468 
KAWAWA’S DEMAND, 
Chap. XXIII. 
In the morning we had agreeable intercom’se with Kawawa; 
he visited uSj and we sat and talked nearly the whole day with 
him and his people. When we visited him in return^ we found 
him in his large court-iiousej which, though of a beehive shape, 
was remarkably well built. As I had shown him a number of 
curiosities, he now produced a jug, of English ware, shaped like 
an old man holding a can of beer in his hand, as the greatest 
curiosity he had to exhibit. 
We had now an opportunity of hearing a case brought before 
him for judgment. A poor man and his wife were accused of 
having bewitched the man, whose wake was now held in the 
village. Before Kawawa even heard the defence, he said, You 
have killed one of my children. Bring all yours before me, that 
I may choose which of them shall be mine instead.” The wife 
eloquently defended herself, but this availed little, for these 
accusations are the means resorted to by some chiefs, to secm^e 
subjects for the slave-market. He probably thought that I had 
come to pm’chase slaves, though I had already given a pretty full 
explanation of my pursuits both to himself and his people. We 
exhibited the pictures of the magic-lantern in the evening, and 
aU were delighted except Kawawa himself. He showed symptoms 
of dread, and several times started up as if to run away, but was 
prevented by the crowd behind. Some of the more intelligent 
understood the explanations well, and expatiated eloquently on 
them to the more obtuse. Kotliing could exceed the civihties 
which had passed between us during this day; but Kawawa had 
heard that the Chiboque had forced us to pay an ox, and now 
thought he might do the same. When therefore I sent next 
morning to let him know that we were ready to start, he replied 
in his figurative way, “If an ox came in the way of a man, 
ought he not to eat it ? I had given one to the Chiboque, and 
must give him the same, together with’a gun, gunpowder, and a 
black robe, like that he had seen spread out to dry the day before; 
that, if I refused an ox, I must give one of my men, and a book 
by which he might see the state of Matiamvo’s heart towards Mm, 
and wMch would forewarn Mm, should Matiamvo ever resolve to 
cut off his head,” Kawawa came in the coolest maimer possible 
to our encampment after sending this message, and told me he 
had seen all our goods, and must have aU he asked, as he had 
