NATIVE SUPERSTITION. 
48T 
skin ; the inside of one’s stockings became worse than the 
roughest hair cloth. It is, however, fine fodder. The 
party followed the native narrow paths, though sometimes 
these lead nowhere. Still it was better to use them, poor 
as they were, than to attempt to open a way through the 
forest. On passing Malango, near the upper cataract, 
not a soul was to be seen, the inhabitants having fled and 
hid to escape the Ajawa. Those of the Manganja whom 
they found, came readily to them, but tin: majority had 
lost confidence in themselves and every one else. On 
reaching the spot, they found their boat had been burned, 
most probably iu one of the yearly conflagrations of the 
grass. The nails, iron, and copper sheathing lay on the 
ground beneath the tree upon which the boat had hung. 
Ihus disappointed about their boat, and desiring to find 
level ground, so that they could bring up nnother, they 
passed across from the Shire at Malango to the upper 
part of the stream Lesungwe, On the way, occupying a 
well built hut, which had been shut up for some time, the 
air gave us a chill and a fever. Ventilating with a fire 
early in the morning, even in the hottest weather, is a 
preventive against this danger. 
On the 1st of July, 18G3, in the night, loud claps of 
thunder awoke the party, though the moon was shining 
brightly, and not a cloud to be seen. Next morning, the 
natives, speaking of it, said: “We thought it was God” 
(Morungo). They are superstitious about the storms, but 
not quite so much so as some of the tribes of the more 
southern part of Africa. There the Nainaquas shoot their 
poisoned arrows at the storms to drive them away, while 
other tribes fling stones at the clouds. 
On tho 2d of July, the party arrived at the ship, and 
found despatches from England. Soon after, the party 
again set out, carrying with them a small wagon, drawn by 
six oxen, and loaded with a boat. There were twenty 
natives — some of them Johanna men — to manage the oxen, 
and nerliorm other necessary work. As soon as they had, 
