120 
Seven Years m Central Africa. 
[Oct. 
acquired by constantly listening to their conversation one with 
another. Their manner of conversing with a European is absurd 
and very misleading. Not only do they distort their own language 
greatly, but they are constantly using outlandish sounds, which 
they think belong to the white man's tongue, and which they in 
their smartness have picked up. 
Again, if a European wishes to be intelligible to the raw native 
who has not been tutored to understand the sounds of strange 
tongues, he must remember that African languages are composed 
not only of sounds, but of accentuated sounds. If he does not 
pay the closest attention to this, though he may be able to speak 
fluently to the natives in a white man's store or town, he will 
require a person to interpret his words to a company of raw 
villagers. The Bushman's language goes to an extreme in this 
respect ; certain sounds and clicks accented differently, pitched 
in a higher or lower key, shrill or deep-sounding, have all their 
different meanings ; their language is consequently very musical. 
To hear the little children speaking and laughing in their play is 
often like listening to the tinkling of a musical-box. 
PLANS FOR REACHING THE INTERIOR. 
There are two plans before me for returning to the interior, 
(i) To return to the Barotse or to the Bakuti on the Cuchibi 
river. (2) To visit the Garenganze, living to the north of and 
adjoining the Barotse, under the chief Msidi. They are a rice- 
growing people, which is an advantage ; the country is reported 
to be healthy, and the road comparatively safe. By turning south 
I could then reach Liwanika's "dogs," and should be able to 
fulfil my promise of re-visiting the Barotse. I have as my 
personal attendant an excellent interpreter, who knows the 
languages and people ivell. This would be quite a new adventure, 
but the Arab and west-coast dealers who have visited the 
Garenganze and influenced them for evil, will probably have 
prejudiced them against European visitors. 
REQUIREMENTS OF WORK IN AFRICA. 
October 16th.— 1 do not think there is anything so essential to 
real service for God in a wholly heathen country as an entire 
separation and devotion to the work, so that even isolation often 
