Chap. I. MANGOES COFFEE. 31 



his hair cut, he is careful to burn it, or bury it secretly, 

 lest, falling into the hands of one who has an evil eye, or 

 is a witch, it should be used as a charm to afflict him with 

 headache. They believe, too, that they will live after the 

 death of the body, but do not know anything of the state 

 of the Barimo (gods, or departed spirits). 



The mango-tree grows luxuriantly above Lupata, and 

 furnishes a grateful shade. Its delicious fruit is superior 

 to that on the coast. For weeks the natives who have 

 charge of the mangoes live entirely on the fruit, and, as 

 some trees bear in November and some in March, while 

 the main crop comes between, fruit in abundance may 

 easily be obtained during four months of the year ; but no 

 native can be induced to plant a mango. A wide-spread 

 superstition has become riveted in the native mind, that if 

 any one plants this tree he will soon die. The Makololo, 

 like other natives, were very fond of the fruit ; but when 

 told to take up some mango-stones, on their return, and 

 plant them in their own country — they too having become 

 deeply imbued with the belief that it was a suicidal act to 

 do so — replied " they did not wish to die too soon." There 

 is also a superstition even among the native Portuguese of 

 Tette, that if a man plants coffee he will never afterwards 

 be happy : they drink it, however, and seem the happier 

 for it. 



The Portuguese of Tette have many slaves, with all 

 the usual vices of their class, as theft, lying,, and impurity. 

 As a general rule the real Portuguese are tolerably humane 

 masters and rarely treat a slave cruelly ; this may be due 

 as much to natural kindness of heart as to a fear of losing 

 the slaves by their running away. When they purchase 

 an adult slave they buy at the same time, if possible, all 

 his relations along with him. They thus contrive to 

 secure him to his new home by domestic ties. Punning 

 away then would be to forsake all who hold a place in his 



