As One Of The Fruits Of Polygamy,
The Children Of Different Mothers Are Always In A State Of Variance.
Each Son Endeavors To Gain The Ascendency By Enticing Away
The Followers Of The Others.
The mother of Limboa being of a high family,
he felt aggrieved because the situation chosen by Masiko was better than his.
Masiko lived at a convenient distance from the Saloisho hills,
where there is abundance of iron ore, with which the inhabitants
manufacture hoes, knives, etc.
They are also skillful
in making wooden vessels. Limboa felt annoyed because he was obliged
to apply for these articles through his brother, whom he regarded
as his inferior, and accordingly resolved to come into the same district.
As this was looked upon as an assertion of superiority
which Masiko would resist, it was virtually a declaration of war.
Both Masiko and Shinte pleaded my injunction to live in peace and friendship,
but Limboa, confident of success, now sent the message which I was
about to hear - "That he, too, highly approved of the `word' I had given,
but would only for once transgress a little, and live at peace
for ever afterward." He now desired the aid of Shinte to subdue his brother.
Messengers came from Masiko at the same time, desiring assistance
to repel him. Shinte felt inclined to aid Limboa, but,
as he had advised them both to wait till I came, I now urged him
to let the quarrel alone, and he took my advice.
We parted on the best possible terms with our friend Shinte,
and proceeded by our former path to the village of his sister Nyamoana,
who is now a widow. She received us with much apparent feeling, and said,
"We had removed from our former abode to the place where you found us,
and had no idea then that it was the spot where my husband was to die."
She had come to the River Lofuje, as they never remain in a place
where death has once visited them. We received the loan of five small canoes
from her, and also one of those we had left here before, to proceed
down the Leeba. After viewing the Coanza at Massangano, I thought the Leeba
at least a third larger, and upward of two hundred yards wide.
We saw evidence of its rise during its last flood having been
upward of forty feet in perpendicular height; but this is probably
more than usual, as the amount of rain was above the average.
My companions purchased also a number of canoes from the Balonda.
These are very small, and can carry only two persons.
They are made quite thin and light, and as sharp as racing-skiffs,
because they are used in hunting animals in the water.
The price paid was a string of beads equal to the length of the canoe.
We advised them to bring canoes for sale to the Makololo,
as they would gladly give them cows in exchange.
In descending the Leeba we saw many herds of wild animals,
especially the tahetsi (`Aigoceros equina'), one magnificent antelope,
the putokuane (`Antilope niger'), and two fine lions. The Balobale, however,
are getting well supplied with guns, and will soon thin out the large game.
At one of the villages we were entreated to attack some buffaloes
which grazed in the gardens every night and destroyed the manioc.
As we had had no success in shooting at the game we had seen,
and we all longed to have a meal of meat, we followed the footprints
of a number of old bulls. They showed a great amount of cunning
by selecting the densest parts of very closely-planted forests
to stand or recline in during the day. We came within six yards of them
several times before we knew that they were so near. We only heard them
rush away among the crashing branches, catching only a glimpse of them.
It was somewhat exciting to feel, as we trod on the dry leaves
with stealthy steps, that, for any thing we knew, we might next moment
be charged by one of the most dangerous beasts of the forest. We threaded out
their doublings for hours, drawn on by a keen craving for animal food,
as we had been entirely without salt for upward of two months,
but never could get a shot.
In passing along the side of the water every where except in Londa,
green frogs spring out at your feet, and light in the water
as if taking a "header"; and on the Leeambye and Chobe
we have great numbers of small green frogs (`Rana fasciata', Boie),
which light on blades of grass with remarkable precision;
but on coming along the Leeba I was struck by the sight of a light green toad
about an inch long. The leaf might be nearly perpendicular,
but it stuck to it like a fly. It was of the same size
as the `Brachymerus bi-fasciatus' (Smith),* which I saw only once
in the Bakwain country. Though small, it was hideous,
being colored jet black, with vermilion spots.
-
* The discovery of this last species is thus mentioned by that
accomplished naturalist, Dr. Smith: "On the banks of the Limpopo River,
close to the tropic of Capricorn, a massive tree was cut down to obtain wood
to repair a wagon. The workman, while sawing the trunk longitudinally
nearly along its centre, remarked, on reaching a certain point,
`It is hollow, and will not answer the purpose for which it is wanted.'
He persevered, however, and when a division into equal halves was effected,
it was discovered that the saw in its course had crossed a large hole,
in which were five specimens of the species just described,
each about an inch in length. Every exertion was made to discover
a means of communication between the external air and the cavity,
but without success. Every part of the latter was probed with
the utmost care, and water was kept in each half for a considerable time,
without any passing into the wood.
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