492 
RECEPTION AT LIBONTA. 
Chap. XXIV. 
July 21th.-~We reached the town of Libonta, and were re¬ 
ceived with demonstrations of joy such as I had never witnessed 
before. The women came forth to meet us, making their curious 
dancing gestures, and loud luUiloos. Some carried a mat and 
stick, in imitation of a spear and shield. Others rushed forward 
and kissed the hands and cheeks of the different persons of their 
acquaintance among us, raising such a dust that it was quite a 
relief to get to the men assembled and sitting with proper African 
decorum in the kotla. We were looked upon as men risen from 
the dead, for the most skilful of their diviners had pronounced us 
to have perished long ago. After many expressions of joy at 
meeting, I arose, and, thanking them, explained the causes of our 
long delay, but left the report to be made by their own country¬ 
men. Formerly I had been the cliief speaker, now I would leave 
the task of speaking to them. Pitsane then delivered a speech 
of upwards of an hour in length, giving a highly flattering 
picture of the whole journey, of the kindness of the white men 
in general, and of Mr. Gabriel in particular. He concluded by 
saying that I had done more for them than they expected; that 
I had not only opened up a path for them to the other white 
men, but conciliated all the chiefs along the route. The oldest 
man present, rose and answered this speech, and, among other 
tilings, alluded to the disgust I felt at the Makololo for engaging 
in maraudiug expeditions against Lechulatebe and Sebolamak- 
waia, of which we had heard from the first persons we met, 
and which my companions most energetically denounced as 
^^mashue hela,” entirely bad. He entreated me not to lose 
heart, but to reprove Sekeletu as my child. Another old man 
followed with the same entreaties. The following day we ob¬ 
served as om^ thanksgiving to God for his goodness in bringing 
us all back in safety to our friends. My men decked themselves 
out in their best, and I found that, although their goods were 
finished, they had managed to save suits of European clothing, 
wliich, being white, with their red caps, gave them rather a 
dashing appearance. They tried to walk like the soldiers they 
had seen in Loanda, and called themselves my “ braves ” (batla- 
bani). Hmdng the service they aU sat with their guns over then’ 
shoulders, and excited the unbounded admiration of the women 
and children. I addressed them all on the goodness of God in 
