the gods would have approached
and talked to him." That had been my own intention in going to the
reception; but when we came and saw the formidable preparations, and all
his own men keeping at least forty yards off from him, I yielded to the
solicitations of my men, and remained by the tree opposite to that under
which he sat. His remark confirmed my previous belief that a frank,
open, fearless manner is the most winning with all these Africans. I
stated the object of my journey and mission, and to all I advanced the
old gentleman clapped his hands in approbation. He replied through a
spokesman; then all the company joined in the response by clapping of
hands too.

After the more serious business was over, I asked if he had ever seen a
white man before. He replied, "Never; you are the very first I have seen
with a white skin and straight hair; your clothing, too, is different
from any we have ever seen." They had been visited by native Portuguese
and Mambari only.

On learning from some of the people that "Shinte's mouth was bitter
for want of tasting ox-flesh," I presented him with an ox, to his great
delight; and, as his country is so well adapted for cattle, I advised
him to begin a trade in cows with the Makololo. He was pleased with the
idea, and when we returned from Loanda, we found that he had profited by
the hint, for he had got three, and one of them justified my opinion of
the country, for it was more like a prize heifer for fatness than any
we had seen in Africa. He soon afterward sent us a basket of green maize
boiled, another of manioc-meal, and a small fowl. The maize shows by
its size the fertility of the black soil of all the valleys here, and so
does the manioc, though no manure is ever applied. We saw manioc attain
a height of six feet and upward, and this is a plant which requires the
very best soil.

During this time Manenko had been extremely busy with all her people
in getting up a very pretty hut and court-yard, to be, as she said, her
residence always when white men were brought by her along the same path.
When she heard that we had given an ox to her uncle, she came forward
to us with the air of one wronged, and explained that "this white man
belonged to her; she had brought him here, and therefore the ox was
hers, not Shinte's." She ordered her men to bring it, got it slaughtered
by them, and presented her uncle with a leg only. Shinte did not seem at
all annoyed at the occurrence.

19T