Chap, XXIV. 
SOCIAL CONDITION OF TEIBES. 
489 
On one occasion I became blood-relation to a young woman by 
accident. She had a large cartilaginous tumour between the 
bones of the fore-arm, wliich, as it gradually enlarged, so dis¬ 
tended the muscles as to render her unable to work. She apphed 
to me to excise it. I requested her to bring her husband, if he 
were willing to have the operation performed, and, while removing 
the tumour, one of the small arteries squuded some blood into my 
eye. She remarked, when I was wiping the blood out of it, “ You 
were a friend before, now you are a blood-relation; and when 
you pass tliis way, always send me word, that I may cook food for 
you.'’ In creating these friendships, my men had the full hiten- 
tion of retmming; each one had his Molehane {friend) in every 
village of the friendly Balonda. Mohorisi even married a wife in 
the town of Katema, and Pitsane took another in the toTO of 
Shinte. These alliances were looked upon with great favour by 
the Balonda chiefs, as seeming the goodwill of the Makololo. 
In order that the social condition of the tribes may be under¬ 
stood by the reader, I shall mention that, whil^e waiting for Sam- 
banza, a party of Barotse came from Nyenko, the former residence 
of Limboa, who had lately crossed the Leeba on his way towards 
Masiko. The head-man of tliis party had brought Limboa’s son 
to his father, because the Barotse at Nyenko had, smee the de- 
partm*e of Limboa, elected Nananko, another son of Santmm, in 
his stead; and our visitor, to whom the boy had been intrusted as 
a guardian, thinking him to be in danger, fled with him to his 
father. The Barotse, whom Limboa had left behind at Nyenko, 
on proceeding to elect Nananko, said, ‘‘No, it is quite too much 
for Limboa to rule over two places." I would have gone to visit 
Limboa and Masiko too, in order to prevent hostilities, but the 
state of my ox would not allow it. I therefore sent a message to 
Limboa by some of his men, protesting against war with his 
brother, and givhig liim formal notice that the path up the 
Leeba had been given to us by the Balonda, the owners of the 
country, and that no attempt must ever be made to obstruct free 
intercourse. 
On leaving tliis place we were deserted by one of our party, 
Mboenga, an Ambonda man, who had accompanied us all the 
way to Loanda and back. His father v/as living with Masiko, 
and it was natiu’al for him to wish to join his own family again. 
