282 
0 ASSANGE VILLAGE. 
as they wore not obliged to erect sheds for themselves, in 
consequence of finding them already built at the different 
sleeping-places, all their care was bestowed in making me 
comfortable. Mashauana, as usual, made his bed with his 
head close to my feet, and never during the entiro journoy 
did I havo to call him twice for any thing I needed. 
January 15, 1855. — Wo descended in ono hour from the 
heights of Tala Mungongo. I counted the number of paces 
mado on the slope downward, and found them to be sixteen 
hundred, which may give a perpendicular height of from 
twolvo to fifteen hundred feet. 
Beforo wo reached Cassango we wero overtaken by the 
commandant, Scnhor Carvalho, who was returning, with a 
detachment of fifty men and a field-piece, from an unsuc 
cessful search after somo rebels. Tho rebels had fled, and 
all ho could do was to burn thoir huts. Ho kindly invited 
mo to take up my residence with him ; but, not wishing to 
pass by tho gentleman (Captain Novcs) who had so kindly 
received me on my first arrival in tho Portuguese pos- 
sessions, I declined. Scnhor Itcgo had been superseded in 
his command, bccauso tho Govornor Amaral, who had corno 
into offico sinco my doparturo from Loanda, had determined 
that tho law which requires tho office of commandant to ho 
exclusively occupiod by military officers of tho lino should 
onco more como into operation. I was again most kindly 
welcomed by my friend Captain Neves, whom I found 
laboring under a violent inflammation and abscess of tho 
hand. There is nothing in tho situation of this village to 
indicate unhoalthinoss, except, perhaps, tho rank luxu 
r.anco of tho vegotation. Nearly all tho Portuguese in- 
habitants suffer from enlargement of tho spleen, the effect 8 
of freauent intormittonts, and navo generally a sickly ap- 
pearance. Thinking that this affection of tho hand "' ;lE 
simply an effort of naturo to get rid of malarious matte 1 
from tho system, I recommended tho use of quinine. •** 
himself applied the loaf of a plant called cathory, f»® 
among tho natives as an excellent remedy for ulcors. 
