272 
SHEAKONDO AND HIS PEOPLE. 
Chap. XY. 
my little tent in tlie morning, they were sitting the pictures of 
abject sorrow. I asked if we were to be guided by dreams, or by 
the authority I derived from Sekeletu, and ordered them to load 
the boats at once ; they seemed ashamed to confess their fears ; 
the Makololo picked up courage and upbraided the others for 
haying such superstitious views, and said this was always their 
way; if even a certain bird called to them, they would turn back 
from an enterprise, saying it was unlucky. They entered the 
canoes at last, and were the better of a little scolding for being 
inclined to put dreams before authority. It rained all the morn¬ 
ing, but about eleven we reached the village of Sheakondo, on a 
small stream named Lonkonye. We sent a message to the 
head-man, who soon appeared with two wives, bearing handsome 
presents of manioc: Sheakondo could speak the language of the 
Barotse well, and seemed awe-struck when told some of the 
words of God.” He manifested no fear, always spoke frankly, 
and when he made an asseveration, did so by simply pointing up 
to the sky above him. The Balonda cultivate the manioc, or 
cassava, extensively; also diua, ground-nuts, beans, maize, sweet 
potatoes, and yams, here called “ lekoto,” but as yet we see only 
the outlying villages. 
The people who came with Sheakondo to our bivouac, had 
their teeth filed to a point by way of beautifying them, though 
those winch were left untouched were always the whitest; they 
are generally tattooed in various parts, but chiefly on the ab¬ 
domen : the skin is raised in small elevated cicatrices, each 
nearly half an inch long and a quarter of an inch in diameter, so 
that a number of them may constitute a star, or other device. 
The dark colour of the skin prevents any colouring matter being 
deposited in these figures, but they love much to have the whole 
surface of then' bodies anointed with a comfortable varnish of 
oil. In their unassisted state they depend on supplies of oil 
from the Palma-Christi, or castor-oil-plant, or from various other 
oliferous seeds, but they are all excessively fond of clarified butter 
or ox fat. Sheakondo’s old wife presented some manioc-roots, 
and then politely requested to be anointed with butter: as I had 
been bountifully supplied by the Makololo, I gave her as much as 
would suffice, and as they have little clotliing, I can readily 
believe that she felt her comfort greatly enhanced thereby. 
