balance—be receiving some of my hope, and I a little of
his doubt.
The races dwelling in the villages on the southern shores
of the lake seem to be very confused, for little or no regularity
could be noticed in the arrangement of their markings.
Some had their bodies striped with scars in long
continuous lines in sweeping curves from neck to waist.
The faces were covered with cicatrices. Others were seen
who had not a square inch left upon their bodies upon
which they could show a little extra ingenuity of design,
for from head to foot they were covered with a perfect maze
of lines and scrolls. Not a few wore ornaments in holes
pierced in different parts of the face. The favoured places
seemed to be the upper lip and the ears; but sometimes
the nose was drilled in one nostril, and a rivet-like
ornament placed in it, similar to that worn by coolie
women of the East Indies. Upper and lower lips were
also pierced.
The women wore a great profusion of beads—blue, pink,
and red—linked together until the roll assumed the appearance
of a porcelain cable, brilliant with colour. The
universal anklets and bracelets of brass, neatly made of
wire one-eighth of an inch in thickness, were seen everywhere.
Forearms in some cases appeared to be a mass of
beads. Some of the people wear square combs of cane and
bone studded with black and white beads, and stuck carelessly
in their woolly hair.
Fashions in this neighbourhood, I found, were different
from those of Angoni-land. In the latter place they had a
marked partiality for blue and white calico, also yellow,
blue, and green beads; no reds at all. On the contrary, in
Nyanja red beads were the treasured gems of the black
Venus’ jewellery, while calico of every colour was acceptable.
Yellow beads were of little value, and it was of these that
I had the best supply.
Huts here are of the wonted circular form. Those seen
in Mpanga and close to the mission are an exception,
being oblong. The houses of the missionaries had been
well built, considering the class of materials that was at
hand. Being high and airy, they were doubtless comfortable
when inhabited. Their frameworks were of poles and thatch,
plastered with red clay. Insides and outsides were whitewashed.'
It oofs were of grass thatch, and mats made from
split reeds were tacked up so as to form a clean and tidy
ceiling.
No tsetse fly was seen here, but it is more than probable
that the deadly insect is as migratory in its habits as the
game on whose dung it breeds.
A week had passed since our arrival, and every day I had
occupied in fostering plans to effect an escape from the sink
of sickness. Numbers of women had visited me so long as I
was a novelty. They brought meal and hens, and sat from
early morn till dewy eve, in the hope that the mean Mzungo
would buy from them or give them something; but the
pertinacious beggars, on finding that nothing was to be had,
left me undisturbed.
By this time we had reached a close corner in the way of
dilemma, for the pedlar’s shop was completely run out,
excepting about three-quarters of a pound of yellow and
blue beads; the former the Ajawa would not look at for a
moment.
I thought that possibly there might be another mission
station in near proximity, but if there was the natives
did not know of it, the only information I could get being
that there was one ten days’ march down the river. As a