288 
MODE OF APPKOACHING VILLAGES. 
Chap. XYI. 
the sun shone, so as to allow us to dry our clothing and other 
goods, many of which were mouldy and rotten from the long- 
continued damp. The guns rusted, in spite of being oiled every 
evening. 
During the night we were all awakened by a terrific shriek 
from one of Manenko’s ladies. She piped out so loud and long 
that we all imagined she had been seized by a lion, and my 
men snatched up their arms, which they always place so as to 
be ready at a moment’s notice, and ran to the rescue ; but we 
found the alarm had been caused by one of the oxen thrusting 
his head into her hut, and smelling her: she had put her hand 
on liis cold wet nose, and thought it was all over with her. 
On Sunday afternoon messengers arrived from Shinte, ex¬ 
pressing his approbation of the objects we had in view in our 
journey through his country, and that he was glad of the pros¬ 
pect of a way being opened by which white men might visit 
him, and allow him to purchase ornaments at pleasure. Ma- 
nenko now threatened in sport to go on, and I soon afterwards 
perceived that what now seemed to me the dilly-dallymg way of 
this lady, was the proper mode of making acquaintance with the 
Balonda ; and much of the favour with which I was received in 
different places was owing to my sending forward messengers, to 
state the object of our coming, before entering each town and 
village. When we came in sight of a village, we sat down under 
the shade of a tree, and sent forward a man to give notice who 
we were, and what were our objects. The head man of the 
village then sent out his principal men, as Shinte now did, to bid 
us welcome, and show us a tree under which we might sleep. 
Before I had profited by the rather tedious teaching of Manenko, 
I sometimes entered a village, and created unintentional alarm. 
The villagers would continue to look upon us with suspicion as 
long as we remained. Shinte sent us two large baskets of 
manioc, and six dried fishes. His men had the skin of a monkey, 
called in their tongue “poluma” {Colohusguereza), of a jet black 
colour, except the long mane, wliich is pure white; it is said to 
be found in the north, in the country of Matiamvo, the para¬ 
mount chief of all the Balonda. We learned from them, that 
they are in the habit of praying to then’ idols when unsuccessful 
in killing game, or in any other enterprise. They behaved with 
