ON TEE LEE A MB TE. 119 



lawful chief Sekeletu, but his rival transported the slave-trading party across 

 the Leeambye river, and gave them full permission to deal in all the Batoka and 

 Bashukulompo villages to the East of it. A stockade was erected at Katongo, 

 and a flag-staff for the Portuguese banner planted, and in return for numerous 

 presents of ivory and cattle, that really belonged to Sekeletu, ihe pretender 

 received a small cannon. Elated with what he considered, success, he came 

 down here with the intention of murdering Sekeletu himself, having no doubt 

 but that, after effecting this, he should, by the aid of his allies, easily reduce 

 the whole tribe." 



The circumstances connected with the failure of the conspiracy have 

 already been related, and need not be repeated. 



"Another Portuguese slave-merchant came also from the West. He 

 remained here only three days, and finding no market, departed. A large 

 party of Mambari was encamped by Katongo, about the time of our arrival 

 at Linyanti. No slaves were sold to them; and when they heard that I 

 had actually crossed the Chobe, they fled precipitately. The Makololo 

 remonstrated, saying I would do them no harm, but the Mambari asserted 

 that I would take all their goods from them because they bought children. 

 The merchant I first spoke of had probably no idea of the risk he ran in 

 listening to the tale of a disaffected under chief. He was now in his stockade 

 at Katongo, and influential men proposed to expel both him and the Mambari 

 from the country. Dreading the results which might follow a commencement 

 of hostilities, I mentioned the difficulty of attacking a stockade, which could 

 be defended by perhaps forty muskets. ' Hunger is strong enough,' said an 

 under chief — ' a very great fellow is he.' As the chief sufferers in the event 

 of an attack would be the poor slaves chained in gangs, I interceded for 

 them, and as the result of that intercession, of which of course they are 

 ignorant, the whole party will be permitted to depart in peace : but no 

 stockading will be allowed again. 



" Our company, which consisted of 160 men, our fleet of 33 canoes, 

 proceeded rapidly up the river towards the Barotse. I had the choice of all 

 the canoes, and the best was 34 feet long and 20 inches wide. With six 

 paddlers we passed through 44 miles of latitude, by one day's pull of 10^ 

 hours : if we add the longitude to this, it must have been upwards of 50 miles' 

 actual distance. The river is indeed a magnificent one. It is often more than 

 a mile broad, and adorned with numerous islands of from 3 to 5 miles in 

 length. These and the banks, too, are covered with forest, and most of the 

 trees on the brink of the water send down roots from their branches like the 

 banian. ' The islands at a little distance seem rounded masses of sylvan vege- 

 tation of various hues, reclining on the bosom of the glorious stream. The 

 beauty of the scene is greatly increased by the date palm and lofty palmyra 

 towering above the rest, and casting their feathery foliage against a cloudless 



