Chap. III. CHIBISA'S LOST CHILD. 73 



opposite the perpendicular bluff on which Chibisa's village 

 stands ; he had gone, with most of his people, to live near 

 the Zambesi, but his headman was civil, and promised us 

 guides and whatever else we needed. A few of the men 

 were busy cleaning, sorting, spinning, and weaving 

 cotton. This is a common sight in nearly every village, 

 and each family appears to have its patch of cotton, as our 

 own ancestors in Scotland had each his patch of flax. 

 Near sunset an immense flock of the large species of horn- 

 bill (Buceros cristatus) came here to roost on the great 

 trees which skirt the edge of the cliff. They leave early 

 in the morning, often before sunrise, for their feeding- 

 places, coming and going in pairs. They are evidently of 

 a loving disposition, and strongly attached to each other, 

 the male always nestling close beside his mate. A fine 

 male fell to the ground, from fear, at the report of Dr. 

 Kirk's gun ; it was caught and kept on board ; the female 

 did not go off in the mornings to feed with the others, 

 but flew round the ship, anxiously trying, by her plain- 

 tive calls, to induce her beloved one to follow her: she 

 came again in the evenings to repeat the invitations. 

 The poor disconsolate captive soon refused to eat, and in 

 five days died of grief, because he could not have her 

 company. No internal injury could be detected after 

 death. 



Ghibisa and his wife, with a natural show of parental 

 feeling, had told the Doctor, on his previous visit, that a 

 few years before some of Chisaka's men had kidnapped 

 and sold their little daughter, and that she was now a 

 slave to the padre at Tette. On his return to Tette, the 

 Doctor tried hard to ransom and restore the girl to her 

 parents, and offered twice the value of a slave ; the padre 

 seemed willing, but she could not be found. This padre 

 was better than the average men of the country ; and, 

 being always civil and obliging, would probably have 



