gifts to the Mundele, or merchant, as I was
called, who is supposed to be a rich man, and
who ought by all natural laws to respond liberally
to their gifts. Yet the Babwende are not illiberal,
and my people gave them great credit for
hospitality. They invariably, if any of the Wa-
ngwana passed them during their drinking bouts,
proffered a glassful of their wine and some
cassava bread.
The Babwende have one peculiarity which is
rather startling at first to a stranger. When, for
instance, they have visited the camp bringing
with them small gifts of wine and bread, and
have seated themselves for a sociable chat, they
suddenly begin grinding their teeth, as though
in a mad rage! After awhile we discovered that
it was only a habit of the Babwende and the
Bakongo.
Many of the Babwende from below Nzabi, as
far as Manyanga, have been once in their lives
to the sea, to the ports of Kinsembo, Kinzau,
Mkura, Mkunga, Mbala, and a few had been to
Embomma. They are consequently amiable, and'
disposed to be civil to strangers, though very
little is required to stir them to fighting pitch, and
to discharge their heavily loaded guns at strangers
or at one another. The theft of the smallest article,
or a squabble with a native, would be at once
resented. Writing on paper, taking observations,
sketching or taking notes, or the performance
fMay 3°) i877-1 m y NOTE-BOOK PRONOUNCED FETISH. 1 29
Mowa. J
of any act new or curious to them, is sufficient
to excite them to hostilities.
On the third day of our stay at Mowa, feeling
quite comfortable amongst the people, on
account of their friendly bearing, I began to
write down in my note-book the terms for articles
in order to improve my already copious vocabulary
of native words. I had proceeded only
a few minutes when I observed a strange commotion
amongst the people who had been flocking
about me, and presently they ran away. In a
short time we heard war-cries ringing loudly
and shrilly over the table-land. Two hours afterwards,
a long line of warriors, armed with
muskets, were seen descending the table-land
and advancing towards our camp. There may
have been between five hundred and six hundred
of them. We, on the other hand, had made
but few preparations except such as would
justify us replying to them in the event of the
actual commencement of hostilities. But I had
made many firm friends amongst them, and I
firmly believed that I would be able to avert
an open rupture.
When they had assembled at about a hundred
yards in front of our camp, Safeni and I walked
up towards them, and sat down midway. Some
half-dozen of the Mowa people came near, and
the shauri began.
“What is the matter, finy friends?” I asked.
THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT. VOL . IV. K