The Appearance
Of A Whydahbird Showed That He Had Not Yet Parted With His Fine Long
Plumes.
We passed immense quantities of ebony and lignum-vitae, and
the tree from whose smooth and bitter bark granaries are made for
corn.
The country generally is clothed with a forest of ordinary-
sized trees. We slept in the little village near Sindabwe, where our
men contrived to purchase plenty of beer, and were uncommonly
boisterous all the evening. We breakfasted next morning under green
wild date-palms, beside the fine flowery stream, which runs through
the charming valley of Zibah. We now had Mount Chiperiziwa between
us, and part of the river near Morumbwa, having in fact come north
about in order to avoid the difficulties of our former path. The
last of the deserters, a reputed thief, took French leave of us here.
He left the bundle of cloth he was carrying in the path a hundred
yards in front of where we halted, but made off with the musket and
most of the brass rings and beads of his comrade Shirimba, who had
unsuspectingly intrusted them to his care.
Proceeding S.W. up this lovely valley, in about an hour's time we
reached Sandia's village. The chief was said to be absent hunting,
and they did not know when he would return. This is such a common
answer to the inquiry after a headman, that one is inclined to think
that it only means that they wish to know the stranger's object
before exposing their superior to danger.
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