WELCOME FROM SHINTE. 449 



and that of the air 50 , which, being loaded with moisture, 

 was very cold to the feelings. Yet the sun was very hot 

 by day, and the temperature in the coolest shade from 

 88° to 90° ; in the evenings, from 76° to 7 8°. 



Before reaching the town of Shinte, we passed through 

 many large villages of the Balobale, who have fled from 

 the chief Kangenke. The Mambari from Bihe come 

 constantly to him for trade ; and as he sells his people, 

 great numbers of them escape to Shinte and Katema, 

 who refuse to give them up. 



We reached our friend Shinte, and received a hearty 

 welcome from this friendly old man, and abundant pro- 

 visions of the best he had. On hearing the report of the 

 journey given by my companions, and receiving a piece 

 of cotton cloth about two yards square, he said, " These 

 Mambari cheat us by bringing little pieces only ; but the 

 next time you pass I shall send men with you, to trade 

 for me in Loanda." When I explained the use made of 

 the slaves he sold, and that he was just destroying his 

 own tribe by selling his people, and enlarging that of the 

 Mambari for the sake of these small pieces of cloth, it 

 seemed to him quite a new idea. He entered into a long 

 detail of his troubles with Masiko, who had prevented 

 him from cultivating that friendship with the Makololo 

 which I had inculcated, and had even plundered the 

 messengers he had sent with Kolimbota to the Barotse 

 valley. Shinte was oarticularly anxious to explain, that 

 Kolimbota had remained after my departure of his own 

 accord, and that he had engaged in the quarrels of the 

 country without being invited ; that in attempting to 

 capture one of the children of a Balobale man, who had 

 offended the Balonda by taking honey from a hive which 

 did not belong to him, Kolimbota had got wounded by a 

 shot in the thigh ; but that he had cured the wound, 

 given him a wife, and sent a present of cloth to Sekeletu, 

 with a full account of the whole affair. From the state- 

 ment of Shinte, we found that Kolimbota had learned, 

 before we left his town, that the way we intended to take 

 was so dangerous, that it would be better for him to leave 

 us to our fate ; and as he had taken one of our canoes 

 with him, it seemed evident that he did not expect us ta 

 return. Shinte, however, sent a recommendation to his 

 sister Nyamoana, to furnish as many canoes as we should 

 need for our descent of the Iyeeba and I^eeambye. 



2 G 



