This
May Account For It In Part Here, As It Prevails Only Where The Narrow
River Is Confined Between Masses
Of rock, backed by high hills, and
where the current in floods is known to be the strongest; and it
Does
not exist where the rocks are only on one side, with a sandy beach
opposite, and a broad expanse of river between. The hot rocks burnt
the thick soles of our men's feet, and sorely fatigued ourselves.
Our first day's march did not exceed four miles in a straight line,
and that we found more than enough to be pleasant.
The state of insecurity in which the Badema tribe live is indicated
by the habit of hiding their provisions in the hills, and keeping
only a small quantity in their huts; they strip a particular species
of tree of its bitter bark, to which both mice and monkeys are known
to have an antipathy, and, turning the bark inside out, sew it into
cylindrical vessels for their grain, and bury them in holes and in
crags on the wooded hill-sides. By this means, should a marauding
party plunder their huts, they save a supply of corn. They "could
give us no information, and they had no food; Chisaka's men had
robbed them a few weeks before."
"Never mind," said our native Portuguese, "they will sell you plenty
when you return, they are afraid of you now, as yet they do not know
who you are." We slept under trees in the open air, and suffered no
inconvenience from either mosquitoes or dew:
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 49 of 505
Words from 13227 to 13490
of 136856
