d
were civilised enough to possess a church, remains to be seen! At the
time we write of he merely hummed to the sound of the hammer, and forged
hoes, axes, spears, needles, arrow-heads, bracelets, armlets, necklets,
and anklets, with surprising dexterity.

Pity that he could not forge a chain which would for ever restrain the
murderous hands of the Arabs and half-caste Portuguese, who, for ages,
have blighted his land with their pestilential presence!

After contemplating the picture for a time, Kambira descended the
winding path that led to the village. He had not proceeded far when one
of the smallest of the children--a creature so rotund that his body and
limbs were a series of circles and ovals, and so black that it seemed an
absurdity even to think of casting a shadow on him--espied the advancing
party, uttered a shrill cry of delight, and ran towards them.

His example was followed by a dozen others, who, being larger, outran
him, and, performing a war-dance round the men, possessed themselves, by
amicable theft, of pieces of raw meat with which they hastened back to
the village. The original discoverer of the party, however, had other
ends in view. He toddled straight up to Kambira with the outstretched
arms of a child who knows he will be welcomed.

Kambira was not demonstrative, but he was hearty. Taking the little
ball of black butter by the arms, he whirled him over his head, and
placed him on his broad shoulders, with a fat leg on each side of his
neck, and left him there to look after himself. This the youngster did
by locking his feet together under the man's chin, and fastening his fat
fingers in his woolly hair, in which position he bore some resemblance
to an enormous chignon.

Thus was he borne crowing to the chief's hut, from the door of which a
very stout elderly woman came out to receive them.

There was no one else in the hut to welcome them, but Yohama, as the
chief styled her, was sufficient; she was what some people call "good
company." She bustled about making preparations for a feast, with a
degree of activity that was quite surprising in one so fat--so very
fat--asking questions the while with much volubility, making remarks to
the child, criticising the hippopotamus-meat, or commenting on things in
general.

Meanwhile Kambira seated himself in a corner and prepared to refresh
himself with a pipe of bang in the most natural and civilised fashion
imaginable; and young Obo--for