ad
belonged to the parties which had penetrated as far as Linyanti, and
foolishly showed their displeasure at the prospect of the Makololo
preferring to go to the coast markets themselves to intrusting them
with their ivory. The Mambari repeated the tale of the mode in which
the white men are said to trade. "The ivory is left on the shore in the
evening, and next morning the seller finds a quantity of goods placed
there in its stead by the white men who live in the sea." "Now," added
they to my men, "how can you Makololo trade with these 'Mermen'? Can you
enter into the sea, and tell them to come ashore?" It was remarkable to
hear this idea repeated so near the sea as we now were. My men replied
that they only wanted to see for themselves; and, as they were now
getting some light on the nature of the trade carried on by the Mambari,
they were highly amused on perceiving the reasons why the Mambari would
rather have met them on the Zambesi than so near the sea-coast.

There is something so exhilarating to one of Highland blood in being
near or on high mountains, that I forgot my fever as we wended our
way among the lofty tree-covered masses of mica schist which form the
highlands around the romantic residence of the chefe of Golungo Alto.
(Lat. 9d 8' 30" S., long. 15d 2' E.) The whole district is extremely
beautiful. The hills are all bedecked with trees of various hues of
foliage, and among them towers the graceful palm, which yields the
oil of commerce for making our soaps, and the intoxicating toddy. Some
clusters of hills look like the waves of the sea driven into a narrow
open bay, and have assumed the same form as if, when all were chopping
up perpendicularly, they had suddenly been congealed. The cottages of
the natives, perched on the tops of many of the hillocks, looked as if
the owners possessed an eye for the romantic, but they were probably
influenced more by the desire to overlook their gardens, and keep their
families out of the reach of the malaria, which is supposed to prevail
most on the banks of the numerous little streams which run among the
hills.

We were most kindly received by the commandant, Lieutenant Antonio Canto
e Castro, a young gentleman whose whole subsequent conduct will ever
make me regard him with great affection. Like every other person of
intelligence whom I had met, he lamented deeply the neglect with which
this fine country has been treated. This district contained by the last
cens