FUNERAL RITES. 409 



great grief of my men. The anxiety these people have 

 always shown to improve the breed of their domestic 

 animals, is, I think, a favourable point in their character. 

 On looking at the common breeds in the possession of the 

 Portuguese, which are merely native cattle, and seeing 

 them slaughter both heifer-calves and cows, which they 

 themselves never do, and likewise making no use of the 

 milk, they concluded that the Portuguese must be an 

 inferior race of white men. They never ceased remarking 

 on the fine ground for gardens over which we were passing ; 

 and when I happened to mention that most of the flour 

 which the Portuguese consumed, came from another 

 country, they exclaimed, " Are they ignorant of tillage ? " 

 " They know nothing but buying and selling : they are 

 not men ! " I hope it may reach the ears of my Angolese 

 friends, and that they may be stirred up to develop the 

 resources of their fine country. 



On coming back to Cypriano's village on the 28th, we 

 found that his step-father had died after we had passed, 

 and, according to the custom of the country, he had spent 

 more than his patrimony in funeral orgies. He acted with 

 his wonted kindness, though, unfortunately, drinking 

 has got him so deeply into debt, that he now keeps out 

 of the way of his creditors. He informed us that the 

 source of the Quango is eight days, or one hundred miles, 

 to the south of this, and in a range called Mosamba, in 

 the country of the Basongo. We can see from this, a 

 sort of break in the high land whicn stretches away round 

 to Tala Mongongo, through which the river comes. 



A death had occurred in a village about a mile off, and 

 the people were busy beating drums and firing guns. 

 The funeral rites are half festive, half mourning, partaking 

 somewhat of the character of an Irish wake. There is 

 nothing more heartrending than their death wails. When 

 the natives turn their eyes to the future world, they have 

 a view cheerless enough of their own utter helplessness 

 and hopelessness. They fancy themselves completely 

 in the power of the disembodied spirits, and look upon 

 the prospect of following them, as the greatest of mis- 

 fortunes. Hence they are constantly deprecating the 

 wrath of departed souls, believing that, if they are ap- 

 peased, there is no other cause of death but witchcraft, 

 which may be averted by charms. The whole of the 

 coloured population of Angola are sunk in these gross 



