Chap. XVIII. 
AFEICAX DIALECTS. 
339 
instancej among tlie tribes of the bumid central basin^ appear of 
a sickly sallow bue^ when compaired witb tlie aboriginal inha¬ 
bitants ; the Batoka also^ who lived in an elevated region^ are, 
when seen in company with the Batoka of the rivers, so much 
lighter in colour, they might be taken for another tribe; but their 
language, and the very marked custom of knocldng out the upper 
front teeth, leave no room for doubt that they are one people. 
Apart from the influences of elevation, heat, humidity, and 
degradation, I have imagined that the lighter and darker 
colours observed in the native population, run in five longi¬ 
tudinal bands along the southern portion of the continent. 
Those on the seaboard of both the east and west are very dark; 
then two bands of lighter colour lie about three hundred miles 
from each coast, of which the westerly one, bending round, em¬ 
braces the Kalahari Desert and Bechuana countries; and then 
the central basin is very dark again. This opinion is not given 
with any degree of positiveness. It is stated just as it struck 
my mind in passing across the country, and if incorrect, it is 
singular that the dialects spoken by the different tribes, have 
arranged themselves in a fashion wliich seems to indicate migra¬ 
tion along the lines of colour. The dialects spoken in the ex¬ 
treme south, whether Hottentot or Caffre, bear a close affinity 
to those of the tribes living immediately on their northern 
borders *. one glides into the other, and their affinities are so 
easily detected, that they are at once recognised to be cognate. 
If the dialects of extreme points are compared, as that of the 
Caflfes and the tribes near the Equator, it is more difficult to 
recognise the fact, which is reaUy the case, that all the dialects 
belong to but two families of languages. Examination of the 
roots of the wwds of the dialects, arranged in geographical 
order, shows that they merge into each other, and there is not' 
nearly so much diflerence between the extremes of east and 
west as between those of north and south ; the dialect spoken at 
Tete resembling closely that in Angola. 
Having, on the afore-mentioned date, reached the village of 
Hjambi, one of the cliiefs of the Chiboque, we intended to pass a 
quiet Sunday; and our provisions being quite spent, I ordered a 
tired riding-ox to be slaughtered. As we wished to be on good 
terms with all, we sent the hump and ribs to Njambi, with the 
z 2 
