298 RECEPTION BY KATEMA. 



of meal before us, half a dozen fowls, and a dozen eggs, 

 and expressed regret that we had slept hungry — he (fid 

 not like any stranger to suffer want in his town ; and 

 added, " Go home, and cook and eat, and you will then 

 be in a fit state to speak to me, at an audience I will give 

 you to-morrow." He was busily engaged in hearing the 

 statements of a large body of fine young men who had 

 fled from Kangenke, chief of Lobale, on account of his 

 selling their relatives to the native Portuguese who 

 frequent his country. Katema is a tall man, about forty 

 years of age, and his head was ornamented with a helmet 

 of beads and feathers. He had on a snuff-brown coat, 

 with a broad band of tinsel down the arms, and carried 

 in his hand a large tail made of the caudal extremities of 

 a number of gnus. This has charms attached to it, and 

 he continued waving it in front of himself, all the time 

 we were there. He seemed in good spirits, laughing 

 heartily several times. This is a good sign, for a man 

 who shakes his sides with mirth, is seldom difficult to deal 

 with. When we rose to take leave, all rose with us, as at 

 Shinte's. 



Returning next morning, Katema addressed me thus — 

 " I am the great Moene (lord) Katema, the fellow of 

 Matiamvo. There is no one in this country equal to 

 Matiamvo and me. I have always lived here, and my 

 forefathers too. There is the house in which my father 

 lived. You found no human skulls near the place where 

 you are encamped. I never killed any of the traders ; 

 they all come to me. I am the great Moene Katema, of 

 whom you have heard." He looked as if he had fallen 

 asleep tipsy, and dreamed of his greatness. On explaining 

 my objects to him, he promptly . pointed out three men 

 who would be our guides, and explained that the N.W. 

 path was the most direct, and that by which all traders 

 came, but that the water at present standing on the 

 plains would reach up to the loins ; he would therefore 

 send us by a more northerly route, which no trader had 

 yet traversed. This was more suited to our wishes, for 

 we never found a path safe that had been trodden by 

 slave-traders. 



We presented a few articles, which pleased him highly ; 

 a small shawl, a razor, three bunches of beads, some 

 buttons, and a powder-horn. Apologising for the insig- 

 nificance of the gift, I wished to know what I could bring 



