In This Part Of The Country, Buffaloes, Elands, Koodoos, And Various Antelopes
Are To Be Found, But We Did Not Get Any, As They Are Exceedingly Wary
From Being Much Hunted.
We had the same woodland and meadow as before,
with here and there pleasant negro villages; and being all in good health,
could enjoy the fine green scenery.
Quendende's head was a good specimen of the greater crop of wool with which
the negroes of Londa are furnished. The front was parted in the middle,
and plaited into two thick rolls, which, falling down behind the ears,
reached the shoulders; the rest was collected into a large knot,
which lay on the nape of the neck. As he was an intelligent man,
we had much conversation together: he had just come
from attending the funeral of one of his people, and I found
that the great amount of drum-beating which takes place on these occasions
was with the idea that the Barimo, or spirits, could be drummed to sleep.
There is a drum in every village, and we often hear it going
from sunset to sunrise. They seem to look upon the departed
as vindictive beings, and, I suspect, are more influenced by fear
than by love. In beginning to speak on religious subjects with those
who have never heard of Christianity, the great fact of the Son of God
having come down from heaven to die for us is the prominent theme.
No fact more striking can be mentioned. "He actually came to men.
He himself told us about his Father, and the dwelling-place
whither he has gone. We have his words in this book, and he really
endured punishment in our stead from pure love," etc. If this fails
to interest them, nothing else will succeed.
We here met with some people just arrived from the town of Matiamvo
(Muata yanvo), who had been sent to announce the death
of the late chieftain of that name. Matiamvo is the hereditary title,
muata meaning lord or chief. The late Matiamvo seems,
from the report of these men, to have become insane, for he is said
to have sometimes indulged the whim of running a muck in the town
and beheading whomsoever he met, until he had quite a heap of human heads.
Matiamvo explained this conduct by saying that his people were too many,
and he wanted to diminish them. He had absolute power of life and death.
On inquiring whether human sacrifices were still made, as in the time
of Pereira, at Cazembe's, we were informed that these had never been so common
as was represented to Pereira, but that it occasionally happened,
when certain charms were needed by the chief, that a man was slaughtered
for the sake of some part of his body. He added that he hoped
the present chief would not act like his (mad) predecessor,
but kill only those who were guilty of witchcraft or theft.
These men were very much astonished at the liberty enjoyed by the Makololo;
and when they found that all my people held cattle, we were told
that Matiamvo alone had a herd.
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