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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0a938da --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #68176 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/68176) diff --git a/old/68176-0.txt b/old/68176-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index ae7df30..0000000 --- a/old/68176-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7879 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Angola and the River Congo, vol. 2, by -Joachim John Monteiro - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Angola and the River Congo, vol. 2 - -Author: Joachim John Monteiro - -Release Date: May 26, 2022 [eBook #68176] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Peter Becker and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team - at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images - generously made available by The Internet Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ANGOLA AND THE RIVER CONGO, -VOL. 2 *** - - - - - - ANGOLA - - AND - - THE RIVER CONGO. - - BY - - JOACHIM JOHN MONTEIRO, - - ASSOCIATE OF THE ROYAL SCHOOL OF MINES, AND CORRESPONDING - MEMBER OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. - - IN TWO VOLUMES. - - VOL. II. - - _WITH MAP AND ILLUSTRATIONS._ - - London: - - MACMILLAN AND CO. - - 1875. - - _All Rights Reserved._ - - - - - LONDON: - - PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, - - STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS. - - - - - CONTENTS. - - - CHAPTER I. - - PAGE - - COUNTRY FROM AMBRIZ TO LOANDA--MOSSULO--LIBONGO--BITUMEN--RIVER - DANDE--RIVER BENGO--QUIFANDONGO 1 - - CHAPTER II. - - CITY OF LOANDA--NATIVES--SLAVERY--CONVICTS--THEATRE AND MORALS 20 - - CHAPTER III. - - DIVISION OF ANGOLA--WRETCHED PAY OF OFFICIALS--ABUSES BY - AUTHORITIES--EVILS OF HIGH IMPORT DUTIES--SILVER MINES OF - CAMBAMBE--JOURNEY TO CAMBAMBE--EXPLORATION--VOLCANIC - ROCKS--HORNBILL--THE PLANTAIN-EATER--HYENAS 50 - - CHAPTER IV. - - PROVINCE OF CAZENGO--GOLUNGO ALTO--GOLD--WILD COFFEE--IRON - SMELTING--FORMER MISSIONARIES--CUSTOMS--NATIVES--PRODUCTIONS 84 - - CHAPTER V. - - RIVER QUANZA--CALUMBO--BRUTO--MUXIMA--MASSANGANO--DONDO--FALLS OF - CAMBAMBE--DANCES--MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS--QUISSAMA--LIBOLLO 112 - - - CHAPTER VI. - - COUNTRY SOUTH OF THE RIVER QUANZA--CASSANZA--NOVO - REDONDO--CELIS--CANNIBALS--LIONS--HOT - SPRINGS--BEES--EGITO--SCORPIONS--RIVER ANHA--CATUMBELLA 151 - - - CHAPTER VII. - - TOWN OF BENGUELLA--SLAVE-TRADE--MUNDOMBES--CUSTOMS--COPPER--HYENAS-- - MONKEYS--COPPER DEPOSIT--GYPSUM--HORNBILLS--BIRDS--FISH--LIONS 180 - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - COUNTRY BETWEEN BENGUELLA AND MOSSAMEDES--MOSSAMEDES--CURIOUS - DEPOSITS OF WATER--HYENAS--WELWITSCHIA MIRABILIS--MIRAGE 212 - - - CHAPTER IX. - - CLIMATE--COOKERY--DRUNKENNESS--FEVER--NATIVE - TREATMENT--ULCERS--SMOKING WILD-HEMP--NATIVE REMEDIES 233 - - - CHAPTER X. - - CUSTOMS--BURIAL--WHITE ANT--WASPS--FRUITS--SCENTS--SPITTING-SNAKE-- - SCARABÆUS--LEMUR 268 - - - CHAPTER XI. - - CONCLUSION 307 - - * * * * * - - APPENDIX 315 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. - - - View of the City of St. Paul de Loanda _To face page_ 20 - - Bellows--Marimba--Native smiths--Rat-trap ” 93 - - Maxilla and Barber’s shop--Carrying corpse for burial--Quissama - Women, and manner of pounding and sifting meal in Angola ” 147 - - Mundombes and Huts ” 185 - - Native-smelted Copper--Powder-flask--Mundombe Axe--Manner of - securing Fish for drying--Hunters’ fetish (Benguella)--Manner - of carrying in the hand (native jug)--Gourd-pipe for smoking - Diamba--Wooden dish--Double-handled hoe ” 190 - - Welwitschias growing in a plain near Mossamedes ” 229 - - Pelopœus spirifex and nest--Devil of the Road--Dasylus - sp.--Caterpillars’ nests--Mantis and Nest--Manis multiscutatum - and Ants’ nests ” 277 - - - - -ANGOLA AND THE RIVER CONGO. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - - COUNTRY FROM AMBRIZ TO LOANDA--MOSSULO--LIBONGO--BITUMEN--RIVER - DANDE--RIVER BENGO--QUIFANDONGO. - - -The distance from Ambriz to Loanda is about sixty miles, and the -greater part of the country is called Mossulo, from being inhabited -by a tribe of that name. These natives have not yet been reduced -to obedience by the Portuguese, not from any warlike or valorous -opposition on their part, but entirely from the miserable want of -energy of the latter in not taking the few wretched towns on the road. -Incredible as it may appear, it is nevertheless a fact that to the -present day the Mossulos will not allow a white man to pass overland -from Libongo (about half-way from Loanda) to Ambriz, although this -last place was occupied in 1855, and several expeditions have since -been sent to and from Ambriz to Bembe and San Salvador. Nothing could -have been easier than for one of these to have passed through the -Mossulo country and to have occupied it, at once doing away with the -reproach of allowing a mean tribe to bar a few miles of road almost at -the gates of Loanda, the capital of Angola. - -One of these expeditions, on its return from chastising the natives -of a town on the road to Bembe for robbery, was actually sent to -Loanda by road. The Governor-General (Amaral) was then at Ambriz, -and being unacquainted with the negro character, and having mistaken -humanitarian ideas, gave strict orders that the natives of Mossulo, who -had committed several acts of violence, should not be punished, but -that speeches should be made to them warning them of future retribution -if they continued to misconduct themselves. Their towns and property -were not touched, nor were hostages or other security exacted for their -future good conduct. - -The natural consequence was that this clemency was ascribed by the -natives to weakness, and that the Portuguese were afraid of their -power, as not a hut had been burnt, a root touched, or a fowl killed, -and they consequently, in order to give the white men an idea of their -power and invincibility, attacked some American and English factories -at Mossulo Bay, the white men there having the greatest difficulty to -save their lives and property; a Portuguese man-of-war landed some -men, and so enabled the traders to get their goods shipped, but the -factories were burnt to the ground. This was in September 1859. - -I was at Ambriz when the expedition started, so I determined to join -it, and examine the country to Loanda. - -The expedition consisted of 150 Portuguese and black soldiers, and -as many armed “Libertos,” or slaves, who are freemen after having -served the Government for seven years; these “Libertos” dragged a -light six-pounder gun. The commander was Major (now General) Gamboa, -an officer who had seen upwards of twenty years’ service in Moçambique -and Angola, and to whom I was indebted for great friendship during -the whole time I was in the country. The major and two officers rode -horses; two others and myself were carried in hammocks. We started -one afternoon and halted at a small village consisting of only a few -huts, at about six miles south of Ambriz. There we supped and slept, -and started next morning at daybreak. The start did not occupy much -time, as the Portuguese troops and officers in Angola do not make use -of tents when on the march, and their not doing so is undoubtedly the -cause of a good deal of the sickness and discomfort they suffer. In -the evening we arrived at the Bay of Mossulo, where we were hospitably -entertained by the English and American traders there established. - -The country we passed through on our march was of that strange -character that I have described as occurring in the littoral region of -Ambriz. In the thickets dotted over the country a jasmine (_Corissa -sp._) is a principal plant. It grows as a large bush covered with long -rigid spines, and bears bunches of rather small white flowers having -the scent of the usual jasmine. Also growing in these thickets, and -very often over this species, are two creeping jasmines--the “_Jasminum -auriculatum_” (_J. tettensis? Kl._) and “_Jasminum multipartitum?_” - -Various kinds of birds abounded, principally doves and the beautiful -purple starlings, and on the ground small flocks (from two to four -or five) of the bustards Otis ruficrista and Otis picturata were not -uncommon, appearing in the distance like snakes, their heads alone -being visible over the tops of the short rough grass as they ran along. -A small hare is found in abundance, and also several species of ducks -in some small marshes near Great Mossulo. Of larger game only some -small kinds of antelope are found. - -I had gone on some distance ahead of the troops, and on approaching -one large town, about a dozen natives armed with muskets stopped my -hammock, and told me I must return to Ambriz, as no white man could -be allowed to pass. I told them that the soldiers were close behind, -and that resistance would be useless, as their town would be taken and -burnt if they attempted any; they, however, still persisted in not -letting me go forward, so I had to wait for a few minutes till they -saw Major Gamboa and the two officers approaching on horseback, when -they scampered off into the bush without even saying good-bye, and on -our entering the town we found it deserted save by the king and a few -other old men, who were all humility, and protested that they would -never more insult or ill treat white men. - -Major Gamboa was perfectly convinced of the uselessness of only talking -to blacks, his intimate knowledge of them telling him that the only -safe plan would have been to have burnt the towns on the road and -taken the king and old men to Loanda as hostages, but he had to obey -his instructions, and the result was that they attacked the factories -and killed a number of natives. The Portuguese, however, instead of -punishing this outrage, tamely pocketed the affront, and left the -Mossulos in undisputed possession of the road. - -In these towns were the largest “fetish” houses I have seen in Angola. -One was a large hut built of mud, the walls plastered with white, and -painted all over inside and out with grotesque drawings, in black -and red, of men and animals. Inside were three life-size figures -very roughly modelled in clay, and of the most indecent description. -Behind this hut was a long court the width of the length of the hut, -enclosed with walls about six feet high. A number of figures similar -in character to those in the hut were standing in this court, which -was kept quite clean and bare of grass. What, if any, were the uses to -which these “fetish” houses were applied I could not exactly ascertain. -I do not believe that they are used for any ceremonials, but that the -“fetishes” or spirits are supposed to live in them in the same manner -as in the “fetish” houses in the towns in the Ambriz and Bembe country. -At one of the towns we saw a number of the natives running away into -the bush in the distance, carrying on their backs several of the dead -dry bodies of their relatives. I hunted in all the huts to find a dry -corpse to take away as a specimen, but without success; they had all -been removed. - -Next day we continued our journey, and bivouacked on the sea-shore, not -very far from Libongo, and near the large town of Quiembe. - -On the beach we found the dead trunk of a large tree that had -evidently been cast ashore by the waves, and had been considered a -“fetish;” for what reason, in this case, I know not, as trees stranded -in this way are common. It was hung all over with strips of cloth and -rags of all kinds, shells, &c. As it was dry, it was quickly chopped up -for firewood by the soldiers and blacks. - -The following morning our road lay along the beach till we reached the -dry mouth of the River Lifune, a small stream that only runs during the -rainy season. We then struck due inland for about three miles to reach -the Portuguese post of Libongo, consisting of a small force commanded -by a lieutenant. This officer (Loforte) I had known at Bembe, and he -gave us a cordial welcome. - -The “Residencia,” or residence of the “Chefe,” as the commandants are -called, was a large, rambling old house of only one floor, and it -contained the greatest number of rats that I have ever seen in any one -place. - -One large room was assigned to the use of Major Gamboa, two officers, -and myself, a bed being made in each corner of the room. We had taken -the precaution of leaving the candle burning on the floor in the middle -of the room, but we had scarcely lain down when we began to hear lively -squeaks and rustlings that seemed to come from walls, roof, and floor. -In a few minutes the rats issued boldly from all parts, running down -the walls and dropping in numbers from the roof on to the beds, and -attacking the candle. We shouted, and threw our boots, sticks, and -everything else that was available at them, but it was of no use, and -we could hardly save the candle. It was useless to think of sleep under -these circumstances, for we considered that if the rats were so bold -with a light in the room, they would no doubt eat us up alive in the -dark, so we dressed ourselves, and pitched our hammocks in the open -air, under some magnificent tamarind-trees, and there slept in comfort. - -Libongo is celebrated for its mineral pitch, which was formerly much -used at Loanda for tarring ships and boats. The inhabitants of the -district used to pay their dues or taxes to government in this pitch. -It is not collected at the present time, but I do not know the reason -why. - -I was curious to see the locality in which it was found, as it had not -been visited before by a white man, so Lieutenant Loforte supplied -me with an old man as guide, and Major Gamboa and myself started one -morning at daybreak. - -We had been told that we might reach the place and return in good time -for dinner in the evening, and consequently only provided a small -basket of provisions for breakfast and lunch; we travelled about six -miles, and reached a place where we found half-a-dozen huts of blacks -belonging to Libongo, engaged in their mandioca plantations. These -tried hard to dissuade us from proceeding farther, saying that we -should only reach the pitch springs next morning. I, of course, decided -to proceed, but Major Gamboa, who did not take the interest in the -exploration that I did, determined to return to breakfast at Libongo at -once, leaving me the provisions for my supposed two days’ journey. - -After a short rest I started off again, and about mid-day arrived at -the place I was in search of. It was the head of a small valley or -gully, worn by the waters from the plain on their way to the sea, -which was not far off, as although it could not be seen from where I -stood, the roll of the surf on the beach could just be heard. It must -have been close inland to the place where we had bivouacked a few -nights before, and had burnt the “fetish” tree for firewood. - -The rock was a friable fine sandstone, so impregnated with the bitumen -or pitch, that it oozed out from the sides of the horizontal beds and -formed little cakes on the steps or ledges, from an ounce or two in -weight to masses of a couple of pounds or more. - -Although it was very interesting to see a rock so impregnated with -pitch as to melt out with the heat of the sun, I was disappointed, as -from the reports of the natives I had been led to believe that it was a -regular spring or lake. My guide was most anxious that I should return, -and as I was preparing to shoot a bird, begged me not to fire my gun -and attract the attention of the natives of the town of Quiengue, close -by, whom we could hear beating drums and firing off muskets. Next day -we knew at Libongo that these demonstrations had been for the purpose -of calling together the natives, to attack the factories at Mossulo -Bay. - -There was great talk at Loanda about sending an expedition to punish -these natives, but, as usual, it ended in smoke, and no white man has -since been allowed to pass through the Mossulo country. - -Several years after, the King of Mossulo sent an embassy to me at -Ambriz, begging me to open a factory at Mossulo. On condition that -I, or any white man in my employ, should be free to pass backwards -and forwards from Loanda to Ambriz, I promised to do so, and was -taken to the king’s town at Mossulo, where it was all arranged. I did -not believe them, of course, but I gave a few fathoms of cloth and -other goods that they might build me a hut on the cliff at Mossulo -Bay, which they did, and I then declared myself ready to send a -clerk with goods to commence trading, as soon as they should send me -hammock-boys to carry me to Loanda. As I expected, they never sent -them, and for several years, whilst the hut on the cliff lasted, it -served as a capital landmark to the steamers and ships on the coast. -The Governor-General at Loanda, to prevent traders from establishing -factories at Mossulo Grande, warned us at Ambriz that if we did so we -must take all risks, that he would not only not protect us, but that -all goods for trading at Mossulo would have to be entered and cleared -at the Loanda custom-house. Far from such disgraceful pusillanimity -being censured at Loanda, it was, with few exceptions, considered by -the Portuguese there as a very praiseworthy measure. - -The rock of the country at Libongo is a black shale; also strongly -impregnated with bitumen. A Portuguese at Loanda, believing that this -circumstance indicated coal in depth, sunk a shaft some few fathoms in -this shale, and I visited the spot to see if any organic remains were -to be found in the rock extracted, but could not discover any. About -half way from Libongo to the place where I saw the bituminous sandstone -formation, I observed a well-defined rocky ridge of quartz running -about east and west, which appeared to have been irrupted through the -shale. - -The ground about Libongo is evidently very fertile, the mandioca and -other plantations being most luxuriant, and I particularly noticed -some very fine sugar-cane. Some of the tamarind-trees were extremely -fine, and on the stem of a very large one a couple of the “engonguis,” -or double bells, were nailed, which had belonged to the former native -town there, and as they are considered “fetish,” no black would steal -or touch them. - -A few hours’ journey (or about fifteen miles) to the south of Libongo -is the River Dande, navigable only by large barges, and draining a -fertile country. - -It is only within the last two years that the value of this river, for -trading or produce, has attracted attention at Loanda, and I am glad to -say that it was owing to two foreign houses that trading was commenced -there on anything like a respectable scale. The interior is rich in -coffee, gum-copal, ground-nuts, and india-rubber, and this country -promises an important future; cattle thrive here, and Loanda is now -supplied with a small quantity of excellent butter and cream cheese -from some herds in the vicinity of this river near the bar. - -Limestone is also burnt into lime, which is sold at a good price at -Loanda; and were the Portuguese and natives more enterprising and -industrious, the banks of the river would be covered with valuable -gardens and plantations; but apathy reigns supreme, and the authorities -at Loanda prevent any attempt to get out of this state by the -obstructions of all kinds of petty and harassing imposts, rules, and -regulations, having no possible aim but the collection of a despicable -amount of fees to keep alive and in idleness a few miserable officials. - -The country is comparatively level, and calls for no particular -description, till about eighteen miles southward the high and bold -cliff of Point Lagostas (Point Lobsters) marks the bay into which runs -the beautiful little river Bengo, or Zenza, as it is called farther -inland. - -This is even a smaller river than the Dande, though more important -from its near proximity to Loanda, and the remarks as to the wonderful -indifference and hindrance to the development of the River Dande, apply -with still greater force to the Bengo, a very mine of wealth at the -doors of Loanda! It is hardly possible to restrain within reasonable -limits the expression of surprise at the fact that Loanda, with its -thousands of inhabitants, should be still destitute of a good supply -of drinking water, when there is a river of splendid water only nine -miles off, whence it receives an insignificant and totally inadequate -supply brought in casks only, carried by a few rotten barges and canoes -that are often prevented from leaving or entering the river for days -together, on account of the surf at the bar. A small cask of Bengo -water, holding about six gallons, costs from twopence to fourpence! -All kinds of fruit and vegetables grow luxuriantly on the banks of -the Bengo, and yet Loanda, where nothing can grow from its sandy and -arid soil, is almost unprovided with either--a few heads of salad or -cabbage, or a few turnips and carrots being there considered a fine -present. - -At Point Lagostas a good deal of gypsum is found, and also specimens of -native sulphur. - -Both the River Bengo and the River Dande are greatly infested by -alligators, and a curious idea prevails amongst all the natives of -Angola, that the liver of the alligator is a deadly poison, and that it -is employed as such by the “feiticeiros” or “fetish”-men. - -The Manatee is also not uncommon in these rivers;--this curious mammal -is called by the Portuguese “Peixe mulher” or woman fish, from its -breasts being said to resemble those of a woman. Near the mouth of the -Dande this animal is sometimes captured by enclosing a space, during -the high tides, with a strong rope-net made of baobab fibre, so that -when the tide falls it is stranded and easily killed. I was never so -fortunate as to see one of these animals, and am therefore unable to -describe it from personal observation, but it is said to be most like -a gigantic seal. I once saw a quantity of the flesh in a canoe on the -River Quanza, and was told that the greater part had been already -sold, and I had given me a couple of strips of the hide of one that -had been shot in the River Loge at Ambriz. These strips are about -seven feet long and half an inch thick, of a yellowish colour, and -semi-transparent. They are used as whips, being smooth and exceedingly -tough. The flesh is good eating, though of no particular flavour, -and is greatly liked by the natives. The marshes and lagoons about -the River Bengo are full of wild duck and other water-fowl, and are -favourite sporting places of the officers of the English men-of-war -when at Loanda. The Portuguese, not having the love of sport greatly -developed, seldom make excursions to them. - -The country from the Bengo to Loanda rises suddenly, and the coast line -is high and bold, but the soil is very arid and sandy, the rocks being -arenaceous, evidently of recent formation, and full of casts of shells. - -There is much admixture of oxide of iron, and some of the sandy -cliffs and dunes close to Loanda are of a beautiful red from it. The -vegetation is, as might be expected, of a sterile character, being -principally coarse grass, the _Sanseviera Angolensis_, a few shrubs, -euphorbias, and a great number of giant baobabs. Though the vegetation -is comparatively scarce, birds of several species are common; -different kinds of doves are especially abundant, as are several of -the splendidly coloured starlings; kingfishers are very common, and -remarkable for their habit of choosing a high and bare branch of a -tree to settle on, from whence, in the hottest part of the day, they -incessantly utter their loud and plaintive whistle, and, after darting -down on the grasshoppers and other insect prey, return again to the -same branch. - -The exquisitely coloured roller (_Coracias caudata_) is also very -common in the arid country surrounding Loanda. - -The pretty runners (_Cursorius Senegalensis_, and _C. bisignatus_, n. -sp.) are also seen in little flocks on the sandy plains, and are most -elegant in their carriage as they swiftly run along the ground. Two or -three species of bustards are also common. - -The great road from the interior skirts the River Bengo for some miles -to the bar, where it turns south to Loanda; and the last resting or -sleeping place for the natives carrying produce is at a place called -Quifandongo, consisting of a row of grog-shops and huts on either side -of the road. - -It is a curious sight to see hundreds of carriers from the interior -lying down on the ground in the open air, each asleep with his load by -his side. A march of two hours brings them to a slope leading down to -the bay, at the end of which Loanda is built. