eiver Luao. Visits Kab- 

 wawata. Joy of Arabs at Mohamad bin Saleh's freedom. Again ill 

 with fever. Stories of underground dwellings. 



2-ith November, 1867. — We were called to be presented to 

 Casernbe in a grand reception. 



The present Casenibe lias a' heavy uninteresting coun- 

 tenance, without beard or whiskers, and somewhat of the 

 Chinese type, and his eyes have an outward squint. He 

 smiled but once during the day, and that was pleasant enough, 

 though the cropped ears and lopped hands, with human 

 skulls at the gate, made me indisposed to look on anything 

 with favour. His principal wife came with her attendants, 

 after he had departed, to look at the Englishman (Moenge- 

 rese). She was a fine, tall, good-featured lady, with two 

 spears in her hand ; the principal men who had come 

 around made way for her, and called on me to salute : I did 

 so ; but she, being forty yards off, I involuntarily beckoned 

 her to come nearer : this upset the gravity of all her 

 attendants ; all burst into a laugh, and ran off. 



Casembe's smile was elicited by the dwarf making some 

 uncouth antics before him. His executioner also came 

 forward to look : he had a broad Lunda sword on his arm, 

 and a curious scizzor-like instrument at his neck for crop- 



