THE FIGHT AVERTED. 319 



surrounded them, and made them feel that there was no 

 chance of escaping their spears. I then said, that, as one 

 thing after another had failed to satisfy them, it was 

 evident that they wanted to fight, while we only wanted 

 to pass peaceably through the country ; that they must 

 begin first and bear the guilt before God ; we would not 

 fight till they had struck the first blow. I then sat silent 

 for some time. It was rather trying for me, because I 

 knew that the Chiboque would aim at the white man first ; 

 but I was careful not to appear flurried, and, having four 

 barrels ready for instant action, looked quietly at the 

 savage scene around. The Chiboque countenance, by no 

 means handsome, is not improved by the practice which 

 they have adopted of filing the teeth to a point. The chief 

 and counsellors, seeing that they were in more danger 

 than I, did not choose to follow our decision that they 

 should begin by striking the first blow, and then see what 

 we could do ; and were perhaps influenced by seeing the 

 air of cool preparation, which some of my men displayed 

 at the prospect of a work of blood. 



The Chiboque at last put the matter before us in this 

 way : " You come among us in a new way, and say you. 

 are quite friendly : how can we know it unless you give 

 us some of your food, and you take some of ours ? If you 

 give us an ox we will give you whatever you may wish, 

 and then we shall be friends." In accordance with the 

 entreaties of my men I gave an ox ; and when asked what 

 I should like in return, mentioned food, as the thing which 

 we most needed. In the evening Njambi sent a very 

 small basket of meal, and two or three pounds of the flesh 

 of our own ox ! with the apology that he had no fowls, 

 and very little of any other food. It was impossible to 

 avoid a laugh at the coolness of the generous creatures. 

 I was truly thankful nevertheless that, though resolved to 

 die rather than deliver up one of our number to be a slave, 

 we had so far gained our point as to be allowed to pass 

 on without having shed human blood. 



In the midst of the commotion, several Chiboque stole 

 pieces of meat out of the sheds of my people, and Mohorisi, 

 one of the Makololo, went boldly into the crowd and took 

 back a marrow-bone from one of them. A few of my 

 Batoka seemed afraid, and would perhaps have fled had 

 the affray actually begun, but upon the whole I thought 

 my men behaved admirably. They lamented having left 



