about five
hundred yards, and finely wooded. It is, perhaps, one hundred yards
broad, and was winding slowly from side to side in the beautiful green
glen, in a course to the north and northeast. In both the directions
from which it came and to which it went it seemed to be alternately
embowered in sylvan vegetation, or rich meadows covered with tall grass.
The men pointed out its course, and said, "Though you sail along it for
months, you will turn without seeing the end of it."

While at the ford of the Kasai we were subjected to a trick, of which we
had been forewarned by the people of Shinte. A knife had been dropped by
one of Kangenke's people in order to entrap my men; it was put down near
our encampment, as if lost, the owner in the mean time watching till one
of my men picked it up. Nothing was said until our party was divided,
one half on this, and the other on that bank of the river. Then the
charge was made to me that one of my men had stolen a knife. Certain of
my people's honesty, I desired the man, who was making a great noise, to
search the luggage for it; the unlucky lad who had taken the bait then
came forward and confessed that he had the knife in a basket, which was
already taken over the river. When it was returned, the owner would not
receive it back unless accompanied with a fine. The lad offered beads,
but these were refused with scorn. A shell hanging round his neck,
similar to that which Shinte had given me, was the object demanded, and
the victim of the trick, as we all knew it to be, was obliged to part
with his costly ornament. I could not save him from the loss, as all had
been forewarned; and it is the universal custom among the Makololo and
many other tribes to show whatever they may find to the chief person of
their company, and make a sort of offer of it to him. This lad ought to
have done so to me; the rest of the party always observed this custom. I
felt annoyed at the imposition, but the order we invariably followed in
crossing a river forced me to submit. The head of the party remained to
be ferried over last; so, if I had not come to terms, I would have been,
as I always was in crossing rivers which we could not swim, completely
in the power of the enemy. It was but rarely we could get a head man so
witless as to cross a river with us, and remain on the opposite bank
in a convenient position to be seized as a hostage in case of my being
caught.

This trick is but one of a number eq