122 
REPORT—1854. 
village of Sekhosi, our fleet consisting of thirty-three canoes, and our company of 
about 160 men. From the bend at Katima-molelo up to the commencement of the 
Barotsey valley, the country is covered by forest and tsetse. Many villages of 
Banyeti, a poor but industrious people, are situated on both of them. They are 
expert as hunters of hippopotami and other animals, and cultivate grain extensively. 
Passing beyond these parts, the high banks seem to leave the river nod stretch away 
to the N.N.E. and N.N.W. until between twenty and thirty mile--, apart ; the inter¬ 
vening space, 100 miles in length, is the Barotsey country, and this is annually inun¬ 
dated, as Lower Egypt is by the Nile. The valley is covered with coarse succulent 
grasses, which are the pasturage of large herds of cattle during a portiou of the year. 
There are many villages of Mukololo in the valley. I have not put down nil that I 
visited, and many were seen in the distance; but there are no large towns. The 
reasons are, the mounds on which alone towns and villages are built are all small, 
and the people require to live separate on ucenuot of being rich in cattle. Naride, 
the capital of the Barotsey country, does not contain 1000 inhabitants. Wc went 
north till we came to the junction of Leeba or Londa with the main stream l.eeam- 
bye, in 14° 11' south hit., aud found Uic country presenting the same characteristics 
as I have described. On returning towards Nurielc, I went to the eustern ridge in 
order to examine that, and sec thu establishment of ft merchant from the furthest 
inlaud station of the Portuguese, opposite Benguela. A stockade had been erected, 
aud a flagstaff for the Portuguese banner planted. The houses of the merchant and 
some bastards were in tha West African style. The owner, whom I hud previously 
seen at Linyanti, was absent; but his servants did their utmost to show me kind¬ 
ness. When my boatmen prepared my lied outside, they insisted on my occupying 
their master’s coach; and l never felt so grateful in my life for a warm shelter, for 
I was in the cold stage of one of the intermittents, which continued to plague me 
after the fever. 1 thought of going westward in company with this merchant, hut 
the sight of gangs of poor wretches in chains at the stockude induced me to resolve 
to proceed alone. I have not, 1 am sorry to confess, discovered a healthy locality. 
The whole of the enuutry of Sebituane is unhealthy. The current of the river is 
rapid as far as we went, and showed wc must have been ou an elevated table-land; 
yet the inundatiuns cause the fever to prevail very extensively. I am at a loss what 
to do, but will not give up the case as hopeless. Shame upon us missionaries it wc 
are to be outdone by slave-traders 1 I met Arabs from Zanguebar, subjects of the 
Itnaum of Muscat, who had been quite across the continent. They wrote Arabic 
readily in my note-hook, and boldly avowed that Muhummcd was the greatest of nu 
the prophets. But for the destruction of my celestial map by the Boers, I migh 
have determined the longitude hy occoltationa alone, they being much more to be 
depended on than the common method of lunar distances. If, then, I am right, w* 
are nearer the west than the east coast. Nariele is in 23° cast, and the confluence 
” **« b » or LoDda n?t much more. I have not bad time to work out the long»- 
t i i ,.. *<» nine, a win ue an cue 
because, though farther, many English live there. 1 go on horse- 
back. w aggon-travcUmg being reported impossible, on account of forests and nume¬ 
rous rivers. 
The Portuguese are carried in hummocks hung on poles—two slave* 
carry a man—but it does not look well. The Portuguese maps arc all constructed 
[nhabit a tb7 re T’ 8 n dependence can be placed upon them. Many tribes 
“ m ,° rc ° r kaa accustomed to the visits of strangers. ™ 
greatest difficulty, 1 apprehend, is that of making our objects understood. Th eI 
languages bear a close affinity to the Barotsey dialect • but this I was compelled to 
the'Bats iTt*' Th ? C0 . Untr , y . iD tlu ‘ direction of Mosioatunya has high mountain-. 
Heabhv C0 T?' 13 , a hi 8 , » table-land, without trees Except along the nj* 
Healthv spots may be found m both of these • but in neither did I feel it my duty to 
trave!, because the vicinity of MosiltkaUe renders it impossible for Makololo or any 
S,: 2r,; hCrC - A £>XEd among the Matibefe 
which would change the present aspect of affairs.” 