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -CITY OF LOANDA--NATIVES--SLAVERY--CONVICTS--THEATRE AND MORALS. - - -The city of St. Paul de Loanda is situated in a beautiful bay, backed -by a line of low, sandy cliff that at its southern end sweeps outward -with a sharp curve, and terminates at the water’s edge in a bold point, -on which is perched the Fort of San Miguel (Plate X.). - -The “Cidade Baixa,” or lower town, is built on the shore of the bay, on -the flat sandy ground thus enclosed on the land side. - -The “Cidade Alta,” or high town, is built on the high ground, at the -end of which stands the fort above named. - -In front of the bay a long, low, and very narrow spit of pure sand -stretches like a natural break-water, and protects the harbour of -Loanda perfectly from the waves and surf of the ocean. - -[Illustration: - - PLATE X. - - VIEW OF THE CITY OF ST. PAUL DE LOANDA. _To face page 20._] - -A small opening called the Barra (or bar) da Corimba, about a mile -south of Loanda, breaks the end of this long spit into an island; the -rest joins the mainland about twelve miles to the south. - -The whole length of the spit is very low and narrow, so that in high -tides the waves break over it in places, but, singular to say, it has -never been washed away at any place. - -The bay was formerly much deeper;--vessels could anchor quite near the -town, and could pass out of the Barra da Corimba, but now they have to -anchor about a couple of miles to the north of the town, and boats only -can pass over this bar. - -A number of huts inhabited by native fishermen are built on the island, -also a few houses belonging to the Portuguese, who are fond of going -over to it for the purpose of bathing in the open sea beyond. The -cocoanut-palm tree thrives very well on this sandy spit, but only a -comparatively small number are growing on it. - -Some years ago the Government sent to Goa for a Portuguese planter to -plant this valuable palm, and to teach the natives its cultivation. -On his arrival he was only afforded means to sow a very small number, -and was then appointed postmaster of Loanda, an office he held for many -years, till his death, and I do not believe that a single cocoa-palm -has been planted since, either by Government or private individuals; -and thus a valuable and easy branch of cultivation and source of wealth -is entirely neglected. - -Loanda contains about 10,000 or 12,000 inhabitants, of whom about -one-third are whites. The houses are generally large and commodious, -built of stone, and roofed with red tiles; blue is a favourite colour -for painting window-sills, door-posts, &c., and gives a very pretty -appearance to the city. The greater part of the houses consist only of -a ground floor,--the better class have a first, but rarely a second -floor. Verandahs more or less open are the rule, in which it is -customary to take meals. - -Not many houses have been built within the last few years; they mostly -date from the time when Loanda was a wealthy city, and the chief -shipping port for slaves to the Brazils, when as many as twelve or -fifteen vessels were to be seen at a time taking in their cargoes of -blacks. The slavers on their way out to Loanda used to bring timber -from Rio de Janeiro for the rafters and flooring of the houses, and so -hard and durable was it that it can be seen at the present day in the -old buildings, as perfect and sound as when first put down, resisting -perfectly the white ant, beetle larvæ, dry rot, and mildew that soon -attack and destroy native woods. - -Loanda has improved immensely since I first landed there in February -1858. It was then in a very dilapidated and abandoned condition. No -line of steamers communicating with Europe then existed; four and six -months elapsed without a vessel arriving, except perhaps one from Rio -de Janeiro with sugar and rum; the slave-trade had ceased there for -some years, and hardly any trade in produce had been started, a little -wax, ivory, and orchilla-weed, being almost the only exports. - -There was no trade or navigation whatever on the River Quanza, and -hardly any shops in the town, so that provisions and other necessaries -were constantly exhausted and at famine prices. A large subsidy was -granted to the colony by Portugal, to defray its expenses, always -far in excess of its receipts. Now there is a monthly line of large -steamers from Lisbon, another from Liverpool, and a considerable number -of sailing-vessels constantly loading and discharging, to attest to -the wonderful increase in the trade of the place. The colony now pays -its own expenses, and shows a yearly surplus; and a couple of steamers -running constantly from the River Quanza to Loanda can hardly empty the -river of its produce. - -All the public buildings are in an efficient state, a large extent of -flat, stinking shore has been filled up and embanked, ruins of churches -and monasteries cleared away, walks and squares laid out and planted, -a large new market is being built, and good shops and stores are now -abundantly supplied with every description of European goods; and if -a good supply of water were brought to the city from the River Bengo, -there would certainly not be a finer place to live in on the whole -Western Coast of Africa. - -From most of the houses having large yards, in which are the kitchens, -stores, well, and habitations for the slaves and servants, the city -is luckily very open, and there is as yet no overcrowding; the roads -and streets are also wide and spacious. The principal street, running -through the whole length of the town, is remarkably wide, and for some -distance has a row of banyan trees in the centre, under the shade of -which a daily market or fair is held of cloth and dry goods. - -This is called a “quitanda,” the native name for a market, and the -sellers are almost all women, and are either free blacks, who trade on -their own account, or are the slaves of other blacks, mulattoes, or -whites. - -Many of the natives and carriers from the interior prefer buying their -cloth, crockery, &c., of these open-air retailers, to going into a shop. - -Four sticks stuck in the ground, and a few “loandos,” or papyrus mats, -form a little hut or booth in which presides the (generally) fat and -lazy negress vendor. - -On the ground are laid out temptingly pieces of cotton, gaily -coloured handkerchiefs, cheap prints, indigo stripes, and other kinds -of cloths; “quindas,” or baskets with balls and reels of cotton, -seed-beads, needles, &c.; knives, plates, cups and saucers, mugs and -jugs, looking-glasses, empty bottles, and a variety of other objects. -At other stalls may be seen balls of white clay called “pemba,” and -of “tacula,” a red wood of the same name rubbed to a fine paste with -water on a rough stone, and dried in the sun. Resting against the -trunks of the trees are long rolls of native tobacco, plaited like fine -rope and wound round a stick, which a black is selling at the rate -of a few inches for a copper coin, the measure being a bit of stick -attached by a cord to the roll of tobacco, or round the neck of the -black. Others sell clay tobacco-pipes and pipe-stems, and as all men -and women smoke as much tobacco as they can afford, a thriving trade -is driven in the fragrant weed. All the tobacco used by the natives is -grown in the country; but little is imported from abroad, and this is -mostly purchased by the Portuguese for the weekly allowance which it is -customary in Angola to make to the slaves. - -“Diamba,” or wild hemp for smoking, is also largely sold. - -The women vendors at these booths are amongst the best-looking -and cleanest to be seen in Loanda, and with often quite small and -well-formed hands and feet; they are very sharp traders, and all -squat or lie down at full length on the hot sand, enjoying the loud -gossip and chatter so dear to the African women with their friends and -customers. - -A square at the back of the custom-house is the general market of -Loanda, and presents a curious scene, from the great variety of -articles sold, and the great excitement of buyers and sellers crying -out their wares and making their purchases at the top of their voices. -The vendors, here again, are mostly women, and, as no booths are -allowed to be put up, they wear straw hats with wide brims, almost -as large as an ordinary umbrella, to shade themselves. Every kind -of delicacy to captivate the negro palate and fancy is to be had -here:--wooden dishes full of small pieces of lean, measly-looking pork; -earthen pots full of cooked beans and palm-oil, retailed out in small -platters, at so much a large wooden spoonful, and eaten on the spot; -horrible-looking messes of fish, cakes, and pastry, &c., everything -thickly covered with black flies and large bluebottles; large earthen -jars, called “sangas,” and gourds full of “garapa,” or indian-corn -beer; live fowls and ducks, eggs, milk, Chili peppers, small white -tomatoes, bananas, and, in the season, oranges, mangoes sour-sop, and -other fruits, “quiavos,” a few cabbage-leaves and vegetables, firewood, -tobacco, pipes and stems, wild hemp, mats, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, -palm and ground-nut oil, and dried and salt fish. The women squat -on their heels, with their wares in front, all round and over the -square, while hundreds of natives are jabbering and haggling over their -bargains, as if their existence depended on their noisy exertions. - -To the markets, especially, the black women take their dirty babies -(they all seem to have babies, and the babies seem always dirty), and -they let them roll about in the sand and rubbish, along with a swarm -of children, mongrel dogs, and most miserable, lean, long-snouted pigs -that turn over the garbage and quarrel for the choice morsels. - -There are two other marketing places, one principally for fruit and -firewood, the other where fried fish is the chief article, and where -a number of negresses are always busy frying fish in oil in the open -air. The natives swarm round to buy and eat the hot morsels which the -greasy cooks are taking out of the hissing pans placed on stones on the -ground over a wood fire,--these they put into wooden platters by their -side, and then suck their oily fingers with their thick lips or rub -them over their warm and perspiring faces and heads. - -Loanda is most abundantly supplied with fish of many kinds, and -fortunate it is for many of its inhabitants that the sea is so -prodigal of its riches to them. The fish-market is an open space at -the southern end of the town, under the cliff on which stands the Fort -of San Miguel. Here, in the early morning and in the afternoon, come -the fishermen with laden canoes and toss their cargoes on the sandy -beach, loud with a perfect Babel of buyers and vendors. The smallest -copper coin enables a native to buy enough fish for one day;--the crowd -that collects daily at the fish-market, and the strange scene that it -presents of noisy bustle, can therefore be imagined. - -A number of women and children are always busy scaling and gutting -fish, or cutting the large “pungos” and sharks into small pieces in -large wooden tubs, where they lie slopping in their reddish, watery -blood; others are frying fish, and roasting a fish like a herring, -held in cleft sticks (Plate XIV.), six or seven in each, stuck upright -in the sand all round a fire, or opening fish flat to dry in the sun -for sale to the natives from the interior. The fish are caught, both -in the bay and out at sea, with hook and line and with nets made of -native-spun cotton. - -The quantity of fish on the coast is incredible. I have often watched -the bay at night to listen to the wonderful swishing noise made by the -fish on the surface of the water, as they were scared by every flash of -lightning. Steaming once into Ambriz Bay, its whole surface was alive -and boiling, as it were, with fish. The captain of the steamer, who had -in his lifetime been to all parts of the world, declared that he had -never witnessed such a sight. - -A small shark is often caught which is much esteemed by the natives, -and is dried in the sun; also the “pungo,” which attains to as much as -a hundred pounds in weight. It is no unusual sight to see one slung -on a stick passed through the gills and carried on the shoulders of -two blacks, with the tail dragging on the ground. It has very large, -flat scales, and the flesh is not at all coarse in flavour. Latterly, -the Portuguese have salted this fish in barrels, and when I was last -at Loanda I was told of one man who had already salted 2000, and the -season was not then over. It is this fish that is said by the natives -to make the very loud and extraordinary noise that one hears so plainly -at night or early morning, when in a boat or ship; it is said to press -its snout against the vessel and then make the curious sound. I have -heard it so strongly and plainly when lying in a bunk on board steamers -that I have no doubt whatever the fish must have been touching the side -of the vessel, and I have seen the blacks at other times splashing the -water with an oar, because the loud drumming of the pungo kept them -awake when lying in the bottom of a barge. The sound is like a deep -tremolo note on a harmonium, and is quite as loud, but as if played -under water. This low, sustained note has a very strange effect when -first heard so unexpectedly in the still water. It is a migratory -fish, and comes in shoals on the coast only from about June to August. - -Another fish like a small cod, called “corvina,” is also migratory, -visiting the coast from July to September, and appears to come from a -northerly direction, as it is a month later in arriving at Mossamedes -than it is at Benguella, a distance of about 160 miles. - -Till quite lately the roads and streets of Loanda were of fine, loose, -red sand, rendering walking difficult and uncomfortable, particularly -in the daytime, when the sand becomes burning hot from the sun’s -rays; hence very few people ever walked even short distances, and the -consequence was the constant recourse to the “maxilla” for locomotion. -This is a flat frame of wood and cane-work, with one, or sometimes two -arms at the side, and a low back provided with a cushion. This frame -is hung by cords to hooks on a “bordão,” or palm-pole, about fifteen -or eighteen feet long, and is carried by two blacks (Plate XII.). It -is a very comfortable and lazy contrivance, and the carriers take it -easily at the rate of about three to four miles an hour. The maxilla -is provided with a light painted waterproof cover, and with curtains -to draw all round and effectually hide the inmate, if necessary. The -Portuguese ladies were never seen walking out at any time, and when -going to church, or paying visits, always went in a maxilla closely -curtained that no one might see them. It is difficult to explain the -reason for this, but I believe that a fear of Mrs. Grundy was at the -bottom of it. - -There is a very fair military band at Loanda, which plays twice a -week in the high town, and once in a square near the bay. When I was -last at Loanda with my wife, two other English ladies were also there -with their husbands, and as we all listened to the band regularly, -enjoying the cool evening promenade, we, no doubt, at first shocked -the Portuguese greatly by so doing. It had at last, however, the good -effect of bringing many of the Portuguese ladies out also, and they -did not draw the curtains of their maxillas quite so closely as they -used. An officer from Lisbon explained to my wife that the reason his -countrywomen did not like to go about and be seen was that they were -so ugly! But I can emphatically testify that this was an ill-natured -libel on the white ladies of Loanda. - -There is a commodious custom-house in the centre of the town. On the -quay are some benches on which the merchants sit in the afternoon to -discuss current events, and to retail the choice bits of scandal of -the day. There are several large and roomy Roman Catholic churches in -the lower town, at which the attendance, however, is not very great, -except at some of the principal festivals. I once saw, in a procession -from one of the churches, in carnival time, a number of little black -girls dressed to represent angels, with white wings affixed to their -backs, and intensely funny they looked. On these occasions, and also -at weddings, christenings, &c., quantities of rockets are sent up in -the daytime, no feast being considered complete without an abundant -discharge of these fire-works, to the immense delight of the black -juvenile population, who yell and scream like demons and throw and roll -themselves about in the sand. - -At several places may be seen open barbers’ shops for the natives, -distinguished by a curious sign, namely, two strips of blue cloth edged -with red, about three or four feet long and six inches wide, stretched -diagonally over the entrance (Plate XII.). Inside, a chair covered with -a clean white cotton cloth--with the threads at the ends pulled out for -about four inches, to leave a lace-like design, called “crivo”--invites -customers to enter and sit down, and have their heads shaved quite -bare, the usual custom at Loanda, particularly of the negro women. - -The dress of the blacks at Loanda is the same as elsewhere in -Angola;--a cloth round the waist reaching to the knees or ankles -and another thrown over the shoulders, or a cotton shirt, is the -most common. Those who can afford it are fond of dressing in white -man’s costume of coat and trousers, but the grand ambition of all -is to possess an ordinary chimney-pot hat, which is worn on special -occasions, no matter whether the wearer be dressed in cloths or coat. - -The costume of the black women of Loanda is hideous. An indigo black -cotton cloth is folded round the body and envelopes it tightly from the -armpits to the feet; another long piece of the same black cloth covers -the head and is crossed over the bosom, or hangs down loosely over the -shoulders, showing only the face and arms. - -The correct costume is to have a striped, or other cotton cloth or -print under the black cloths, but as only these latter are seen, the -women have a dreadfully funereal appearance. The poorer class and -slaves wear bright cotton prints, &c., and always a white or red -handkerchief folded narrow and wound round the head very cleverly, -suiting their dark skins remarkably well. A very common ornament round -the forehead is a narrow strip of seed bead-work of different colours -and patterns, and the women are fond of copying the large capital -letters of the advertisements in the Portuguese newspapers, quite -unconscious, of course, of the meaning of their pattern:--I once saw -“Piannos para alugar” (Pianos for hire) worked in beads round the head -of a black woman. - -The Loanda women have a singular habit of talking aloud to themselves -as they walk along, which at first strikes a stranger very forcibly; -the men do the same, but to nothing like the extent that the women -do. All loads are carried by the women on their heads, in all parts -of Angola, and the ease with which they balance anything on their -shaven heads is wonderful. It is not difficult to understand that -baskets or heavy loads can be easily balanced, but it is no uncommon -thing to see women and girls walking along with a tea-cup, bottle, -tumbler, or wine glass on their heads, and turning round and talking -without the least fear of its dropping off. The manner in which they -balance the “sangas,” or earthen pots in which they carry water, is the -most curious of all; these are large, and have round, rather pointed -bottoms; a handkerchief is rolled round into a small cushion and put on -the side of the head, and the “sanga” is placed on it, not quite on its -bottom, but a little on one side. - -All the natives of Angola, but particularly the women of Loanda, are -very fond of “cola,” the beautiful rose-coloured fleshy fruit of the -_Sterculia cola_. The tree bearing it is very handsome, with small -pretty flowers having a powerful and most disgusting odour. The first -time I became acquainted with the tree was at Bembe. I was out walking, -and suddenly noticed a very bad smell, and on asking a black with me -where it could possibly come from, thinking it was from some dead -animal in a high state of decomposition, he laughed, and pointing to a -tree said it came from the flowers on it;--I plucked a small bouquet -of them, and when I reached home put them in a wine-glass of water to -keep them fresh, and left them on the table of the padre (with whom -I was then staying). When he went into his room he began to call out -for his servants, and asked them why they had allowed cats to get into -his room, and it was some time before he was pacified, or convinced -that the few innocent-looking flowers had made the room stink to that -degree. The flowers are succeeded by large pods, in which are contained -five or more large seeds like peeled chestnuts, closely wedged -together, soft and fleshy, and with a very peculiar, disagreeable, -acrid, bitter flavour. The natives eat a small piece of “cola” with a -bit of green ginger the first thing in the morning, and wash it down -with a dram of gin or other spirit. - -Amongst the mulattoes and black women it is usual to send a fresh -“cola” as a present, and there is a symbolical language expressed by -the number of nicks made on it by the nail, of greeting, good wishes, -&c. - -A considerable quantity of “cola” was formerly exported to Rio de -Janeiro from Loanda, packed in moist clay or earth to keep it fresh. - -Servants in Loanda are almost all slaves. It is very difficult to hire -free men or women. Those seeking service as carriers, porters &c., -are nearly all slaves to other natives. Slaves as a rule are very -well treated in Angola by the Portuguese, and cases of neglect or -ill-usage are rare. Public opinion is strongly opposed to ill-treatment -of slaves, and there is a certain amount of rivalry in presenting -household slaves, especially well-dressed, and with a healthy -appearance, and even on the plantations inland, or removed from such -influence, I never knew or heard of slaves being worked or treated -in the hard and cruel manner in which they are said to have been in -the Southern States of America, or at the present day in Cuba. It is -easy for slaves in Angola to run away, and it is hardly worth while -to take any steps to recapture them; and if they have any vice or bad -habits, it is so well known that harsh measures will never cure them -of it, that they are sold at once. An ordinary slave is not worth much, -3_l._ to 5_l._ being the utmost value. If proficient in any trade, or -good cooks, then they fetch as much as 20_l._ or more. Many of the -old-established houses make it a point of never selling a slave they -have once bought; and when a slave requires correction or punishment, -he is delivered over to the police for that purpose, and as desired, -he is either placed in the slave-gang, chained by the neck to others, -and made to work at scavengering, carrying stone, &c., or receives a -thrashing with a cat-o’-nine-tails, or a number of strokes on the palms -of the hands with a flat, circular piece of wood pierced with five -holes and with a short handle. - -The abolition of slavery in the Portuguese possessions was decreed some -years ago. The names of all the existing slaves had to be inscribed -in the Government office as “Libertos,” and the owners were obliged -to supply them with proper food, clothing, and medicine, and were -not allowed to punish them; while they, on their part, were required -to work for seven years as compensation to their owners, at the -expiration of which time they were to be free. This has been allowed -to remain virtually a dead-letter, the slaves never having had the law -explained to them, and the authorities not troubling themselves to -enforce their liberation at the end of the seven years. - -The complete abolition of slavery in Angola has, however, been decreed -to take place in the year 1878; and should the measure be strictly -enforced, the total annihilation and ruin of the thriving and rising -cotton and sugar-cane plantations, &c., will be the result, with a vast -amount of misery to the thousands of liberated blacks. - -It is a pity that philanthropy should blindly put so sudden a stop -to a custom that has existed from time immemorial, and of which the -evils are, in a country like Angola, exceedingly slight. The effect of -this measure will be to destroy its nascent industry, the only means -for its progress and development, and will plunge a great part of its -population into helpless misery for years to come. Let slavery be -abolished by all means, but only in the most gradual manner, and in -proportion