844 LIFE OF DA VID LIVINGSTONE, LL.D. 



out behind us, and Makochero's people only stayed in their houses because 

 our presence gave them confidence. They would otherwise have taken 

 refuge on the tops of the granite rocks by which their village is skirted. As 

 we heard here of a large Yao caravan having crossed the Rovuma on its way 

 down, we began to think that there had been some mistake, and perhaps 

 there were no Gwangwaras after all. 



" From Makochero's we came to the Rovuma. It was then at its lowest, 

 and at that spot without much current, the whole bed studded with rocks 

 and sandbanks and reedy islands. It was fordable in many places, and no- 

 where deep. A more unpromising stream for navigation could hardly be ; 

 for some distance, a little higher up, no water was visible, only a waste of 

 rocks, and the sound of water rushing along between them. We were three 

 days more passing up the north bank, and crossed two large rivers, still 

 flowing but very low, which drain respectively the forest wastes which were 

 once the Gindo and the Donde territories. 



" All along the Rovuma we were gathering provisions as we could for 

 the Yao forest on the other side. We crossed at a place where the river was 

 broad and still, but covering its whole bed, and looking more like the great 

 river it really is. The water was nowhere more than about three feet deep, 

 and mostly but little above the knee. The men walked straight across, and 

 I was cleverly ferried over a little higher, where there was more current, in 

 a very small canoe. 



" On the other side we found a Yao village, just forming itself, having 

 fled in a body from near the Lujenda (or Loendi), where the Grwangwaras 

 had certainly been. The Yaos reported that there was another war some- 

 where before us, and we waited while they sent on to the next village for 

 more certain information. The messengers reported the war as being far 

 off; so we went on, and early in the afternoon came to a village where we 

 met with the only chief who made himself really disagreeable. He was a 

 Donde, one of those who had learnt the trade of thieving from their Maviti 

 spoilers. He was a sort of lieutenant to a bigger man, a Gindo named 

 Mpingawandu, on the other side of the river. He insisted on a much larger 

 present than the other small chiefs were contented with, and threatened to 

 throw all sorts of obstacles in our way if we did not stay all the next day in 

 his village ; his people, too, stole by wholesale from our porters. 



" The next chief, as if to complete the chaos of tribes, was a Nyassa ; 

 he, too, would gladly have detained us, but, being weaker than his neighbour 

 in every way, we went on to the next, a Yao village, whence we got some 

 men to help carry our provisions, and struck off from the river for Mataka's, 

 hoping to find a chief, named Liuli, about half-way. On the second day of 

 our forest march we met a deformed man, who stood aside to let us pass. 

 The more superstitious of our men took him for a wood-demon, and said 



