•_'42 THE BASHINJE. Chap. XIX. 



girdles all through Londa, that we cut up every skin into 

 strips about two inches broad, and sold them for meal and 

 manioc as we went along. As we came nearer Angola we 

 found them of less value, as the people there possessed cattle 

 themselves. 



The village on the Kweelo, at which we spent Sunday, was 

 that of a civil, lively old man, called Sakandala, who offered 

 no objections to our progress. We found we should soon 

 enter on the territory of the Bashinje (the Chinge of the 

 Portuguese), who are mixed with another tribe named 

 Bangala. Bains and fever, as usual, helped to impede our 

 progress until we struck the path leading from Cassange and 

 Bihe to Matiamvo. This was a well-beaten track, and soon 

 after entering upon it we met a party of half-caste traders 

 from Bihe, who confirmed the information we had already got 

 of its leading straight to Cassange. They kindly presented 

 my men with some tobacco, and marvelled greatly when they 

 found that I had never learnt to smoke. On parting with 

 them Ave came to a half-caste trader's grave, marked by a 

 huge cone of sticks arranged like the roof of a hut, with a 

 palisade around it. At an opening on the western side an 

 ugly idol was placed; and several strings of beads and bits of 

 cloth were hung around. 



The Bashinje, in whose country we now were, seem to 

 possess more of the low negro physiognomy than either the 

 Bal< aula or Basongo ; they have generally dirty black com- 

 plexions, low foreheads, flat noses, and thick lips. They 

 enlarge the nostrils by inserting bits of stick or reed; and 

 they have the custom, to which we have previously adverted, 

 of filing the teeth to a point. They cultivate the ground 

 extensively, and rely upon their agricultural products for 

 their supplies of salt, flesh, tobacco, &c, which they get from 

 the Bangalas. Their clothing consists of pieces of skin, hung 

 loosely from the girdle in front and behind. They plait their 

 hair fastastically : some women had their hair woven into the 

 form of a hat, and it was only by a closer inspection that its 

 nature was detected. Others had it arranged in tufts, with 

 a threefold cord along the ridge of each tuft ; while others, 

 again, following the ancient Egyptian fashion, had the whole 

 mass plaited intc cords which hung down to the shoulders. 



