Anything Introduced In Recent Times, As Maize,
Superior Cotton, Or Cassava, Has A Name Implying Its Foreign Origin.
Katosa's village was embowered among gigantic trees of fine timber:
several caffiaceous bushes, with berries closely resembling those of
The common coffee, grew near, but no use had ever been made of them.
There are several cinchonaceous trees also in the country; and some
of the wild fruits are so good as to cause a feeling of regret that
they have not been improved by cultivation, or whatever else brought
ours to their present perfection. Katosa lamented that this locality
was so inferior to his former place at Pamalombe; there he had maize
at the different stages of growth throughout the year. To us,
however, he seemed, by digging holes, and taking advantage of the
moisture beneath, to have succeeded pretty well in raising crops at
this the driest time. The Makololo remarked that "here the maize had
no season," - meaning that the whole year was proper for its growth
and ripening. By irrigation a succession of crops of grain might be
raised anywhere within the south intertropical region of Africa.
When we were with Motunda, on the 20th October, he told us frankly
that all the native provisions were hidden in Kirk's Range, and his
village being the last place where a supply of grain could be
purchased before we reached the ship, we waited till he had sent to
his hidden stores. The upland country, beyond the mountains now on
our right, is called Deza, and is inhabited by Maravi, who are only
another tribe of Manganja.
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