to the industrial and moral advancement of the race. - -The natives of Angola are specially fitted for the introduction of -habits of industry and usages of civilization, as they are naturally -of a peaceable, quiet, and orderly disposition. The difference between -them and the natives of Sierra Leone and the rest of the West Coast is -very striking and pleasing. They have none of the disgusting swagger, -conceit, or cant of the former, but are invariably civil and kindly, -and under a firm and enlightened policy they would become more really -civilized and industrious than any other natives of the West Coast. - -That such would be the case is abundantly proved by what has already -been done under the Portuguese in Angola, notwithstanding the -intolerable system of rapine and oppression which the natives have -borne for so many years from their government, a system in which only -quite recently has any improvement been noticed. Were the natives -otherwise than inoffensive and incapable of enmity, they would long ago -have swept away the rotten power of the Portuguese in that large extent -of territory. - -Two good paved roads lead from the lower to the upper town of Loanda; -in this are the Governor’s palace, the prison, the treasury and other -public offices, the barracks, and the military and general hospital. -This is the healthiest part of the town, being fully exposed to the -strong sea breeze, and splendid views are obtained from it of the bay, -shipping, and town to the north, and of the coast and the “Ilha” or -island to the south. - -The country inland, immediately beyond the town, is dotted with -“mosseques” or country-houses and plantations, and in one depression -or valley are situated the huts comprising the dwelling-places of -the native population, which have lately been removed from the back -of the lower town, where they were a nuisance. In the “Cidade Alta” -there existed till lately the ruins of the former cathedral: these -were cleared away and a tower built on the spot, in which are a few -meteorological instruments, and observations of temperature, height of -barometer, &c., are taken daily. The extensive ruins of a monastery -have also been levelled, and a public garden laid out on their site. -These ruins gave some idea of the importance of Loanda in former and -richer times. - -A tame pelican has lived in the “Cidade Alta” for some years. He is fed -daily with a ration of fresh fish from the Governor’s palace, and flies -over every morning to the island to have his bath and plume himself at -the water’s edge, returning regularly after completing his ablutions. -He is very playful, and is fond of giving the nigger children sly pokes -and snaps, or trying to pick the buttons off people’s coats. On the -evenings when the band plays he may be seen promenading about with -becoming gravity as if he enjoyed the music. He is very fond of being -taken notice of, and having his head, and the soft pouch under his long -bill, stroked. - -About a mile from the high town, on the road south to Calumbo on the -River Quanza, is an old and deep well called the “mayanga,” where -hundreds of blacks flock daily to draw a limited supply of clear though -slightly brackish water, but the best to be had in Loanda, the usual -wells affording water quite unfit for drinking purposes. - -The vegetation about Loanda is scanty, but a milky-juiced, thin-stemmed -euphorbia, called “Cazoneira,” and the cashew-tree, grow very -abundantly on the cliffs, and inland about the “mosseques;”--mandioca, -beans, &c., grow sparingly in the sandy, arid soil. - -Oxen thrive, but very little attention is given to rearing them, Loanda -being supplied with cattle from the interior for the beef consumed by -the population. - -Angola is one of the penal settlements of Portugal, where capital -punishment was abolished some years ago, and whence the choicest -specimens of ruffians and wholesale assassins are sent to Loanda to -be treated with the greatest consideration by the authorities. On -arriving on the coast, some are enlisted as soldiers, but the more -important murderers generally come provided with money and letters of -recommendation that ensure them their instant liberty, and they start -grog-shops, &c., where they rob and cheat, and in a few years become -rich and independent and even influential personages. - -Although most of the convicts are sentenced to hard labour, very few -are made to work at all; but I must do these gentlemen the justice -of saying that their behaviour in Angola is generally very good, and -murders or violence committed by them are extremely rare, though they -may have been guilty of many in Portugal,--the reason of this furnishes -an argument against the abolition of capital punishment; it is because -they have the certainty of being killed if they commit a murder in -Angola, whereas in their mother country they may perpetrate any number -of crimes with the knowledge that if punished at all, it is at most by -simple transportation to a fine country like Angola, where many have -made their fortunes, and where no hardships await them. - -In Angola they are thrashed for every crime, and none survive the -punishment if such crime has been of any magnitude. One of the few -cases that I remember at Loanda was that of two convicts who agreed to -kill and rob another who kept a low grog-shop, and who was supposed to -be possessed of a small sum of money. They accomplished their purpose -one night, and returned to the hut where one of them lived, to wash -away the traces of their crime, and hide the money they had stolen. A -little girl, the child of one of the murderers, was in bed in a small -room in the hut at the time, and heard the whole of the proceedings. -Before leaving, the other assassin, suddenly remembering the presence -of the child in the adjoining room, declared that she might have heard -their doings and that it was necessary to kill her also, lest she might -divulge their crime. The monsters approached her little bed for that -purpose, but she feigned sleep so successfully that they spared her -life, thinking she had been fast asleep. - -The next day the child informed a woman of what she had heard the night -before, and the inhuman father and his companion were arrested, tried, -and condemned to receive a thousand stripes each. They were thrashed -until it was considered that they had had enough for that day, but -luckily both died on their way to the hospital. At the investigation or -inquest held on their bodies, the doctor certified that their deaths -had been caused by catching cold when in a heated condition on their -way to the hospital from the place of punishment! - -In Angola convicts cannot run away, nor would they meet with protection -anywhere, and they would most certainly be killed off quietly for any -crime they might commit, and no one would care to inquire how they came -by their death. - -The police of Loanda are all blacks, but officered by Portuguese. They -manage to preserve public order pretty well, and are provided with a -whistle to call assistance, as in Portugal. No slave is allowed to be -about at night after nine o’clock unless provided with a pass or note -from his master. - -The lighting of the city is by oil-lamps suspended at the corners of -the streets by an iron framework, so hinged as to allow the lamp to be -lowered when required for cleaning and lighting, and it is secured by a -huge flat padlock. - -The military band plays twice a week. There are no places of public -amusement except the theatre, which is a fine one for so small a place -as Loanda, but only amateur representations are given. It was once -closed for a considerable length of time on account of a difference of -opinion amongst the inhabitants as to whether only the few married and -single ladies should be admitted, or whether the many ladies living -under a diversity of arrangements should be on equal terms with the -rest. This very pretty quarrel was highly amusing, and gave rise to -most lively scandal and recrimination between the two contending -parties, but the latter and more numerous and influential section -carried the day, and ever since the doors have been open to all classes -of the fair sex, and the boxes on a gala night may be seen filled with -the swells of the place, accompanied by the many black, mulatto, and -white lady examples of the very elastic state of morals in fashion in -Angola. - -There is a well attended billiard-room and café, and lately an hotel -was opened. There is not much society in Loanda, as but few of the -Portuguese bring their wives and families with them, and there are but -few white women. - -An official Gazette is published weekly, but it seldom gives any news -beyond appointments, orders, and decrees, movements of shipping, &c.; -a newspaper was attempted, but owing to its violent language it was -suppressed for a time and its editors imprisoned. There are at present -two newspapers, but they indulge abundantly in scurrilous language -and personalities. There is no doubt that a well-conducted newspaper, -exposing temperately the many abuses, and ventilating the questions of -interest in the country, would be of great benefit. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - - DIVISION OF ANGOLA--WRETCHED PAY OF OFFICIALS--ABUSES BY - AUTHORITIES--EVILS OF HIGH IMPORT DUTIES--SILVER MINES - OF CAMBAMBE--JOURNEY TO CAMBAMBE--EXPLORATION--VOLCANIC - ROCKS--HORNBILL--THE PLANTAIN-EATER--HYENAS. - - -The province of Angola is divided by the Portuguese into four -governments, viz., Ambriz (or Dom Pedro V.), Loanda, Benguella, and -Mossamedes. These are again subdivided into districts, each ruled -by a military “chefe” or chief subordinate to the governors of each -division, and these in their turn to the Governor-General of the -province at Loanda. In this great extent of country under Portuguese -rule, from the difficulty and delay in the communications with the -central head of military and civil government at Loanda, and from the -fact that the “chefes” combine both military and civil functions, the -tyrannical injustice and spoliation the natives have so long suffered -at their hands can be easily imagined. - -Other causes also concurred to produce this disgraceful state of -things in Angola. The wretched pay of the Portuguese officers almost -obliged them to prey upon the utterly defenceless population. The great -bribery and corruption by means of which places that bled well or -yielded “emoluments,” as they were called, were filled; the ignorant -and ordinary class of officers, as a rule, who could be forced to serve -in Angola; and the knowledge that scarcely any other future was open -to them than the certainty of loss of health after years of banishment -in Africa--must be mentioned as causes of the despotic oppression that -crushed the whole country under its heel, depopulating it, and stifling -any attempt at industrial development on the part of the natives. That -this is a truth, admitting of no denial or defence, is at once shown by -the fact that the sources of the great exports of native produce are -all places removed from the direct misrule of the Portuguese. - -The pay of the Governor-General of Angola is 1333_l._ per annum. That -of the Colonial Secretary is 444_l._ A major’s pay is now 10_l._ per -month; that of a captain, 6_l._ 13_s._ 4_d._; a lieutenant’s, 5_l._ -12_s._ 1_d._; a sub-lieutenant’s, 4_l._ 8_s._ 11_d._ Some few years ago -the pay was actually, incredible as it may appear, thirty-seven and a -half per cent. below the above amounts: the present pay is only the -same as in Portugal. When in command, a major and captain have thirty -per cent., and a lieutenant and sub-lieutenant twenty-five per cent. in -addition. - -For the above mean and miserable pay Portugal sent, and still continues -to send, men to govern her extensive semi-civilized colonies. Can any -one in his senses be astonished at the result? Not a penny more did a -poor officer get when perhaps sent miles away into the interior, where -the carriage of a single load of provisions, &c., from Loanda would -cost half a sovereign or more, and where even necessaries were often at -enormous prices. - -In the fifteen years that I have principally lived in, and travelled -over a great part of Angola, and passed in intimate intercourse with -the natives and Portuguese, I have had abundant opportunities of -witnessing the miserable state to which that fine country has been -reduced by the wretched and corrupt system of government. This state -is not unknown to Portugal, and she has several times sent good and -honest men as governors to Loanda to try to put a stop to the excesses -committed by their subordinates, but they have been obliged to return -in despair, as without good and well-paid officials it was no use -either to change, or to make an example of one or two where all were -equally bad or guilty. There is, of course, but little chance of -any change until Portugal sees that it is to her own advantage that -this immensely rich possession should be governed by enlightened and -well-paid officials. Let her send to Angola independent and intelligent -men, and let them report faithfully on the causes that have depopulated -vast districts, that have destroyed all industry, and that continually -provoke the wars and wide dissatisfaction among tribes naturally so -peaceable and submissive, and amenable to a great extent to instruction -and advancement. - -A few instances will give an idea of the persecution that the natives -were subject to in Angola from the rapacity of their rulers, and from -which no redress was possible. - -To assist the traders established at Pungo Andongo, Cassange, and other -parts of the interior to transport their ivory, wax, and other produce -to the coast, the government directed that a certain number of carriers -should be supplied by the “Soba” or native king of each district, and -that a stipulated payment should be made to these carriers for their -services by the traders. This was immediately turned by the Portuguese -“chefes” to their own advantage. The carriers were forced to work -without any pay, which was retained by the “chefe;” and as fines and -imprisonments helped to depopulate whole districts, and carriers became -more difficult to obtain, the “chefes” in their rapacity exacted a -larger and larger sum from the traders for each, over and above the -stipulated pay. This frightful abuse existed in full force till 1872, -when the forced liability of the natives to serve as carriers was -abolished by law. - -So easy and successful a robbery was this, that large sums were -spent, and much interest employed, for the sake of getting the post -of “chefe” to the more important districts, such as Golungo Alto, -Pungo Andongo, &c., even for a short time. The “chefe” being military -commandant and civil judge, the population were perfectly incapable of -resistance or complaint, and if such reached Loanda, it was of course -quashed by the friends of the despot in power, who had themselves -received a heavy sum to obtain him the post. - -While I was exploring the district of Cambambe, an order arrived from -Loanda for the “chefe” to draw up and forward a list of the number of -men capable of bearing arms and being called out as a native militia. -Such an apparently simple order supplied the “chefe” with a means of -committing a dastardly robbery on the defenceless natives; and he in -his turn was cheated of more than half of it by his subordinates, two -mulatto militia officers, who were sent by him with half-a-dozen black -soldiers to scour the country and obtain the desired information. - -I was staying at the house of a Portuguese trader, at a place called -Nhangui-a-pepi, on the road to Pungo Andongo, and about half way -between that place and Dondo, when these two scoundrels arrived, and -arranged the following plan with the trader, whose name was Diaz. -They had agreed with the “chefe” of Cambambe at Dondo, to receive a -small share of the plunder they were to collect for him, but as they -considered this share was not sufficiently liberal, they proposed to -Diaz to send him part of the horned cattle they should obtain, for -which he was to pay them in cash,--a certain amount below the value of -course. This was agreed to, and they departed in high spirits. - -A month after, on calling again on Diaz, I found that the two villains -had already sent him seventy oxen, and that their journey was not yet -completed! How many they had sent to the “chefe” at Cambambe of course -I could not ascertain. - -The manner of proceeding was simple and ingenious. They pretended that -the Governor-General at Loanda had sent an order that all men in the -district should be enlisted as soldiers and sent to the coast to serve -in some war, that the names of all were down from the registers at -Cambambe, and they had come to revise the list, and that all would be -liable to serve and be taken from their homes unless they were bribed -to have the names erased. - -In this way they robbed the poor inhabitants wholesale of oxen, sheep, -goats, fowls, money, &c., with what success will be seen from the -number of cattle only that they sent Diaz in one month, and from a part -only of an extensive district. - -On my arrival at Loanda some months later, I informed the governor -personally of what I had witnessed, but he declared himself unable to -prevent it or punish the culprits, from the impossibility of obtaining -legal proofs, and from the influential position held by the principal -robber. - -Shortly after the commencement of steam navigation on the River Quanza, -the Governor-General was asked to order the “chefes” of Cambambe and -Muxima to cause stumps and snags that were dangerous to the steamers -to be removed from the river. By a similar ingenious interpretation -this inoffensive order of the government was converted into a means -of levying black-mail on the natives of the river. The subordinates -intrusted with the execution of the measure declared that they had -orders to cut down all palm-trees on or near the banks of the river, -and would do so unless bribed to spare them. In this way a considerable -sum of money was netted by the rogues in power. - -The natives of the interior of Loanda are very fond of litigation, -and this again is a source of considerable profit to the “chefes,” -as they will not receive any petition, issue a summons, &c., without -being bribed, and the crooked course of justice may in consequence be -imagined. - -A friend told me, that being once with the “chefe” of a district in the -interior, they saw two bullocks approaching the “chefe’s” house, and on -his asking a black standing near whose cattle they were, he answered -very coolly that “they were two oxen that were bringing a petition!” - -I need not say that I have known some honest “chefes” who discharged -the duties of their ill-paid and thankless office honourably and with -intelligence, but these exceptions are too rare to influence in the -least the sad state into which the country has been sunk by long years -of rapacity on the part of its irresponsible rulers. Only a total -change in the system of government can again people the vast deserted -tracts with industrious inhabitants to cultivate its rich land; but, I -am sorry to say, a termination to the long reign of corruption that has -existed in Angola is not to be expected for years to come. - -Whilst in Portugal itself patriotism and public morality are debased -by an unchecked system of bribery and greed of money and power, it -is too much to expect that her rich colonies will be purged of their -long-existing abuses. - -As might be expected, the great peninsular obstruction and impediment -of high custom-house duties, so fatal to all commercial and industrial -development, is in full and vexatious force in Angola, with the -exception of Ambriz, where the total annihilation of trade from this -cause, after its occupation by the Portuguese, was so striking, that -I at last prevailed upon the Governor, Francisco Antonio Gonçalves -Cardozo, to reduce the duties to a moderate figure, with what wonderful -results I have already explained in a former chapter. - -With the great want of roads and carriers, or other means of -conveyance, either for goods into or produce from the interior, -transport is very expensive, and it is evident that the levying of high -import duties besides on all goods for trade so enhances their value, -that it becomes impossible to offer an adequate return or advantage -to the native for the result of his labour or industry, or to leave -much margin for profit to the merchant; consequently, the development -of the country becomes completely paralysed and the revenue of the -state remains small in proportion. Such a simple fact, apparent to the -meanest understanding, is perfectly incomprehensible to the Portuguese! -To mention one instance only: the last time I was at Golungo Alto the -price of gunpowder was nearly six shillings a pound, and that of other -goods in proportion! That the natives of Angola will cultivate large -quantities of produce, if they can get moderately well paid for their -trouble, is evidenced by the considerable exports from the country from -Ambriz to the River Congo, where there are no custom-houses, and also -on the River Quanza, where steam navigation enables goods to be sent -up the country cheaply, and so to bear the almost prohibitive duties -levied on them at Loanda. - -It is not only the excessively high duties paid to the custom-house -that are complained of by the merchants at Loanda, but the absurd, -petty, and vexatious manner in which the whole system is worked; the -mean prohibitions and regulations attending the loading, discharging, -and clearing of goods, vessels, and boats; the great delay and trouble -about the simplest operations; the intense obtuseness of the officials, -and the utter want of reason or object for such irritating proceedings. -They do not prevent smuggling, as that can be most easily effected by -any one desiring to do so, the lower officers and police being all -common blacks or mulattoes in the receipt of miserable pay; and I -remember one of the first merchants of Loanda once opening a drawer -in his office, and showing me significantly, when speaking on this -subject, a number of vouchers for small sums of money he had advanced -on loan to the petty officers employed by the custom-house, and paid -liberally at the rate of a few pence a day to prevent smuggling! - -It would be amusing to see so much imposing bombast in the custom-house -of a little place like Loanda, depending on a lot of poor, ragged, and -starving blacks for its preventive service, were it not so annoying to -see the effect of the high duties in hindering the development of the -riches of the country, whose commercial prosperity is at present the -only remedy for the evils of its misgovernment. - -From olden times the report has been handed down of the occurrence of -silver in the district of Cambambe, and the object of the Portuguese -in some of their first wars in the interior was to obtain possession -of the mines. There is, however, no record to show that they were -successful in their endeavours; and beyond the statement that the -natives of Cambambe paid tribute to the Portuguese in silver, part of -which was made into a service for a church in Lisbon, nothing more was -definitely known about it. - -When I left the Bembe mines I was engaged by Senhor Flores of Loanda -to explore the supposed locality of the silver mines, as well as -various sites in Cambambe, believed in former days to have been copper -workings. I made a preliminary trip into the interior in September -1859, and then left Africa, returning a few months later with miners -and the necessary tools and apparatus for a more complete exploration, -which the indications I had noticed warranted me in undertaking. - -I luckily had with me six capital Ambriz carriers, who had brought me -from Ambriz to Loanda, in my journey through the country of Mossulo, -which I have described in a preceding chapter, and I readily induced -them to take me to Cambambe. I say luckily, as we found the greatest -difficulty in obtaining carriers on the road, and we should have had to -walk much greater distances than we did, if I had not had the Ambriz -blacks. I was accompanied by a Senhor Lobato, of Massangano, the first -man who had started trade on the River Quanza by means of barges to -and from Loanda. Our route lay from Loanda to the River Bengo, and -from thence inland, in an easterly direction, on the high road to -Cassange--the farthest point occupied by the Portuguese in Angola. - -The road, for a couple of days’ journey or more, is on and near the -south bank of the River Bengo, and passes through some of the most -fertile