The Batoka Of The Zambesi Are Generally Very Dark In Color, And Very Degraded
And Negro-Like In Appearance, While
Those who live on the high lands
we are now ascending are frequently of the color of coffee and milk.
We had a large number of the Batoka of Mokwine in our party,
sent by Sekeletu to carry his tusks. Their greater degradation was probably
caused by the treatment of their chiefs - the barbarians of the islands.
I found them more difficult to manage than any of the rest of my companions,
being much less reasonable and impressible than the others.
My party consisted of the head men aforementioned, Sekwebu, and Kanyata.
We were joined at the falls by another head man of the Makololo,
named Monahin, in command of the Batoka. We had also some of the Banajoa
under Mosisinyane, and, last of all, a small party of Bashubia and Barotse
under Tuba Mokoro, which had been furnished by Sekeletu
because of their ability to swim. They carried their paddles with them,
and, as the Makololo suggested, were able to swim over the rivers by night
and steal canoes, if the inhabitants should be so unreasonable as to refuse
to lend them. These different parties assorted together into messes;
any orders were given through their head man, and when food was obtained
he distributed it to the mess. Each party knew its own spot
in the encampment; and as this was always placed so that our backs
should be to the east, the direction from whence the prevailing winds came,
no time was lost in fixing the sheds of our encampment.
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