178 
DELAY HEAVY RAIN-8. 
mell over each other, and over the little idol-huts and 
tobacco-bushes; we could not got one of them back again. 
Shinto, however, sat bravely through the whole, and after- 
ward examined the instrument with interest. An explana- 
tion was always added after each time of showing its 
powers, so that no one should imagine there was aught 
supernatural in it ; and had Mr. Murray, who kindly brought 
it from England, seen its popularity among both Makololo 
and Balonda, ho would have been gratified with the direc- 
tion his generosity then took. It was the only mode of 
instruction I was ever pressed to repeat. The poopio came 
long distances for the express purpose of seeing the objects 
and healing the explanations. 
Ono cannot get away quickly from these chiefs; they 
like to have the honor of strangers residing in their vil- 
lages. Hore we had an additional cause of delay in fre- 
quent rains : twenty-four hours never elapsed without 
heavy showers; every thing is affected by the dampness; 
surgical instruments become all rusty, clothing mildewed, 
and shoos mouldy; my little tent was now so rotten and so 
full of small holes that every smart shower caused a fine 
mist to descend on my blanket, and made mo fain to cover 
the head with it. Heavy dews lay on every thing in the 
morning, even inside the tent; there is only a short time 
of sunshine in the afternoon, and oven that is so interrupted 
by thunder-showers that wo cannot dry our bedding. 
Tho winds coming from the north always bring heavy 
clouds and rain; in the south, the only heavy rains noticed 
are those which come from the northeast or east. The 
thermometer falls as low as 72° when thoro is no sunshine, 
though, when the weather is fair, tho protected thormo- 
meter generally risos as high as 82° even in tho mornings 
and evenings. 
24 th . — We expected to havo started to-day; but Sambanza, 
who had been sent off oarly in the morning for guides, re- 
turned at mid-day without them, and drunk. As far as we 
oould collect from his incoherent sentences, Shinte had said 
