The Country
Adjacent To The River Is Covered With Dense Bush, Thorny And Tangled,
Making One Stoop Or Wait Till
The men broke or held the branches on one side.
There is much rank grass, but it is not so
High or rank as that of Angola.
The maize, however, which is grown here is equal in size to that
which the Americans sell for seed at the Cape. There is usually a holm
adjacent to the river, studded with villages and gardens. The holms are
but partially cultivated, and on the other parts grows rank and weedy grass.
There is then a second terrace, on which trees and bushes abound;
and I thought I could detect a third and higher steppe.
But I never could discover terraces on the adjacent country,
such as in other countries show ancient sea-beaches. The path runs
sometimes on the one and sometimes on the other of these river terraces.
Canoes are essentially necessary; but I find that they here cost too much
for my means, and higher up, where my hoes might have secured one,
I was unwilling to enter into a canoe and part with my men
while there was danger of their being attacked.
18TH. Yesterday we rested under a broad-spreading fig-tree.
Large numbers of buffaloes and water-antelopes were feeding quietly
in the meadows; the people have either no guns or no ammunition,
or they would not be so tame. Pangola visited us, and presented us with food.
In few other countries would one hundred and fourteen sturdy vagabonds
be supported by the generosity of the head men and villagers,
and whatever they gave be presented with politeness. My men got pretty well
supplied individually, for they went into the villages and commenced dancing.
The young women were especially pleased with the new steps they had to show,
though I suspect many of them were invented for the occasion,
and would say, "Dance for me, and I will grind corn for you."
At every fresh instance of liberality, Sekwebu said, "Did not I tell you
that these people had hearts, while we were still at Linyanti?"
All agreed that the character he had given was true, and some remarked,
"Look! although we have been so long away from home, not one of us
has become lean." It was a fact that we had been all well supplied
either with meat by my gun or their own spears, or food from
the great generosity of the inhabitants. Pangola promised
to ferry us across the Zambesi, but failed to fulfill his promise.
He seemed to wish to avoid offending his neighbor Mpende
by aiding us to escape from his hands, so we proceeded along the bank.
Although we were in doubt as to our reception by Mpende,
I could not help admiring the beautiful country as we passed along.
There is, indeed, only a small part under cultivation in this fertile valley,
but my mind naturally turned to the comparison of it with Kolobeng,
where we waited anxiously during months for rain, and only
a mere thunder-shower followed.
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