SUPERSTITIOUS CUSTOMS. 
191 
the plant and spread close to the fire until they are quite 
dry and crisp; they are then put into a snuff-box, which, 
with a little pestle, serves the purpose of a mill to grind 
them into powder: it is then used as snuff As we sat by 
the fire, the ambassadors communicated their thoughts 
freely respecting the customs of their race. When a chief 
dies, a number of servants are slaughtered with him to 
form his company in the other world. The Barotse followed 
the same custom ; and this and other usages show them to 
be genuine negroes, though neither they nor the Balonda 
resemble closely the typical form of that people. Quen- 
dende said if he were present on these occasions he would 
hide his people so that they might not be slaughtered. 
As we go north, the people become more bloodily super- 
stitious. 
We were assured that if the late Matiamvo took a fancy 
to any thing, — such, for instance, as my watch-chain, which 
was of silver wire, and was a groat curiosity, as they had 
never seen metal plaited before, — he would order a whole 
village to be brought up to buy it from a stranger. When 
a slave-trader visited him, he took possession of all his 
goods ; then, after ton days or a fortnight, he would send 
out a party of men to pounco upon some considerable 
village, and, having killed the head-men, would pay for all 
the goods by selling the inhabitants. This has frequently 
been the case, and nearly all the visitants he ever had were 
men of color. On asking if Matiamvo did not know he 
was a man, and would be judged, in company with those 
bo destroyed, by a Lord who is no respecter of persons, 
the ambassador replied, “We do not go up to God, as you 
do : wo are put into the ground.” I could not ascertain 
that even those who have such a distinct perception of the 
Continued existence of departed spirits had any notion of 
heaven : they appear to imagine the souls to be always 
near the place of sepulture. 
After crossing tho river Lotembwa, we travelled about 
eight miles, and came to Katema’s straggling town, (lat 
