Elephants were still abundant, but more wild, as they fled with great
speed as soon as we made our appearance. The country between Mburuma's
and his mother's village was all hilly and very difficult, and prevented
us from traveling more than ten miles a day. At the village of Ma
Mburuma (mother of Mburuma), the guides, who had again joined us, gave a
favorable report, and the women and children did not flee. Here we
found that traders, called Bazunga, have been in the habit of coming
in canoes, and that I was named as one of them. These I supposed to be
half-caste Portuguese, for they said that the hair of their heads and
the skin beneath their clothing were different from mine. Ma Mburuma
promised us canoes to cross the Loangwa in our front. It was pleasant
to see great numbers of men, women, and boys come, without suspicion,
to look at the books, watch, looking-glass, revolver, etc. They are a
strong, muscular race, and both men and women are seen cultivating the
ground. The soil contains so much comminuted talc and mica from the
adjacent hills that it seems as if mixed with spermaceti. They generally
eat their corn only after it has begun to sprout from steeping it in
water. The deformed lips of the women make them look very ugly; I never
saw one smile. The people in this part seem to understand readily what
is spoken about God, for they listen with great attention, and tell in
return their own ideas of departed spirits. The position of the village
of Mburuma's mother was one of great beauty, quite inclosed by high,
steep hills; and the valleys are all occupied by gardens of native corn
and maize, which grow luxuriantly. We were obliged to hurry along,
for the oxen were bitten daily by the tsetse, which, as I have before
remarked, now inhabits extensive tracts which once supported herds
of cattle that were swept off by Mpakane and other marauders, whose
devastations were well known to Sekwebu, for he himself had been an
actor in the scenes. When he told me of them he always lowered his
voice, in order that the guides might not hear that he had been one of
their enemies. But that we were looked upon with suspicion, on account
of having come in the footsteps of invaders, was evident from our guides
remarking to men in the gardens through which we passed, "They have
words of peace--all very fine; but lies only, as the Bazunga are great
liars." They thought we did not understand them; but Sekwebu knew every
word perfectly