Chap. XII. 
THE HEKALD. 
221 
falls down in winter, or is laid ” by its own weight, one is obliged 
to bft tbe feet so high, to avoid being tripped up by it, as to make 
walking excessively fatiguing. Young leches are Ihdden beneath 
it by their dams; and the Makololo youth complain of being 
imable to run in the Barotse land on this account. There was 
evidently no healthy spot in tliis quarter; and the cmTent of the 
river being about fom’ and a half miles per hoim (one hundred 
yards in sixty seconds), I imagined we might find what was needed 
in the higher lands, from which the river seemed to come. I 
resolved, therefore, to go to the utmost limits of the Barotse 
country before coming to a final conclusion. Batongo was the 
best place we had seen; but in order to accomplish a complete 
examination, I left Sekeletu at Naliele, and ascended the river. 
He furnished me with men, besides my rowers, and among the 
rest a herald, that I might enter his villages in what is considered 
a dignified manner. Tliis it was supposed would be effected by the 
herald shouting out at the top of his voice, “ Here comes the lord; 
the great lionthe latter plmase being “ tau e tona,” wliich in 
his imperfect way of pronunciation became “ sau e tona,” and so 
like “ the great sow,” that I could not receive the honour with 
becoming gravity, and had to entreat him, much to the annoyance 
of my party, to be silent. 
In our ascent we visited a number of Makololo villages, and 
were always received with a hearty welcome, as messengers to 
them of peace—which they term “ sleep.” They behave well in 
public meetings, even on the first occasion of attendance, probably 
from the liabit of commanding the Makalaka, crowds of whom 
swarm in every village, and whom the Makololo women seem to 
consider as especially mider their charge. 
The river presents the same appearance of low banks without 
trees as we have remarked it had after we came to 16° 16', until 
we arrive at Libonta (14° 59' S. lat.). Twenty miles beyond that, 
we find forest down to the winter’s edge, and tsetse. Here I might 
have tmiied back, as no locality can be inliabited by Europeans 
where that scourge exists; but hearing that we w^ere not far from 
the confluence of the river of Londa, or Lunda, named Leeba, or 
Loiba, and the cliiefs of that country being reported to be friendly 
to strangers, and therefore Likely to be of use to me on my return 
from the west coast, I still pushed on to latitude 14° 11' 3'' S. 
