Chap. III. CHITIMBA S VILLAGE. 70 



a lovely prospect. The eye takes in at a glance the valley 

 beneath, and the many windings of its silver stream 

 Makubula, or Kubvula, from the shady hill-side, where it 

 emerges in foaming haste, to where it slowly glides into 

 the tranquil Shire ; then the Shire itself is seen for many 

 a mile above and below Chibisa's, and the great level 

 country beyond, with its numerous green woods; until 

 the prospect, west and north-west, is bounded far away by 

 masses of peaked and dome-shaped blue mountains, that 

 fringe the highlands of the Maravi country. 



After a weary march we halted at Makolongwi, the 

 village of Chitimba. It stands in a woody hollow on the 

 first of the three terraces of the Manganja hills, and, like 

 all other Manganja villages, is surrounded by an impene- 

 trable hedge of poisonous euphorbia. This tree casts a 

 deep shade, which would render it difficult for bowmen to 

 take aim at the villagers inside. The grass does not grow 

 beneath it, and this may be the reason why it is so uni- 

 versally used, for when dry the grass would readily convey 

 fire to the huts inside; moreover, the hedge acts as a 

 fender to all flying sparks. As strangers are wont to do, 

 we sat down under some fine trees near the entrance of 

 the village. A couple of mats, made of split reeds, were 

 spread for the white men to sit on; and the headman 

 brought a seguati, or present, of a small goat and a basket 

 of meal. The full value in beads and cotton cloth was 

 handed to him in return. He measured the cloth, doubled 

 it, and then measured that again. The beads were scru- 

 tinized ; he had never seen beads of that colour before, and 

 should like to consult with his comrades before accepting 

 them, and this, after repeated examinations and much 

 anxious talk, he concluded to do. Meal and peas were then 

 brought for sale. A fathom of blue cotton cloth, a full 

 dress for man or woman, was produced. Our Makololo 

 headman, Sininyane, thinking a part of it was enough for 



