Could he not
see the channel was somewhere else?" At last the Mokadamo threw down
the pole in disgust, and told Joao he might be a Mokadamo himself.
The office was accepted with alacrity; but in a few minutes he too
ran us into a worse difficulty than his predecessor ever did, and was
at once disrated amidst the derision of his comrades.
On the 16th September, we arrived at the inhabited island of
Kichokomane. The usual way of approaching an unknown people is to
call out in a cheerful tone "Malonda!" Things for sale, or do you
want to sell anything? If we can obtain a man from the last village,
he is employed, though only useful in explaining to the next that we
come in a friendly way. The people here were shy of us at first, and
could not be induced to sell any food; until a woman, more
adventurous than the rest, sold us a fowl. This opened the market,
and crowds came with fowls and meal, far beyond our wants. The women
are as ugly as those on Lake Nyassa, for who can be handsome wearing
the pelele, or upper-lip ring, of large dimensions? We were once
surprised to see young men wearing the pelele, and were told that in
the tribe of the Mabiha, on the south bank, men as well as women wore
them.
Along the left bank, above Kichokomane, is an exceedingly fertile
plain, nearly two miles broad, and studded with a number of deserted
villages. The inhabitants were living in temporary huts on low naked
sandbanks; and we found this to be the case as far as we went. They
leave most of their property and food behind, because they are not
afraid of these being stolen, but only fear being stolen themselves.
The great slave-route from Nyassa to Kilwa passes to N.E. from S.W.,
just beyond them; and it is dangerous to remain in their villages at
this time of year, when the kidnappers are abroad. In one of the
temporary villages, we saw, in passing, two human heads lying on the
ground. We slept a couple of miles above this village.
Before sunrise next morning, a large party armed with bows and arrows
and muskets came to the camp, two or three of them having a fowl
each, which we refused to purchase, having bought enough the day
before. They followed us all the morning, and after breakfast those
on the left bank swam across and joined the main party on the other
side. It was evidently their intention to attack us at a chosen
spot, where we had to pass close to a high bank, but their plan was
frustrated by a stiff breeze sweeping the boat past, before the
majority could get to the place. They disappeared then, but came out
again ahead of us, on a high wooded bank, walking rapidly to the
bend, near which we were obliged to sail.
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