SI,AVE-TRADERS. 27 1 



weapons. After surrounding and staring at us for an 

 hour, they began to disperse. 



The two native Portuguese traders of whom we had 

 heard, had erected a little encampment opposite the place 

 where ours was about to be made. One of them, whose 

 spine had been injured in youth, a rare sight in this 

 country, came and visited us. I returned the visit next 

 morning. His tall companion had that sickly yellow hue 

 which made him look fairer than myself, but his head was 

 covered with a crop of unmistakeable wool. They had a 

 gang of young female slaves in a chain, hoeing the ground 

 in front of their encampment to clear it of weeds and 

 grass ; these were purchased recently in L,obale, whence 

 the traders had now come. There were many Mambari 

 with them, and the establishment was conducted with that 

 military order which pervades all the arrangements of the 

 Portuguese colonists. A drum was beaten, and trumpet 

 sounded at certain hours, quite in military fashion. It 

 was the first time most of my men had seen slaves in 

 chains. " They are not men ! " they exclaimed (meaning 

 they are beasts), " who treat their children so ! " 



The Balonda are real negroes, having much more wool 

 on their heads and bodies than any of the Bechuana or 

 CafTre tribes. They are generally very dark in colour, 

 but several are to be seen of a lighter hue ; many of the 

 slaves who have been exported to Brazil have gone from 

 this region ; but while they have a general similarity to 

 the typical negro, I never could, from my own observation, 

 tliink that our ideal negro, as seen in tobacconists' shops, 

 is the true type. A large proportion of the Balonda, 

 indeed, have heads somewhat elongated backwards, and 

 upwards, thick lips, flat noses, elongated ossa calces, &c. 

 &c. ; but there are also many good-looking, well-shaped 

 heads and persons among them. 



17th, Tuesday. — We were honoured with a grand recep- 

 tion by Shmte about eleven o'clock. Sambanza claimed 

 the_ honour of presenting us, Manenko being slightly 

 indisposed. The native Portuguese and Mambari went 

 fully armed with guns, in order to give Shinte a salute ; 

 their drummer and trumpeter making all the noise that 

 very old instruments would produce. The kotla, or place 

 of audience, was about a hundred yards square, and two 

 graceful specimens of a species of banian stood near one 

 end ; under one of these sat Shinte, on a sort of throne 



