around, and beneath, is called on to attest the truth of what they
allege--and then the intense surprise and withering scorn cast on those
who despise their goods: but they show no concern when the buyers turn
up their noses at them. Little girls run about selling cups of water for
a few small fishes to the half-exhausted wordy combatants. To me it was
an amusing scene. I could not understand the words that flowed off their
glib tongues, but the gestures were too expressive to need
interpretation.

_27th May, 1871._--Hassani told me that since he had come, no Manyuema
had ever presented him with a single mouthful of food, not even a potato
or banana, and he had made many presents. Going from him into the market
I noticed that one man presented a few small fishes, another a sweet
potato and a piece of cassava, and a third two small fishes, but the
Manyuema are not a liberal people. Old men and women who remained in the
half-deserted villages we passed through in coming north, often ran
forth to present me with bananas, but it seemed through fear; when I sat
down and ate the bananas they brought beer of bananas, and I paid for
all. A stranger in the market had ten human under jaw-bones hung by a
string over his shoulder: on inquiry he professed to have killed and
eaten the owners, and showed with his knife how he cut up his victim.
When I expressed disgust he and others laughed. I see new faces every
market-day. Two nice girls were trying to sell their venture, which was
roasted white ants, called "Gumbé."

_30th May, 1871._--The river fell four inches during the last four days;
the colour is very dark brown, and large quantities of aquatic plants
and trees float down. Mologhwé, or chief Ndambo, came and mixed blood
with the intensely bigoted Moslem, Hassani: this is to secure the nine
canoes. He next went over to have more palaver about them, and they do