He Gave Us Cooked Pumpkins And A Water-Melon.
His Servant Had Lateral Curvature Of The Spine.
We have often seen
cases of humpback, but this was the only case of this kind of
curvature we had met with.
Mpande accompanied us himself in his own
vessel, till we had an opportunity of purchasing a fine large canoe
elsewhere. We paid what was considered a large price for it: twelve
strings of blue cut glass neck beads, an equal number of large blue
ones of the size of marbles, and two yards of grey calico. Had the
beads been coarser, they would have been more valued, because such
were in fashion. Before concluding the bargain the owner said "his
bowels yearned for his canoe, and we must give a little more to stop
their yearning." This was irresistible. The trading party of
Sequasha, which we now met, had purchased ten large new canoes for
six strings of cheap coarse white beads each, or their equivalent,
four yards of calico, and had bought for the merest trifle ivory
enough to load them all. They were driving a trade in slaves also,
which was something new in this part of Africa, and likely soon to
change the character of the inhabitants. These men had been living
in clover, and were uncommonly fat and plump. When sent to trade,
slaves wisely never stint themselves of beer or anything else, which
their master's goods can buy.
The temperature of the Zambesi had increased 10 degrees since August,
being now 80 degrees.
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