In order that the social condition of the tribes may be understood by the reader, I shall mention that, while waiting for Sambanza, a party of Barotse came from Nyenko, the former residence of Limboa, who had lately crossed the Leeba on his way toward Masiko.  The head man of this party had brought Limboa’s son to his father, because the Barotse at Nyenko had, since the departure of Limboa, elected Nananko, another son of Santuru, in his stead; and our visitor, to whom the boy had been intrusted as a guardian, thinking him to be in danger, fled with him to his father.  The Barotse, whom Limboa had left behind at Nyenko, on proceeding to elect Nananko, said, “No, it is quite too much for Limboa to rule over two places.”  I would have gone to visit Limboa and Masiko too, in order to prevent hostilities, but the state of my ox would not allow it.  I therefore sent a message to Limboa by some of his men, protesting against war with his brother, and giving him formal notice that the path up the Leeba had been given to us by the Balonda, the owners of the country, and that no attempt must ever be made to obstruct free intercourse.

On leaving this place we were deserted by one of our party, Mboenga, an Ambonda man, who had accompanied us all the way to Loanda and back.  His father was living with Masiko, and it was natural for him to wish to join his own family again.  He went off honestly, with the exception of taking a fine “tari” skin given me by Nyamoana, but he left a parcel of gun-flints which he had carried for me all the way from Loanda.  I regretted parting with him thus, and sent notice to him that he need not have run away, and if he wished to come to Sekeletu again he would be welcome.  We subsequently met a large party of Barotse fleeing in the same direction; but when I represented to them that there was a probability of their being sold as slaves in Londa, and none in the country of Sekeletu, they concluded to return.  The grievance which the Barotse most feel is being obliged to live with Sekeletu at Linyanti, where there is neither fish nor fowl, nor any other kind of food, equal in quantity to what they enjoy in their own fat valley.

A short distance below the confluence of the Leeba and Leeambye we met a number of hunters belonging to the tribe called Mambowe, who live under Masiko.  They had dried flesh of hippopotami, buffaloes, and alligators.  They stalk the animals by using the stratagem of a cap made of the skin of a leche’s or poku’s head, having the horns still attached, and another made so as to represent the upper white part of the crane called jabiru (’Mycteru Senegalensis’), with its long neck and beak above.  With these on, they crawl through the grass; they can easily put up their heads so far as to see their prey without being recognized until they are within bow-shot.  They presented me with three fine water-turtles,* one of which, when cooked, had upward of forty eggs in its body.  The shell of the egg is flexible,