and, the
merry voices of children at play fell on our ears--the parents had fled
thither for protection from the slave-hunting Ajawa, still urged on by
the occasional visits of the Portuguese agents from Tette. The Ajawa,
instead of passing below the Cataracts, now avoided us, and crossed over
to the east side near to the tree on which we had hung the boat. Those
of the Manganja, to whom we could make ourselves known, readily came to
us; but the majority had lost all confidence in themselves, in each
other, and in every one else. The boat had been burned about three
months previously, and the Manganja were very anxious that we should
believe that this had been the act of the Ajawa; but on scanning the spot
we saw that it was more likely to have caught fire in the grass-burning
of the country. Had we intended to be so long in returning to it, we
should have hoisted it bottom upwards; for, as it was, it is probable
that a quantity of dried leaves lay inside, and a spark ignited the
whole. All the trees within fifty yards were scorched and killed, and
the nails, iron, and copper sheathing, all lay undisturbed beneath. Had
the Ajawa done the deed, they would have taken away the copper and iron.

Our hopes of rendering ourselves independent of the south for provisions,
by means of this boat, being thus disappointed, we turned back with the
intention of carrying another up to the same spot; and, in order to find
level ground for this, we passed across from the Shire at Malango to the
upper part of the stream Lesungwe. A fine, active, intelligent fellow,
called Pekila, guided us, and was remarkable as almost the only one of
the population left with any spirit in him. The depressing effect which
the slave-hunting scourge has upon the native mind, though little to be
wondered at, is sad, very sad to witness. Musical instruments, mats,
pillows, mortars for pounding meal, were lying about unused, and becoming
the prey of the white ants. With all their little comforts destroyed,
the survivors were thrown still further back into barbarism.

It is of little importance perhaps to any but travellers to notice that
in occupying one night a well-built hut, which had been shut up for some
time, the air inside at once gave us a chill, and an attack of fever;
both of which vanished when the place was well-ventilated by means of a
fire. We have frequently observed that lighting a fire early in the
mornings, even in the hottest tim