SCENERY OF THE I^EEAMBYE. 1 97 



increased by the date-palm, with its gracefully curved 

 fronds and refreshing light-green colour, near the bottom 

 of the picture, and the lofty palmyra towering far above* 

 and casting its feathery foliage against a cloudless sky. 

 It being winter, we had the strange colouring on the banks 

 which many parts of African landscape assume. The 

 country adjacent to the river is rocky and undulating, 

 abounding in elephants and all the other large game, 

 except leches and nakongs, which seem generally to 

 avoid stony ground. The soil is of a reddish colour, and 

 very fertile, as is attested by the great quantity of grain 

 raised annually by the Banyeti. A great many villages 

 of this poor and very industrious people are situated on 

 both banks of the river ; they are expert hunters of the 

 hippopotami and other animals, and very proficient in the 

 manufacture of articles of wood and iron. The whole of 

 this part of the country being infested with the tsetse, 

 they are unable to rear domestic animals. This may have 

 led to their skill in handicraft works. Some make large 

 wooden vessels with very neat lids, and wooden bowls of 

 all sizes ; and since the idea of sitting on stools has 

 entered the Makololo mind, the}?- have shown great taste 

 in the different forms given to the legs of these pieces of 

 furniture. 



Other Banyeti, or Manyeti, as they are called, make 

 neat and strong baskets of the split roots of a certain tree, 

 whilst others excel in pottery and iron. I cannot find 

 that they have ever been warlike. Indeed, the wars in the 

 centre of the country, where no slave-trade existed, have 

 seldom been about anything else but cattle. So well known 

 is this, that several tribes refuse to keep cattle because 

 they tempt their enemies to come and steal. Nevertheless 

 they have no objection to eat them when offered, and their 

 country admits of being well stocked. I have heard of 

 but one war having occurred from another cause. Three 

 brothers, Baralongs, fought for the possession of a woman 

 who was considered worth a battle, and the tribe has 

 remained permanently divided ever since. 



From the bend up to the north, called Katima-molelo 

 (I quenched fire), the bed of the river is rocky, and the 

 stream runs fast, forming a succession of rapids and 

 cataracts, which prevent continuous navigation when the 

 water is low. The rapids are not visible when the river is 

 full, but the cataracts of Nambwe, Bombwe, and Kale 



