454 
AFRICA AND ITS EXPLORATION. 
one of the boat-boys. A chorus of Sen-nen-nehs, long- 
drawn, loud, and harmonious, quickly following the 
notes of the last syllable, burst from the large assembly, 
until both banks' of the great river re-echoed it with all 
its indescribable and ludicrous pathos. 
The accents were peaceful, the bearing of the people 
and the presence of the women were unmistakably 
pacific, so the word was given to drop anchor. 
The natives in the canoes, who had hitherto preceded 
us, were invited to draw near, but they shrugged their 
shoulders, and declined the responsibility of beginning 
any intercourse with the strangers. We appealed to the 
concourse on the banks, for we were not a hundred feet 
from them. They burst out into a loud laughter, yet 
with nothing of scorn or contempt in it, for we had been 
so long accustomed to the subtle differences of passion 
that we were by this time adepts in discovering the 
nicest, shades of feeling which wild humanity is capable 
of expressing. We held out our hands to them with 
palms upturned, heads sentimentally leaning on one 
side, and, with a captivating earnestness of manner, 
begged them to regard us as friends, strangers far from 
their homes, who had lost their way, but were endeavour- 
ing to find it by going down the river. 
The effect is manifest. A kind of convulsion of 
tenderness appears to animate the entire host. Expres- 
sions of pity break from them, and there is a quick 
interchange of sympathetic opinions. 
“ Ah,” thought I, “ how delighted Livingstone would 
have been had he been here to regard this scene ! As- 
suredly he would have been enraptured, and become 
more firmly impressed than ever with the innocence 
and guilelessness of true aborigines,” and I am forced 
to admit it is exceedingly pleasant, but — I wait. 
We hold up long necklaces of beads of various colours 
to view : blue, red, white, yellow, and black. 
“ Ah-h-h,” sigh a great many, admiringly, and heads 
bend towards heads in praise and delight of them. 
“ Come, my friends, let us talk. Bring one canoe 
here. These to those who dare to approach us.” There 