land imaginable, but, with the exception of small mandioca and -other food-plantations, producing but little beyond the requirements of -the few inhabitants of the country owing to the absence of cultivation. - -We passed many places where towns had formerly existed, but the -inhabitants had been obliged to remove farther into the interior, or to -the country about the River Dande, to escape the wholesale robbery and -exactions of the Portuguese “chefes.” - -The second night after leaving Loanda we dined and slept at the house -of the “chefe” of the district of Icollo e Bengo, a very intelligent -young man, newly appointed to that place, and he gave us a painful -description of the wretched condition in which he had found his -district. - -We were unable to obtain carriers here at any price, those that had -brought us from Loanda having been hired for that distance only, as -they would not trust themselves farther inland, fearing they might be -forced to carry back heavy loads, for which they would be paid only a -miserable pittance, or perhaps nothing at all. - -We had, consequently, to rely only on the six Ambriz men we had -with us, but subsequently we were fortunate enough to pick up a few -more on the road. In six days we arrived at Porto Domingos, on the -River Lucala, a tributary of the Quanza. In these six days we passed -through very varied scenery, due not only to the gradual elevation -of the country from the coast, as noticed on the road from Ambriz to -Bembe, but also to the variety of geological formations. On leaving -Loanda horizontal beds of limestone, and then fine sandstones, occur. -Near the junction, at a place called Tantanbondo, there are curious -lines of nodules embedded in the limestone, and numbers loose on the -surface from the weathering of the latter. These nodules are generally -fractured, and re-cemented with crystalline calcspar; those not -fractured are mostly of a singular, rounded shape, like an ordinary -cottage-loaf. At Icollo e Bengo, finely micaceous iron ore is found; -and at Calunguembe trap-rock occurs, which gives a most picturesque -peaky appearance to the country. - -Porto Domingos is one of the most lovely places I have seen in Africa; -the vegetation of palm-trees, baobabs, cottonwood-trees, and creepers -of many kinds on the banks of the river is wonderfully luxuriant. We -found traces everywhere of a former very much larger population, and -the same true tale of the inhabitants having been driven farther inland -by the rapine of their Portuguese rulers. - -After leaving Porto Domingos we arrived next day at the dry bed of -the River Mucozo, a small stream running only in the rainy season and -joining the River Quanza at Dondo. We passed through a thick wood, the -road being the dry bed of a small stream running through it, and the -ground a sandy dust of a bright red colour from oxide of iron. We and -our carriers presented a comical appearance after walking an hour and a -half through the wood. - -The rock of the country is a kind of conglomerate, with a matrix -containing much oxide of iron. At the River Mucozo this formation is -succeeded by a very hard white quartzose rock, containing but little -mica or feldspar, and the scenery is very beautiful, the country being -very hilly and broken. - -Three days’ journey over a wild and rocky country brought us to -the “Soba” Dumbo, formerly a very powerful king, and from whom the -Portuguese have always derived great assistance in their wars, but only -a handful of natives remain at the present day in the country, to mark -the place of the once populous kingdom of the “Soba” Dumbo. - -In the next two or three succeeding days I visited the places where, -from the heaps of stones lying close to holes and excavations, it was -likely that the natives had formerly worked for minerals; and that -copper was what they had extracted or searched for was evident from the -indications of blue and green carbonate of copper in these heaps. I saw -enough to convince me that an exploration of the country was desirable, -and likely to result in meeting with important deposits of copper. Of -silver or other metals I saw no indications whatever. - -We crossed in a southerly direction to Nhangui-a-pepi, and from thence -to Dondo, and down the River Quanza in a canoe to Calumbo. A night’s -journey in a hammock brought us back to Loanda, having been absent -exactly a fortnight on this very interesting journey, and though we -suffered several times from hunger and thirst, and walked a great part -of the distance from want of carriers, it was performed without any -accident whatever or ill effects to health. - -On my return to Africa in November 1860, I was accompanied from Lisbon -by two Portuguese miners, to assist me in the exploration of these -localities and in my search for the ancient silver mines. One of these -men died on arrival at Loanda of an epidemic of malignant fever then -raging there, and the other died shortly after reaching Cambambe, -whither I had immediately proceeded. - -From November to June I was actively occupied in exploring this -district, and I cleared out several of the old workings, but failed -to discover metallic deposits or indications of any value, though -malachite and blue carbonate of copper were to be noticed abundantly -distributed everywhere. - -I made many excursions, sometimes of several days’ duration, in that -time--one in the direction of the district of Duque de Bragança, to -a place called Ngombi Ndua, on the fine range of granite mountains -ending south at Pungo Andongo; but beyond the universal indications of -carbonates of copper, my explorations yielded no result. - -A very interesting excursion was one I made about thirty miles in a -northerly direction, where I passed through most beautiful mountain -scenery, the formation of the country being trachyte or volcanic rock. - -This evidence of ancient volcanic action is extremely interesting, as -it may have caused the ridge or elevation running the whole length of -Angola, which elevation has prevented the drainage of the plateau of -the interior of that part of Africa from flowing to the Atlantic. This -too strengthens my idea of the great River Congo being found to bend to -the south, and be the outlet for the waters of the hundreds of miles -of country lying behind Angola, and perhaps far beyond to the south, -where, as I have already stated, there is no river of any consequence -to be found. - -The only other example of volcanic rock I have met with in Angola is -the narrow belt or strip of basalt found at Mossamedes, and on the sea -shore to the north of it for about thirty or forty miles. - -This trachyte of part of Cambambe is no doubt connected with the -trap-rocks noticed in my journey overland from Loanda to that district. -The greater part of Cambambe is rocky, and destitute of forest or large -trees; large tracts are covered with grass and shrubs, and of these the -“Nborotuto” (_Cochlospermum Angolense_, Welw.), a small shrubby tree -with large, bright yellow flowers about four inches across, and like -gigantic butter-cups in shape and colour, is extremely common, and very -conspicuous. In the cacimbo, or dry season, some very beautiful bulbs -and orchids spring up after the ground has been cleared of grass by -burning. - -Birds of many species and of beautiful colouring are abundant, and in a -small collection I made (see ‘The Ibis’ for October 1862), Dr. Hartlaub -found several new species, and I have no doubt this district would well -repay a collector. The most extraordinary bird in appearance and habits -is certainly a large black hornbill (_Bucorax Abyssinicus_), called -by the natives Engungoashito. It is about the size of a large turkey, -but longer in the body and tail. The following is from my notes on this -bird in the above publication:-- - -“They are found sparingly nearly everywhere in Angola, becoming -abundant, however, only towards the interior. In the mountain-range in -which Pungo Andongo is situated, and running nearly N. and S., they are -common, and it was near the base of these mountains that I shot these -two specimens. They are seen in flocks of six or eight (the natives -say, always in equal number of males and females). Farther in the -interior, I was credibly informed that they are found in flocks of from -one to two hundred individuals. - -“The males raise up and open and close their tails exactly in the -manner of a turkey, and filling out the bright cockscomb-red, -bladder-like wattle on their necks, and with wings dropping on the -ground, make quite a grand appearance. - -“They do not present a less extraordinary appearance as they walk -slowly with an awkward gait, and peer from side to side with their -great eyes in quest of food in the short grass, poking their large -bills at any frog, snake, &c., that may come in their way. - -“Their flight is feeble, and not long-sustained. When alarmed, they -generally fly up to the nearest large tree, preferring such as have -thick branches with but little foliage, as the Adansonia “Mucuzo” (a -wild fig). Here they squat close on the branches, and, if further -alarmed, raise themselves quite upright on their legs in an attitude of -listening, with wide-open bills. The first to notice a person at once -utters its customary cry, and all fly off to the next tree. - -“They are very wary. The grass near the mountains being comparatively -short, and with but little scrub or bush, it is very difficult to -approach them without being observed from the high trees. I followed -a flock of six for upwards of two hours, crawling flat on my stomach, -negro fashion, before I obtained a chance of a shot, when I was so -fortunate as to break the wing of a male without otherwise injuring it. -It was quickly captured by the blacks. - -“They are omnivorous in their food: reptiles, birds, eggs, beetles, -and all other insects, mandioca-roots, ginguba or ground-nuts, -constitute their food in the wild state. In confinement I have fed this -bird upon the same food, also upon fresh fish, which it showed itself -very fond of, as well as on the entrails of fowls, &c. On letting -it loose in Loanda, in a yard where there were several fowls with -chickens, it immediately gulped down its throat six of the latter, and -finished its breakfast with several eggs! - -“The note or cry of the male is like the hoarse blast of a horn, -repeated short three times, and answered by the female in a lower -note. It is very loud, and can be heard at a considerable distance, -particularly at night. - -“They are said to build their nests on the very highest adansonias, in -the hollow or cavity formed at the base or junction of the branches -with the trunk.” - -Another bird (the _Scopus umbretta_) is singular from the curious story -of its habits, as described by the natives, but unfortunately I had not -an opportunity of investigating their statements to ascertain the exact -foundation for them. - -All the more intelligent blacks in Cambambe gave me exactly the -same description, and I leave it for future collectors to verify -the statement. It is a small heron-like bird of a very uniform -chestnut-brown colour, and is found near pools and marshes. It is -affirmed by the natives that it never builds its own nest, but that -other birds, of different species, make one for it; and also, that if a -person bathes in the pool in which this bird is in the habit of washing -and pluming itself, he becomes quickly affected with a cutaneous -eruption similar to the itch. - -The lovely “plantain-eaters,” principally the _Corythaix Paulina_, are -very abundant all over Angola where thick forests are found. They are -common in the country about Pungo Andongo, and also near the River -Quanza. They have a very loud, hoarse cry, quite unlike that which -a bird might be imagined to produce, which has a very singular and -startling effect when heard in a forest. - -It is its unearthly cry that makes this bird an object of superstition -to the natives of the whole of Angola. It is said by them to be a -“feiticeiro,” or sorcerer, and that it warns travellers of danger by -frightening with its cry animals or robbers lying in wait for them. -If one of these birds should perch on a hut or on a tree within the -enclosure of a town and sing, it is thought such a bad omen that the -inhabitants vacate it and remove to another place. When the natives -bring them in cages from the interior for sale on the coast, they never -take them into the towns on the road for fear they should sing whilst -in them, and at night the carrier, for the same reason, sleeps with his -birds at some little distance from any town. - -One most singular circumstance connected with this bird is the fact -that the gorgeous blood-red colour of its wing-feathers is soluble, -especially in weak solution of ammonia, and that this soluble colouring -matter contains a considerable quantity of copper, to which its colour -may very probably be due. My attention was first called to this -extremely curious and unexpected fact by Professor Church’s paper in -the ‘Phil. Trans.’ for 1869; and, on my last voyage home from the -Coast, I purchased a large bunch of the red wing-feathers in the market -at Sierra Leone, with which my brother-in-law, Mr. Henry Bassett, -F.C.S., has verified Professor Church’s results conclusively, and -has found even a larger proportion of copper in the colouring matter -extracted from these feathers. - -The ammoniacal solution is of a magnificent ruby-red colour by -transmitted light. Mr. Bassett obtained the following as the result of -his investigation:-- - -“From 300 feathers obtained 1·045 grm. turacin. Two copper -determinations, made by fusing with nitre and carbonate of soda, -washing out with water, then dissolving the oxide of copper in nitric -acid, filtering, and precipitating with potash, gave quantities of -oxide of copper corresponding to 7·6 and 8·0 per cent. of metallic -copper. Church found 6·0 per cent.; on the other hand, the feathers -yielded him a larger quantity of the colouring matter. General -characters, appearance, &c., exactly in accordance with Church’s -description; insoluble in benzol, sulphide carbon, tetrachloride -carbon. The copper to be unmistakably seen by burning the smallest -portion of a feather in a Bunsen burner.” - -It is difficult to say whether this copper is derived from the metal -contained in the food of these birds, or whether they pick up, with -sand and gravel, the attractive looking particles of malachite so -universally distributed over Angola. Their habits would seem to favour -somewhat this view, as they are extremely inquisitive in their wild -state, running along the large branches of the trees in an excited and -fussy manner, with outstretched neck and expanded wings, and peering -down on any intruder with every expression of interest and curiosity. - -At the same time, two birds that I have had in confinement in England, -both for five or six years, moulted regularly every year, and -reproduced the splendidly coloured feathers, of the same brightness, -without the possibility of getting any copper except what might have -entered into the composition of their food, which was most varied, -consisting of every ripe fruit in season, cooked vegetables and roots, -rice, bread, biscuits, dried fruits, &c. - -In Angola many of the “plantain-eaters” to be obtained from the natives -will only eat bananas, and refuse all other food, so that they cannot -be brought to Europe; others, however, readily adapt themselves to -almost every kind of soft food. - -My first bird was a _Corythaix Livingstonii_, and was beautifully -tame and gentle; it was most amusing in its habits, and in the notice -it took of everything around it;--a change of dress, or even new or -differently coloured ribbons to what it had been in the habit of -seeing, excited its attention greatly, and it would utter a loud cry -and open out its lovely wings in astonishment, and coming close to the -cage bars examine it with the greatest curiosity. It was very fond of -having a picture-book shown it, noticing especially those pictures that -were most vividly coloured. It was very fond of a bath, which it used -to come out and take in a large pie-dish full of water placed on the -table. At night it roosted in a little, flat basket, in which it would -not readily nestle till one of my sisters sang to it for a few minutes, -when it would utter a satisfied kind of low, rumbling noise, and at -once squat down quietly to sleep. - -My last live specimen, a _Corythaix Paulina_ was also very tame, and -has only recently died from the breaking of an egg inside its body. A -former egg that it laid is now in the collection of the British Museum. -It had only just moulted before it died, and the skin is in beautiful -plumage. - -It is pleasing to record an instance of a bird being considered of -good omen; this is one called “Quioco” by the natives, which has a -beautifully clear and loud song, and this is believed to be a sign -of good luck when heard near their huts. Its scientific name is -_Telephonus erythropterus_. - -Cattle thrive excellently in this district, and might be reared in -any number, as also goats, sheep, and poultry. Game is comparatively -scarce. Wild animals are principally the spotted and striped hyena -and the black-backed jackal. Leopards I only heard of as infesting -the country about half-way between Nhangui-a-pepi and Dondo, where, -during the time I was in Cambambe, they had carried away cattle and -attacked several blacks. The hyenas used to visit us almost every -night in Cambambe, and at one place, where my cook slept by himself -in a small hut, which was also the kitchen, they frightened him so by -snorting under the door and trying to force their way in, attracted -no doubt by the smell of the pots and pans, that he refused to pass -another night in it, and I had to let him sleep in my hut. One night -we heard a noise of smashing of crockery and falling of pots, &c., -from the kitchen, and in the morning we found that a hyena had forced -his way into the hut (built of sticks and grass), and had taken away a -sheepskin from a wooden frame that served as a table, on which my cook -had carefully placed my stock of plates and cooking utensils to dry, -bringing the whole to the ground, and considerably reducing my limited -stock of china and glass. - -Nothing comes amiss to these voracious creatures, their powerful jaws -and teeth enabling them to crunch up any bones, skin, &c. The hides of -the oxen that were killed for food used to be thrown on the roofs of -the huts to dry, and the hyenas would sometimes get at them, and if not -taken away bodily we would find them almost entirely eaten up, their -sharp teeth having cut through the tough raw hide as perfectly, and -seemingly as easily, as a pair of shears; the ox skull and other bones -of course always disappeared completely during the night. - -When driven by hunger they become very bold, but rarely attack man. At -Benguella, where they are very abundant, such a thing as an attack -on a native was unknown, although at night many blacks sleep out of -doors, and often in a drunken and helpless state; but at Golungo Alto, -after an epidemic of small-pox, when the hyenas preyed upon the bodies -of natives who had died of the disease, I was told that they had got -into a habit of attacking the live blacks at night, but no fatal case -occurred. - -Hyenas always hunt in couples, a male and female according to the -natives, and very often several couples together. - -That they seek their prey in pairs I believe to be the case, from an -instance that occurred to myself in Cambambe. I had built a long hut of -sticks and grass for two white men (Portuguese soldiers and military -convicts) from Loanda, who had been sent me on the death of the miner -I had brought with me from Portugal. The two men occupied one end of -the hut, the other being taken up with the mining tools, stores, &c., -and one night two sheep had been placed there also, for safety. One was -tied to a bundle of shovels, and the other to a wheelbarrow, to prevent -them from straying about in the hut. Opposite to where they were -secured was a door made of green sticks and withes. - -Whilst the men were asleep a hyena forced his way under the door, and -carried off one of the sheep; its cries and the noise awoke the men, -who jumped out of bed and rushed out to try and save the poor sheep, -but in the darkness of the night nothing could be seen, and all that -was heard was the rush of the animals and shovels down the rocky and -stony ground--the hut being built on a small steep rise or hill. Whilst -the men were thinking what they should do, and standing only a few -yards from the hut, another hyena got into it through the now open -door and carried off the second sheep and the wheelbarrow, which went -banging down the hill over the loose stones. In the morning the shovels -and wheelbarrow were found at some little distance at the foot of the -hill, but not a trace of the poor sheep. - -The hyenas are remarkably wary and cautious, only coming near -habitations in the darkest nights, and generally near daybreak. I was -never able to shoot one in the ordinary way, though I often watched -with gun ready through an opening in the walls of my hut. I once, -however, killed a fine spotted hyena by tying my gun to a couple of -stakes in the ground, and putting an ox’s gullet on the muzzle as a -bait, so arranged with a string to the trigger as to fire off the gun -on the animal attempting to pull it away. - -The next time I arranged this infernal-machine it nearly killed a -fine pig that had set its heart on the bait, but as he luckily did -not approach it in the right direction, I lost the charge of powder -and ball, and the pig found his anticipated titbit suddenly vanish in -smoke. