household. Even John, who had a well-developed dislike for
anyone who in the least degree resembled a Mashona, said of
Sandani: “ He say plenty of good things of de master, and
Karem say he is a beeg man, in dis oontree, and has got lots
of wife!”
Quite a number of Sandani’s properties in the shape of
growing girls, came and knelt before me, offering various
kinds of native produce; the old man all the while looking
upon his live stock with an expression of genuine pride.
“ Are all these yours.? ” I asked.
“ Yes,” was the emphatic answer; “ mine, all mine, every
one of them! ”
Among the number was one very nice looking young girl,
who had her hair bedecked with white and red porcelains :
her necklace of plaited wild-grass was studded here and
there with a species of white shell; around her waist was a
belt of beads of all colours. I bought some wares from the
girls, and amused them by showing my watch. As I did so,
I pulled the girl I speak of close up, so that she might have
a better chance of seeing, and was highly amused at her
signs of alarm.
As yet I had been unable to get the avaricious lord of
many wives to divulge the news whether he would or would
not proceed with me farther.
About noon a considerable group of men were seen
coming through the wood on our right. Among them was
Chibabura the chief. Soon they were seated in a circle
close to our camp.
After the usual salute by the clapping of hands, I walked
over to the select circle, and seated myself opposite the
chief, with the oracle Sandani on my left, and the rest of
the household extending beyond.
Softly the oracle began to speak, at first in broken sentences.
Then warming to his work he increased his volume of tone
and length of expression, laying great emphasis upon the
words at the end of each sentence, and all the while shaking
his head more and more as he proceeded.
Thus he sang my praises. He told how the white man
had come from afar across salt water; and as he narrated
the facts he kept up the general custom of counting with
his fingers, at the end of the sum bringing the finger
which terminated the calculation quickly to his mouth, and
throwing the hand forward in the direction of the person
whom he addressed. This gave the number of the party,
and likewise intimated how many many moons I had been
upon the journey from distant lands.
They were informed what a wonderful hunter the white
man was: how he had shot the running deer, and how they
had eaten abundantly of the meat of the eland and the
koodoo. With the white man all was plenty. He had
bought beer with cloth. He had been treated badly by
Chuzu, the great chief, upon the threshold of whose home he
had trodden with a fearless step, although the chief wanted to
kill him. They were told of the long marches of the party,
and how, when the white man returned to his own land, he
would speak to his pale brothers of the countries he had
seen, and how Chibabura had treated him. Last, and far
from least, the white man had an inexhaustible supply of
blankets and charms which he had brought with him; in
fact he was a dry goods bank.
Some clapping of hands, succeeded by a pause, followed.
An all-round snuff was indulged in, and then came the
chiefs turn to speak.
His tone and words were very friendly. He said that he
liked the white man to come and visit his country, and
hoped that more would come bringing cloth and beads
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