MAMBARI TRADERS. 253 



that this was the spot where the Mambari cross in coming 

 to Masiko. Their visits explain why Sekelenke kept his 

 tusks so carefully. These Mambari are very enterprising 

 merchants : when they mean to trade with a town, they 

 deliberately begin the affair by building huts, as if they 

 knew that little business could be transacted without 

 a liberal allowance of time for palaver. They bring 

 Manchester goods into the heart of Africa ; these cotton 

 prints look so wonderful that the Makololo could not 

 believe them to be the work of mortal hands. On ques- 

 tioning the Mambari they were answered that English 

 manufactures came out of the sea, and beads were gathered 

 on its shore. To Africans our cotton-mills are fairy dreams. 

 "How can the irons spin, weave, and print so beauti- 

 fully ? " Our country is like what Taprobane was to our 

 ancestors : a strange realm of light, whence came the 

 diamond, muslin, and peacocks ; an attempt at explana- 

 tion of our manufactures, usually elicits the expression, 

 " Truly ! ye are gods ! " 



When about to leave the Makondo, one of my men had 

 dreamed that Mosantu was shut up a prisoner in a stock- 

 ade ; this dream depressed the spirits of the whole party, 

 and when I came out of my little tent in the morning, 

 they were sitting the pictures of abject sorrow. I asked 

 if we were to be guided by dreams, or by the authority 

 I derived from Sekeletu, and ordered them to load the 

 boats at once ; they seemed ashamed to confess their 

 fears ; the Makololo picked up courage and upbraided 

 the others for having such superstitious views, and said 

 this was always their way ; if even a certain bird called 

 to them, they would turn back from an enterprise, saying 

 it was unlucky. They entered the canoes at last, and 

 were the better of a little scolding for being inclined to put 

 dreams before authority. It rained all the morning, 

 but about eleven we reached the village of Sheakondo, 

 on a small stream named L,onkonye. We sent a message 

 to the head-man, who soon appeared with two wives, 

 bearing handsome presents of manioc : Sheakondo could 

 speak the language of the Barotse well, and seemed awe- 

 struck when told some of the words " of God." He 

 manifested no fear, always spoke frankly, and when he 

 made an asseveration, did so by simply pointing up to the 

 sky above him. The Balonda cultivate the manioc, or 

 cassava, extensively ; also dura, ground-nuts, beans, 



