MASIKO AND IJMBOA'S QUARREI,. 45 1 



he came into the territory of Shinte, who received him 

 kindly, and sent orders to all the villages in his vicinity 

 to supply him with food. L,imboa tied in a westerly 

 direction with a number of people, and also became a 

 chief. His country was sometimes called Nyenko, but 

 by the Mambari and native Portuguese traders " Mboela " 

 — the place where they " turned again," or back. As 

 one of the fruits of polygamy, the children of different 

 mothers are always in a state of variance. Each son 

 endeavours to gain the ascendancy, by enticing away the 

 followers of the others. The mother of Limboa being 

 of a high family, he felt aggrieved, because the situation 

 chosen by Masiko was better than his. Masiko lived at 

 a convenient distance from the Saloisho hills, where there 

 is abundance of iron-ore, with which the inhabitants 

 manufacture hoes, knives, &c. They are also skilful in 

 making wooden vessels. Limboa felt annoyed because he 

 was obliged to apply for these articles through his brother, 

 whom he regarded as his inferior, and accordingly resolved 

 to come into the same district. As this was looked upon 

 as an assertion of superiority, which Masiko would resist, 

 it was virtually a declaration of war. Both Masiko and 

 Shinte pleaded my injunction to live in peace and friend- 

 ship, but Limboa, confident of success, now sent the 

 message which I was about to hear — " That he, too, 

 highly" approved of the ' word ' I had given, but would 

 only for once transgress a little, and live at peace for 

 ever afterwards." He now desired the aid of Shinte to 

 subdue his brother. Messengers came from Masiko at the 

 same time, desiring assistance to repel him. Shinte felt 

 inclined to aid L,imboa, but, as he had advised them both 

 to wait till I came, I now urged him to let the quarrel 

 alone, and he took my advice. 



We parted on the best possible terms with our friend 

 Shinte, and proceeded by our former path to the village 

 of his sister Nyamoana, who is now a widow. She received 

 us with much apparent feeling, and said: "We had 

 removed from our former abode to the place where ycu 

 found us, and had no idea then that it was the spot 

 where my husband was to die. " She had come to the river 

 Ivofuje, as they never remain in a place where death has 

 once visited them. We received the loan of five small, 

 canoes from her, and also one of those we had left here 

 before, to proceed down the Leeba. After viewing the 



