364 
THE QUANGO. 
Chap. XIX. 
across the bottom of the Quango valley, which we found broken 
by clay shale rocks jutting out, though lying nearly horizontally. 
The grass in aU. the hollows, at this time quite green, was about 
two feet higher than my head while sitting on ox-back. This 
grass, wetted by the rain, acted as a shower-bath on one side of 
our bodies; and some deep gullies, full of discoloured water, com¬ 
pleted the coohng process. We passed many villages during tliis 
drenching, one of which possessed a flock of sheep; and after six 
hom's we came to a stand near the river Quango (lat. 9° 53' S., 
long. 18° 37' E.), which may be called the boundary of the 
Portuguese claims to territory on the west. As I had now no 
change of clothing, I was glad to cower under the shelter of 
my blanket, thankful to Grod for his goodness in bringing us so 
far, without losing one of the party. 
4:tli April .—We were now on the banks of the Quango, a river 
one hundred and flfty yards wide, and very deep. The water was 
discoloured—a circumstance which we had observed in no river in 
Londa or in the Makololo country. This fine river flows among 
extensive meadows clothed with gigantic grass and reeds, and in 
a direction nearly north. 
The Quango is said by the natives to contain many venomous 
water-snakes, which congregate near the carcase of any hippo¬ 
potamus that may be killed in it. If this is true, it may account 
for aU the villages we saw, being situated far from its banks. We 
were advised not to sleep near it; but, as we were anxious to 
cross to the western side, we tried to induce some of the Bashinje 
to lend us canoes for the purpose. This brought out the chief of 
these parts, who informed us that aU the canoe-men were his 
children, and nothing could be done without his authority. He 
then made the usual demand for a man, an ox, or a gun, adding 
that otherwise, we must retmm to the country from which we had 
come. As I did not believe that this man had any power over the 
canoes of the other side, and suspected that if I gave him my 
blanket—the only thing I now had in reserve—he might leave us 
in the lurch after all, I tried to persuade my men to go at once 
to the bank, about two miles off, and obtain possession of the 
canoes before we gave up the blanket; but they thought that tliis 
chief might attack us in the act of crossing, should we do so. 
The cliief came himself to our encampment and made his 
