564 BASHUKULOMPO HAIR DRESSING. Chap. XXVII. 



any white man, but had seen black native traders, who came for 

 ivory, not for slaves. He had heard of white men passing far 

 to the east of him to Cazembe, referring, no doubt, to Pereira, 

 Lacerda, and others, who have visited that chief. 



The streams in this part are not perennial ; I did not 

 observe one suitable for the purpose of irrigation. With the 

 exception of large single trees, or small clumps of ever- 

 greens, there is little wood ; but the abundance of maize and 

 ground-nuts shows that more rain falls here than in the 

 Bechuana country, where they never attempt to raise maize 

 except in damp hollows on the banks of rivers. My own men, 

 who know the land thoroughly, declare that it is all adapted 

 for garden-ground, and that the more tender grains, which 

 require richer soil than the native corn, thrive here. The 

 pasturage is also very fine both for cattle and sheep. 



We were visited by a party of men who dressed their hair 

 after the fashion of the Bashukulompo. A circle of hair at 

 the top of the head, eight inches or more in diameter, is 

 woven into a cone eight or ten inches high, bent in some 

 cases a little forward, so as to bear the appearance of a 

 helmet. In some cases the cone is only four or five inches 

 in diameter at the base. The hair of animals is said to be 

 added, and the sides of the cone are woven like basket-work. 

 The head-man of the party, instead of having his brought to a 

 point, had it prolonged into a wand, which extended a full 

 yard from the crown of his head. The operation of weaving 

 is painful, as the scalp is drawn tightly up ; but they become 

 used to it. Monze presented us on parting with a piece of a 

 buffalo which had been killed the day before by lions. We 

 crossed the rivulet Makoe, which runs westward into the 

 Kafue, and went northwards in order to visit Semalembue, 

 an influential chief there. We slept at the village of Monze's 

 sister, who also passes by the same name. Both he and his 

 sister have a feminine appearance, but are disfigured by the 

 foolish custom of knocking out the upper front teeth. 



December 12th. — The morning presented the appearance of 

 a continuous rain from the north, the first time we had seen 

 it set in from that quarter in such a southern latitude. It 

 cleared up, however, about midday, and Monze's sister con- 

 ducted u» a mile or two upon the road. On parting she 