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - PROVINCE OF CAZENGO--GOLUNGO ALTO--GOLD--WILD COFFEE--IRON - SMELTING--FORMER MISSIONARIES--CUSTOMS--NATIVES--PRODUCTIONS. - - -The farthest inland district in Angola under the rule of the Portuguese -was that of Cassange, but a successful revolt of the natives against -the oppression of the Portuguese “chefes” led to its being abandoned a -few years ago. - -Malange is now the farthest point, the two next being Pungo Andongo and -Duque de Bragança; the latter is at present of no value or importance -whatever. - -The Portuguese traders are, however, established in considerable force -at Cassange, as well as at Malange and Pungo Andongo, and a large trade -in ivory and wax has always been carried on from that part of the -country. - -I am unable to describe these localities from personal observation, -but they are stated to be very fine and healthy, and mostly well -watered. The natives have no antipathy or objection whatever to the -Portuguese, their opposition being entirely to the military rulers who -had abused their position; and recently the natives of the country of -the Dembos, between Golungo Alto and Duque de Bragança, have also risen -in arms for the same reason, and they have had the advantage so far in -the struggle. - -In the year 1867 I visited Cazengo and Golungo Alto, on my way to -a part of the country called Lombige, where gold in dust had been -discovered, and where two white men with a party of blacks were -“prospecting” for Senhor Flores. It is impossible to describe in words -the beauty of the districts of Cazengo and Golungo Alto, and the -country about the River Lombige, a small tributary of the River Zenza, -as the River Bengo is called inland. - -Mountains and deep valleys filled with magnificent virgin forests -cover the country. Streams and springs of the clearest water abound, -and the valleys are full of monkeys and beautifully coloured birds -and butterflies. Most wonderful and varied effects of rolling mists, -sunrise, and sunset are to be seen in this earthly paradise, and the -clearness and lightness of the atmosphere are most exhilarating and -agreeable after the dull oppressiveness of the air on the coast. - -At Cazengo I saw the largest trees I have ever seen, and conspicuous -amongst these the cotton-wood tree (_Eriodendron anfractuosum_), -towering to an immense height straight as an arrow, without the -slightest break, to the small branches at the very top covered with -feathery-looking foliage, and studded with puffy balls like white silk, -from the burst seed-pods. The stems and branches are thickly studded -with hard, short, conical, sharp-pointed spikes, and at the base of -the stem vast flattened buttresses project, which give a wonderful -idea of strength and stability. In these grand forests the splendid -giant touraco (_Turacus cristatus_), the largest of the tropical -African plantain-eaters, finds a fitting habitat, and from its great -size compared with the other much smaller species, is evidence of the -magnificence of the forests and scenery of Cazengo and Golungo Alto. - -I cannot help having a feeling of reverent affection and admiration -for this family of birds, whose exquisite plumage has most likely been -evolved through ages of the greatest tropical beauty, of dazzling -sunshine, bright flowers, and luxuriant vegetation in lovely valley and -mountain chain. - -Coffee is found growing wild in these virgin forests, but it is -confidently believed to have been originally introduced by the old -missionaries, and since been spread by the agency of monkeys and birds. - -Several important coffee plantations have been established, principally -in Cazengo, and with slave labour; but they exist under great -disadvantages, owing to the want of roads and means of conveyance, -this last being entirely effected by carriers, who are difficult to -obtain even at considerable expense. The coffee from the Portuguese -planters is all sent to Dondo, and thence down the river to Loanda and -the sea. That cropped by the natives is carried by them for sale to the -River Quanza and to Loanda, but a considerable part is taken across -the country all the way to Ambriz, where, from the low custom-house -duties, they receive from the traders a much larger amount of goods -and powder in exchange than at Loanda. I noticed on the natives -certain kinds of cloth customarily passed in trade in Ambriz, and I -had a further proof of the Cazengo and Golungo Alto coffee thus going -northward, in the considerable number of natives recognised in Cazengo -by my servant, as having been seen by him trading coffee at Ambriz, his -native place. - -The town of Cazengo consists of half a dozen houses, occupied -principally by Portuguese traders, the “residencia” or house of the -“chefe,” and the huts of a small native population. It is about two -days’ journey from Dondo (on the River Quanza), and the River Lucala is -passed about six miles before arriving there. - -The district of Golungo Alto gives the same name to its town, which is -most picturesquely situated and surrounded by luxuriant vegetation, -and is reached in another two days’ journey from Cazengo, through -exquisite scenery. Starting from the town of Golungo Alto in a -northerly direction, I arrived in the afternoon at the River Zenza, -and slept a few miles beyond it at a place called Gonguembo, at the -house of a respectable black, who was a kind of government official for -that district, and who was married to a very comely black woman from -Loanda. I was most hospitably treated by these good people, and a clean -bed in a nice airy room was prepared for me; they would not accept -any remuneration for their kindness, so I had to content myself with -making them a present of some handkerchiefs I had with me. Next day I -continued to travel in the same direction, sleeping at night in a wood, -and the day after arrived at a place called Mayengo, near the River -Lombige, there only a noisy mountain torrent of most beautifully clear -water. It was here that the two white men with the party of blacks -were exploring for gold, and they had already obtained a few ounces of -dust from the sand of the river by washing it in pans and a couple of -rockers. - -The following morning I proceeded about ten miles farther in the -direction of the course of the Lombige, to another place where a little -gold-dust had also been obtained. - -The formation of the country from Golungo Alto to the auriferous ground -of the Lombige is a hard clay slate, in which I observed only a few -small quartz veins, and in my opinion it is a poor gold country. Not -more than a couple of pounds weight of gold were obtained after many -months working, and the exploration was finally abandoned on the death -of Senhor Flores, which happened at the Lombige. - -My friend Mr. Richard Smith, of the Metallurgical Laboratory at the -Royal School of Mines, has kindly assayed a sample of gold from -Lombige, with the following results:-- - - Gold 93·860 - Silver 5·352 - Copper 0·404 - ------ - 99·616 - -equal to 22¹⁄₂ carats fine. - -From Golungo Alto to the south the geological formation is a hard, -compact, quartzose granite rock. At Cazengo is found gneiss, granite, -and a hard quartzose slaty rock, with in places a curious rock -seemingly composed of disintegrated granite and clay slate. The strike -of the clay slate is about E. and W., and it dips to the S.S.W. - -The few natives I saw about the Lombige seemed rather a fine race. They -belong to a tribe called the Dembos, which is the name of that part of -the country, and they have lately driven back the Portuguese, who had -attempted to encroach on their territory with the customary exactions -of the “chefes.” - -To show that they bore no ill-will to the Portuguese, but only desired -to resist the grasping oppression of the “chefes,” they escorted to the -River Zenza, near Golungo Alto, a small number of unfortunate troops -they had surrounded, and who, without pay, provisions, ammunition, -shoes, or clothing, had been obliged to surrender, and they greatly -insulted the Portuguese by offering to give these poor soldiers a -month’s pay in cash! I was at Loanda when several batches of soldiers, -composing the so-called expedition to the Dembos, arrived, viâ the -River Quanza, in a disgraceful state of starvation and rags, and the -poor devils were loud in their complaints of the way they had been -treated and robbed by their own government and officers. - -A more shameful manner of exposing men to disease and the enemy cannot -be imagined. A local newspaper at Loanda exposed the scandalous way -in which the war was conducted; and the merchants represented the -true state of the case to the government at Lisbon, but no attention -was given to them, as the governor at Loanda reported that there was -nothing going on in Angola to call for special notice. - -The great forests on the slopes of the chains of mountains and valleys -of the country about Golungo Alto and the Dembos are also full of -coffee trees growing wild, and they are gradually being cleared of bush -or underwood by the natives so as to enable them to collect the berry. -I did not hear anywhere that they had taken to planting coffee, nor -are they likely to do so as long as they can find it growing wild. As -far as has been ascertained, wild coffee is only found growing in the -forests of the country of the second elevation from the coast, nor does -it grow well in the littoral region, where the air is much too dry: it -is a plant requiring a moist heat and the shade of large trees; and a -certain amount of elevation above the level of the sea may possibly -have something to do with its proper growth. - -The future production of coffee on the whole West Coast of Africa might -be simply unlimited, as far as extent of ground eminently suitable for -its cultivation is concerned: it becomes only a question of time and -labour. The coffee plant is not the only one formerly introduced by the -missionaries or Portuguese which has spread itself over a large extent -of country in Angola, as I saw beautiful watercress growing wild most -luxuriantly in several of the rivulets and wet places in Cazengo, and -Dr. Welwitsch found parsley and fennel growing wild abundantly at Pungo -Andongo. - -[Illustration: PLATE XI. BELLOWS--MARIMBA--NATIVE SMITHS--RAT-TRAP. - - _To face page 213._] - -Cazengo has been celebrated from time immemorial for its iron, smelted -by the natives, and the bellows (Plate XI.) employed in the process -appears to date from the earliest times, being in fact identical with -that used by the ancient Egyptians. - -The object of the double arrangement is to obtain a constant current of -air from the nozzle; there are no valves in it, and the tops of the -cylinders are tightly closed with a peak-shaped cover of sheepskin in -which there is no hole or aperture. They are worked alternately and -very rapidly, and blow into a baked-clay tuyère about twelve inches -long, of which the under end is much wider than the nozzle of the -bellows that just rests inside it. The object of this is apparent, -as, from the bellows having no valve for the admission of air, which -therefore enters it through the nozzle, were this to fit tightly in the -tuyère it would alternately blow into and draw air from the fire. For -ordinary blacksmith’s work the forge is simply a small round cavity -scooped out in the ground, the fuel being charcoal; and in this, with -one bellows, a welding heat is obtained, and they are enabled to make -hoes, &c., out of ordinary iron hooping or other waste scrap-iron. - -Iron smelting from the ore is but little practised now in Angola, as -the iron hooping from bales obtained from the traders nearly suffices -for the few purposes for which this useful metal is required; but I -once had the opportunity whilst travelling of seeing the operation -of smelting going on at Cazengo, and of obtaining the following -information on the process. There was no furnace proper, simply a -somewhat larger excavation in the ground, with three pair of bellows -hard at work at equal distances round it. There was neither cover nor -chimney to the fire, which was fed with charcoal. The ironstone was a -gossany-looking brown ore, and was broken into bits about the size of -small walnuts. - -I was informed that the first operation took some hours, and did not -reduce the iron to the fused state, but only to an apparently metallic -spongy condition, without much diminution in the size of the pieces. -These reduced pieces are separated from those only imperfectly acted -on, the latter being again submitted to the first process with fresh -ore; the former are then raised to a high heat and welded together with -a hammer, on a block of iron for an anvil, into a small bar. - -In the management of the fire, and in welding, the natives employ water -and sand in the same way that our smiths do. The bellows and the tuyère -are slightly inclined downwards, and are secured to the ground by -strong stakes driven into it on each side, to which are attached cross -pieces passing over the bellows and tuyère (Plate XI.). I have seen -these bellows in every part of Angola, and in Loango and Cabinda, north -of the River Congo, among tribes speaking entirely different languages, -but it is of exactly the same pattern everywhere. - -The natives of the interior, like those of Loanda, that is to say, of -the country comprised between the Rivers Dande and Quanza, speak the -Bunda language. The division on the latter river is very marked, the -Quissamas and the Libollos on the southern bank speaking a distinct -language. The natives beyond the River Dande speak the Congo language, -and its dialects of Ambriz and Mossulo. - -This large Bunda-speaking population offers points of great interest, -and most strongly and favourably impresses the observer, auguring well -for its future civilization as far as it can go. It speaks volumes for -the superiority of this part of the negro species to know that very -fair reading and writing in Portuguese has been handed down from father -to son from the time of the former missionaries to the present day. - -It is impossible not to admire and honour the wonderful work of those -good men. Palpable signs of their industry, and of their example -and teaching may still be seen everywhere in Angola. Plantations of -cocoa-nut and oil-palm trees, groves of orange, lemon, and other fruit -trees, the introduction of the coffee and other useful plants, the -ruins of extensive monasteries with which were associated their schools -of industrial arts, all bear witness to their good work, and last but -not least the love and veneration in which their name is held amongst -all classes of blacks, who consider a padre almost as a god;--their -name for a priest is Ngana Nganga (God’s sir), Ngana being “Senhor,” -sir, and Nganga their word for God. - -Although as completely imbued as their more uncivilized brethren -with the belief and practice of “fetishes” of all kinds, they still -retain many of the usages taught them by the missionaries;--they will -have their children baptized by a padre to give them one or more -Saints’ names; and though they will call a girl or boy such a name as -“Thursday,” if he or she happens to have been born on that week-day, -or the name of a tree or plant, or place, or any circumstance they may -fancy connected with its birth, yet it must also bear the name of -Antonio Domingos, or Maria Roza, or some other favourite combination -of Portuguese Christian names. The christening is celebrated with the -usual accompaniment of sponsors, and, as is customary in Catholic -countries, these will not intermarry or live together as man and wife, -or with the parents of the child. - -A sheet of foolscap paper is a very usual article to receive from the -traders with other goods in barter for produce; this they roll up -carefully, and hang by a bit of string to their stick or pack. - -For pen they use the quill of any bird; their ink is charcoal or burnt -ground-nuts ground fine with the juice of the wild tomato; for wax or -gum they use the very sticky mass enveloping the seeds of a beautiful -red-flowering parasite (_Loranthus sp._). - -These natives are extremely fond of writing to one another, and also -to the “chefes” or authorities, and their letters and petitions are -sometimes most amusing and laughable, as they have the usual love of -their race for pompous or high-sounding words and phrases. - -They are fond, on occasions, of wearing coats and trousers, often -made of very extraordinary quality and patterns of cloth, and boots -and shoes. Their houses or huts and customs otherwise are not -distinguishable from those of the natives of other parts of Angola. - -A curious hard-wood shrub (_Decamera Jovis-tonantis_, Welw.), called -by the natives Nduí, is considered a sure preservative against -lightning, and branches of it are placed on the huts to save them from -being struck by the electric fluid. This belief is peculiar to the -Bunda-speaking race. It is also only among these people that tapioca -is prepared, though rarely, from the starch of the mandioca-root, by -drying it over iron or copper plates. - -A very singular custom is common to them and to the natives of Novo -Redondo farther south. When a relative or other person visits them, a -dish of “infundi” or “pirão” is prepared, and should there not be a bit -of meat or fish in the larder (no uncommon circumstance by the bye) -they send out to a neighbour for the “lent rat” as it is called. This -is a field-rat roasted on a skewer, and it is presented to the guest -who, holding the skewer in his left hand, dabs bits of the “infundi” -on the rat before he swallows them, as if to give them a flavour, but -he is very careful not to eat the rat, or even the smallest particle of -it, as this would be considered a great crime and offence, and would be -severely punished by their laws. It is supposed that the host has duly -preserved the dignity of his house and position, and has performed the -rites of hospitality in presenting his guest with meat and “infundi,” -though he has not tasted a morsel of the former, which is returned -intact to the owner from whom it was borrowed. This example of a sham, -knowingly played by both host and guest as an act of politeness, seems -very curious in the extremely unsophisticated state of the negro:--in -our superior state of society, shams as patent to all are too common to -attract attention. - -The Bunda-speaking natives of Angola are extremely indolent: by the -better class, such as those who can read and write, it is considered -derogatory to perform any manual work whatever. A little trading in wax -or other produce is the most they indulge in, and this is principally -made the means of obtaining goods or money on credit from the traders, -or in some other way imposing on them. They are specially clever at -any little roguery of this kind. - -In the mornings, the rising generation may be seen assembled in groups -squatted on the ground, wrapped up in a cotton cloth manufactured in -the country, and with a printed alphabet in their hands lazily learning -their letters. No inducement that I could offer of pay or anything -else, whilst I was exploring in Cambambe, would make them work, and as -their style of living is exactly the same as that of other blacks, the -plantations, tended by their women and female slaves, suffice them for -their daily wants. I lived on beans for a week on that occasion, as I -would not pay half a sovereign in money or cloth for a single fowl, and -sheep and goats in proportion. When the tax-gatherer came round with -the soldiers, and they had not the wherewithal to pay him, I had my -revenge, and bought a large number of fowls at a penny each, goats and -sheep at about a shilling a head, and fat oxen at five to ten shillings -each, from the very blacks who a day or two before had refused to sell -oxen at any price, and fowls, &c., only at such exorbitant prices. - -I had to provide food for the forty or fifty blacks who were with me, -and an ox was generally killed every day for them, but not being used -to so much animal food it did not agree with them. One morning they -came to me headed by an old native of Ambaca, who presented me with a -petition written in high-flown language, praying that I would not give -them any more meat, but that I would order beans and “infundi” to be -cooked for their rations instead. Of course, I assented to the desired -change, which, moreover, was more economical. - -The natives of Pungo Andongo are the most deceitful, and the worst -generally. Those of the district of Ambaca, contiguous to Cazengo -and Golungo Alto, are a very extraordinary set of blacks. They are -distinguished by a peculiar expression of countenance, manner, and -speech, which enables them to be at once recognised as surely as a -raw Irishman or Scotchman is with us. They are the cleverest natives -of Angola, speak and read and write Portuguese best of any, are the -greatest cheats of all, and are well described by the Portuguese as -the Jews and gipsies of Angola. They are the greatest traders in the -country, and collect and deal in all manner of hides, skins, and other -articles, for which they travel great distances and amongst other -tribes. They will least of all work at any manual labour; trade and -roguery are their forte, and they have often suffered at the hands of -other tribes for their cupidity. - -During a famine, a few years back, in the Quissama country, which -the Ambaquistas (as the natives of Ambaca are called) used to visit -with farinha, &c., for the purpose of purchasing rock-salt to trade -with in other places, they bought a large number of the Quissamas as -slaves, at the rate of a small measure of meal each; but the succeeding -season, on a number of Ambaquistas going to Quissama, they were robbed, -flogged, branded with hot irons, and otherwise tortured and punished, -and finally put into canoes and started down the river, arriving at -Muxima in a lamentable condition, and only a few recovered from their -ill-treatment. This revenge was taken by the Quissamas because the -Ambaquistas took advantage of their dire necessity for food to buy -their sons and daughters as slaves for small portions of meal. To the -present day, to vex an Ambaquista, it is sufficient to ask him if he -has any Quissama rock-salt for sale! - -Of course they have never been to Quissama since; and should the -Portuguese desire to conquer that country, as yet not reduced to -submission, they could count upon a large contingent of volunteers from -Ambaca. Ambaca is said to be comparatively flat, but very fertile, and -it has lately been sending a large quantity of ground-nuts to the River -Quanza. - -In Cazengo and Pungo Andongo the largest gourds I have ever seen are -grown, which when dried are employed by the natives as vessels to carry -oil, water, “garapa,” or other liquids; or, the top being cut off, -are used as baskets for meal, beans, &c. I have seen them so large -that they were enclosed in a rope-net, and when full of “garapa” or -water were a good load for two men to carry, slung to a pole on their -shoulders. The plants are generally trained up the sides and on the -grass roofs of the huts, on which they produce a plentiful crop of -flowers and fruit. I have also seen the gourds supported on a kind -of nest of dry straw or grass, placed in the fork of a three-branched -stick stuck in the ground. - -Cotton is grown sparingly everywhere. It is picked from the seeds and -beaten on the ground with a switch to open it out, and then spun by -hand. This was the constant employment of the natives, particularly -of the women and girls, but quite lately this industry has greatly -fallen off, owing to the greater importation of Manchester goods. The -cotton-thread was woven by the natives into strong thick cloths, but -these are now not easy to obtain for the same reason. - -Food is most abundant:--mandioca, maize, beans, massango (a kind of -millet), ground-nuts, &c., growing with the greatest luxuriance in -the fertile ground and lovely climate. Beautiful and tame cattle are -easily reared, as well as sheep, goats, and poultry; but, as usual, the -great indolence of the natives prevents them from availing themselves -of the wonderful capabilities of the soil and climate to any but an -infinitesimal degree. - -It is rare to see any stores of food, so that if, as sometimes happens, -especially in the littoral region, the rains should fail, a famine is -the result, and hundreds die. - -When a little indian-corn or other seed is kept, it is enclosed in -large, smooth, spindle-shaped masses of long straw, and these are hung -to the branches of the trees. The straw keeps the wet from entering -to the corn, and it also keeps out rats, as, should they run down the -short rope, they slip off the straw and tumble to the ground. - -Large and small pots for cooking and holding water are made in many -places. They are made of clay, and are burnt by being built up in a -heap in the open air with dry grass and covered with the same, which is -then set on fire and allowed to burn out; when cold, the pots are found -completely baked, without the use of anything like a kiln. Clay pipes -for smoking are also made, and burnt in the same manner (Plate V.). - -Many of the towns in the interior, in the more out-of-the-way places, -are completely isolated for several months by the growth of the high -grass towards the end of the rainy and the beginning of the dry season. -In travelling it is the custom of the guides to lay a handful of grass -on the paths that they wish the rest of the party to avoid; and this -is the universal practice of the natives all over Angola, to indicate -the path to be taken by others following them, and which from the -height of the grass and the number of intersecting paths, would be -difficult to keep without some such mark. Blacks, of course, never -travel but in single file, and I was once asked by a negro the reason -why white men always walked side by side, and not one behind the other -as they did, but my reply failed to convince him of the advantage of -our plan. - -For some years the “chefes” have had the paths leading from each -capital town of their divisions kept clear of grass and weeds for a -breadth of from six to twelve feet by the natives of the town nearest -it, but even then the blacks not only walk in single file, but, what is -very curious, tread out and follow a winding path in it from side to -side. Their own paths are never straight but invariably serpentine, and -this habit or instinct is followed even when a broad, straight road is -offered them. - -Whilst I was at Cambambe, a somewhat eccentric Portuguese (not a -military man) was “chefe” of Pungo Andongo, and he took it into his -head that he would break the natives of this habit of walking in single -file, and he actually fined and otherwise punished a number of them, -but, of course, he never succeeded in making them alter the custom -except when passing before his house. The blacks will never move a -stone or other impediment in the road. If a tree or branch fall on it, -and it is too large to walk over comfortably, no one pushes it aside, -however easy such an operation may be, but they deviate from the path -and walk round it, and this deviation continues to be used ever after, -although the obstacle may rot away or be otherwise removed. - -I twice saw in Cambambe the remarkable “spit-frog” described by Dr. -Livingstone. This insect is of the same shape as the ordinary British -“spit-frog,” but is quite three-quarters of an inch in length. Its -scientific name is _Ptyelus olivaceus_. The larvæ, like the British -species, have the property of secreting a copious watery froth, in -which they envelop themselves, a number being found together on a thin -twig or branch, and the amount of water secreted is so great as to -drop constantly from the branch on which they are living, so that the -ground beneath becomes quite wet. Though the amount of water abstracted -from the atmosphere is something enormous for so small a creature, the -very hygroscopic state of the air there is quite sufficient to account -for its source. - -Lizards are very abundant on the rocks, and there are some very pretty -and brightly-coloured species. Chameleons are also abundant, and the -natives are everywhere afraid to touch them. The Mushicongos believe -that if they once fasten on the wool of a black’s head, nothing can -take them off, and that they are poisonous; but their dislike of -these harmless creatures does not prevent them from trying a curious -though cruel experiment--the quick and mortal action of nicotine--on -them. They insert a bit of straw or grass into the wooden stems of -their pipes, so as to remove a small portion of the nicotine and -other products of the combustion of the tobacco, and when the poor -chameleon opens its jaws in fear, they pass the moistened straw across -its tongue and mouth, and in a very few seconds it turns on its side, -stiffens, and is quite dead. This very small quantity of the poison is -wonderfully rapid in its fatal action. - -The ground is cultivated with a hoe like that described in use about -Ambriz, but with a double instead of a single handle (Plate XIV.). - -The natives, like those of the country to the north, eat considerable -quantities of the ground-nut, and from the following analysis by B. -Corenwinder (‘Journal de Pharm. et de Chimie,’ 4th series, xviii. 