114 SANDIA. Chap. IV. 



only two small hamlets during the day. Except the noise 

 our men made on the march, everything was still around 

 us : few birds were seen. The appearance of a whydah- 

 bird showed that he had not yet parted with his fine long 

 plumes. We passed immense quantities of ebony and 

 lignum- vitse, and the tree from whose smooth and bitter 

 bark granaries are made for corn. The country generally 

 is clothed with a forest of ordinary-sized trees. We slept 

 in the little village near Sindabwe, where our men con- 

 trived to purchase plenty of beer, and were uncommonly 

 boisterous all the evening. We breakfasted next morn- 

 ing under green wild date-palms, beside the fine flowery 

 stream, which runs through the charming valley of Zibah. 

 We now had Mount Chiperiziwa between us, and part of 

 the river near Morumbwa, having in fact come north about 

 in order to avoid the difficulties of our former path. The 

 last of the deserters, a reputed thief, took French leave 

 of us here. He left the bundle of cloth he was carrying 

 in the path a hundred yards in front of where we halted, 

 but made off with the musket and most of the brass rings 

 and beads of his comrade Shirimba, who had unsuspectingly 

 intrusted them to his care. 



Proceeding S. W. up this lovely valley, in about an 

 hour's time we reached Sandia's village. The chief was 

 said to be absent hunting, and they did not know when 

 he would return. This is such a common answer to the 

 inquiry after a headman, that one is inclined to think 

 that it only means that they wish to know the stranger's 

 object before exposing their superior to danger. As some 

 of our men were ill, a halt was made here. 



As we were unable to march next morning, six of our 

 young men, anxious to try their muskets, went off to 

 hunt elephants. For several hours they saw nothing, and 

 some of them, getting tired, proposed to go to a village 

 and buy food. " No ! " said Mantlanyane, " we came to 



