168 
MODE or APffEOACHING VILLAGES. 
the dilly-dallying way of this lady was tne proper mode 
of making acquaintance with the Balonda; and much of 
the favor with which I was received in different places 
was owing to my sending forward messengers to state the 
object of our coming before entering each town and vil- 
lage. When wo came in sight of a village, wo sat down 
under tho shade of a tree and sent forward a man to give 
notice who wo wero and what were our objects. Tho head- 
man of tho villago then sent out his principal men, as 
Shinto now did, to bid us weleomo and show us a troo 
undor which wo might sleep. Boforo I had profited by tho 
rathor todious teaching of Mancnko, I somotimes entorod 
a villago and created unintentional alarm. Tho villagers 
would continuo to look upon us with suspicion as long as 
wo remained. Shinto sent us two largo baskets of manioc 
and six dried fishes. His men had the skin of a monkey, 
called in their tongue “poluma,” (Colobus gucreza,') of a jot- 
black color, except tho long mane, which is pure white : it 
is said to bo found in tho north, in tho country of Mati- 
ainvo, tho paramount chief of all tho Balonda. Wo 
learned from thorn that they aro in tho habit of praying 
to tlioir idols when unsuccessful in killing game or in any 
other enterprise. They behaved with reverence at our re- 
ligious services. This will appoar important if tho roador 
romombors tho almost total want of prayer and rovoronce 
wo encountered in tho south. 
Our friends informed us that Shinto would bo highly 
honored by tho presence of three whito mon in his town 
at once. 1 wo others had sont forward notico of their ap- 
proach from another quarter, (tho west;) could it bo Barth 
or Krapf ? How pleasant to moot with Europeans in such 
in out-of-the-way region ! Tho rush of thoughts mado me 
almost forgot my fovor. Aro they of tho samo color ns 1 
am? “Yes; exactly so.” And have tho samo hair ? “ 
that hair ? wo thought it was a wig; wo novor saw the 
liko before: this whito man must bo of tho sort that live* 
la the soa ” Henceforth my mon took tho hint, and alway* 
