1870.] SEEIOUS REFLECTIONS. 



They live in communities of about ten, each having his 

 own female ; an intruder from another camp is beaten off 

 with their fists and loud yells. If one tries to seize the 

 female of another, he is caught on the ground, and all unite 

 in boxing and biting the offender. A male often carries a 

 child, especially if they are passing from one patch of forest 

 to another over a grassy space; he then gives it to the 

 mother. 



I now spoke with my friend Mohamad, and he offered to 

 go with me to see Lualaba from Luamo, but I explained 

 that merely to see and measure its depth would not do, I 

 must see whither it went. This would require a number of 

 his people in lieu of my deserters, and to take them away 

 from his ivory trade, which at present is like gold digging, I 

 must make amends, and I offered him 2000 rupees, and a 

 gun worth 700 rupees, E. 2700 in all, or 270?. He agreed, 

 and should he enable me to finish up my work in one trip 

 down Lualaba, and round to Lualaba West, it would be a 

 great favour. 



[How severely he felt the effects of the terrible illnesses 

 of the last two years may be imagined by some few words 

 here, and it must ever be regretted that the conviction 

 which he speaks of was not acted up to.] 



The severe pneumonia in Marunga, the choleraic com- 

 plaint in Manyuema, and now irritable ulcers warn me to 

 retire while life lasts. Mohamad's people went north, and 

 «ast, and west, from Kasonga's : sixteen marches north, ten 

 ditto west, and four ditto E. and S.E. The average march 

 was 6£ hours, say 12', about 200' N. and W., lat. of Kasongo, 

 say 4° south. They may have reached 1°, 2° S. They were 

 now in the Balegge country, and turned. It was all dense 

 forest, they never saw the sun except when at a village, and 

 then the villages were too far apart. The people were very 

 fond of sheep, which they call ngombe, or ox, and tusks are 



