We Saw Many Buffaloes Next Day,
Standing Quietly Amidst A Thick Thorn-Jungle, Through Which We Were
Passing.
They often stood until we were within fifty or a hundred
yards of them.
On the 14th July we left the river at the mountain-range, which,
lying north-east and south-west across the river, forms the Kariba
gorge. Near the upper end of the Kariba rapids, the stream Sanyati
enters from the south, and is reported to have Moselekatse's
principal cattle-posts at its sources; our route went round the end
of the mountains, and we encamped beside the village of the generous
chief Moloi, who brought us three immense baskets of fine mapira
meal, ten fowls, and two pots of beer. On receiving a present in
return, he rose, and, with a few dancing gestures, said or sang,
"Motota, Motota, Motota," which our men translated into "thanks." He
had visited Moselekatse a few months before our arrival, and saw the
English missionaries, living in their wagons. "They told
Moselekatse," said he, "they were of his family, or friends, and
would plough the land and live at their own expense;" and he had
replied, "The land is before you, and I shall come and see you
plough." This again was substantially what took place, when Mr.
Moffat introduced the missionaries to his old friend, and shows still
further that the notion of losing their country by admitting
foreigners does not come as the first idea to the native mind. One
might imagine that, as mechanical powers are unknown to the heathen,
the almost magic operations of machinery, the discoveries of modern
science and art, or the presence of the prodigious force which, for
instance, is associated with the sight of a man-of-war, would have
the effect which miracles once had of arresting the attention and
inspiring awe. But, though we have heard the natives exclaim in
admiration at the sight of even small illustrations of what science
enables us to do - "Ye are gods, and not men" - the heart is
unaffected. In attempting their moral elevation, it is always more
conducive to the end desired, that the teacher should come
unaccompanied by any power to cause either jealousy or fear. The
heathen, who have not become aware of the greed and hate which too
often characterize the advancing tide of emigration, listen with most
attention to the message of Divine love when delivered by men who
evidently possess the same human sympathies with themselves. A chief
is rather envied his good fortune in first securing foreigners in his
town. Jealousy of strangers belongs more to the Arab than to the
African character; and if the women are let alone by the traveller,
no danger need be apprehended from any save the slave-trading tribes,
and not often even from them.
We passed through a fertile country, covered with open forest,
accompanied by the friendly Bawe. They are very hospitable; many of
them were named, among themselves, "the Baenda pezi," or "Go-nakeds,"
their only clothing being a coat of red ochre. Occasionally stopping
at their villages we were duly lullilooed, and regaled with sweet
new-made beer, which, being yet unfermented, was not intoxicating.
It is in this state called Liting or Makonde. Some of the men carry
large shields of buffalo-hide, and all are well supplied with heavy
spears. The vicinity of the villages is usually cleared and
cultivated in large patches; but nowhere can the country be said to
be stocked with people. At every village stands were erected, and
piles of the native corn, still unthrashed, placed upon them; some
had been beaten out, put into oblong parcels made of grass, and
stacked in wooden frames.
We crossed several rivulets in our course, as the Mandora, the Lofia,
the Manzaia (with brackish water), the Rimbe, the Chibue, the Chezia,
the Chilola (containing fragments of coal), which did little more
than mark our progress. The island and rapid of Nakansalo, of which
we had formerly heard, were of no importance, the rapid being but
half a mile long, and only on one side of the island. The island
Kaluzi marks one of the numerous places where astronomical
observations were made; Mozia, a station where a volunteer poet left
us; the island Mochenya, and Mpande island, at the mouth of the
Zungwe rivulet, where we left the Zambesi.
When favoured with the hospitality and company of the "Go-nakeds," we
tried to discover if nudity were the badge of a particular order
among the Bawe, but they could only refer to custom. Some among them
had always liked it for no reason in particular: shame seemed to lie
dormant, and the sense could not be aroused by our laughing and
joking them on their appearance. They evidently felt no less decent
than we did with our clothes on; but, whatever may be said in favour
of nude statues, it struck us that man, in a state of nature, is a
most ungainly animal. Could we see a number of the degraded of our
own lower classes in like guise, it is probable that, without the
black colour which acts somehow as a dress, they would look worse
still.
In domestic contentions the Bawe are careful not to kill each other;
but, when one village goes to war with another, they are not so
particular. The victorious party are said to quarter one of the
bodies of the enemies they may have killed, and to perform certain
ceremonies over the fragments. The vanquished call upon their
conquerors to give them a portion also; and, when this request is
complied with, they too perform the same ceremonies, and lament over
their dead comrade, after which the late combatants may visit each
other in peace. Sometimes the head of the slain is taken and buried
in an ant-hill, till all the flesh is gone; and the lower jaw is then
worn as a trophy by the slayer; but this we never saw, and the
foregoing information was obtained only through an interpreter.
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