THROUGH ZAMBESI A. 
397 
The headmen who rule the outlying villages dress their 
hair in the form of a skull-cap, trimmed neatly round, 
and coped with a ring composed of wax. The latter is 
found deposited by a small insect upon the bark of trees. 
This ring or cap is a gift of the king, and the practice of 
presentation and wearing, in some respects, resembles a 
Matabeli custom. It is a sign of distinction, and gives 
a great lift to the headmen in the eyes of the people. 
The ring head-gear of Chikuse’s people was different from 
that worn by the Zulus. 
It is noteworthy that the ring adornment is worn only 
by Zulu tribes and their descendants. 
Chikuse does not wear the ring. He anoints his hair 
with nut-oil, and wears a very neat, small bladder on the 
top of his head. 
The soil about here was very poor, consisting of disin¬ 
tegrated granite. Abundant moisture, however, ensured 
good crops. 
Tobacco was largely grown. All the men and women 
take kindly to the weed in some form. Generally, how¬ 
ever, it is used in the form of snuff, the people being 
more inveterate snuffers than any tribe I had yet come 
across. Perhaps some African enthusiast might see how 
the whole of this vast plateau could be utilised for the 
production of tobacco. This would be a splendid subject 
for a speech, although the mode of transportation might 
not be touched upon. And yet, as a matter of sober 
fact, this land is not so badly situated for the conveyance 
of goods. 
Small, humped cattle, and flocks of goats could be seen 
grazing quietly upon the green, grassy banks of the little 
rivers. Cattle, as a rule, however, were very scarce, but 
goats were plentiful. 
The inhabitants are known as Angoni, Mangoni, or 
Landm, the latter name being often spelled Landeen, and 
they are undoubtedly of Zulu origin, although in the 
country which I am now speaking of they were a very 
mixed people. 
When the Zulus from the south side of the Zambesi, 
below Senna, swept like a storm-cloud over this country, 