14) -its great value as an article of food is apparent:-- - - Water 6·76 - Oil 51·75 - Nitrogenous matter 21·80 - Non-nitrogenous matter containing starch 17·66 - Phosphoric acid 0·64 } 2·03 - Potash, chlorine, magnesia, &c. 1·39 } - ------ - 100·00 - - The proportion of phosphoric acid found in - the perfectly white ash was 31·53% - -I am convinced that, from the amount of nitrogenous matter, and the -form in which the large quantity of oil is masked in the ground-nut, -its use by invalids and persons of delicate constitution would be -attended with valuable results. The nuts are delicious simply roasted, -or, better still, afterwards covered with a little sugar dried on them -in the pan. - -A small plant bearing pods containing one or two roundish seeds, and -like the ground-nut ripening beneath the soil, is also sparingly -cultivated in Cambambe and the surrounding districts. It is the -_Voandzeia subterranea_ of botanists. - -The round fruit, about the size of a small apple, of a handsome leaved -plant is employed by the natives of the same places for washing their -cloths, &c., instead of soap, and Dr. Welwitsch named the plant the -_Solanum saponaceum_ from this circumstance. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - - RIVER QUANZA--CALUMBO--BRUTO--MUXIMA--MASSANGANO--DONDO--FALLS OF - CAMBAMBE--DANCES--MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS--QUISSAMA--LIBOLLO. - - -The River Quanza is the gem of the Portuguese possession of Angola. -South of the great River Zaire, or Congo, it is the only river -navigable for any distance, and is the natural highway to the most -fertile and healthy countries of the interior, yet, such has been the -apathy of the Portuguese, and so utterly and culpably neglectful have -they been in developing the vast resources of their rich possessions, -that, till the year 1866, only an insignificant amount of produce or -trade came to Loanda by that river. - -Mr. Augustus Archer Silva, an American, long established in business -at Loanda, obtained from the Portuguese Government a concession for -the steam navigation of the river, after great trouble and opposition, -and on the 21st of September, 1866, I accompanied him in the steamer -“Andrade” on her first trip to the Quanza. - -We started from Loanda at midnight, and arrived at about eight o’clock -in the morning opposite the bar, where a dozen of the so-called bar -pilots came on board, and a more surprising manner of coming through -the heavy surf that breaks over it can hardly be imagined. - -On their knees, and squatted on their heels, each on a perfectly flat, -plain piece of thick board, about eight or nine feet long and two or -three feet wide, evidently the bottom of an old canoe, the blacks -pushed off from the shore, and with a single-bladed paddle propelled -their primitive boats to the steamer, a distance of over a mile. At -high tide there was sufficient depth of water, and the “Andrade” -steamed safely into the river. Our trip that time was only as far as a -place called Bruto, about thirty miles up the river, and we returned to -Loanda in a few days, the steamer decorated with flags and branches of -palm-trees, making her look like a floating island. - -This trip was the commencement of the most important era in the modern -development of Angola. The great and yearly increasing trade on that -river is entirely due to its steam navigation, and fostered principally -by the efforts of its spirited promoter. - -The trade of Loanda has since increased to a wonderful extent, and -has enabled the province to pay its own expenses, which were formerly -supplemented by a grant from Portugal. - -Several large and small steamers hardly suffice to bring to Loanda the -large quantity of palm-oil, palm-kernel, coffee, ground-nuts, and other -produce from that river. Mr. Silva has unfortunately lately died on his -way home, unrewarded by Portugal for his signal services to Angola; and -it is to be feared that his widow even will not receive any recognition -of the great benefits that his long years of disinterested efforts so -justly merit. - -My first visit to the River Quanza was in 1859, when almost the only -trader there was a Portuguese of the name of Manoel Lobato, established -at Massangano. - -Travelling was then performed in a large canoe, with two or three -or four blacks, who punted it with long poles along the sides of the -banks. The trip from Calumbo to Dondo used to be performed in this -way in about six days, and very pleasant indeed it was. Only a few -barges used to leave the river for Loanda with produce, and these would -sometimes remain at the bar for weeks, under the excuse of waiting for -a good bar, but generally from the attractions of a small town near, -where the crews (natives of Cabinda) would stop and amuse themselves. -Even of canoes there were but few, and the banks were consequently -covered with different kinds of waterfowl and other birds; and on -several occasions when I subsequently had to travel in a canoe on this -river, I used to supply myself and the half-a-dozen blacks with me with -abundance of food in the shape of ducks, &c., simply by shooting them -off the banks or in the water as we went along. In the mornings I would -walk for miles along the river side, under the shade of the thick palm -forest. - -With the steamers and increased traffic it is more rare to see birds on -the banks in the same numbers; they have mostly taken to the lagoons -and marshy places extensively bordering this beautiful river. - -The mouth of the River Quanza is about fifty miles south of Loanda; the -course of the river is then so far northerly, that a well-kept path or -road south from Loanda reaches it at a distance of twenty-one miles at -a place called Calumbo. This road to Calumbo used formerly to be much -infested with lions, but with the greatly increased traffic they are -seldom now seen or heard of. Lions used to come close to Loanda even, -and I was shown a walled enclosure which one had cleared, dragging -a calf with him over it. The blacks always use the word “Ngana,” or -“Sir,” when speaking of the lion, as they believe that he is “fetish,” -and would not fail to punish them for their want of respect if they -omitted to do so. - -The scenery on this road is very pretty, but is of the same character -as that of the littoral region at Ambriz and Mossulo; gigantic baobabs, -euphorbias, aloes, prickly shrubs and trees, delicate creepers, and -hard, wiry grass. - -From the mouth of the river to Calumbo there are large mangrove -marshes, and there is a native town called Tumbo, the inhabitants -of which are mostly engaged as pilots, mangrove wood-cutters, and -fishermen. - -The mangrove tree grows here to a large size, and is cut and sent to -Loanda for beams, piles, &c.; the longer thin trees are also in great -request for roof timbers, scaffoldings, and other uses. The mangrove -is a very hard and heavy wood; a pole of it sinks in water almost like -a bar of iron, and it is magnificent for fuel. It is sent to Loanda in -rafts floated out of the river to the sea, and navigated with a sail. - -As the mangrove-wood is so heavy, the natives first make a bed of -palm-stems, which are also valuable for hammock-poles, roofs, &c., and -on these the mangrove timber is piled, and all securely tied together -with tough creeper-stems. These rafts, called “balças,” are worth at -Loanda from 200_l._ to 300_l._ and upwards each. - -Calumbo boasts of a “chefe,” and of the most voracious mosquitoes in -Angola. - -There is a considerable assemblage of huts and mud-plastered houses -at Calumbo, belonging to the native population, but the river floods -the whole place almost every year. There is also a beautiful avenue -of cocoa-nut palm trees planted by the old missionaries, who appear -to have had an extensive establishment here, but all that remains of -it at the present day is a pretty church in very good repair, and -picturesquely situated on a slight eminence on the banks of the river -about a mile from Calumbo. The low ground about Calumbo is exceedingly -fertile, and is beautifully cultivated immediately after the floods. - -The best land is on the southern bank of the river; on the northern -bank there is but little ground under cultivation, and the marshes are -left to breed clouds of mosquitoes. - -The river from its mouth to Calumbo passes through level country, and -the banks are covered with mangrove, “bordao” palm, and other trees -and plants. The mangrove disappears before arriving at Calumbo, where -the water is perfectly sweet, and the banks are mostly bare or lined -with sedges and papyrus. The appearance of the low, hilly ground behind -is very much like that of the cliffs on the sea shore, being mostly -covered with a perfect forest of baobabs. At Calumbo there grew a -baobab with a monstrous trunk; this was with great difficulty cut -down by order of the vandalic idiot of a “chefe,” who objected to the -leviathan tree because it stood in the middle of the road along the -bank of the river! - -A few miles higher up the river we arrive at Bruto, belonging to -my friend Senhor Felicianno da Silva Oliveira, who has there a -magnificent sugar-cane plantation, distillery, and farm, and also does -a considerable trade with the natives in ground-nuts and other produce. -This gentleman is well known as one of the most intelligent and -energetic industrial explorers of Angola. I knew him first in Benguella -Velha, where he had extensive cotton plantations, &c.; but, convinced -of the great resources of the River Quanza, he started, some years -back, the cultivation of sugar-cane at Bruto with complete success, but -entailing incessant work that only those who have any experience of the -vast difficulties of such an undertaking, without capital and in a wild -country, can appreciate. - -A large extent of cultivated ground, well built and commodious houses -and stores, steam sugar-cane mill, and stills for the production -of rum from the juice of the sugar-cane, beautiful herds of cattle, -garden, lime-kiln, &c., are proud monuments of his well-directed -efforts, and a bright example to his, in general, apathetic countrymen. -It is to such men that the authorities should give every assistance, -but I am sorry to say that it only takes the form, at most, of empty -praise. The Government at Lisbon, to favour men who devote their -energies to the development of her provinces, did give exceptional -privileges to the “Banco Ultramarino” or Colonial Bank for this -purpose, but its operations at Loanda, instead of being principally -directed to aiding planters, &c., with capital, have been hitherto -restricted to a system of miserable usury. - -In a draft on England for a small amount that this bank once -discounted, it was stipulated that it should be paid in gold, and not -in Bank of England notes, as from information that had reached Loanda -of a commercial panic in London, it was considered a proper precaution -to adopt, in case such notes should suffer depreciation in value! - -In digging the foundations of the cane-house, Senhor Oliveira -discovered a beautifully carved ivory crucifix in the most perfect -state of preservation. This work of art is about two feet high, and -evidently belonged to some monastery existing there. - -At Bruto there is a fine lagoon in which abundance of fish is netted, -and there are some lovely woods and valleys near, which abound with -birds and monkeys. - -I obtained some exquisite little kingfishers (_Corythornis -cyanostigma_) from a kind of little bay in the banks of the river -near Bruto. This bay was covered with the leaves and flowers of the -water-lily (_Nymphæa dentata_ and _stellata_), and trailing on these -were long stems of a plant many yards in length, covered with bright -green leaves and lovely purple bell-shaped flowers. I sat down behind a -bush and watched this beautiful nook for some time, looking at a number -of water-hens and other birds running over the water-lilies, and, with -the kingfishers, chasing their insect and finny prey. - -Beyond Bruto the river scenery is much finer, cliffs and hills on -either side covered with the everlasting baobab, and the valleys -filled with a luxuriant green forest of trees and creepers, with here -and there brilliant patches of colour from the abundant flowers of the -latter--the banks of the river a foreground of papyrus and sedges of -unfading green. - -At intervals the lines of hills recede inland, and show vast spaces -occupied by lakes and lagoons fringed with almost impenetrable virgin -forests containing trees of fine timber. - -At about fifty or sixty miles from the coast, and about half-way to -Dondo, on the southern bank of the Quanza, is the town of Muxima, built -on a bare, white limestone rock, on which the hot sun seems to have -baked the mud huts with their straw roofs to a dark brown. A fine large -red-tiled church, and the ruins of a small fort on the top of a steep -rocky hill, give a picturesque appearance to the otherwise glaring and -scorched desolation of the place. Hardly any movement of the natives is -ever seen at Muxima when passing it on the river; there is no trade or -industry whatever in the place, and the town has always the appearance -of a deserted ruin as represented in a dissolving view. The Portuguese -have a “chefe” here, with a few black soldiers, but it is such a -forsaken, dead-alive place that there is always a difficulty in finding -an officer for the post. - -The church at Muxima is held in the greatest veneration by the natives -far and wide. It is considered as a great “fetish;” and even the -natives from Loanda seek there the intercession of the Virgin Mary as -represented by an image in that church; and I was shown a chest full of -plate, chains, rings, and other offerings of the pious pilgrims to its -shrine. - -Alligators abound, and places are staked round on the banks of the -river to enable the natives to fill their vessels with water without -danger of being drawn in by these hideous monsters. On a hot day they -may be seen dozing on the mudbanks, stretched out flat like great logs -of wood. The blacks affirm that the alligator is fonder of eating women -and girls than men;--this belief may very likely be due to the fact -that it is the women who generally fetch water from the river, and that -consequently a greater number of them fall victims to this brute. They -have also the belief, common to the natives of all Angola, that the -alligator’s liver is poisonous, and that it is used as a poison by the -“feiticeiros” or sorcerers. - -Numbers of hippopotami also inhabit this river, but since the steamers -are constantly navigating it they are seldom seen, and appear to have -migrated more to the lagoons. Formerly it was most amusing to watch -these huge and inoffensive beasts; I have seen them lift their great -heads out of the water and stare quite familiarly for two or three -minutes with every appearance of curiosity in their little round eyes -at the canoe passing, and then slowly sink with a snort and great -bubbling of the water from their nostrils. One wide bend of the river, -where the water is very still, used to be the favourite resort of the -hippopotamus, and was called by the natives “hippopotamus corner” from -this circumstance. I once stopped my canoe off there for some time, to -witness the gambols of some twenty of these animals, large and small, -evidently playing and chasing one another, lifting their heads and -shoulders right out of the water, and snorting and booming away at a -great rate. - -There were formerly natives who used to hunt these animals for the -sake of their flesh, fat, and teeth, and I went ashore to two or three -huts where some of these blacks lived to buy for my boatmen a quantity -of the dry and salted flesh and bacon of a hippopotamus they had -recently killed. It was cut into long thin strips which were hanging to -dry over some lines stretched from poles in the ground. I tasted some -of the flesh and fat cooked with beans by my men, and it was very nice; -and had I not known what it was, I should never have distinguished the -taste from that of insipid pork or bacon. - -The manatee is also not uncommon, and also a large fresh-water tortoise -(_Trionyx nilotica_) which is speared by the natives and much esteemed -for food. - -Fish is extremely abundant, particularly a short thick fish called -“cacusso,” which is the principal food of the natives on that river. A -fisherman once gave me the names of over forty species of fish to be -obtained in the Quanza; and at Dondo a large fish is caught, and is -much valued by the Portuguese for its delicious flavour. - -Fish is principally caught by throw-nets, or by hook and line, also in -fish-baskets or traps. - -Beyond Muxima the appearance of the banks becomes really charming. -A delicious panorama of mile after mile of the most beautiful dark -forest of high feathery-topped oil-palms stretches on both sides, but -principally on the north bank. - -Under the shade of these palms is seen a succession of picturesque -huts, in every variety of unsymmetrical quaintness, of weathered grass -roofs, mud walls and whitewash, and crooked doors and windows. Many -of these huts are embosomed in a fence of growing hog-plum stakes, -and surrounded by a thicket of lime and orange trees, plantains, -papaws, &c., the luxuriant and ever bright green foliage contrasting -beautifully with the sombre, almost black hue and shade of the palms. -Where there are no palm trees the vegetation is equally lovely, a -profusion of creepers festooning and covering the highest trees. -Amongst these, the cotton-wood trees and giant baobabs are the most -conspicuous, their sparsely-covered branches generally crowded with -hundreds of long-legged herons and other birds. One of these vast trees -with but few leaves, and the branches thickly covered with lines of -long-legged and long-necked grey or white birds standing bolt upright, -has a most extraordinary and unexpected appearance. - -The palm forests resound with the cooing of innumerable doves, and are -a favourite haunt of a white-headed eagle or vulture, complained of by -the natives for the havoc that it commits on the palm-nuts, on which it -is said chiefly to subsist. - -The palm-tree is also the favourite resort of several species of the -beautiful little nectarinæ or sun-birds, who appear to find on the -crown and leaves the small spiders and other insects that constitute -their principal food. They are always especially busy about the gourds -placed at the tops of the trees for the purpose of collecting the palm -wine;--whether it is that they are fond of the juice, or whether this -attracts the insect prey they are in search of, I know not. Palm-trees -standing alone generally have as many as a hundred or more of the -pretty nests, made by a species of weaver-bird, suspended from the -leaflets. These birds are very noisy, and take not the least notice of -the people passing beneath--in fact, they seem to prefer building their -nests in solitary palms in the middle of a native town. The natives -never think of molesting small birds, and the children have not the -cruel propensity for stone-throwing and bird-nesting that our more -civilized boys have. - -Many of the sandy islets and shallows of the river are frequented by -clouds of different species of gulls, attracted no doubt by the great -abundance of fish. - -The scenery continues of the same character as far as Dondo. - -A little above Muxima there is a fine perpendicular cliff, at the foot -of which runs the river. This is called the “Pedra dos Feiticeiros,” -or “Fetish Rock,” and from it the Quissamas throw into the river the -unfortunate wretches accused of witchcraft. They are said to be first -stunned by a blow on the head from a knobbed stick and then thrown over -the cliff, to ensure their not escaping the alligators by swimming -ashore. Before arriving at Dondo we reach the important district of -Massangano, where the River Lucala, the largest tributary of the -Quanza, runs into it. - -The town of Massangano stands on high ground, but only the old fort -and “residencia” of the “chefe” are seen from the river, these being -built on the high cliff overlooking it. The fort contains a couple -of ancient iron guns, evidently loaded by the breech in some way -which is not at present very clear. From the fort an extensive view -is obtained of the splendid country below. I once spent a few days at -Senhor Lobato’s house at Massangano, and made several excursions in -the neighbourhood. The country around is beautiful and very fertile. -There are a number of traders established there, and a large assemblage -of native huts and houses. There is also a fine old church, the only -remaining evidence of the existence of the old missionaries. Both this -and the church at Muxima contain great numbers of small bats. The roof -inside is completely covered with them. I have noticed a very curious -circumstance in Angola with regard to these bats, and that is the way -they issue at dusk from any window or crevice communicating with the -interior of the roofs or other dark places that they occupy during the -day. - -At regular intervals of about thirty seconds to one minute, a small -puff or cloud of these bats is seen to issue together, and so they -continue till all are out. This strange habit of leaving their -hiding-places intermittently, and not continuously as might be -expected, cannot easily be explained, nor why they assemble together -to go forth in distinct batches only. Whether they return in the same -manner I cannot say. Once out, they seem to spread apart immediately, -and fly away in all directions, and do not appear in the least to keep -in flocks like birds, though they may roost together in communities. - -The town of Dondo is about twenty miles from Massangano. It stands in -a small, triangular, level plain surrounded by hills on all sides, -the base of the triangle being the River Quanza and the low line of -hills on its southern bank. From the configuration of the ground, shut -in on all sides from winds, it is perhaps, as might be imagined, the -hottest corner of Angola. The heat in a calm summer’s day is almost -stifling, and the nights, generally cool everywhere else, are not less -oppressive. Formerly the town was on the high land above, at Cambambe, -as the town itself was called, but the exigencies of trade have peopled -the present town of Dondo. - -It is a growing and flourishing place, where a number of traders and -agents of Loanda houses are established, and is the receiving port for -embarkation of the produce and trade of the neighbouring districts -and of those of the interior. Thousands of tons of ground-nuts, -coffee, wax, palm-oil, ivory, &c., are shipped yearly at Dondo for -Loanda by the steamers. There is a fine large square in the middle of -the town, where a fair or market is held every day, and to this the -natives resort from all parts around with produce and provisions. Many -different tribes from the interior are to be seen at Dondo, both from -the northern and southern banks of