Volume I Part 16 (1/2)
_26th February, 1867._--The chief wishes to buy a cloth with two goats, but his men do not bring them up quickly. Simon, one of the boys, is ill of fever, and this induces me to remain, though moving from one place to another is the only remedy we have in our power.
With the chief's men we did not get on well, but with himself all was easy. His men demanded prepayment for canoes to cross the river Loombe; but in the way that he put it, the request was not unreasonable, as he gave a man to smooth our way, and get canoes, or whatever else was needed, all the way to Chibue's. I gave a cloth when he put it thus, and he presented a goat, a spear ornamented with copper-wire, abundance of meal, and beer, and numbo; so we parted good friends, as his presents were worth the cloth.
Holding a north-westerly course we met with the Chikosho flowing west, and thence came to the Likombe by a high ridge called Losauswa, which runs a long way westward. It is probably a watershed between streams going to the Chambeze and those that go to the northern rivers.
We have the Locopa, Loombe, Nikelenge, then Lofubu or Lovu; the last goes north into Liembe, but accounts are very confused. The Chambeze rises in the Mambive country, which is north-east of Moamba, but near to it.
The forest through which we pa.s.sed was dense, but scrubby; trees unhealthy and no drainage except through oozes. On the keel which forms a clay soil the rain runs off, and the trees attain a large size. The roads are not soured by the slow process of the ooze drainage. At present all the slopes having loamy or sandy soil are oozes, and full to overflowing; a long time is required for them to discharge their contents. The country generally may be called one covered with forest.
_6th March, 1867._--We came after a short march to a village on the Molilanga, flowing east into the Loombe, here we meet with bananas for the first time, called, as in Lunda, nkonde. A few trophies from Mazitu are hung up: Chitapangwa had twenty-four skulls ornamenting his stockade. The Babemba are decidedly more warlike than any of the tribes south of them: their villages are stockaded, and have deep dry ditches round them, so it is likely that Mochimbe will be effectually checked, and forced to turn his energies to something else than to marauding.
Our man from Moamba here refused to go further, and we were put on the wrong track by the headman wading through three marshes, each at least half a mile broad. The people of the first village we came to shut their gates on us, then came running after us; but we declined to enter their village: it is a way of showing their independence. We made our sheds on a height in spite of their protests. They said that the gates were shut by the boys; but when I pointed out the boy who had done it, he said that he had been ordered to do it by the chief.
If we had gone in now we should have been looked on as having come under considerable obligations.
_8th March, 1867._--We went on to a village on the Loombe, where the people showed an opposite disposition, for not a soul was in it--all were out at their farms. When the good wife of the place came she gave us all huts, which saved us from a pelting shower. The boys herding the goats did not stir as we pa.s.sed down the sides of the lovely valley. The Loombe looks a sluggish stream from a distance. The herdsman said we were welcome, and he would show the crossing next day, he also cooked some food for us.
Guided by our host, we went along the Loombe westwards till we reached the bridge (rather a rickety affair), which, when the water is low may be used as a weir. The Loombe main stream is 66 feet wide, 6 feet deep, with at least 200 feet of flood beyond it. The water was knee deep on the bridge, but clear; the flooded part beyond was waist deep and the water flowing fast.
All the people are now transplanting tobacco from the s.p.a.ces under the eaves of the huts into the fields. It seems unable to bear the greater heat of summer: they plant also a kind of liranda, proper for the cold weather. We thought that we were conferring a boon in giving peas, but we found them generally propagated all over the country already, and in the cold time too. We went along the Diola River to an old hut and made a fire; thence across country to another river, called Loendawe, 6 feet wide, and 9 feet deep.
_10th March, 1867._--I have been ill of fever ever since we left Moamba's; every step I take jars in the chest, and I am very weak; I can scarcely keep up the march, though formerly I was always first, and had to hold in my pace not to leave the people altogether. I have a constant singing in the ears, and can scarcely hear the loud tick of the chronometers. The appet.i.te is good, but we have no proper food, chiefly maere meal or beans, or mapemba or ground-nuts, rarely a fowl.
