486 
AFRICA AND ITS EXPLORATION. 
fell deeply in love with lier. In questions of love it 
would not appear that there is much difference between 
Africa and Europe, and very shortly after the accidental 
meeting of the young people, Cahanda was wooed and 
won, and Bihe planted the first stockade of the great 
village which remains to this day the capital of the 
country—a country on which he bestowed his own name 
and whereof he caused himself to be proclaimed the 
Sova or king. The scattered Ganguella tribes were 
little by little subjected, and the father of the first 
Queen of the Bihe, becoming reconciled to his daughter, 
allowed a considerable emigration of his people to 
the latter state. The marriage of their sovereign was 
succeeded by many other unions between the women 
of the north and the huntsmen who had followed in 
his train, and thus was the country of the Bihe called 
into existence. 
The Bihenos are therefore Mohumbes,—a name 
bestowed in the western part of South Africa on the 
descendants of the Humbe race, who, however, are met 
with not only in the Bihe, but in various other points, 
more especially opposite the coast between Mossamedes 
and Benguella, mixed with the Munclombes, who are 
the genuine people of that country. At the present 
date, the true Mohumbe race in the Bihe' is represented 
by what we may style “ the nobility ” and wealthy 
inhabitants of the country, descendants of the huntsmen 
of the first king ; but although thus boasting of high 
lineage, it has greatly degenerated through the admix¬ 
ture of many different races. This is intelligible 
enough, for as the Bihe, from its very outset, was a 
great emporium of the slave-trade, and was colonised 
in great part by slaves of divers races, the lower classes 
are the issue of an inexplicable mixture, and the 
nobility itself, by its numerous amours, has introduced 
among its descendants blood of the remotest countries 
of South Africa. 
Of the union of Bihe' and the beautiful Princess 
Cahanda was issue an only son, on whom was bestowed 
the name of Iambi, and who succeeded his father in 
