198 



PHYSICAL HISTORY OF MAN. 



kamba, and Soahili ;" grounding his opinion, it is presumed, princi- 

 pally upon the affinities of language. 



With the exception of the M'Sigua, almost all the slaves offered for 

 sale at Zanzibar, had been brought from the Southward ; and prin- 

 cipally from Kilwa. Small dows arriving from that place, were 

 crowded with the living freight; and the influx was represented as 

 being much greater at a different season of the year. 



The Makua occupy the coast immediately to the northward of Mo- 

 zambique, and trade with that city. They were spoken of, as "bad 

 people, who kill the crews of vessels that happen to get on shore ; 

 and dows, in consequence, do not visit that part of the coast, unless 

 several are in company." A Makua girl pointed out to me in the 

 slave-market, bore the national mark of a crescent-shaped scar in the 

 middle of the forehead. 



The district of the M'Kindo is back of Kilwa; and a man of this 

 tribe, who was seen in the slave-market, was only " two days in 

 reaching Kilwa." A slave girl, who likewise belonged to a tribe 

 near Kilwa, had a thread-like scar a little below the hair, quite encir- 

 cling the head. 



The country of the M'Hiao is much further in the Interior; and 

 must be extensive, since it furnishes a large portion of the slaves 

 offered for sale at Zanzibar. The markings vary in different indivi- 

 duals; but often consist of raised scars or welts crossing each other, 

 like stars. Many of the females have the upper lip perforated ; and 

 the opening enlarging with age, at last forms a false gaping mouth, 

 which destroys all natural expression of countenance, and singularly 

 disfigures them. I once observed two M'Hiao women, free residents 

 of Zanzibar, in the act of purchasing one of these elderly deformed 

 persons. 



A Soahili, who had travelled by land to the southward along the 

 coast, gave me the following particulars. " The river Lufijy is larger 

 than the Pungany, and has more plantations ; dows can ascend it for 

 three days, and canoes for a long distance. The Lovuma is of the 

 same size with the Lufijy ; canoes ascend it for more than two weeks, 

 and no one has seen the end. The Wamera and Wakondy dw^ell 

 on the Lovuma; and at the top, the Maviha and Makua:" from 