the river, who have brought produce -for sale to the white men. The “residencia” of the “chefe” is on a hill -to the south of the town, and the view from it is truly magnificent. -As far as the eye can reach it is one gorgeous scene of mountains, -dark palms, and forests, range after range, till lost to view in the -horizon. There are two views in Angola that would alone almost repay -the trouble of travelling there. One is that just described, and the -other from the hill at Tuco on the road from Ambriz to Bembe. - -About six or eight miles from Dondo up the river are the first -cataracts of Cambambe. Immediately on leaving Dondo the river is -enclosed by high hills or cliffs on both sides, and winds a good deal, -so that a succession of fresh and seemingly more beautiful pictures -is constantly presented to the traveller’s admiration as he ascends -the river in a boat. The river is wide and deep, and the slopes and -perpendicular sides of the hilly walls on either side are of endless -variety of colour, both of rock, moss and lichen, plant and tree. -Deep red iron-stained sandstone, conglomerate, blue clay slate, huge -white-stemmed baobabs, dark masses of palm-trees, plots of large-leaved -plantains, masses of trees overgrown with creepers, meet the eye in -ever varying combination, and gradually the wide valley worn by the -water becomes narrower and narrower, until at last it is a deep gorge -with almost upright walls of clay slate, and the passage for the great -body of water is barred right across by vast rocky ledges and peaks, -over which, in the rainy season, it rushes and dashes with a deafening -wild roar and mad flinging up into the air of showers of water and -foam. The last time I saw these rapids I was accompanied by my wife, -and we landed on a bank of gravel a little below the cataract and -walked and scrambled on the rocks, till we were on a great ledge quite -close to, and but little over the level of the waters; but, it being -the end of the dry season, they were so far reduced as to run between -the rocks in a swift dark oily-looking mass, and at such a considerable -inclination and speed as to give the idea of vast and irresistible -force. On the rocks covered over and splashed by the water, were -growing masses of a curious semi-transparent plant with thick stems, -and bearing minute white flowers. - -The singular appearance of this plant, so exactly like a sea-weed, -attracted our attention, and as I had never before observed it anywhere -in my travels in Angola, we secured specimens, which we dried and -preserved, and on forwarding them to Kew it was found to be a new -genus of _Podostemaceæ_, and has been described by Dr. Weddell in the -‘Journal of the Linnean Society,’ xiv. 210, † 13, as the _Angolæa -fluitans_. - -It is said that coal has lately been discovered near the river on its -southern bank, and not far from Dondo. - -Of the old town of Cambambe, situated on the high ground over the -cataract, but little else remains than the church and a few houses. The -River Quanza is not navigable beyond the rapids, except perhaps for -short distances and for small canoes. At Nhangui-a-pepi it is only a -broad shallow stream, but with a very rocky bed; its source, however, -is far beyond Pungo Andongo. - -About the higher parts of the river a gigantic species of the “Bagre” -(_Bagrus_) is found. This is a siluroid fish, and my attention was -first called to its extraordinary dimensions by seeing a black using -the flat top of the skull of one as a plate or dish. I was then in the -province of Cambambe, and several times had an opportunity of asking -natives from Pungo Andongo the size of these fish: one man told me that -they were captured so large that two men were required to carry one -fish slung on a pole on their shoulders by passing the pole through the -gills, and that the tail then drags on the ground. Another black, who -was a river fisherman, explained to me that the “bagres” were caught -with an iron hook made on purpose by the native smiths and baited -with a piece of meat; he gave me an idea of the thickness and size -of the hook with a piece of twig, and it was as large as an ordinary -shark-hook; he further drew on the ground the size of this large fish, -and it was six feet long. Other natives who were with him joined in the -description and corroborated him, and I am perfectly convinced that -they spoke the truth, and were not exaggerating much. I wrote to some -Portuguese traders at Pungo Andongo, asking them to send me the head of -one in spirits, but of course I never got it. - -Only the northern bank of the Quanza is subject to the Portuguese (with -the exception of the town of Muxima), and the natives inhabiting it -are greatly civilized and well behaved, and very civil. They are, of -course, not industrious, the women cultivating the usual mandioca and -other produce for food, and manufacturing palm-oil. A little tobacco is -also cultivated by them, and the leaves when fully grown are gathered, -and a string passed through the stem. This string of leaves is -stretched round their huts to dry, and the large leaves thus hanging -give them a curious appearance. - -The first trips of the steamers caused the natives on either bank -the most intense astonishment; they would race them along the banks, -shouting and yelling; and when the steamers stopped at any place, -crowds would flock round and come on board to stare at the machinery, -which was universally pronounced to be a white man’s great “fetish.” - -All natives are very fond of the “batuco” or dance, of which there -are two kinds. The Ambriz blacks and those of the Congo country dance -it in the following manner:--A ring is formed of the performers and -spectators; “marimbas” are twanged and drums beaten vigorously, and -all assembled clap their hands in time with the thumping of the drums, -and shout a kind of chorus. The dancers, both men and women, jump with -a yell into the ring, two or three at a time, and commence dancing. -This consists almost exclusively of swaying the body about with only -a slight movement of the feet, head, and arms, but at the same time -the muscles of the shoulders, back, and hams, are violently twitched -and convulsed. The greatest applause is given to those who can most -strongly shake their flesh all over in this way. It is difficult to do, -and appears to require considerable practice, and seems very fatiguing, -for in a few minutes the dancers are streaming with perspiration and -retire for others to take their places, and so they will often continue -for a whole night long, or in dark nights, as long as the great heap -of dry grass that they have provided lasts--the illumination being -obtained by burning wisps of this grass, two or three blacks generally -having the care of that part of the performance. The natives at these -dances are dressed as usual in the ordinary waistcloth, the men -arranging theirs so as to allow the ends to trail on the ground. There -is nothing whatever indecent in them. - -The “batuco” of the Bunda-speaking natives of Loanda and the interior -is different. The ring of spectators and dancers, the illuminations, -the “marimbas” and drums are the same, but only two performers jump -into the ring at a time, a man and a girl or woman; they shuffle their -feet with great rapidity, passing one another backwards and forwards, -then retreat facing one another, and suddenly advancing, bring their -stomachs together with a whack. They then retire, and another couple -instantly take their places. This performance might be called somewhat -indecent, but I do not believe that the natives attach the most remote -idea of harm to the “batuco.” - -The “marimba” is the musical instrument par excellence of the natives -of Angola. In Plate XI. is represented the better made ones. It -consists of a flat piece of wood, generally hollowed out, and with a -number of thin iron tongues secured on it by cross bits, but so as to -allow them to be pulled out more or less for the purpose of tuning. In -front is affixed a wire, on which some glass beads are loosely strung -that jangle when the instrument is played, which is done by holding -it between both hands and twanging the tongues with the thumbs. The -light wood of which the “marimbas” are made is that of the cotton-wood -tree. They are also made with slips of the hard cuticle of the stem of -the palm-leaf instead of the iron tongues, but these are the commoner -instruments. Others are made smaller and with fewer tongues. - -The more complete ones have an empty gourd attached to the under -part, which is said to give them greater sonorousness. The blacks are -excessively fond of these instruments everywhere in Angola, playing -them as they walk along or rest, and by day or night a “marimba” is -at all hours heard twanging somewhere. The music played on it is of a -very primitive description, consisting only of a few notes constantly -repeated. - -Another common instrument of noise, much used to accompany the -“marimbas” and drums at the “batucos,” is made by splitting a short -piece of palm stem about four or five feet long down one side, and -scooping out the soft centre. The hard cuticle is then cut into little -grooves across the slit, and these, energetically rubbed with a stick, -produce a loud, twanging, rattling kind of noise. - -A musical instrument sometimes seen is made by stretching a thin string -to a bent bow, about three feet long, passed through half a gourd, the -open end of which rests against the performer’s bare stomach. The -string is struck with a thin slip of cane or palm-leaf stem held in -the right hand, and a finger of the left, which holds the instrument, -is laid occasionally on the string, and in this way, with occasional -gentle blows of the open gourd against the stomach, very pleasing -sounds and modulations are obtained. - -Another very noisy instrument with which the drums and “marimbas” are -sometimes accompanied at the “batucos,” is made by covering one end of -a small powder-barrel or hollow wooden cylinder (open at both ends), -with a piece of sheepskin tied tightly round it. A short piece of -round wood, about six or seven inches long, is pushed through a hole -in the middle of the sheepskin cover, a knob at the end preventing it -from slipping quite in. The hand of the performer is then wetted and -inserted into the cylinder and the piece of wood is lightly grasped and -pulled, allowing it to slip a little, the result being a most hideous, -booming sound. - -I would strongly recommend my youthful readers, if they would like to -create a sensation in a quiet household, to manufacture one of these -simple and efficacious musical instruments, and I would suggest the -application of a little powdered resin instead of water to the hand, to -produce a full tone. - -I once saw at a town near Bembe a musical instrument which I thought -rather ingenious. A small rectangular pit had been dug in the ground, -and over its mouth two strings, about six inches apart, were stretched -with pegs driven in the ground. Across these strings ten or twelve -staves from a small powder-barrel were fastened. These were struck -with a couple of sticks, on the end of which was a little knob or lump -of india-rubber, and an agreeable sound was produced. I have seen two -Kroomen from the West Coast, at the River Zaire, playing on a similar -kind of instrument, but the flat pieces were laid across two small -plantain-stems, and were of different sizes and thickness, so as to -produce a kind of scale when struck by the performers with a couple of -sticks each. The rapidity with which this instrument was played was -really marvellous, and the music sounded like variations of their usual -plaintive song, always in a minor key, and one seemed to be playing -bass to the other’s rapidly-executed treble. This air is played or -sung ad infinitum, and the second bar is often repeated. The Kroomen -on board the steamers on the coast always sing it and harmonize it -prettily, when it has a very pleasing effect indeed. - -[Illustration] - -The southern bank of the Quanza, from its mouth to opposite Dondo, is -called the Quissama country, and is inhabited by the peculiar race or -tribe of negroes of the same name. They have not been subjected to the -Portuguese in modern times, and I apprehend that in former years, when -the Portuguese were in great strength on the River Quanza, they were -never considered worth the trouble of subjugating, as they certainly -are not now. The former missionaries also do not appear to have been -able to do anything with them, as not a trace exists there of the -habits of civilization they so successfully introduced, and which are -so apparent in the natives of the greater part of Angola, where they -were formerly established. Their greatest stations were on the Quanza, -where their efforts were most successful; and there can be no reason -to suppose that any other obstacle existed to the Quissama natives -participating in their teaching or example than the resistance due to -the very low type, both physical and mental, of this tribe, so apparent -at the present day. The missionaries must have had a station of some -importance at Muxima, in their own country, as shown by the very fine -church still existing there, besides those at Calumbo, Massangano, -Cambambe, and perhaps at Bruto. - -The Quissama negroes are very black in colour, undersized, exceedingly -dirty, and have a remarkably ugly cast of countenance. With the -exception of the tribe of Muquandos, south of Benguella, the Quissama -blacks are the most miserable-looking race in Angola. They have a wild, -savage look, not seen in the faces of any other tribe, and have not -the free mien or attitude of perfect ease of other blacks, but appear -frightened and very suspicious. Everywhere on the river they cross over -daily with their produce for sale to the different houses of the white -traders, as well as to the petty native grog-shops and traders on the -river from Calumbo to Dondo, but they never drop their distrustful -behaviour, and cross over to their own side without delaying more than -necessary. They will not allow traders to establish on their side of -the river;--one or two that are said to have done so were robbed, and -their houses burnt. They are on terms of perfect friendship with the -natives and white men of the northern bank, and at Calumbo and a few -other places their land is cultivated by the natives of those places. - -The greater part of the Quissama country is very barren, and perfectly -destitute of water except on the banks of the river itself, the -Quissamas employing baobab trees, hollowed out for the purpose, as -reservoirs for the rain-water falling in the wet season. It is very -scantily populated except near Massangano and Dondo, where their chief -towns are, and where they manufacture a considerable quantity of -palm-oil. - -When the oil season is approaching, the white traders go over from -Dondo to their principal towns to settle with the “sobas,” or kings, -the price per measure at which the oil is to be sold. Though so wild in -appearance, they are most inoffensive and peaceable, and are in the -greatest fear lest the Portuguese should take it into their heads to -annex their territory, which they could most easily do if they thought -it advisable. - -The Libollos, or natives of the Libollo country, are a very much finer -and cleaner race than their neighbours the Quissamas, and their country -(according to the accounts I received from several Portuguese and -natives) most beautiful and fertile, and covered in great part with -palm-trees. - -The manner in which they have lately cultivated large quantities of -ground-nuts, and increased the production of palm-oil, proves that they -are an industrious race. - -They are antagonistic to the Quissamas, and very favourable to the -Portuguese, and have often offered to reduce them to the power of the -latter, if these will give them leave and supply them with guns and -ammunition. On one occasion, when I was at Dondo, an embassy arrived, -through the Libollo country, from some powerful tribes of the Bailundo -district--the most warlike of the tribes of the interior--also offering -to conquer the country for the Portuguese on condition of being -allowed to plunder and carry off prisoners as slaves. - -These warlike tribes to the south of the Libollo and Quissama countries -are known in Angola by the name of Quinbundos, and are the handsomest -natives of any, being all very tall and well formed. They come in -caravans to Dondo, principally laden with beeswax, singing on the -march, and at night when assembled together, a song with chorus with -great effect. They put up at the Libollo and Quissama towns, and come -over to the northern bank to trade with the white men. They plait their -hair in thin strings all round their heads, and in each plait they put -several beads, mostly made of red paste in imitation of coral. The -Quissamas are not cannibals, as described by an English tourist, whose -sensational story about them, written after a few days’ trip in the -steamers on the Quanza, is full of gross inaccuracies. - -The dress of the men is a waistcloth of fine matting or cotton cloths, -obtained from the traders; that of the women is very singular, being -the soft, beaten inner bark of the baobab-tree made into a thick -sort of skirt, which is fastened round the waist, and has extra -layers at the back to puff it out still more, something in the manner -of the “dress-improvers” worn by the fair sex in our own country. -(Plate XII.). Nature has provided the Quissama ladies with an abundant -development of what the Spaniards call “enthusiasm,” and on this -account the use of the extra thicknesses on the back of their skirts is -really quite unnecessary; but they are not satisfied, and consider this -fashion an improvement. Their appearance, therefore, is very comical, -particularly when they run, as the thick short skirt moves up and down, -and swings round with every motion of the body. - -[Illustration: - - PLATE XII. - -Maxilla, and Barber’s Shop.--Carrying Corpse to Burial.--Quissama -Women, and manner of pounding and sifting Meal in Angola. - - _To face page 147._] - -They are very dirty in their habits, never appearing to make use of -water for washing, and their baobab skirts are always black with -grease, smoke, and perspiration. I had to order the two dresses in my -possession, one for a married woman and the other for a girl or young -woman, to be made on purpose, as I could not touch any of those offered -to me for sale. - -The women, when they come over to the northern bank, sometimes wear a -handkerchief or other cloth over the breast, and even over the baobab -skirt, but this latter they must wear, according to the custom of -their country. They carry the produce of their plantations in large -conical baskets on their backs, secured by a band round the forehead -(Plate XII.). It is, as far as I know, the only tribe in Angola that -carries a load in this manner. - -The Quissama blacks are extremely poor, their arid country producing -hardly anything besides the food necessary for their bare subsistence, -and a little beeswax. The principal food of those near the river is -fish. - -There is a deposit of rock-salt in the Quissama country somewhere -between Muxima and Calumbo (said to be south of the former), and at -some distance from the river. It has never to my knowledge been visited -by any white man, nor would the Quissamas readily allow one to go to -the place; but the most curious thing connected with this salt is that -they cut it into little bars with five or six sides or facets, about -eight or nine inches long and about an inch thick, tapering slightly to -the ends, and closely encased in cane-work. These pass as money, not -only on the river, but in the interior, where they are at last perhaps -consumed. - -During the Abyssinian war, some of the correspondents described exactly -the same shaped pieces of rock-salt encased in similar wicker-work, as -being obtained and employed in that country for the same purpose. This -is extremely interesting, and opens several questions as to a possible -common origin for the custom in the far and dim past; and the case of -the bellows already described is another similar instance. - -Many of the native words mentioned by the same correspondents are -identical with those used in different places in Angola. I am very -sorry now that I did not devote more attention to the investigation -of the languages of the natives of Angola, and in particular that of -the Quissama tribe, which is different to the Bunda language, and is -also said to be different to that of Benguella Velha and Novo Redondo -farther south. The number of distinct languages and dialects in Angola -is very curious, and a similar multiplicity of tongues has been noted -by travellers in other parts of Tropical Africa. None of the languages -in Angola are guttural, or spoken with a “click.” - -There is a great deal of most interesting detail to be worked out in -Angola in every branch of natural history and ethnology. - -My chapters are little more than an indication of the wealth that lies -there buried for future explorers, and of the success that will attend -their investigations. