Katema Is A Tall Man,
About Forty Years Of Age, And His Head Was Ornamented
With A Helmet Of Beads And Feathers.
He had on a snuff-brown coat,
with a broad band of tinsel down the arms, and carried in
His hand
a large tail made of the caudal extremities of a number of gnus.
This has charms attached to it, and he continued waving it in front of himself
all the time we were there. He seemed in good spirits, laughing heartily
several times. This is a good sign, for a man who shakes his sides with mirth
is seldom difficult to deal with. When we rose to take leave,
all rose with us, as at Shinte's.
Returning next morning, Katema addressed me thus: "I am the great Moene
(lord) Katema, the fellow of Matiamvo. There is no one in the country
equal to Matiamvo and me. I have always lived here, and my forefathers too.
There is the house in which my father lived. You found no human skulls
near the place where you are encamped. I never killed any of the traders;
they all come to me. I am the great Moene Katema, of whom you have heard."
He looked as if he had fallen asleep tipsy, and dreamed of his greatness.
On explaining my objects to him, he promptly pointed out three men
who would be our guides, and explained that the northwest path
was the most direct, and that by which all traders came,
but that the water at present standing on the plains would reach
up to the loins; he would therefore send us by a more northerly route,
which no trader had yet traversed. This was more suited to our wishes,
for we never found a path safe that had been trodden by slave-traders.
We presented a few articles, which pleased him highly: a small shawl,
a razor, three bunches of beads, some buttons, and a powder-horn.
Apologizing for the insignificance of the gift, I wished to know
what I could bring him from Loanda, saying, not a large thing,
but something small. He laughed heartily at the limitation, and replied,
"Every thing of the white people would be acceptable, and he would receive
any thing thankfully; but the coat he then had on was old,
and he would like another." I introduced the subject of the Bible,
but one of the old councilors broke in, told all he had picked up
from the Mambari, and glided off into several other subjects.
It is a misery to speak through an interpreter, as I was now forced to do.
With a body of men like mine, composed as they were of six different tribes,
and all speaking the language of the Bechuanas, there was no difficulty
in communicating on common subjects with any tribe we came to;
but doling out a story in which they felt no interest, and which I understood
only sufficiently well to perceive that a mere abridgment was given,
was uncommonly slow work. Neither could Katema's attention be arrested,
except by compliments, of which they have always plenty to bestow
as well as receive. We were strangers, and knew that, as Makololo,
we had not the best of characters, yet his treatment of us
was wonderfully good and liberal.
I complimented him on the possession of cattle, and pleased him by telling him
how he might milk the cows. He has a herd of about thirty,
really splendid animals, all reared from two which he bought from the Balobale
when he was young. They are generally of a white color, and are quite wild,
running off with graceful ease like a herd of elands on the approach
of a stranger. They excited the unbounded admiration of the Makololo,
and clearly proved that the country was well adapted for them.
When Katema wishes to slaughter one, he is obliged to shoot it
as if it were a buffalo. Matiamvo is said to possess a herd of cattle
in a similar state. I never could feel certain as to the reason
why they do not all possess cattle in a country containing
such splendid pasturage.
As Katema did not offer an ox, as would have been done
by a Makololo or Caffre chief, we slaughtered one of our own,
and all of us were delighted to get a meal of meat, after subsisting so long
on the light porridge and green maize of Londa. On occasions
of slaughtering an animal, some pieces of it are in the fire before the skin
is all removed from the body. A frying-pan full of these pieces
having been got quickly ready, my men crowded about their father,
and I handed some all round. It was a strange sight to the Balonda,
who were looking on, wondering. I offered portions to them too, but these
were declined, though they are excessively fond of a little animal food
to eat with their vegetable diet. They would not eat with us,
but they would take the meat and cook it in their own way, and then use it.
I thought at one time that they had imported something from the Mohammedans,
and the more especially as an exclamation of surprise, "Allah",
sounds like the Illah of the Arabs; but we found, a little farther on,
another form of salutation, of Christian (?) origin, "Ave-rie" (Ave Marie).
The salutations probably travel farther than the faith. My people,
when satisfied with a meal like that which they enjoy so often at home,
amused themselves by an uproarious dance. Katema sent to ask
what I had given them to produce so much excitement.
Intemese replied it was their custom, and they meant no harm.
The companion of the ox we slaughtered refused food for two days, and went
lowing about for him continually. He seemed inconsolable for his loss,
and tried again and again to escape back to the Makololo country.
My men remarked, "He thinks they will kill me as well as my friend."
Katema thought it the result of art, and had fears of my skill in medicine,
and of course witchcraft.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 135 of 295
Words from 139189 to 140215
of 306638
