Chap. III. MUAVE" ORDEAL. 87 



so refreshing to our dark comrades, was brought to us in 

 nearly every village. Beer-drinking does not appear to 

 produce any disease, or to shorten life on the hills. Never 

 before did we see so many old, grey-headed men and 

 women; leaning on their staves they came with the 

 others to see the white men. The aged chief, Muata 

 Manga, could hardly have been less than ninety years of 

 age ; his venerable appearance struck the Makololo. " He 

 is an old man," said they, " a very old man ; his skin 

 hangs in wrinkles, just like that on elephants' hips." 

 ' Did you never," he was asked, " have a fit of travelling 

 come over you ; a desire to see other lands and people ? " 

 No, he had never felt that, and had never been far from 

 home in his life. For long life they are not indebted to 

 frequent ablutions. An old man told us that he remem- 

 bered to have washed once in his life, but it was so long 

 since that he had forgotten how it felt. " Why do you 

 wash? " asked Chinsunse's women of the Makololo ; " our 

 men never do." 



The superstitious ordeal, by drinking the poisonous 

 muave, obtains credit here ; and when a person is sus- 

 pected of crime, this ordeal is resorted to. If the stomach 

 rejects the poison, the accused is pronounced innocent; but 

 if it is retained, guilt is believed to be demonstrated. 

 Their faith is so firm in its discriminating power, that the 

 supposed criminal offers of his own accord to drink it, and 

 even chiefs are not exempted. Chibisa, relying on its 

 efficacy, drank it several times, in order to vindicate his 

 character. When asserting that all his wars had been 

 just, it was hinted that, as every chief had the same tale 

 of innocence to tell, we ought to suspend our judgment. 

 " If you doubt my word," said he, " give me the muave to 

 drink." A chief at the foot of Mount Zomba successfully 

 went through the ordeal the day we reached his village ; 

 and his paople manifested their joy at his deliverance by 



