NARRATIVE OF CAltLI. 
109 
From Benguela our traveller sailed to Loanda. 
The port there appeared to him the finest and 
most beautiful he had ever seen. The town is 
situated on an island of the S'ame name, and is 
the capital of all the Portuguese settlements on 
this coast. It is tolerably large and handsome, 
contains 3000 whites^ and an infinite number of 
negroes. The last were chiefly slaves to the 
whites, some of whom being very rich, have hun- 
dreds, and even thousands of slaves. 
At Loanda, the missionaries procured guides 
to conduct them into the provinces of Sogno and 
Bamba. They at first proposed to walk ; but 
were assured, that this was a mode of travelling 
not at all suited to the country. Thirty negroes 
were therefore appointed, to convey themselves 
and their baggage ; two of whom carried each 
missionary, swung in a species of hammock. 
They stopped for the night in the first Ubatte, or 
village, at which they arrived. This libatte con- 
sisted of about a hundred cottages, scattered over 
a wide space of ground in the most irregular 
manner. They were all of one construction ; 
" for throughout all the kingdom, there is never 
" a stone house, but only of straw or stubble." 
These habitations, indeed, are used rather to 
sleep than to live in. The men spend the whole 
day in the open air, walking, conversing, amusing 
themselves, and playing on musical instruments. 
