SETTLEMENTS OF KANG'-NINDA. 845 



that, if it had appeared as a woman, our deaths would have been certain. It 

 was not a demon, however, but a man ; he told our people behind that he 

 was fleeing for his life from Liuli's, which had just been destroyed by a party 

 of Dondes from near the Lujenda — that he had seen three men killed, and 

 the plundering begun. 



"Here, then, was a serious difficulty; some advised waiting, some re- 

 turning to the Rovuma, and working up its bank till near the mountains ; 

 but the real question was, where were the Dondes going next ? — they would 

 not probably stay long at Liuli's. I thought it was just as safe to go on as 

 to go back, and, besides, my patience had been quite exhausted by our de- 

 lays upon the Rovuma, and I was eager to get forward at any cost. Ulti- 

 mately we sent three men to go onward cautiously, and see whether the road 

 was clear, while we followed. 



" The first night they returned and reported all safe for some distance 

 ahead. The second night they did not return. We found that day a sign 

 of what might be done if the coast men really desired to benefit the people. 

 We found a fine cashew nut tree in a deserted village, the only coast fruit 

 tree we had seen. The cashew apples were just ripe, and though not the 

 best fruit by any means, we rushed upon them, and soon cleared the tree. 

 A little further on we came to some marks which seemed to show that our 

 men had halted there, or had left the path we were following. Our Yao 

 helpers were clear that the right road was forward, and so we went on with 

 them to another deserted village, where they left us, and we encamped. 



" These settlements belonged to a chief named Kang'-ninda, and had 

 been abandoned in the May preceding. They were very finely placed on 

 broad swells of high land commanding grand views all round, with a large 

 river near, and little brooks running among granite rocks. One longed to be 

 able to re-occupy them. The next morning we were anxious about our people, 

 and sent men forward to see if they could discover any traces of them, and 

 back to mark the roads from the cashew nut tree onward to show which way 

 we had gone. Both returned without tidings. Some thought our men had 

 been surprised and killed, some that they had been scared and run back. 

 Meanwhile our provisions were running out ; so we had nothing for it but 

 to go forward. 



" This afternoon, still among ruined villages, we met a small caravan 

 going down. They had a few small tusks of ivory, some loads of tobacco, 

 and about thirty slaves. They reported the road clear ahead, and we gave 

 them instructions for our men, if they met with them. Next day we came 

 to a fork in the road, when one of the men luckily recollected the spot, and 

 that the right-hand road was the one for Mataka's. The path seemed so 

 overgrown and little used that I had begun to doubt about it, when we met a 

 large caravan, or rather three straggled into one; they had only tobacco and 



