The hydraulic press., 1858-08-28

from the direction IN which we WlSned
to 60, was DESTROYS of proceeding
farther up with the canoes; but Nya-
moana was anxious that we should al
low her people to conduct us to her
brother Shinte; and when I explained
the advantage Of water carriage, she
represented that-her brother did not
live near the river, and, moreover,
there was cataract in front, over
which it would be difficult to convey
the canoes. She was afraid ). too, that
the Balobale, whose country lies to
the west of the river, not knowing the |
objects for which we had come, would
kill us. To my reply that | had been
so often threatened with death if
visited new tribe that I was now
more afraid of killing any one than Of
being killed, she rejoined that the
Balobale would not kill me, but the
Makololo would all be sacrificed as
their enemies. This produced con-
siderable effect on my companions,
and inclined them TO the plan of Nya-
moana, of going to the town of her
brother rather than ascending the
Leeba. The arrival Of Manenko
herself on the scene threw so much
weight into the scale on their side that
[ was forced to yield the point.
Manenko was tall, strapping wo-
man about twenty, distinguished by a
profusion of ornaments and medicines
hung round her person; the latter are
supposed to act as charms. Her
body was smeared all over with
mixture of fat and red ochre, as a
protection against the weather; a nec~
essary precaution, for, like most of
the Balonda ladies, she was otherwise
in a state of frightful nudity. This
was not from want of clothing, for,
being chief, she might have been
as well clad as any of her subjects,
but from her peculiar ideas Of ele-
, gance in dress. When she arrived
with her husband, Sambanza, they
!, listened for some time to the slate-
J ments I was making to the people of
, Nyamoana, after which the husband,
, acting as spokesman, commenced an
| Grafton, stating the reasons for their
coming, and, during every two or
) three seconds of the delivery, he
picked up little sand, and rubbed it
! on the upper part of his arms and
8 chest. This is a common mode Of sa-
} lutation in Londa; and when they
. wish to be excessively polite, they
bring quantity Of ashes or pipe clay
? in a piece Of skin, and, taking up
: handfulb, rub it on the chest and up
per front part of each arm; others, in
, saluting, drum their ribs with their
elbows; while others still touch the
: ground with one cheek after the oth~
er, and clap their hands. The chiefs
go through the manmuvre of rubbing
the sand on the arms, but only make
, a [feint at picking up some. When
Q Sambanza had finished his grafton, he
{ rose up, and showed his ankles orna-
: mented with a bundle of copper rings;
i. had they been very heavy, they
0 would have made him adopt stray
] Cling walk. Some chiefs have really
: so many as to be forced, by the
4 weight and size, to keen one foot
a apart from the other, the weight being
e serious inconvenience in walking
/ The gentlemen like Sambanza, who
: wish to initiate their betters, do so in
n their walk; SO you see men, with only
n a few ounces of ornaments on their
: legs, strutting along as if they had
: double the number of pounds. When
e I smiled at Sambanza's walk, the
f people remarked, "That is the way
n in which they show off their lordship
J, in these PARTS"
e This Manenko was bit of virago
!, in her way, though not without a
: touch of the true woman as this ex>
D tract will show:
!, When erecting our sheds at the
= village, Manenko fell upon our friends
r from Masiko in way that left no
8 doubt on our minds but that she is a
0 most accomplished scold. Masiko
!, had, on former occasion, sent to Sa-
moana for cloth, a common way of
keeping up intercourse, and, after
[ receiving it, sent it back, because it
: had the appearance of having had
. "witchcraft medicine" on it; this was
r a grave offense, and now Manenko
3 had good excuse for venting her
: spleen, the ambassadors having called
? at her village, and slept in one of the