250 VISIT TO THE AJAWA. CHAP. IX. 



all deserted : one where we breakfasted two years before, 

 and saw a number of men peacefully weaving cloth, and, 

 among ourselves, called it the " Paisley of the hills," was 

 burnt ; the stores of corn were poured out in cartloads, 

 and scattered all over the plain, and all along the paths, 

 neither conquerors nor conquered having been able to 

 convey it away. About two o'clock we saw the smoke of 

 burning villages, and heard triumphant shouts, mingled 

 with the wail of the Manganja women, lamenting over 

 their slain. The Bishop then engaged us in fervent 

 prayer ; and, on rising from our knees, we saw a long line 

 of Ajawa warriors, with their captives, coming round the 

 hill-side. The first of the returning conquerors were 

 entering their own village below, and we heard women 

 welcoming them back with " lillilooings." The Ajawa 

 headman left the path on seeing us, and stood on an ant- 

 hill to obtain a complete view of our party. We called 

 out that we had come to have an interview with them, but 

 some of the Manganja who followed us shouted " Our 

 Chibisa is come : " Chibisa being well known as a great 

 conjurer and general. The Ajawa ran off yelling and 

 screaming, " Nkondo ! Nkondo ! " (War ! War !) We heard 

 the words of the Manganja, but they did not strike us at 

 the moment as neutralizing all our assertions of peace. 

 The captives threw down their loads on the path, and fled 

 to the hills : and a large body of armed men came running 

 up from the village, and in a few seconds they were all 

 around us, though mostly concealed by the projecting 

 rocks and long grass. In vain we protested that we had 

 not come to fight, but to talk with them. They would 

 not listen, having, as we remembered afterwards, good 

 reason, in the cry of " Our Chibisa.", Flushed with recent 

 victory over three villages, and confident of an easy 

 triumph over a mere handful of men, they began to shoot 

 their poisoned arrows, sending them with great force 



