428 CIYIIJTY OF A FEMALE CHIEF. 



kindly spirit of the southern Balonda appeared, for an 

 old man brought a large present of food from one of the 

 villages, and volunteered to go as guide himself. The 

 people, however, of the numerous villages which we passed, 

 always made efforts to detain us, that they might have a 

 little trade in the way of furnishing our suppers. At one 

 village, indeed, they would not show us the path at all, 

 unless we remained at least a day with them. Having 

 refused, we took a path in the direction we ought to go, 

 but it led us into an inextricable thicket. Returning to 

 the village again, we tried another footpath in a similar 

 direction ; but this led us into an equally impassable and 

 trackless forest. We were thus forced to come back and 

 remain. In the following morning they put us in the 

 proper path, which in a few hours led us through a forest,, 

 that would otherwise have taken us days to penetrate. 



Beyond this forest we found the village of Nyakalonga, 

 a sister of the late Matiamvo, who treated us handsomely. 

 She wished her people to guide us to the next village, but 

 this they declined unless we engaged in trade. She then 

 requested us to wait an hour or two till she could get ready 

 a present of meal, manioc-roots, ground-nuts, and a fowl. 

 It was truly pleasant to meet with people possessing some 

 civility, after the hauteur we had experienced on the 

 slave-path. She sent her son to the next village without 

 requiring payment. The stream which ran past her 

 village was quite impassable there, and for a distance of 

 about a mile on either side, the bog being soft and shaky, 

 and, when the crust was broken through, about six feet 

 deep. 



On the 28 th we reached the village of the chief Bango 

 (lat. 12 22' 53" S., long. 20 58' E.), who brought us a 

 handsome present of meal, and the meat of an entire 

 pallah. We here slaughtered the last of the cows presented 

 to us by Mr. Schut, which I had kept milked, until it gave 

 only a teaspoonful at a time. My men enjoyed a hearty 

 laugh when they found that I had given up all hope of 

 more, for they had been talking among themselves about 

 my perseverance. We offered a leg of the cow to Bango ; 

 but he informed us that neither he nor his people ever 

 partook of beef, as they looked upon cattle as human, 

 and living at home like men. None of his people pur- 

 chased any of the meat, which was always eagerly done 

 everywhere else. There are several other tribes who 



