第79章
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  TheadjacentcountryisofthesamelevelnatureasthatpartofLondaformerlydescribed;but,havingcomefarthertotheeastwardthanourpreviouscourse,wefoundthatalltherivershadwornforthemselvesmuchdeepervalleysthanatthepointswehadformerlycrossedthem。

  Surroundedonallsidesbylargegloomyforests,thepeopleofthesepartshaveamuchmoreindistinctideaofthegeographyoftheircountrythanthosewholiveinhillyregionsItwasonlyafterlongandpatientinquirythatIbecamefullypersuadedthattheQuilorunsintotheChikapa。

  Aswenowcrossedthembothconsiderablyfartherdown,andweregreatlytotheeastwardofourfirstroute,therecanbenodoubtthattheseriverstakethesamecourseastheothers,intotheKasai,andthatIhadbeenledintoamistakeinsayingthatanyofthemflowedtothewestwardIndeed,itwasonlyatthistimethatIbegantoperceivethatallthewesternfeedersoftheKasai,excepttheQuango,flowfirstfromthewesternsidetowardthecentreofthecountry,thengraduallyturn,withtheKasaiitself,tothenorth;

  and,aftertheconfluenceoftheKasaiwiththeQuango,animmensebodyofwater,collectedfromallthesebranches,findsitswayoutofthecountrybymeansoftheRiverCongoorZaireonthewestcoast。

  Thepeoplelivingalongthepathwearenowfollowingwerequiteaccustomedtothevisitsofnativetraders,anddidnotfeelinanywayboundtomakepresentsoffoodexceptforthepurposeofcheating:

  thus,amangavemeafowlandsomemeal,and,afterashorttime,returned。

  Iofferedhimahandsomepresentofbeads;butthesehedeclined,anddemandedaclothinstead,whichwasfarmorethanthevalueofhisgift。

  Theydidthesamewithmymen,untilwehadtorefusepresentsaltogether。

  OthersmadehighdemandsbecauseIsleptina“houseofcloth“,andmustberichTheyseemedtothinkthattheyhadaperfectrighttopaymentforsimplypassingthroughthecountry。

  BeyondtheChikapawecrossedtheKamaue,asmalldeepstreamproceedingfromtheS。S。W。,andflowingintotheChikapa。

  Onthe30thofAprilwereachedtheLoajima,wherewehadtoformabridgetoeffectourpassageThiswasnotsodifficultanoperationassomemightimagine;foratreewasgrowinginahorizontalpositionacrosspartofthestream,and,therebeingnowantofthetoughclimbingplantswhichadmitofbeingknittedlikeropes,SenhorPsoonconstructedabridge。

  TheLoajimawashereabouttwenty-fiveyardswide,butverymuchdeeperthanwhereIhadcrossedbeforeontheshouldersofMashauana。

  Thelastrainofthisseasonhadfallenonthe28th,andhadsuddenlybeenfollowedbyagreatdecreaseofthetemperature。

  Thepeopleinthesepartsseemedmoreslenderinform,andtheircoloralighterolive,thananywehadhithertometThemodeofdressingthegreatmassesofwoollyhairwhichlayupontheirshoulders,togetherwiththeirgeneralfeatures,againremindedmeoftheancientEgyptians。

  Severalwereseenwiththeupwardinclinationoftheouteranglesoftheeye,butthiswasnotgeneralAfewoftheladiesadoptacuriouscustomofattachingthehairtoahoopwhichencirclesthehead,givingitsomewhattheappearanceofthegloryroundtheheadoftheVirginwood-cutNo1*。

  Somehaveasmallhoopbehindthatrepresentedinthewood-cut。

  Otherswearanornamentofwovenhairandhideadornedwithbeads。

  Thehairofthetailsofbuffaloes,whicharetobefoundfarthereast,issometimesaddedThisisrepresentedinNo2Whileothers,asinNo3,weavetheirownhaironpiecesofhideintotheformofbuffalohorns;

  or,asinNo4,makeasinglehorninfrontThefeaturesgivenarefrequentlymetwith,buttheyarebynomeansuniversal。

  Manytattootheirbodiesbyinsertingsomeblacksubstancebeneaththeskin,whichleavesanelevatedcicatrixabouthalfaninchlong:thesearemadeintheformofstars,andotherfiguresofnoparticularbeauty。

  *Unfortunatelythesewood-cutscannotberepresentedinthisASCIItext。

  No1appearslikeawheelwithspokesofhairconnectingittothehead。

  No2appearssomewhatlikeatiaraslopedforward,asthebowofaship。

  No3appearslikegentlycurvinghornsThereisapartinthemiddle,andthehair,onleatherframes,curlsoutwardandupwardatthetemples。

  No4islikewise,butthesinglehorncurvesoutwardandupwardfromtheforeheaditislabelled“AYoungMan’sFashion“。

