Chap. XXIV. 
KINDNESS OF THE PEOPLE. 
493 
preserving us from all tlie dangers of strange tribes and disease. 
We had a similar service in the afternoon. The men gave us 
two fine oxen for slaughter, and the women supplied us abun¬ 
dantly with milk, meal, and butter. It was all quite gratuitous, 
and I felt ashamed that I could make no return. My men ex¬ 
plained the total expenditoe of our means, and the Libontese 
answered gracefully, ‘‘ It does not matter; you have opened a 
path for us, and we shall have sleep.” Strangers came flocking 
from a distance, and seldom empty-handed. Their presents I 
distributed amongst my men. 
Om’ progress down the Barotse valley was just like this. 
Every village gave us an ox, and sometimes two. The people 
were wonderfully kind. I felt, and stiU feel, most deeply 
grateful, and tried to benefit them in the only way I could, 
by imparting the knowledge of that Saviour, who can comfort 
and supply them in the time of need, and my prayer is, that 
he may send his good Spirit to instruct them and lead them into 
his kingdom. Even now, I earnestly long to return, and make 
some recompense to them for their kindness. . In passing them 
on our way to the north, their hberahty might have been sup¬ 
posed to be influenced by the hope of repayment on our return, 
for the white man’s land is imagined to be the source of every 
ornament they prize most. But though we set out from Loanda 
with a considerable quantity of goods, hoping both to pay our 
way through the stingy Cliiboque, and to make presents to 
the kind Balonda, and still more generous Makololo, the many 
delays caused by sickness made us expend all my stock, and aU 
the goods my men procured by their own labom: at Loanda, and 
we returned to the Makololo as poor as when we set out. Yet 
no distrust was shown, and my poverty did not lessen my in¬ 
fluence. They saw that I had been exerting myself for thek 
benefit alone, and even my men remarked, Though we retmm 
as poor as we went, we have not gone in vain.” They began 
immediately to collect tusks of hippopotami and other ivory for 
a second journey. 
