1868.] CROSSES THE LUAO. KABWABWATA. 271 



many holes in it muck deeper : we had four hours of this, 

 and then came to the ford of the Luao itself. We waded 

 up a branch of it waist deep for at least a quarter of a mile, 

 then crossed a narrow part by means of a rude bridge of 

 branches and trees, of about forty yards width. The Luao, 

 in spreading over the plains, confers benefits on the in- 

 habitants, though I could not help concluding it imparts 

 disease too, for the black mud in places smells horribly. 

 Great numbers of Siluridae, chiefly Clarices Capensis, often 

 three feet in length, spread over the flooded portions of 

 the country, eating the young of other fishes, and insects, 

 lizards, and worms, killed by the waters. The people 

 make weirs for them, and as the waters retire kill large 

 numbers, which they use as a relish to their farinaceous 

 food. 



16th January. — After sleeping near the Luao we went on 

 towards the village, in which Mohamad's son lives. It is on 

 the Kakoma Biver, and is called Kabwabwata, the village of 

 Mubao. In many of the villages the people shut their 

 stockades as soon as we appear, and stand bows and arrows 

 in hand till we have passed : the reason seems to be that 

 the slaves when out of sight of their masters carry things 

 with a high hand, demanding food and other things as if 

 they had power and authority. One slave stole two tobacco 

 pipes yesterday in passing through a village ; the villagers 

 complained to me when I came up, and I waited till Mo- 

 hamad came and told him ; we then went forward, the men 

 keeping close to me till we got the slave and the pipes. 

 They stole cassava as we went along, but this could scarcely 

 be prevented. They laid hold of a plant an inch-and-a-half 

 thick, and tore it out of the soft soil with its five or six 

 roots as large as our largest carrots, stowed the roots away 

 in their loads, and went on eating them ; but the stalk 

 thrown among those still growing shows the theft. The 

 raw roots are agreeable and nutritious. Ko great harm 



