f going off to hunt for
the daily supply of fresh meat accompanied by Chimbolo as their guide
and game-carrier, Antonio as their interpreter, and Mokompa as their
poet and jester. They did not indeed, appoint Mokompa to that post of
honour, but the little worthy took it upon himself, for the express
purpose of noting the deeds of the white men, in order to throw his
black comrades into convulsions over supper by a poetic recital of the
same.

"It pleases them, an' it don't hurt us," was Disco's observation on this
head.

On the afternoon, then, of which we write, the party of four went out to
hunt, while the encampment was being prepared under the superintendence
of Jumbo, who had already proved himself to be an able manager and cook,
as also had his countrymen Masiko and Zombo.

"What a rich country!" exclaimed Harold, looking round in admiration
from the top of a small hillock on as fine a scene as one could wish to
behold, "and what a splendid cotton country it might be if properly
cultivated!"

"So it is," said Disco, "an' I shouldn't wonder if there wos lots of
gold too, if we only knew where to look for it."

"Gold!" exclaimed Antonio, who sat winking placidly on the stump of a
fallen tree; "dere be lots ob gold near Zambesi--an' oder ting too."

"Let's hear wot are some of the other things," said Disco.

"What are dere?--oh, let me see: der be coal, lots ob coal on Zambesi,
any amount ob it, an' it burn fuss-rate, too. Dere be iron-ore, very
much, an' indigo, an' sugar-cane, an ivory; you hab hear an' see yooself
about de elephants an' de cottin, an' tobacco. [See Livingstone's
_Zambesi and its Tributaries_, page 52.] Oh! great plenty ob eberyting
eberywhere in dis yere country, but," said Antonio, with a shrug of his
shoulders, "no can make noting out ob it on account ob de slave-trade."

"Then I 'spose 'ee don't approve of the slave-trade?" said Disco.

"No, dat am true," replied Antonio; "de country very good for
slave-trader, but no good for man like me what want to trade proper."

"H'm! I've more respect for 'ee than I had," said Disco. "I 'spose
you've bin up in these parts before now, have 'ee?"

"No, nevah, but I hab sister what marry one nigger, one slave, what sold
himself, an' him tell me much 'bout it. Hims bin up here many time."

"Sold himself!" repeated Harold in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Mean dat," returned Antonio. "Him was a black free-man--call him
Chibanti; him was