hem on this occasion; and we, therefore, willingly
accompanied them to the village, whence a number of people issued forth
to greet us. They then conducted us to a newly built hut, the inside of
which was as clean as we could desire, the floor covered with freshly
made mats. There we could more securely rest than we had been able to
do for a long time. We were, however, not yet allowed to enter it; a
feast was preparing at which it was expected we should be present, after
which there was to be a dance for our entertainment. For the feast a
fat ox had been killed, part being roasted and part stewed. Some of
both was placed before us, together with huge bowls of porridge, which
our entertainers mixed with their fingers, and transferred by the same
means to their mouths in large quantities. They looked somewhat
surprised when we hesitated to follow their example, but considering
that it would show mistrust, we at last overcame our repugnance. The
porridge itself was certainly not bad, and our hosts laughed heartily as
they saw how we burnt our fingers and made wry faces. The whole was
washed down with huge draughts of pombe, a sort of beer, with slightly
intoxicating properties. We did not inquire too minutely as to how it
was made. The feast over, we heard an extraordinary uproar proceeding
from another part of the village, a sound between the barking of dogs
and people endeavouring to clear their throats. On going in the
direction whence the strange sounds came, we found several men with
spears in their hands and anklets of shells fastened round their legs,
bending over a small fire, and producing the melancholy noises which had
attracted our attention. Others danced round them rattling their
anklets, while a party of women forming an outer semicircle sang a
monotonous chant and clapped their hands. The old men and women, the
senior inhabitants of the village, whom we were invited to join, sat on
the opposite side, spectators of the performance. In the meantime the
young men and boys were prancing about, now advancing to the girls
beating the ground, rattling their anklets, and creating an enormous
quantity of dust.

These proceedings had gone on for some time, when a gay youth, evidently
the leader among them, snatching a brand from the fire after dancing up
to the girls, stuck it in the ground, when he began to leap round and
over it, for a considerable time, taking care not to touch it.

After these var