  ExceptforNo1,allarerepresentedashavingtherestoftheirhairhanginginbraidsaroundthesidesandbackAllofthefaces,asLivingstoneasserts,appearmuchlikepaintingsofancientEgyptians,andcouldeasilybeEuropeanexceptfortheshadingandtheslantedeyes。

  TheyareallhandsomeAL。,1997。

  Chapter23。

  MakeaDetoursouthwardPeculiaritiesoftheInhabitants

  ScarcityofAnimalsForestsGeologicalStructureoftheCountry

  AbundanceandCheapnessofFoodneartheChihomboASlavelost

  TheMakololoOpinionofSlaveholdersFuneralObsequiesinCabango

  SendaSketchoftheCountrytoMrGabrielNativeInformationrespectingtheKasaiandQuangoTheTradewithLuba

  DrainageofLondaReportofMatiamvo’sCountryandGovernment

  SenhorFaria’sPresenttoaChiefTheBalondaModeofspendingTime

  FaithlessGuideMakolololamenttheIgnoranceoftheBalonda

  EagernessoftheVillagersforTradeCivilityofaFemaleChief

  TheChiefBangoandhisPeopleRefusetoeatBeefAmbitionofAfricanstohaveaVillageWintersintheInteriorSpringatKolobeng

  WhiteAnts:“Nevercoulddesiretoeatanythingbetter“

  YoungHerbageandAnimalsValleyoftheLoembwe

  ThewhiteManaHobgoblinSpecimenofQuarreling

  EagerDesireforCalicoWantofClothingatKawawa’s

  FuneralObservancesAgreeableIntercoursewithKawawa

  HisimpudentDemandUnpleasantPartingKawawatriestopreventourcrossingtheRiverKasaiStratagem。

  WemadealittledetourtothesouthwardinordertogetprovisionsinacheapermarketThisledusalongtherivuletcalledTamba,wherewefoundthepeople,whohadnotbeenvisitedsofrequentlybytheslave-tradersastherest,rathertimidandverycivil。

  Itwasagreeabletogetagainamongtheuncontaminated,andtoseethenativeslookatuswithoutthatairofsuperciliousnesswhichissounpleasantandcommoninthebeatentrack。

  ThesameolivecolorprevailedTheyfiletheirteethtoapoint,whichmakesthesmileofthewomenfrightful,asitremindsoneofthegrinofanalligatorTheinhabitantsthroughoutthiscountryexhibitasgreatavarietyoftasteasappearsonthesurfaceofsocietyamongourselvesManyofthemenaredandies;theirshouldersarealwayswetwiththeoildroppingfromtheirlubricatedhair,andeverythingaboutthemisornamentedinonewayoranotherSomethrumamusicalinstrumentthelivelongday,and,whentheywakeatnight,proceedatoncetotheirmusicalperformanceManyofthesemusiciansaretoopoortohaveironkeystotheirinstrument,butmakethemofbamboo,andpersevere,thoughnoonehearsthemusicbutthemselvesOtherstrytoappearwarlikebynevergoingoutoftheirhutsexceptwithaloadofbowsandarrows,oragunornamentedwithastripofhideforeveryanimaltheyhaveshot;

  andothersnevergoanywherewithoutacanaryinacageLadiesmaybeseencarefullytendinglittlelap-dogs,whichareintendedtobeeaten。

  Theirvillagesaregenerallyinforests,andcomposedofgroupsofirregularly-plantedbrownhuts,withbananaandcottontrees,andtobaccogrowingaroundThereisalsoateveryhutahighstageerectedfordryingmaniocrootsandmeal,andelevatedcagestoholddomesticfowls。

  Roundbasketsarelaidonthethatchofthehutsforthehenstolayin,andonthearrivalofstrangers,men,women,andchildrenplytheircallingashucksterswithagreatdealofnoisyhaggling;

  alltheirtransactionsareconductedwithcivilbanterandgoodtemper。

  Mymen,havingthemeatoftheoxenwhichweslaughteredfromtimetotimeforsale,wereentreatedtoexchangeitformeal;nomatterhowsmallthepiecesofferedwere,itgavethempleasuretodeal。

  Thelandscapearoundisgreen,withatintofyellow,thegrasslong,thepathsaboutafootwide,andgenerallyworndeeplyinthemiddle。

  Thetalloverhanginggrass,whenbrushedagainstbythefeetandlegs,disturbedthelizardsandmice,andoccasionallyaserpent,causingarustlingamongtheherbageTherearenotmanybirds;

  everyanimalisentrappedandeatenGinsareseenonbothsidesofthepatheverytenorfifteenyards,formilestogetherThetimeandlaborrequiredtodigupmolesandmicefromtheirburrowswould,ifappliedtocultivation,affordfoodforanyamountoffowlsorswine,butthelatterareseldommetwith。

  Wepassedonthroughforestsaboundinginclimbing-plants,manyofwhicharesoextremelytoughthatamanisrequiredtogoinfrontwithahatchet;

  andwhentheburdensofthecarriersarecaught,theyareobligedtocuttheclimberswiththeirteeth,fornoamountoftuggingwillmakethembreakThepathsinalltheseforestsaresozigzagthatapersonmayimaginehehastraveledadistanceofthirtymiles,which,whenreckonedasthecrowflies,maynotbefifteen。

