458 RECEPTION AX UBONIA. 



to get to the men assembled and sitting with proper 

 African decorum in the kotla. We were looked upon 

 as men risen from the dead, for the most skilful of their 

 diviners had pronounced us to have perished long ago. 

 After many expressions of joy at meeting, I arose, and, 

 thanking them, explained the causes of our long delay, 

 but left the report to be made by their own countrymen. 

 Formerly I had been the chief speaker, now I would leave 

 the task of speaking to them. Pitsane then delivered 

 a speech of upwards of an hour in length, giving a highly 

 flattering picture of the whole journey, of the kindness 

 of the white men in general, and of Mr. Gabriel in particular. 

 He concluded by saying that I had done more for them 

 than they expected ; that I had not only opened up a path 

 for them to the other white men, but conciliated all the 

 chiefs along the route. The oldest man present, rose 

 and answered this speech, and, among other things, 

 alluded to the disgust I felt at the Makololo for engaging 

 in marauding expeditions against Lechulatebe and Sebola- 

 makwaia, of which we had heard from the first persons 

 we met, and which my companions most energetically 

 denounced as " mashue hela," entirely bad. He entreated 

 me not to lose heart, but to reprove Sekeletu as my child. 

 Another old man followed with the same entreaties. The 

 following day we observed as our thanksgiving to God 

 for his goodness in bringing us all back in safety to our 

 friends. My men decked themselves out in their best, 

 and I found that, although their goods were finished, 

 they had managed to save suits of European clothing, 

 which, being white, with their red caps, gave them rather 

 a dashing appearance. They tried to walk like the soldiers 

 they had seen in Loanda, and called themselves my 

 " braves " (batlabani). During the service they all sat 

 with their guns over their shoulders, and excited the 

 unbounded admiration of the women and children. I 

 addressed them all on the goodness of God in preserving 

 ns from all the dangers of strange tribes and disease. 

 We had a similar service in the afternoon. The men 

 gave us two fine oxen for slaughter, and the women 

 supplied us abundantly with milk, meal, and butter. 

 It was all quite gratuitous, and I felt ashamed that I 

 could make no return. My men explained the total 

 expenditure of our means, and the Libontese answered 

 gracefully, " It does not matter ; you have opened a 



