Quendende’s head was a good specimen of the greater crop of wool with which the negroes of Londa are furnished.  The front was parted in the middle, and plaited into two thick rolls, which, falling down behind the ears, reached the shoulders; the rest was collected into a large knot, which lay on the nape of the neck.  As he was an intelligent man, we had much conversation together:  he had just come from attending the funeral of one of his people, and I found that the great amount of drum-beating which takes place on these occasions was with the idea that the Barimo, or spirits, could be drummed to sleep.  There is a drum in every village, and we often hear it going from sunset to sunrise.  They seem to look upon the departed as vindictive beings, and, I suspect, are more influenced by fear than by love.  In beginning to speak on religious subjects with those who have never heard of Christianity, the great fact of the Son of God having come down from heaven to die for us is the prominent theme.  No fact more striking can be mentioned.  “He actually came to men.  He himself told us about his Father, and the dwelling-place whither he has gone.  We have his words in this book, and he really endured punishment in our stead from pure love,” etc.  If this fails to interest them, nothing else will succeed.

We here met with some people just arrived from the town of Matiamvo (Muata yanvo), who had been sent to announce the death of the late chieftain of that name.  Matiamvo is the hereditary title, muata meaning lord or chief.  The late Matiamvo seems, from the report of these men, to have become insane, for he is said to have sometimes indulged the whim of running a muck in the town and beheading whomsoever he met, until he had quite a heap of human heads.  Matiamvo explained this conduct by saying that his people were too many, and he wanted to diminish them.  He had absolute power of life and death.  On inquiring whether human sacrifices were still made, as in the time of Pereira, at Cazembe’s, we were informed that these had never been so common as was represented to Pereira, but that it occasionally happened, when certain charms were needed by the chief, that a man was slaughtered for the sake of some part of his body.  He added that he hoped the present chief would not act like his (mad) predecessor, but kill only those who were guilty of witchcraft or theft.  These men were very much astonished at the liberty enjoyed by the Makololo; and when they found that all my people held cattle, we were told that Matiamvo alone had a herd.  One very intelligent man among them asked, “If he should make a canoe, and take it down the river to the Makololo, would he get a cow for it?” This question, which my men answered in the affirmative, was important, as showing the knowledge of a water communication from the country of Matiamvo to the Makololo; and the river runs through a fertile country abounding in large timber.  If the tribes have intercourse with each other, it exerts a good influence on their chiefs to hear what other tribes think of their deeds.  The Makololo have such a bad name, on account of their perpetual forays, that they have not been known in Londa except as ruthless destroyers.  The people in Matiamvo’s country submit to much wrong from their chiefs, and no voice can be raised against cruelty, because they are afraid to flee elsewhere.