384 
DISTRICT OF GOLUKGO ALTO. 
Chap. XIX. 
which in coming towards Ambaca we had seen thirty or forty 
miles to our south, were now shut from our view by others nearer 
at hand, and the grey ranges of Cahenda and Kiwe, wliich, while 
we were in Ambaca, stood clearly defined eight or ten miles off to 
the north, were now close upon our right. As we looked back 
towards the open pastoral country of Ambaca, the broad gxeen 
gently undulating plains seemed in a hollow surrounded on aU 
sides by rugged mountains, and as we went westward we were * 
entering upon quite a wild-looking mountainous district called 
Golungo Alto. 
We met numbers of Mambari on their way back to Bihe. 
Some of them had belonged to the parties which had penetrated 
as far as Linyanti, and fooHshly showed their displeasure at the 
prospect of the Makololo preferring to go to the coast markets 
themselves, to intrusting them with their ivory. The Mambari 
repeated the tale of the mode in which the white men are said 
to trade. “ The ivory is left on the shore in the evening, and 
next morning the seller finds a quantity of goods placed there 
in its stead by the white men who live in the sea.” ‘^Now,” 
added they to my men, “ how can you Makololo trade with 
these ‘ Mermen ’ ? Can you enter into the sea, and tell them to 
come ashore ? ” It was remarkable to hear this idea repeated 
so near the sea as we now were. My men replied that they 
only wanted to see for themselves; and as they were now getting 
some light on the nature of the trade carried on by the Mambaii, 
they were highly amused on perceiving the reasons why the 
Mambari would rather have met them on the Zambesi, than so 
near the sea-coast. 
There is something so exhilarating to one of Highland blood in 
being near or on liigh mountains, that I forgot my fever as we 
wended our way among the lofty tree-covered masses of mica 
schist, which form the highlands around the romantic residence 
of the Chefe of Golungo Alto. (Lat. 9° 8' 30" S., long. 15° 
2' E.) The whole district is extremely beautiful. The hills are 
aU bedecked with trees of. various hues of fohage, and among 
them towers the graceful palm, which yields the oil of commerce 
for making our soaps, and the intoxicating toddy. Some clusters 
of lulls look hke the waves of the sea driven into a narrow 
open bay, and have assumed the same form as if, when all 
