340 
AFRICA AND ITS EXPLORATION. 
Kaffir corn and meal, hemp, pumpkins, sweet reed, and 
so forth. For some small strips of cotton cloth—limbo 
it is called by the traders—we bought some potatoes 
and other articles. One cotton blanket was given for a 
goat, a transaction which occasioned a good deal of 
bargaining. The noise was tremendous ; what with 
husbands and wives quarrelling about the amount of 
cloth they were to receive, girls chattering and holding 
out their hands for beads, and other uproar, it was 
impossible for any one to hear himself speak. 
The whole scene was highly amusing. The fun of 
the fair was noisy, but nearly all the people seemed to 
be beaming with good-humour. All were well fed and 
happy. One woman was really pretty, with teeth as white 
as the proverbial pearl. She was full of spriglitliness, 
and begged most persistently for white calico (“ ilimbo 
elimhlopi ”) and beads. A small piece of wdiite calico 
gave her lively satisfaction. 
“I praise you” (Ngi ya bonga), she shouted, as she 
went on her way rejoicing. 
Soon we left this lively fair. It was nearly dark, 
and we camped in the forest beyond. We were now 
upon the great plateau of Matabeli-land. 
During the next two days’ journey we passed the 
villao-es of Inthlathlano-ela and Umganen—the latter a 
favourite village of the king—between which were in¬ 
terspersed rich fields of waving maize. This was a 
thickly inhabited district, for we were now approaching 
Buluwayo, the town of the great black king, Lo-bengula, 
the most powerful monarch in South Africa.* 
My curiosity was greatly excited as we neared the 
domicile of Lo-ben, who had so much power either to 
aid or thwart my effort. His subjects, masculine and 
feminine, of all ages and conditions, flocked around the 
waggon in scores, bringing tobacco and many other 
commodities likely to be wanted in exchange for the 
coveted cloth and beads. 
* Buluwayo means “ the one that is slain.” Gubuluwayo is sometimes 
used, the prefix Gu or Go, signifying at, to, ox from. Bengula, the name 
of the king, means “ defender,” the prefix Lo signifying the. 
