Chai\ XXX. GOVERNMENT OF THE BANYAI. 401 



of wild vines grow in this quarter, and indeed everywhere 

 along the banks of the Zambesi. One species, a black grape 

 with large rough leaves yields a fruit of very good flavour ; 

 but the common kinds — one with a round leaf and a greenish 

 grape, and another with a leaf closely resembling that of the 

 cultivated varieties, and with dark or purple fruit — have large 

 seeds, which are strongly astringent and render it disagreeable. 

 The natives eat all the varieties ; and I tasted vinegar made 

 from these grapes. Probably a country which yields the wild 

 vines so very abundantly might be a fit one for the cultivated 

 spscies. At this part of the journey so many of the vines 

 had crossed the footpath that we had to be constantly on the 

 watch to avoid being tripped up. Although the rains were 

 not quite over, great numbers of pools were drying up, and 

 the ground was in many parts covered with small, green, 

 cryptogamous plants, which gave it a mouldy appearance and 

 a strong smell. As we sometimes pushed aside the masses of 

 rank vegetation which hung over our path, we felt a sort of 

 hot blast on our faces. In this region, too, we met with pot- 

 holes, six feet deep and three or four in diameter. In some- 

 cases they form convenient wells ; in others they are full of 

 earth; and in others still, the people have made them into' 

 graves for their chiefs. 



On the 20th we came to Monina's village (close to the sand- 

 river Tangwe, lat. 16° 13' 38" S., long. 32° 32' E.). This man 

 is very popular among the tribes on account of his liberality. 

 The local chiefs in this part of the country have formed a confe- 

 deracy, similar to what we observed in Londa and elsewhere,, 

 under the supremacy of one called Nyatewe, whose office it is 

 to decide all disputes concerning land. The government of 

 the Banyai is a sort of feudal republicanism. The chief is not 

 hereditary but elective, and they choose the nephew of the 

 deceased chief in preference to his own son ; and sometimes 

 even go to a distant tribe for a successor. As soon as the 

 person selected has accepted the office, all the wives, goods, 

 and children of his predecessor belong to him, and he takes 

 care to keep them in a dependent position. If any one ol 

 them, becoming tired of this state of vassalage, sets up his 

 own village, it is not unusual for the elected chief to send a 

 number of his young men to visit the seceder, and, if he does- 



