Chap. XIX. 
BOOKS AND IMAGES. 
367 
books they possessed, and found a small work on medicine, a 
small cyclopgedia, and a Portuguese dictionary, in which the 
definition of a ‘‘ priest ” seemed strange to a Protestant, namely, 
one who takes care of the conscience.” They had also a few 
tracts containing the Lives of the Saints, and Cypriano had three 
small wax images of saints in his room. One of these was St. 
Anthony, who, had he endured the privations he did in liis cell 
in looking after these lost sheep, would have Kved to better pur¬ 
pose. Neither Cypriano nor his companions knew what the 
Bible was, but they had relics in German-silver cases hung round 
their necks, to act as charms and save them from danger by land 
or by water, in the same way as the heathen have medicines. It 
is a pity that the church to which they belong, when unable to 
attend to the wants of her children, does not give them the sacred 
writings in their own tongue; it would surely be better to see 
them good Protestants, if these would lead them to be so, than 
entirely ignorant of God’s message to man. For my part, I 
would much prefer to see the Africans good Roman Catholics, 
than idolatrous heathen. • 
Much of the civility shown to us here was, no doubt, owing to 
the flattering letters of recommendation I carried from the Che¬ 
valier Du Prat, of Cape Town; but I am inclined to beheve, that 
my friend Cypriano was influenced too by feelmgs of genuine 
kindness, for he quite bared his garden in feeding us during the 
few days which I remained, anxiously expecting the clouds to 
disperse, so far as to allow of m}' taking observations for the deter¬ 
mination of the position of the Quango. He slaughtered an ox 
for us, and furnished his mother and her maids with manioc- 
roots, to prepare farina for the four or five days of our journey 
to Cassange, and never even hinted at payment. My wretched 
appearance must have excited his compassion. The farina is 
prepared by washing the roots well, then rasping them down to a 
pulp. Next, this is roasted slightly on a metal plate over a fire, 
and is then used with meat as a vegetable. It closely resembles 
wood sawings, and on that account is named “ wood-meal,” It 
is insipid, and employed to lick up any gravy remaining on one’s 
plate. Those who have become accustomed to it, relish it even 
after they have returned to Europe. 
The manioc cultivated here is of the sweet variety: the bitter, 
