308 
PLAINS COVERED WITH WATER. 
Chap. XVII. 
and then pointed to the lint in which it was hidden. The Balonda 
collected round him, evincing great wrath; but Loyanke seized 
his battleaxe in the proper manner for striking, and, placing him¬ 
self on a little hillock, soon made them moderate their tones. 
Intemese then called on me to send one of my people to search 
the huts, if I suspected his people. The man sent soon found it, 
and brought it out, to the confusion of Intemese and the laughter 
of our party. This incident is mentioned to show that the greater 
superstition which exists here, does not lead to the practice of the 
virtues. We never met an instance like this, of theft from a 
white man among the Makololo, though they complain of the 
Makalaka as addicted to pilfering. The honesty of the Bak- 
wains has been already noticed. Probably the estimation in 
which I was held as a public benefactor, in which character I was 
not yet known to the Balonda, may account for the sacredness with 
which my property was always treated before. But other inci¬ 
dents wliicli happened subsequently, showed, as well as this, that 
idolaters are not so virtuous as those who have no idols. 
As the people on the banks of the Leeba were the last of 
Shinte’s tribe over which Intemese had power, he was naturally 
anxious to remain as long as possible. He was not idle, but 
made a large wooden mortar and pestle for his wife dmdng our 
journey. He also carved many wooden spoons and a bowl; then 
commenced a basket; but as what he considered good living was 
anything but agreeable to us, who had been accustomed to milk 
and maize, we went forward on the 2nd without him. He soon 
followed, but left om^ pontoon, saying it would be brought by the 
head man of the village. This was a great loss, as we afterwards 
found; it remained at this village more than a year, and when 
we retmmed, a mouse had eaten a hole in it. 
We entered on an extensive plain beyond the Leeba, at least 
twenty miles broad, and covered with water, ankle deep in the 
shallowest parts. We deviated somewhat from our N.W. course 
by the du^ection of Intemese, and kept the hills Piri nearly on 
our right dmlng a great part of the first day, in order to avoid 
the still more deeply flooded plains of Lobale (Luval ?) on the 
west. These, according to Intemese, are at present impassable 
on account of being thigh deep. The plains are so perfectly 
level that rain-water, which this was, stands upon them for 
