BETWEEN ANGOLA AND THE ZAMBESI. 
481 
to them. I pray you, when he does so, not to forget 
that I gave you an ox, and treated you as my brother. 
I have not long to live, but then you can remember 
my sons, and will do them, I hope, no injury.” I was 
touched by the old man’s words. His chiefs accom¬ 
panied me respectfully to the village of the son, where 
I was lodging, and there were few of them who failed, 
during the day, to bring me over some little present, 
such as a hen or two, some eggs and sugar-cane. I 
saw a small plantation of the latter within the captain’s 
enclosure, of even a more flourishing character than that 
visible on the sea-shore, where this plant nevertheless 
assumes colossal proportions. I mention this circum¬ 
stance, because I was under the impression until then 
that, at so considerable an altitude, nearly 5580 feet, 
the cane would not grow. On my return to the village, 
I found Francisco Gon 9 alves, known as Carique, the 
half-brother of my follower Verissimo, who, learning of 
my arrival, had come to pay me a visit. This Carique 
was, like Verissimo, the son of the trader Guilherme, 
but by a different mother, and on the mother’s side 
he was heir to the throne of Caquingue. He lives 
with the native king, his uncle, and is married to a 
daughter of the future sovereign of the 15ilie'. He 
was educated at Benguella, and has some sort of culture 
and a good deal of intelligence. 
He 
brought several 
negroes with him, slaves of his father, whom he placed 
at my disposal to accompany me in my journey east¬ 
ward from the Bihe country. Thus, before I had 
even reached that desired goal, I had several carriers in 
readiness. 
Carique, Albino, the captain’s son and others who 
trade with the interior, start from that point for the 
Mucusso and Sulatebelle, descending by the Cubango 
to the Ngarni, always on the right bank ; and they do 
business also in the Cuanhama, a country to the east of 
the Humbe, on the left bank of the Cunene. Their 
staple article of trade is slaves, exchanged, on the road, 
for oxen ; and these again, with bale goods, are bartered 
for wax and ivory. I resolved to remain there a day, 
2 I 
