300 FEAR OF A MAGIC LANTERN. 



father, and I handed some all round. It was a strange 

 sight to the Balonda, who were looking on, wondering. 

 I offered portions to them too, but these were declined, 

 though they are excessively fond of a little animal food, 

 to eat with their vegetable diet. They would not eat 

 with us, but they would take the meat and cook it in 

 their own way, and then use it. I thought at one time 

 that they had imported something from the Mahometans, 

 and the more especially as an exclamation of surprise, 

 " Allah," sounds like the Illah of the Arabs ; but we found, 

 a little farther on, another form of salutation, of Christian 

 (?) origin, " Ave-rie " (Ave Marie). The salutations 

 probably travel farther than the faith. My people, when 

 satisfied with a meal like that which they enjoy so often 

 at home, amused themselves by an uproarious dance. 

 Katema sent to ask what I had given them to produce 

 so much excitement. Intemese replied it was their custom 

 and they meant no harm. The companion of the ox 

 we slaughtered refused food for two days, and went lowing 

 about for him continually. He seemed inconsolable for 

 his loss, and tried again and again to escape back to the 

 Makololo country. My men remarked, " He thinks, they 

 will kill me as well as my friend." Katema thought it 

 the result of art, and had fears of my skill in medicine, 

 and of course witchcraft. He refused to see the magic 

 lantern. 



One of the affairs which had been intrusted by Shinte 

 to Intemese, was the rescue of a wife, who had eloped with 

 a young man belonging to Katema. As this was the only 

 case I have met with in the interior, in which a fugitive 

 was sent back to a chief against his own will, I am anxious 

 to mention it. On Intemese claiming her as his master's 

 wife, she protested loudly against it, saying, "she knew 

 she was not going back to be a wife again : she was going 

 back to be sold to the Mambari." My men formed many 

 friendships with the people of Katema, and some of the 

 poorer classes said in confidence, " We wish our children 

 could go back with you to the Makololo country ; here 

 we are all in danger of being sold." My men were of 

 opinion that it was only the want of knowledge of the 

 southern country which prevented an exodus of all the 

 lower portions of Londa population thither. 



It is remarkable how little people living in a flat forest 

 country like this, know of distant tribes. An old man, 



