290 
SLAVE-TEADERS. 
Chap. XVI. 
found the town embowered in banana and other tropical trees 
having gTeat expansion of leaf; the streets are straight, and 
present a complete contrast to those of the Bechuanas, which 
are all very tortuous. Here too we first saw native huts with 
square walls and round roofs. The fences or walls of the courts, 
which surround the huts, are wonderfully straight, and made of 
upright poles a few inches apart, with strong grass or leafy 
bushes neatly woven between. In the courts were small planta¬ 
tions of tobacco, and a little solanaceous plant which the Balonda 
use as a relish, also sugar-cane and bananas. Many of the poles 
have grown again, and trees of the Ficus indica family have been 
planted around, in order to give to the inhabitants a gTateful 
shade; they regard this tree with some sort of veneration as a 
medicine or charm. Goats were browsing about, and, when w'-e 
made our appearance, a crowd of negroes, all fully armed, ran 
towards us as if they would eat us up ; some had guns, but the 
manner in wliich they were held, showed that the OTOers were 
more accustomed to bows and arrows, than to white men’s 
weapons. After surrounding and staring at us for an hour, they 
began to disperse. 
The two native Portuguese traders of whom we had heard, had 
erected a little encampment opposite the place where ours was 
about to be made. One of them, whose spine had been injm’ed 
in youth, a rare sight in this country, came and visited us. I 
retiumed the visit next morning. His tall companion had that 
sickly yellow hue which made liim look fairer than myself, but 
his head was covered with a crop of unmistakeable wool. They 
had a gang of young female slaves in a chain, hoeing the gTound 
in front of their encampment to clear it of weeds and grass; 
these were purchased recently in Lobale, whence the traders had 
now come. There were many Mambari with them, and the 
establishment was conducted with that military order which 
pervades all the arrangements of the Portuguese colonists. A 
drum was beaten, and trumpet sounded at certain hours, quite m 
military fashion. It was the first time most of my men had seen 
slaves in chains. ‘‘ They are not men!” they exclaimed (mean¬ 
ing they are beasts), who treat their children so! ” 
The Balonda are real negToes, having much more wool on thek 
heads and bodies than any of the Bechuana or Caffre tribes. 
