TEE ZAMBESI VALLEY. Ill 



thus described : — " It was pleasant to look back along the long extended line 

 of our attendants, as it twisted and bent according to the course of the foot- 

 path, or in and out behind the mounds, the ostrich feathers of the men waving 

 in the wind. Some had the white ends of ox-tails on their heads, hussar 

 fashion, and others great bunches of black ostrich feathers, or capes made of 

 lions' manes. Some wore red tunics, or various coloured prints, which the 

 chief had bought from Fleming ; the common men carried burdens ; the 

 gentlemen walked with a small club of rhinoceros horn in their hands, and 

 had servants to carry their shields ; while the machaka — battle-axe men — 

 carried their own, and were liable at any time to be sent off a hundred miles 

 on an errand, and expected to run all the way." Sekeletu was closely ac- 

 companied in marching by his own mopato, or body-guard of young men about 

 his own age, who were selected for the personal attendance and defence of the 

 chief, and seated themselves round him when they encamped. 



The Makololo were rich in cattle, and the chief had numerous cattle stations 

 all over the country. In journeying, as on this occasion, his attendants were 

 fed by the chief, an ox or two being selected from his own herds, if there were 

 any in the neighbourhood ; if not the headman of the nearest village presented 

 one or two for the purpose. The people of the villages presented the party 

 on their arrival with draughts of the beer of the country and milk. As elands, 

 antelopes, and other kinds of game were frequently met within the plains bet ween 

 Linyanti and the Leeambye they never wanted for food. The party struck 

 the Leeambye at a village considerably above Sesheke, where it is about six 

 hundred yards broad. After crossing to the north side of the river several 

 days were spent in collecting canoes. During this interval Livingstone took 

 the opportunity of going in pursuit of game to support the party, and to ex- 

 amine the adjacent country. The country is flat, diversified with small tree- 

 covered mounds, which are too high to be covered by the floods during the 

 rainy season. The soil on the flat parts is a rich loam, and this and the 

 abundant floods during the rainy season enable the natives to raise large 

 supplies of grain and ground-nuts. Vast numbers of a small antelope, about 

 eighteen inches high, new to naturalists, named the tian-yane, are found on 

 these plains, together with many of the larger antelopes, including a new or 

 striped variety of the eland ; buffaloes and zebras were found on the plains, 

 so that there was no difficulty in the way of providing for so large a party. 



. This journey was undertaken by Livingstone and Sekeletu with the object 

 of finding a healthy spot for establishing the head-quarters of the Makololo 

 within friendly or defensible territory. The low-lying and swampy districts 

 they had been compelled for purposes of safety from their numerous enemies 

 to occupy, was exercising a fatal influence on the physique and the increase 

 of the tribe. Fevers and other diseases incidental to marshy districts were 

 common. Livingstone himself had suffered severely from an attack of fever, 