The country is full of hopo-hedges, but the animals are hara.s.sed, and we never see them.
_11th March, 1867._.--Detained by a set-in rain. Marks on ma.s.ses of dolomite elicited the information that a party of Londa smiths came once to this smelting ground and erected their works here. We saw an old iron furnace, and ma.s.ses of haemat.i.te, which seems to have been the ore universally used.
_12th March, 1867._--Rain held us back for some time, but we soon reached Chibue, a stockaded village. Like them all, it is situated by a stream, with a dense clump of trees on the waterside of some species of mangrove. They attain large size, have soft wood, and succulent leaves; the roots intertwine in the mud, and one has to watch that he does not step where no roots exist, otherwise he sinks up to the thigh. In a village the people feel that we are on their property, and crowd upon us inconveniently; but outside, where we usually erect our sheds, no such feeling exists, we are each on a level, and they don't take liberties.
The Balungu are marked by three or four little k.n.o.bs on the temples, and the lobes of the ears are distended by a piece of wood, which is ornamented with beads; bands of beads go across the forehead and hold up the hair.
Chibue's village is at the source of the Lokwena, which goes N. and N.E.; a long range of low hills is on our N.E., which are the Mambwe, or part of them. The Chambeze rises in them, but further south. Here the Lokwena, round whose source we came on starting this morning to avoid wet feet, and all others north and west of this, go to the Lofu or Lobu, and into Liemba Lake. Those from the hills on our right go east into the Loanzu and so into the Lake.
_15th March, 1867._--We now are making for Kasonso, the chief of the Lake, and a very large country all around it, pa.s.sing the Lochenje, five yards wide, and knee deep, then to the Chanumba. All flow very rapidly just now and are flooded with clean water. Everyone carries an axe, as if constantly warring with the forest. My long-continued fever ill disposes me to enjoy the beautiful landscape. We are evidently on the ridge, but people have not a clear conception of where the rivers run.
_19th March, 1867._--A party of young men came out of the village near which we had encamped to force us to pay something for not going into their village. ”The son of a great chief ought to be acknowledged,”
&c. They had their bows and arrows with them, and all ready for action. I told them we had remained near them because they said we could not reach Kasonso that day. Their headman had given us nothing.
After talking a while, and threatening to do a deal to-morrow, they left, and through an Almighty Providence nothing was attempted. We moved on N.W. in forest, with long green tree-covered slopes on our right, and came to a village of Kasonso in a very lovely valley. Great green valleys were now scooped out, and many, as the Kakanza, run into the Lovu.
_20th March, 1867._--The same features of country prevailed, indeed it was impossible to count the streams flowing N.W. We found Kasonso situated at the confluence of two streams; he shook hands a long while, and seems a frank sort of man. A shower of rain set the driver ants on the move, and about two hours after we had turned in we were overwhelmed by them. They are called Kalandu or Nkalanda.
To describe this attack is utterly impossible. I wakened covered with them: my hair was full of them. One by one they cut into the flesh, and the more they are disturbed, the more vicious are their bites; they become quite insolent. I went outside the hut, but there they swarmed everywhere; they covered the legs, biting furiously; it is only when they are tired that they leave off.
One good trait of the Balungu up here is, they retire when they see food brought to anyone, neither Babisa nor Makoa had this sense of delicacy: the Babemba are equally polite.
We have descended considerably into the broad valley of the Lake, and it feels warmer than on the heights. Cloth here is more valuable, inasmuch as bark-cloth is scarce. The skins of goats and wild animals are used, and the kilt is very diminutive among the women.
_22nd March, 1867._--Cross Loela, thirty feet wide and one deep, and meet with tsetse fly, though we have seen none since we left Chitapangwa's. Kasonso gave us a grand reception, and we saw men present from Tanganyika; I saw ca.s.sava here, but not in plenty.
_28th March, 1867._--Set-in rain and Chuma fell ill. There are cotton bushes of very large size here of the South American kind. After sleeping in various villages and crossing numerous streams, we came to Mombo's village, near the ridge overlooking the Lake.