202 BAROTSE ERAS. 



find no vestige of any such visit ;* there is no evidence 

 of any of Santuru's people having ever seen a white man 

 before the arrival of Mr. Oswell and myself in 185 1. The 

 people have, it is true, no written records ; but any re- 

 markable event here is commemorated in names, as was ob- 

 served by Park to be the case in the countries he traversed. 

 The year of our .arrival is dignified by the name of the 

 year when the white men came, or of Sebituane's death ; 

 but they prefer the former, as they avoid, if possible, 

 any direct reference to the departed. After my wife's 

 first visit, great numbers of children were named Ma- 

 Robert, or mother of Robert, her eldest child ; others 

 were named Gun, Horse, Waggon, Monare, Jesus, &c. ; 

 but though our names, and those of the native Portuguese 

 who came in 1853, were adopted, there is not a trace of 

 anything of the sort having happened previously among 

 the Barotse : the visit of a white man is such a remark- 

 able event, that, had any taken place during the last three 

 hundred years, there must have remained some tradition 

 of it. 



But Santuru was once visited by the Mambari, and a 

 distinct recollection of that visit is retained. They came 

 to purchase slaves, and both Santuru and his head men 

 refused them permission to buy any of the people. The 



* The Barotse call themselves the Baloiana, or little Baloi, as if 

 they had been an offset from Loi, or Lui, as it is often spelt. As Lui 

 had been visited by Portuguese, but its position not well ascertained, 

 my inquiries referred to the identity of Naliele with Lui. On asking 

 the headman of the Mambari party, named Porto, whether he had 

 ever heard of Naliele being visited previously, he replied in the 

 negative, and stated that he "had himself attempted to come from 

 Bine three times, but had always been prevented by the tribe called 

 Ganguellas." He nearly succeeded in 1852, but was driven back. 

 He now (in 1853) attempted to go eastward from Naliele, but came 

 back to the Barotse on being unable to go beyond Kainko's village, 

 which is situated on the Bashukulompo river, and eight days distant. 

 The whole party was anxious to secure a reward believed to be 

 promised by the Portuguese Government. Their want of success 

 confirmed my impression that I ought to go westwards. Porto kindly 

 offered to aid me, if I would go with him to Bihe ; but when I 

 declined, he preceded me to Loanda, and was publishing his Journal 

 when I arrived at that city. Ben Habib told me that Porto had sent 

 letters to Mosambique by the Arab, Ben Chombo, whom I knew ; 

 and he has since asserted, in Portugal, that he himself went to 

 Mosambique, as well as his letters ! 



