Passing through a fine, fertile, and well-peopled country to Sanza, we found the Quize River again touching our path, and here we had the pleasure of seeing a field of wheat growing luxuriantly without irrigation.  The ears were upward of four inches long, an object of great curiosity to my companions, because they had tasted my bread at Linyanti, but had never before seen wheat growing.  This small field was cultivated by Mr. Miland, an agreeable Portuguese merchant.  His garden was interesting, as showing what the land at this elevation is capable of yielding; for, besides wheat, we saw European vegetables in a flourishing condition, and we afterward discovered that the coffee-plant has propagated itself on certain spots of this same district.  It may be seen on the heights of Tala Mungongo, or nearly 300 miles from the west coast, where it was first introduced by the Jesuit missionaries.

We spent Sunday, the 30th of April, at Ngio, close to the ford of the Quize as it crosses our path to fall into the Coanza.  The country becomes more open, but is still abundantly fertile, with a thick crop of grass between two and three feet high.  It is also well wooded and watered.  Villages of Basongo are dotted over the landscape, and frequently a square house of wattle and daub, belonging to native Portuguese, is placed beside them for the purposes of trade.  The people here possess both cattle and pigs.  The different sleeping-places on our path, from eight to ten miles apart, are marked by a cluster of sheds made of sticks and grass.  There is a constant stream of people going and returning to and from the coast.  The goods are carried on the head, or on one shoulder, in a sort of basket attached to the extremities of two poles between five and six feet long, and called Motete.  When the basket is placed on the head, the poles project forward horizontally, and when the carrier wishes to rest himself, he plants them on the ground and the burden against a tree, so he is not obliged to lift it up from the ground to the level of the head.  It stands against the tree propped up by the poles at that level.  The carrier frequently plants the poles on the ground, and stands holding the burden until he has taken breath, thus avoiding the trouble of placing the burden on the ground and lifting it up again.

When a company of these carriers, or our own party, arrives at one of these sleeping-places, immediate possession is taken of the sheds.  Those who come late, and find all occupied, must then erect others for themselves; but this is not difficult, for there is no lack of long grass.  No sooner do any strangers appear at the spot, than the women may be seen emerging from their villages bearing baskets of manioc-meal, roots, ground-nuts, yams, bird’s-eye pepper, and garlic for sale.  Calico, of which we had brought some from Cassange, is the chief medium of exchange.  We found them all civil, and it was evident, from the amount of talking and laughing in bargaining, that the ladies enjoyed their occupation.  They must cultivate largely, in order to be able to supply the constant succession of strangers.  Those, however, near to the great line of road, purchase also much of the food from the more distant villages for the sake of gain.