284 THE AMBONDA. Chap. XJCI. 



supposed she poisoned, but she lost nearly all her army in 

 a great battle fought with the. Portuguese in 1627. She 

 returned to the church after a long period of apostacy, and 

 died in extreme old age ; and the Jmga still live as an inde- 

 pendent people to the north of this their ancient country. 



In former times the Portuguese imagined this place to be 

 particularly unhealthy, and banishment to the black rocks of 

 Pungo Andongo was thought by their judges to be a much 

 severer sentence than transportation to any part of the coast ; 

 it turns out, however, to be the most healthy part of Angola. 

 The Avater is remarkably pure, the soil light, and the country 

 open and undulating, with a general slope down towards the 

 river Coanza, a few miles distant. That river is the southern 

 (57) boundary of the Portuguese, and be}^ond it, to the S. and 

 S.W., we see the high mountains of the Libollo, while on 

 the S.E. we have a mountainous country, inhabited by the 

 Kimbonda or Ambonda, a brave and independent people, but 

 hospitable and fair in their dealings. They are rich in cattle, 

 and their country produces much bees'-wax, which is carefully 

 collected, and brought to the Portuguese, with whom they 

 have always been on good terms. The Ako (Haco), a branch 

 of this family, who inhabit the left bank of the Coanza above 

 this village, instead of selling slaves as formerly, occasionally 

 purchase them from the Portuguese. The Libollo on the S. 

 have not so good a character, but the Coanza is always deep 

 enough to form a line of defence. 



I remained with Colonel Pires for about a fortnight, 

 occupied in rewriting my journal, which had unfortunately 

 been lost along with my despatches and maps in the mail 

 packet, "Forerunner." Colonel Pires having another estab- 

 lishment on the banks of the Coanza, about six miles distant, 

 I occasionally visited it with him for the purpose of recreation. 

 The difference of temperature caused by the lower altitude 

 was seen in the cashew-trees, which were ripening their fruit 

 at the lower station, while near the rocks they were but just 

 coming into flower. Cocoa-nut trees and bananas bear well 

 at the lower station, but yield little or no fruit at the upper. 

 The difference indicated by the thermometer was 7°. The 

 general range near the rocks was 67° at 7 a.m., 74° at midday, 

 and 72° in the evening. 



