Chap. XVI. AN IDOL— HEAVY RAIN. 193 



The country through which we were passing was the sama 

 succession of forest and open lawns as formerly mentioned, 

 the trees for the most part being evei greens, and of good, 

 though not gigantic, size. The lawns were covered with 

 grass, which in point of thickness looked like an ordinary 

 English hay-crop. "YVe passed two small hamlets surrounded 

 by gardens of maize and manioc, near each of which I 

 observed an ugly idol common in Londa — the figure of an 

 animal resembling an alligator, formed of grass, and plastered 

 over with soft clay, with two cowrie-shells inserted as eyes, 

 and numbers of the bristles from an elephant's tail stuck 

 about the neck. It is called a lion, but bears more resem- 

 blance to an alligator. It stood in a shed, and the Balonda 

 pray and beat drums before it all night in cases of sickness. 



Some of Manenko's followers had quadrangular shields 

 made of reeds, about five feet long and three broad. With 

 these, and short broadswords and sheaves of iron-headed 

 arrows, they appeared rather ferocious; but their constant 

 habit of wearing arms is probably only a substitute for their 

 lack of courage. We always deposited our arms outside a 

 village before entering it, while the Balonda, on visiting us 

 at our encampment, always came fully armed, until we 

 ordered them to lay down their weapons. Next da}' we 

 passed through a piece of forest so dense that it could not be 

 penetrated without an axe. It was flooded by the heavy rains 

 which poured down every day. I observed in this forest, as 

 I had frequently done elsewhere, a very strong smell of 

 sulphuretted hydrogen. I had repeated attacks of intermit- 

 tent fever, in consequence of the drenchings I got in these 

 unhealthy spots. 



On the 11th and 12th we were detained by incessant and 

 violent rains. I had a little tapioca and a small quantity of 

 Libonta meal, which I still reserved for emergencies. The 

 patience of my men under hunger was admirable ; present 

 want is never so painful as the prospect of future starvation. 

 We thought the people of some large hamlets very niggardly 

 and independent, for, though they had large fields of ripe 

 maize, they gave us nothing. Even when Manenko kindly 

 begged some for me, they gave her only five ears. They 

 were subjects of her uncle ; and, had they been Makololo ? 



