$66 THE MAS.OWL/0 VISIT SHIPS. 



he entertained the least suspicion of foul play. Nearly 

 the whole party went ; and when on deck, I pointed to 

 the sailors, and said, "Now these are all my countrymen, 

 sent by our Queen for the purpose of putting down the trade 

 of those that buy and sell black men." They replied, 

 " Truly ! they are just like you ! " and all their fears 

 seemed to vanish at once, for they went forward amongst 

 the men, and the jolly tars, acting much as the Makololo 

 would have done in similar circumstances, handed them 

 a share of the bread and beef which they had for dinner. 

 The commander allowed them to fire off a cannon ; and 

 having the most exalted ideas of its power, they were 

 greatly pleased when I told them, " That is what they put 

 down the slave-trade with." The size of the brig-of- 

 war amazed them. "It is not a canoe at all : it is a 

 town ! " The sailors' deck they named " the Kotla ; " 

 and then, as a climax to their description of this great 

 ark, added, " and what sort of a town is it that you must 

 climb up into with a rope ? " 



The effect of the politeness of the officers and men on 

 their minds was most beneficial. They had behaved with 

 the greatest kindness to me all the way from L/inyanti ; 

 and I now rose rapidly in their estimation, for, whatever 

 they may have surmised before, they now saw that I was 

 respected among my own countrymen, and always after- 

 wards treated me with the greatest deference. 



On the 15 th there was a procession and service of the 

 mass in the cathedral ; and wishing to show my men a 

 place of worship, I took them to the church, which now 

 serves as the chief one of the See of Angola and Congo. 

 There is an impression on some minds, that a gorgeous 

 ritual is better calculated to inspire devotional feelings, 

 than the simple forms of the Protestant worship. But 

 here the frequent genuflexions, changing of positions, 

 burning of incense, with the priests' backs turned to the 

 people, the laughing, talking, and manifest irreverence of 

 the singers, with firing of guns, &c, did not convey to the 

 minds of my men the idea of adoration. I overheard them 

 in talking to each other, remark that " they had seen the 

 white men charming their demons ; " a phrase identical 

 with one they had used when seeing the Balonda beating 

 drums before their idols. 



In the beginning of August I suffered a severe relapse, 

 which reduced me to a mere skeleton. I was then unable 



