Thap. XIX. OPPORTUNE AID. 247 



himself to onr encampment and renewed his demand. My 

 men stripped off the last of their copper rings and gave them ; 

 but he was still intent on a man, imagining, as others did, that 

 my men were slaves. He was a young man, with his woolly 

 hair gathered up at the back of his head into a cone about 

 eight inches in diameter at the base, and elaborately swathed 

 round with red and black thread. As 1 declined giving up 

 my blanket until we were placed on the western bank, he 

 continued to worry us with his demands till I was tired. My 

 little tent was now in tatters, and, having a wider hole behind 

 than the door in front, I tried in vain to evade my persecutors. 

 As we were on a reedy flat, we could not follow our usual 

 plan of a small stockade, in which we might concoct our 

 plans. I was trying to persuade my men to move on to the 

 bank in spite of these people, when a young half-caste 

 Portuguese sergeant of militia, Cypriano di Abreu, who had 

 come across the Quango in search of bees'-wax, made his 

 appearance, and gave the same advice. When we moved 

 off, the chief's people opened a fire from our sheds, and 

 continued to blaze away some time in the direction we were 

 going, without effecting any damage. They probably expected 

 that this evidence of abundant ammunition would make us 

 run; but when we continued a steady advance to the ford, 

 they proceeded no farther than our sleeping-place. Cypriano 

 assisted us in making satisfactory arrangements with the 

 ferrymen ; and as soon as we reached the opposite bank we 

 were in the territory of the Bangala, who are subjects of the 

 Portuguese, and are otherwise known as the Cassanges or 

 Cassantse ; and happily all our difficulties with the border 

 tribes were at an end. 



Passing briskly through the high grass for about three 

 miles west of the river, we arrived at some neat houses, 

 guarded by cleanly-looking half-caste Portuguese, forming a 

 detachment of militia, who were stationed here under the 

 command of our friend Cypriano. The Bangala were very 

 troublesome to the Portuguese traders, and at last proceeded 

 so far as to kill one of them ; upon which the government of 

 Angola sent an expedition against them, and reduced them 

 to a state of vassalage. The militia are quartered amongst 

 them, and support themselves by trade and agriculture, no 



