456 
AFRICA AND ITS EXPLORATION. 
blandness increased, and further I projected my arm 
with those beads of tempting colours. 
At last the canoe was paddled alongside. Mabruki 
quietly grasped it. I then divided the beads into sets, 
talking the while to Katembo — who translated for me 
— of the happiness I felt at the sight of two such 
beautiful women coming out to see the white chief, who 
was so good, and who loved to talk to beautiful women. 
“ There ! these are for you — and these are for you,” I 
said to the steerswoman and her mate. 
They clapped their hands in glee, and each woman 
held out her presents in view of the shore people ; and 
hearty hancl-claps from all testified to their grateful 
feelings. 
The women then presented me with the gourds of 
malofu — palm-wine — the chickens, bananas, potatoes, 
and cassava they had brought, which were received by 
the boat’s crew and the interested members of the 
Expedition with such a hearty clapping of hands that 
it sent the shore people into convulsions of laughter. 
Mabruki was told now to withdraw his hand, as the 
women were clinging to the boats themselves, and peace 
was assured. Presently the great native caaioes drew 
near and alongside the boat, forming dense walls of 
strange humanity on either side. 
“ Tell us, friends,” we asked, “ why it is you are so 
friendly, when those up the river are so wicked ? ” 
Then a chief said, £ ‘ Because yesterday some of our 
fishermen were up the river on some islets near Kibombo 
island, opposite the Amu-Nyam villages ; and when we 
heard the war-drums of the Amu-Nyam we looked up, 
and saw your canoes coming down. You stopped at 
Kibombo Island, and we heard you speak to them, 
saying you were friends. But the Amu-Nyam are bad ; 
they eat people, we don’t. They fight with us frequently, 
and whomsoever they catch they eat. They fought 
with you, and while you were fighting our fishermen 
came down and told us that the Wajiwa” (we) ££ were 
coming ; but they said that they heard the Wajiwa say 
that they came as friends, and that they did not want 
