He Transmits This
To Some Other Chiefs On The Zambesi, And Receives In Return
English Cotton Goods Which Come From
Mozambique by Babisa traders.
My men here began to sell their beads and other ornaments for cotton cloth.
Semalembue was
Accompanied by about forty people, all large men.
They have much wool on their heads, which is sometimes drawn all together
up to the crown, and tied there in a large tapering bunch.
The forehead and round by the ears is shaven close to the base of this tuft.
Others draw out the hair on one side, and twist it into little strings.
The rest is taken over, and hangs above the ear, which gives the appearance
of having a cap cocked jauntily on the side of the head.
The mode of salutation is by clapping the hands. Various parties of women
came from the surrounding villages to see the white man,
but all seemed very much afraid. Their fear, which I seldom could allay,
made them, when addressed, clap their hands with increasing vigor.
Sekwebu was the only one of the Makololo who knew this part of the country;
and this was the region which to his mind was best adapted
for the residence of a tribe. The natives generally have
a good idea of the nature of the soil and pasturage, and Sekwebu
expatiated with great eloquence on the capabilities of this part for supplying
the wants of the Makololo. There is certainly abundance of room at present
in the country for thousands and thousands more of population.
We passed near the Losito, a former encampment of the Matebele,
with whom Sekwebu had lived. At the sight of the bones of the oxen
they had devoured, and the spot where savage dances had taken place,
though all deserted now, the poor fellow burst out into a wild Matebele song.
He pointed out also a district, about two days and a half west of Semalembue,
where Sebituane had formerly dwelt. There is a hot fountain
on the hills there named "Nakalombo", which may be seen at a distance
emitting steam. "There," said Sekwebu, "had your Molekane (Sebituane)
been alive, he would have brought you to live with him. You would be
on the bank of the river, and, by taking canoes, you would at once sail down
to the Zambesi, and visit the white people at the sea."
This part is a favorite one with the Makololo, and probably it would be
a good one in which to form a centre of civilization. There is a large,
flat district of country to the north, said to be peopled by
the Bashukulompo and other tribes, who cultivate the ground to a great extent,
and raise vast quantities of grain, ground-nuts, sweet potatoes, etc.
They also grow sugar-cane. If they were certain of a market,
I believe they would not be unwilling to cultivate cotton too,
but they have not been accustomed to the peaceful pursuits of commerce.
All are fond of trade, but they have been taught none save that
in ivory and slaves.
The Kafue enters a narrow gorge close by the village of Semalembue;
as the hill on the north is called Bolengwe, I apply that name
to the gorge (lat. 15d 48' 19" S., long. 28d 22' E.). Semalembue said
that he ought to see us over the river, so he accompanied us to a pass
about a mile south of his village, and when we entered among the hills
we found the ford of the Kafue. On parting with Semalembue
I put on him a shirt, and he went away with it apparently much delighted.
The ford was at least 250 yards broad, but rocky and shallow.
After crossing it in a canoe, we went along the left bank,
and were completely shut in by high hills. Every available spot
between the river and the hills is under cultivation;
and the residence of the people here is intended to secure safety
for themselves and their gardens from their enemies; there is
plenty of garden-ground outside the hills; here they are obliged
to make pitfalls to protect the grain against the hippopotami.
As these animals had not been disturbed by guns, they were remarkably tame,
and took no notice of our passing. We again saw numbers of young ones,
not much larger than terrier dogs, sitting on the necks of their dams,
the little saucy-looking heads cocking up between the old one's ears;
as they become a little older they sit on the withers. Needing meat,
we shot a full-grown cow, and found, as we had often done before,
the flesh to be very much like pork. The height of this animal
was 4 feet 10 inches, and from the point of the nose to the root of the tail
10 feet 6. They seem quarrelsome, for both males and females are found
covered with scars, and young males are often killed by the elder ones:
we met an instance of this near the falls.
We came to a great many little villages among the hills, as if the inhabitants
had reason to hide themselves from the observation of their enemies.
While detained cutting up the hippopotamus, I ascended a hill
called Mabue asula (stones smell badly), and, though not the highest in sight,
it was certainly not 100 feet lower than the most elevated.
The boiling-point of water showed it to be about 900 feet above the river,
which was of the level of Linyanti. These hills seemed to my men
of prodigious altitude, for they had been accustomed to ant-hills only.
The mention of mountains that pierced the clouds made them
draw in their breath and hold their hands to their mouths.
And when I told them that their previous description of Taba cheu
had led me to expect something of the sort, I found that
the idea of a cloud-capped mountain had never entered into their heads.
The mountains certainly look high, from having abrupt sides;
but I had recognized the fact by the point of ebullition of water,
that they are of a considerably lower altitude than the top of the ridge
we had left.
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