ASCENDING THE I,EEBA. 207 



My own Makalaka, who were accustomed to plunder 

 wherever they went, rushed after them like furies, totally 

 regardless of my shouting. As this proceeding would have 

 destroyed my character entirely at Iyobale, I took my 

 stand on a commanding position as they returned, and 

 forced them to lay down all the plunder on a sandbank,, 

 and leave it there for its lawful owners. 



It was now quite evident that no healthy location could 

 be obtained in which the Makololo would be allowed 

 to live in peace. I had thus a fair excuse, if I had chosen 

 to avail myself of it, of coming home and saying that the 

 " door was shut," because the Lord's time had not yet 

 come. But believing that it was my duty to devote 

 some portion of my life to these (to me at least) very 

 confiding and affectionate Makololo, I resolved to follow 

 out the second part of my plan, though I had failed in 

 accomplishing the first. Tne Leeba seemed to come 

 from the N. and by W., or N.N.W. ; so, having an old 

 Portuguese map, which pointed out the Coanza as rising 

 from the middle of the continent in 9 S. lat., I thought 

 it probable that, when we had ascended the leeba (from 

 1 4 u') two or three degrees, we should then be within 

 one hundred and twenty miles of the Coanza, and find 

 no difficulty in following it down to the coast near Loanda. 

 This was the logical deduction, but, as is the case with, 

 many a plausible theory, one of the premises was decidedly 

 defective. The Coanza, as we afterwards found, does not 

 come from anywhere near the centre of the country. 



The numbers of large game above L,ibonta are pro- 

 digious, and they proved remarkably tame. Eighty-one 

 buffaloes defiled in slow procession before our fire one 

 evening within gun-shot ; and herds of splendid elands 

 stood by day without fear at two hundred yards distance, 

 They were all of the striped variety, and with their forearm 

 markings, large dewlaps, and sleek skins, were a beautiful 

 sight to see. The lions here roar much more than in 

 the country near the lake Zouga, and Chobe. One even- 

 ing we had a good opportunity of hearing the utmost 

 exertions the animal can make in that line. We had 

 made our beds on a large sandbank, and could be easily 

 seen from all sides ; a lion on the opposite shore amused 

 himself for hours by roaring as loudly as he could, putting, 

 as is usual in such cases, his mouth near the ground, to 

 make the sound reverberate. The river was too broad 



