Chap. VIII. wild, hilly country. 221 



thorny acacias, of great size and beautiful forms. As we 

 sailed by several villages without touching, the people 

 became alarmed, and ran along the banks, spears in hand. 

 We employed one to go forward and tell Mpande of our 

 coming. This allayed their fears, and we went ashore, 

 and took breakfast near the large island with two villages 

 on it, opposite the mouth of the Zungwe, where we had 

 left the Zambesi on our way up. Mpande was sorry that 

 he had no canoes of his own to sell, but he would lend us 

 two. He gave us cooked pumpkins and a water-melon. 

 His servant had lateral curvature of the spine. We have 

 often seen cases of humpback, but this was the only case 

 of this kind of curvature we had met with. Mpande 

 accompanied us himself in his own vessel, till we had 

 an opportunity of purchasing a fine large canoe else- 

 where. We paid what was considered a large price for it : 

 twelve strings of blue cut glass neck beads, an equal 

 number of large blue ones of the size of marbles, and two 

 yards of grey calico. Had the beads been coarser, they 

 would have been more valued, because such were in 

 fashion. Before concluding the bargain the owner said 

 " his bowels yearned for his canoe, and we must give a 

 little more to stop their yearning." This was irresistible. 

 The trading party of Sequasha, which we now met, had 

 purchased ten large new canoes for six strings of cheap 

 coarse white beads each, or their equivalent, four yards of 

 calico, and had bought for the merest trifle ivory enough 

 to load them all. They were driving a trade in slaves 

 also, which was something new in this part of Africa, and 

 likely soon to change the character of the inhabitants. 

 These men had been living in clover, and were uncom- 

 monly fat and plump. When sent to trade, slaves wisely 

 never stint themselves of beer or anything else, which 

 their master's goods can buy. 



The temperature of the Zambesi had increased 10° 