  WereachedtheRiverMoambalat9d38’S。,long20d13’34“E。

  onthe7thMayThisisastreamofthirtyyardswide,and,liketheQuilo,Loange,Chikapa,andLoajima,containsbothalligatorsandhippopotami。

  WecrosseditbymeansofcanoesHere,asontheslopesdowntotheQuiloandChikapa,wehadanopportunityofviewingthegeologicalstructureofthecountryacappingofferruginousconglomerate,whichinmanypartslooksasifithadbeenmelted,fortheroundednodulesresemblemassesofslag,andtheyhaveasmoothscaleonthesurface;

  butinallprobabilityitisanaqueousdeposit,foritcontainswater-wornpebblesofallsorts,andgenerallysmallBelowthismassliesapaleredhardenedsandstone,andbeneaththatatrap-likewhinstone。

  Lowestofallliesacoarse-grainedsandstonecontainingafewpebbles,and,inconnectionwithit,awhitecalcareousrockisoccasionallymetwith,andsoarebanksoflooseroundquartzpebblesTheslopesarelongerfromthelevelcountryabovethefurtherwegoeastward,andeverywherewemeetwithcircumscribedbogsonthem,surroundedbyclumpsofstraight,loftyevergreentrees,whichlookextremelygracefulonagroundofyellowishgrass。

  Severalofthesebogspourforthasolutionofiron,whichexhibitsonitssurfacetheprismaticcolorsThelevelplateausbetweentherivers,botheastandwestoftheMoamba,acrosswhichwetraveled,werelesswoodythantheriverglensThetreesonthemarescraggyandwideapartTherearealsolargeopengrass-coveredspaces,withscarcelyevenabushOntheseratherdrearyintervalsbetweentheriversitwasimpossiblenottobepainfullystruckwiththeabsenceofallanimallifeNotabirdwastobeseen,exceptoccasionallyatomtit,someofthe`Sylviadae’and`Drymoica’,alsoablackbird`DicrurusLudwigii’,Smithcommonthroughoutthecountry。

  Weweregladdenedbythevoiceofbirdsonlyneartherivers,andtheretheyareneithernumerousnorvariedTheSenegallongclaw,however,maintainsitsplace,andisthelargestbirdseen。

  Wesawabutcher-birdinatrapaswepassedThereareremarkablyfewsmallanimals,theyhavingbeenhuntedalmosttoextermination,andfewinsectsexceptants,whichaboundinconsiderablenumberandvariety。

  Therearescarcelyanycommonfliestobeseen,norareweevertroubledbymosquitoes。

  Theairisstill,hot,andoppressive;theintenselybrightsunlightglancespeacefullyontheevergreenforestleaves,andallfeelgladwhenthepathcomesintotheshadeThewantoflifeinthescenerymademelongtotreadagainthebanksoftheZambesi,andseethegracefulantelopesfeedingbesidethedarkbuffaloesandsleekelands。

  Herehippopotamiareknowntoexistonlybytheirfootprintsonthebanks。

  Notoneiseverseentobloworputhisheadupatall;

  theyhavelearnedtobreatheinsilenceandkeepoutofsight。

  WeneverheardoneutteringthesnortingsoundsocommonontheZambesi。

  Wecrossedtwosmallstreams,theKanesiandFombeji,beforereachingCabango,avillagesituatedonthebanksoftheChihomboThecountrywasbecomingmoredenselypeopledasweproceeded,butitbearsnopopulationcomparedtowhatitmighteasilysustainProvisionsweretobehadingreatabundance;afowlandbasketofmealweighing20lbs。

  weresoldforayardandahalfofveryinferiorcottoncloth,worthnotmorethanthreepenceAnideaofthecheapnessoffoodmaybeformedfromthefactthatCaptainNevespurchased380lbsoftobaccofromtheBangalasforabouttwopoundssterlingThis,whencarriedintocentralLonda,mightpurchaseseventhousandfivehundredfowls,orfeedwithmealandfowlsseventhousandpersonsforoneday,givingeachafowland5lbsofmealWhenfoodispurchasedherewitheithersaltorcoarsecalico,fourpersonscanbewellfedwithanimalandvegetablefoodattherateofonepennyaday。

  Thechiefvegetablefoodisthemaniocandlotsameal。

  Thesecontainaverylargeproportionofstarch,and,wheneatenaloneforanylengthoftimeproducemostdistressingheartburn。

  Asweourselvesexperiencedincomingnorth,theyalsocauseaweaknessofvision,whichoccursinthecaseofanimalsfedonpureglutenoramylaceousmatteronlyInowdiscoveredthatwhenthesestarchysubstancesareeatenalongwithaproportionofground-nuts,whichcontainaconsiderablequantityofoil,noinjuriouseffectsfollow。

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