356 DISTRICT OF AMBACA. 



night altogether. The inside of the only covering I now- 

 had was not much better, but under the blanket, one is 

 not so liable to the chill which the dew produces. 



It would have afforded me pleasure to have cultivated a 

 more intimate acquaintance with the inhabitants of this 

 part of the country, but the vertigo produced by frequent 

 fevers made it as much as I could do to stick on the ox 

 and crawl along in misery. In crossing the Lombe, my 

 ox Sinbad, in the indulgence of his propensity to strike 

 out a new path for himself, plunged overhead into a deep 

 hole, and so soused me, that I was obliged to move on to 

 dry my clothing, without calling on the Europeans who 

 live on the bank. This I regretted, for all the Portuguese 

 were very kind, and like the Boers placed in similar circum- 

 stances, feel it a slight to be passed without a word of 

 salutation. But we went on to a spot where orange-trees 

 had been planted by the natives themselves, ana where 

 abundance of that refreshing fruit was exposed for sale. 



On entering the district of Ambaca, we found the 

 landscape enlivened by the appearance of lofty mountains 

 in the distance, the grass comparatively short, and the 

 whole country at this time looking gay and verdant. On 

 our left we saw certain rocks of the same nature with those 

 of Pungo Andongo, and which closely resemble the Stone- 

 henge group on Salisbury Plain, only the stone pillars 

 here are of gigantic size. This region is all wonderfully 

 fertile, famed for raising cattle, and all kinds of agricul- 

 tural produce, at a cheap rate. The soil contains sufficient 

 ferruginous matter, to impart a red tinge to nearly the 

 whole of it. It is supplied with a great number of little 

 flowing streams which unite in the Lucalla. This river 

 drains Ambaca, then falls into the Coanza to the south- 

 west at Massangano. We crossed the Lucalla by means 

 of a large canoe kept by a man who farms the ferry for the 

 government, and charges about a penny per head. A few 

 miles beyond the Lucalla, we came to the village of 

 Ambaca, an important place in former times, but now a 

 mere paltry village, beautifully situated on a little elevation 

 in a plain surrounded on all hands by lofty mountains. 

 It has a gaol, and a good house for the Commandant, but 

 neither fort nor church, though the ruins of a place of 

 worship are still standing. 



We were most kindly received by the Commandant of 

 Ambaca, Arsenio de Carpo, who spoke a little Bnglish. 