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - - COUNTRY SOUTH OF THE RIVER QUANZA--CASSANZA--NOVO - REDONDO--CELIS--CANNIBALS--LIONS--HOT - SPRINGS--BEES--EGITO--SCORPIONS--RIVER ANHA--CATUMBELLA. - - -The country south of the River Quanza is very different from that to -the north of it, just described, not only in its physical aspect, but -also in the tribes of natives inhabiting it. The evidences of a former -degree of civilization, and of the good work of the old missionaries, -are not here visible, and I should almost imagine that this part of -Angola was not under their care to anything like the same extent. - -From June 1861 to the end of 1863, I was engaged in working two copper -deposits at Cuio and Benguella, and in exploring the coast from -Cassanza, about eighty miles from the River Quanza, as far as and -including Mossamedes or Little Fish Bay. - -In these explorations I did not go inland a greater distance than -about thirty or forty miles at Mossamedes, and forty or fifty at Novo -Redondo. I cannot, therefore, speak from personal knowledge of those -most interesting places in the interior, Bihé and Bailundo, or the -Portuguese districts of Caconda, Quillengues, Huilla, Capangombe, &c. - -The geological character of the coast-line from the Quanza to -Mossamedes is gneiss, mostly very quartzose, then with a good deal of -hornblende and mica near Cuio, passing to a fine-grained porphyry and -fine granite with large, distinct feldspar about Mossamedes. Close to -the sea these primary rocks are joined by a line of tertiary deposits, -principally massive gypsum, and sandstones of different thicknesses -curiously separated by layers of the finest dust. Farther south, -between the River San Nicolao in 14° S. lat. and Mossamedes, there is a -strip of columnar basalt and trap-rock of only a few miles in width. - -The character of these rocks is sufficient to account for the very -sterile nature of the country; in fact, most of it is completely -a rocky desert, without a drop of water, and covered with but -little grass, and frightfully thorny bushes. Although this is the -general character, there are numerous places of the greatest beauty, -particularly at a distance of twenty to thirty miles from the coast, -where the first elevation is reached, and where the vegetation, as in -the rest of Angola, changes to a luxuriant character. - -The country about Cassanza is level and well covered with grass, and -the natives appeared inoffensive and quiet. They have a considerable -quantity of fine cattle, and what is rare amongst the natives of -Angola, they milk the cows regularly twice a day, the milk being a -principal article of food with them. The few days that I was there in -1863, I enjoyed the abundance of beautiful milk immensely. - -The Portuguese with whom I was staying was then engaged in cotton -planting, but the ground did not appear very suitable for its -cultivation. He also had a beautiful cotton and sugar-cane plantation -at Benguella Velha, and at a pretty place called Cuvo, where there is -a small river and good ground near its mouth. - -On that occasion I had come up in a sailing barge from Benguella to -Novo Redondo, to explore that district for copper, specimens of the -ore having been found in several places. The river at Novo Redondo had -overflowed its banks, and the road we had to follow was under water -for some miles, and whilst waiting for the river to subside, I started -to Cuvo and Cassanza to see the country and my friend. On returning to -Novo Redondo I obtained for guide the services of a jovial and useful -black named David, who had been educated at Benguella. He could read -and write Portuguese, which language he spoke perfectly, and was a -man of great importance in the Novo Redondo country, as he was the -hereditary king of the place, and was to be proclaimed as such as soon -as he could make up his mind to eat a man’s head and heart, roasted or -stewed, as he should fancy. David was not at all inclined either to -forego his kingship, or to eat any part of one of his fellow-creatures, -which by the custom of his country it was imperative he should do to be -proclaimed king. - -He had been putting off the disagreeable ceremony for some two years, -if I remember right, but his people were getting impatient at not -having a king, and were threatening to elect another. How he got over -the difficulty, or if he at last submitted to overcome his repugnance -to roast or stewed negro, I never heard. - -The “Mucelis,” or natives of Novo Redondo and of the country inland -called “Celis,” are cannibals, and, as far as I could ascertain, there -are no others in Angola. - -The Portuguese have no stations inland on that part of the coast, that -of Caconda, to the interior and south of Benguella, being the first; -and they do not allow the practice of cannibalism at the town of Novo -Redondo itself, as they strictly prohibit and punish there, as in the -rest of Angola, any fetish rite or custom, but I found that at Cuacra, -the second large town I passed on my way inland, human flesh was eaten, -and in several other towns I passed I saw evidences of this custom in a -heap of skulls of the blacks that had been eaten in the centre of the -towns, and on the trees were also the clay pots in which the flesh was -cooked, and which, according to their laws, can only be used for that -purpose. - -One night I walked out of my hut at a town where I was sleeping, and -seeing that no one was about, I chose a nice skull from the heap, -and brought it home and presented it to my friend Professor Huxley, -who exhibited it at a meeting of the Anthropological Society. I had -previously asked whether I might take one of these skulls, but had been -told that it would be considered a great “fetish” if I did, and David -begged me not to do so, as there would be a great disturbance, so I was -obliged to steal one in the way I have described, and hide it carefully -in my portmanteau. - -It is only natives who are killed for “fetish” or witchcraft that are -eaten, and the “soba” or king of the town where they are executed has -the head and heart as his share. - -I was informed that at these feasts every particle of the body was -eaten, even to the entrails. At the principal towns of Ambuin and Sanga -(said to be the capital) I was told that as many as six and seven -blacks were eaten every month, and that the “sobas” of those two towns, -and their wives, only used human fat to anoint their bodies with. - -I was shown at one of the towns the little axe with which the poor -wretches were decapitated, and which was distinguished from others used -by the natives by having a lozenge-shaped hole in the blade. - -I was very much surprised to find that, notwithstanding their cannibal -propensities, the natives of Novo Redondo were such an extremely fine -race; in fact, they are the finest race of blacks, in every way, that I -have met with in Africa. - -Cannibalism may possibly be one reason of their superiority, from -this custom supplying them with a certain amount of animal food more -than other tribes make use of, or it may be due to their usual food, -which is principally a mixture in equal parts of haricot beans and -indian-corn, being very much more nutritious than the diet of mandioca -meal, of almost pure starch, that supplies the staple food of other -tribes. Whatever the reason may be, there can be no question of the -superior physique and qualities of this cannibal tribe. - -When about to start on my journey, I saw that only four carriers had -been provided for my hammock, and I refused to start with less than -six or eight, as I made sure, judging from every other place in Africa -I had travelled in, that I should have to walk a great deal, as four -men, even in Ambriz, where I had found the best carriers, would not be -able to carry me, day after day, on a long journey. I was assured that -it was never customary to have more than four, that two would carry me -from daybreak till noon, and the other two from noon till sunset, and -that I might have six or more, but that four alone would carry me every -day. This I found was the case, not only in that journey, but also when -returning overland from Novo Redondo to Benguella, a distance of about -ninety miles. - -Another extremely curious feature, distinguishing them favourably from -all other negro races, is their degree of honesty and honour. - -Any white or other trader going into the interior agrees to pay the -“soba” of a town the customary dues, and he provides the trader with a -clean hut, and is responsible for the goods in it. The trader may go -away farther inland, and he is perfectly certain that on coming back he -will find his property untouched, exactly as he left it. Whilst I was -at Novo Redondo, an embassy arrived from a town in the interior, where -a Portuguese had established himself to trade in palm-oil and beeswax, -and where he had died, bringing every scrap of produce and goods -belonging to him to deliver the same to the “chefe.” - -They were paid and rewarded for their honesty, and I was told that it -was the usual thing for these natives to do, on the death of a trader -in their country. I do not know of any other part of Africa where such -an example would be imitated, certainly not by the Christian negroes at -Sierra Leone. - -There is a magnificent palm forest on the banks of the river at Novo -Redondo. This river is small, but brings down a considerable body of -water in the rainy season. - -I crossed it on the second day of my journey inland by means of a -curiously constructed suspension-bridge attached to the high trees on -either side. This bridge was made entirely of the stems of a very -tough tree-creeper, growing in great lengths, and about the thickness -of an ordinary walking-stick. From two parallel ropes made of this -creeper, right across the stream and about two feet apart, hung a frame -of open, large-meshed basket-work about three feet deep, forming a kind -of flexible net or trough open at the top. The bottom or floor of this -trough was made of the same creeper, woven roughly and openly in the -same manner as the sides, and when walking in it, I found it necessary -to be careful to tread on the network, or my feet would have slipped -through, and to help myself along by holding on to the guys or ropes at -the top, which reached up to about my waist. - -The length of the bridge must have been some thirty paces. Near it I -noticed, on a flat-topped tree of no great height, a large bird of the -eagle species sitting on its eggs in an open nest, and the male bird on -a branch near his mate; this tree was quite close to the road or path, -and though numerous natives passed under it to and fro, neither they -nor the birds seemed to heed one another in the least. - -The Celis country is infested with lions, but I was not so fortunate -as to see one, though one morning we came upon the fresh footprints of -what the natives affirmed to be a family consisting of a full-grown -male and female and three half-grown young ones. To my inexperienced -eyes there appeared to have been more, so numerous seemed the -plainly-marked footprints in the moist sand of the bottom of a small -ravine. - -We escaped an encounter with one the day we started on our trip. About -half-past four in the afternoon we arrived at a pretty clump of trees -round a pool of deliciously cool water, and near a low line of rather -bare-looking hills. David would not allow our carriers to tarry at this -pool, as he knew it to be the evening drinking-place for the lions -living in the low hills near. We went on, and shortly after we met an -old Cabinda man on his way to Novo Redondo, carrying a letter tied in -a cleftstick (the usual way to send a native with a letter in Angola). -He was an acquaintance of David’s, who had a talk with him, and we went -on our several ways. Next morning we heard that the poor fellow had -been caught by a lion not more than an hour after, and at the very -pool of water where David had warned us not to stop long. The lion had -evidently eaten part of the body at the pool itself, and had carried -off the rest to its lair in the hills. - -I went to several places where indications of copper had been found, -but was disappointed in finding any worth exploring. They were all -in the recent beds at the junction or near the primary rock of the -country, and consisted of indications of blue and green carbonate -of copper in the fine sedimentary mud and sandstone beds. These -indications are most abundant everywhere in that district, and -curiously enough the plantain-eaters are also most abundant, more so -than in any other part of Angola I have been in. I went as far as a -range of very quartzose schist rock or gneiss mountains, called Ngello, -which I suppose to be between forty and fifty miles from the sea; and -at a pass called Tocota on the road to some important town in the -interior, named Dongo, I visited a hot-water spring about half way up -the mountain side. I had no thermometer with me, but the water, as it -issued from a crevice in the rock, was so hot that I could only keep -my hand in it for a few seconds. - -The direction of the mountain range was about N.N.E by S.S.W.; the rock -composing it was nearly vertical, inclining slightly to the west, and -with a strike about north and south. There is a most picturesque little -town of huts stuck on a rocky ledge, and the natives use the water -from the hot springs to drink, but first allow it to stand a day to -cool. It has a very pleasant taste when cold, with just the slightest -ferruginous flavour. From this range of mountains magnificent views are -obtained, the scenery and vegetation reminding me strongly of Cazengo; -and there can be no question that it is likewise capable of growing the -coffee-plant to perfection. Some sugar-cane I saw growing there was -as fine as I have ever seen it, and the native plantations were most -luxuriant. I do not know whether trade at Novo Redondo has increased in -the same ratio as on the Quanza and Ambriz, but that it is destined to -be a very rich country I have no doubt. There is a great deal of white -gum in the country, collected from a tree of which whole forests are -said to be found. - -The principal article of trade at Novo Redondo when I was there was -palm-oil, which was mostly bought in exchange for rum, measure for -measure, and I often saw the very gourds and pots in which the natives -brought the palm-oil filled up with the rum in exchange without any -more cleansing than allowing the vessels to well drain off the oil. - -I noticed a great variety of birds, and I am sure the country would -well repay a collector’s trouble. In the middle of a small cultivated -valley I saw a low, flat-topped baobab, which had been taken possession -of by a flock of eight or ten birds about the size of a thrush, of a -black colour, with smoky-white feathers on the wings. They had built a -common nest on the flat top of the tree, and were all sitting hatching -their eggs together, quite unprotected from the sun. This bird is the -_Amydrus fulvipennis_, Sw., of ornithologists. - -I also saw numbers of a beautiful green pigeon (_Treron calva_), which -is very fat and good to eat. The food of this bird is principally fruit -and berries, especially the small figs of the “Mucozo,” a large-leaved, -handsome tree. They are generally seen in small flocks, and they sit -very close on the trees whilst feeding, during which operation they -utter a curious low noise, as of people talking at a distance. If -alarmed, they suddenly hush and stop eating until the alarm has passed -away, when they re-commence feeding. The natives state that if a man -is completely concealed, he can shoot a number, one after the other, -off the same tree where a flock may be feeding, as the discharge of -the gun is not sufficient to frighten them away if they do not see the -sportsman. - -The natives here are great bee-keepers, as are also the natives on both -banks of the Quanza. The hives are to be seen on almost every baobab, -this being the tree chosen in preference to any other, and as many as -four or five hives may be seen on one tree. They are made by splitting -a piece of wood, generally a branch of a tree with the bark on, about -five feet long and ten or twelve inches in diameter; the centre is -scooped out, leaving the ends entire; the two halves are securely tied -together, and three holes large enough to admit the little finger are -bored at each end. An aperture is cut in the middle of the hollow -cylinder, where the two halves are joined together, large enough to -admit the hand. This aperture is closed with a piece of wood, and -clayed over to thoroughly prevent any rain from getting in. The hive -is securely placed in the branches of the tree, and a quantity of dry -grass put over it as a roof or thatch. - -Once a year the owner climbs the tree and draws up a basket for the wax -and honey with a cord, and also some dry grass and fire. He opens the -aperture, and, lighting wisps of grass, smokes the bees as they issue -out. Most of them drop half suffocated to the ground, and the comb is -extracted, a small quantity being left behind to induce the bees to -work again in the same hive. If no comb be left, the natives affirm -that they will not return to the hive. In some places the natives are -careful not to kill any of the bees, and are said to extract the comb -as often as three times a year. Bee-hives are the principal wealth -of these blacks, and some families possess as many as three and four -hundred. - -I was told that very little wild honey or wax was found, and that a -bird was known to the natives that showed them where the wild bees’ -nests were. They called it “solé,” and described it as having a white -bar across its tail, and making its nest of the hair of different -animals which it collected for the purpose. - -The Mucelis have a curious custom which I have not heard of as existing -in any other tribe, namely, that on the death of the great “sobas” -of Ambuin and Sanga, all fires in the kingdom must be put out, and -relighted by the succeeding “soba” from fire struck by rubbing two -sticks together. - -Their laws, principally those relating to the protection of property, -are very strict, slavery being the punishment for even trifling -robberies, such as a cob of growing indian-corn, or an egg. Oddly -enough, they have the same custom of the “lent rat” as in Cambambe, -and the punishment if it is not returned entire is a heavy fine, or in -default slavery. - -To show the extent of some beliefs in Angola amongst tribes far -apart, speaking different languages, and having not the slightest -communication with each other, I may mention that amongst the -Mushicongos a certain field-mouse is believed to drop down dead if it -crosses at the point where one path is intersected by another, and I -found this absurd idea entertained exactly in the same manner in the -Celis country. I presented a skin of this mouse to the British Museum. -It is nearest to the _Mus Gambianus_ in the same collection. - -Some of the natives from the interior of Novo Redondo had the most -extraordinary way of wearing their hair of any I have seen in Africa; -amongst other curious fancies the most usual and striking was that -of fashioning it into the exact resemblance of a large Roman helmet -with a projecting round horn in front. The custom of wearing a great -thickness of strings of flat beads made of shell, and called “dongos,” -is universal. They are also worn by the Mundombes, or natives of -Benguella, and are mostly made in the Celis country. They are made -from the shell of the _Achatina monetaria_, Morelet, which is broken -and chipped into little round pieces about the size of a fourpenny -bit, and these are strung on a string. The labour and time taken -in their manufacture may be imagined, as it takes several yards of -these flat beads coiled round the neck to make a proper necklace, -about the thickness of a man’s arm. This once put on is never taken -off again during life, and becomes a filthy mass of dirt, grease, -and perspiration. The women also wear these strings or “Quirandas” -(weighing sometimes as much as 20 to 30 lbs.) round the waist, and they -pass as money in the country. - -From Novo Redondo I returned overland to Benguella, fording the River -Quicombo, at the mouth of which the Portuguese have a small detachment, -and where a few traders are established. This river is broad, but -shallow where I crossed it, about six miles from the sea. - -The road was generally good and not far from the sea. It passed along -and across several ravines, in which I noticed a great quantity of the -castor-oil plant growing most luxuriantly. - -Late in the evening I arrived at the edge of the valley of the River -Egito, at the mouth of which is situated the Portuguese station of -Egito. It was getting dark, and there was a steep and long hillside to -descend, and some distance to go afterwards before reaching the house -of the “chefe,” whose guest I was to be. I therefore determined to make -snug for the night under a great baobab growing close to a wall of -rock, and my carriers were clearing a space from leaves and branches -for my bed and mosquito curtain, when one of them was stung in the foot -by a scorpion. - -These poisonous creatures are extremely abundant in the whole of the -district of Benguella, and cases are constantly occurring of persons -being stung by them. In some places hardly a stone or piece of wood -can be lifted from the ground without finding one or more scorpions -under it. They are of all sizes, up to six and seven inches long. Their -sting is rarely fatal, except to old people or persons in a bad state -of health. The effects of the sting are, however, very extraordinary; -in severe cases it appears to paralyse all the muscles of the body, -sometimes with much pain, in others with little or none. - -The black stung on the occasion I am describing complained of a good -deal of pain during the night, but only after some hours, or I might -have thought of burning the part with a hot iron at first; his comrades -applied hot oil to his foot, but in the morning he had lost the use -of his legs completely. I had to put him into my hammock and have him -carried to Egito. Here I remained with my friend the “chefe” for -four days, and the wounded black was laid in the sun every day to -keep him warm, the usual custom in such cases, a sensation of cold -always accompanying the subsequent stages of a scorpion bite. On the -fourth day he had acquired so much use of his limbs that he could drag -himself in a sitting position on the ground to a sunny corner, still -complaining of cold, but his appetite seemed good. - -I left him to the care of the “chefe,” asking him to send him on to -me at Benguella as soon as he should be able to walk. A week after he -came to me there quite recovered. Another case of scorpion-bite was -described to me by a Portuguese officer (a mulatto) who was “chefe” of -the district of Dombe Grande, to the south of Benguella. The man, a -tall, stout, powerful and healthy fellow, whilst sitting one evening -outside his house, smoking and talking with his family, chanced to drop -one of his slippers while crossing one leg over the other; on rising -after some time and putting his foot into the slipper, a scorpion that -had taken refuge in it stung him in the big toe. He did not think much -of the occurrence, but he gradually became worse, and next day could -not rise from his bed; his legs and arms were completely paralysed, but -without any pain, and his tongue being but little affected he could -speak and swallow without difficulty. His mind was perfectly clear, -and he only felt a certain degree of numbness and cold. Not expecting -to survive he dictated his will, and remained thus paralysed for five -or six days, when he gradually recovered, and was well in about a -fortnight’s time and without the least inconvenient after-effect. - -The view from the top of the valley of Egito was one of the grandest -sights I have ever seen. The river was visible for a considerable -distance inland, fringed by a dark band of palm forest. The level -spaces between it and the high rocky sides of the valley in which it -ran were filled with luxuriant cultivated fields, and as the vast -rolling mists were dissipated by the morning rays of the sun, presented -a panorama of peaceful pastoral beauty that I have never seen surpassed. - -The Portuguese have here a pretty little fort on an eminence, a -small garrison being necessary as the natives from the interior -sometimes give considerable trouble, by coming down and attacking the -plantations farthest removed from the town, but without doing any great -damage beyond keeping the inhabitants in a state of alarm. - -From Egito I continued my journey, sleeping the next night at the -valley of the River Anha, where I had been warned against an attack of -the natives, several Portuguese traders having been robbed there. I did -not take any goods with me, and provided myself with a few bottles of -rum as a present for the “soba,” feeling convinced that no harm would -be done me by them. - -On arriving at the river, a small stream flowing through a valley of -lovely forest scenery, I crossed and encamped under a tree on the -southern bank. I then sent one of my blacks, who knew the “soba,” with -a bottle of rum and a request that he would come and have a drink with -me. When he arrived, with about a dozen of the old men of the town, I -was just sitting down to my dinner. Being well up in the customs of -the blacks of Angola, I made him sit down on my portmanteau, and asked -him through one of my men who acted as interpreter, how he and his -wives and sons were, and if his country “was well,” to which he duly -answered, and asked me in my turn where I had come from, and where I -was going? Proper answers being given, I filled a tumbler with wine, -and after drinking a portion (to show that there was no “fetish” in it) -I handed the rest to him, and a couple of bottles of rum for his old -men. I then gave him some of my dinner, which happened to be boiled -fowl, rice, and sweet potatoes, a portion of all which, with biscuit -or bread, must be given, put on the plate, and a spoon to eat it with. -There is a significance in all these minutiæ to which great importance -is attached by the blacks, and by which they know if the white man -is a gentleman or a common man. My seating him on my portmanteau was -considered equivalent to a chair, because it was part of my furniture, -and a “soba” must not sit on the ground if there is a chair or stool to -be had. - -If I had nothing else then I should have had to provide a mat for -him to squat upon. Giving him my own wine to drink, and rum to the -rest, was equal to showing him a special regard as distinguished from -that shown to them; the plateful of every part of my dinner, that I -considered him as an equal; and the spoon, that I also believed him to -be a big chief who did not eat his food with his fingers. - -After finishing his plateful he retired with his old men, and shortly -after sent me a couple of fowls and a basket with fresh mandioca-roots -for my blacks; I returned the compliment with a few yards of cotton -cloth, and went to sleep knowing that I should not be disturbed in any -way. He could not attack or rob me after drinking my wine and eating my -dinner, as it would have been great “fetish,” according to the customs -of the blacks in Angola. - -They would, besides, have been afraid of the consequences, not only -of having committed “fetish,” but also of the heavy fine that I could -have made the “soba” and his people pay, through any other neighbouring -tribe to whom I might have complained of such a crime having been -perpetrated in their country. Had I been molested, any accident or ill -luck, want of rains, sickness or death that might have happened to his -tribe, would be at once attributed to the “fetish” committed by the -“soba” and his council of old men. - -I started again early next morning, and at noon arrived at the bay of -Lobito, a beautiful and singular natural dock with a narrow deep mouth, -and large enough to hold a great fleet. This would be an invaluable -site for a city, the only disadvantage being the absence of a stream -of fresh water in the immediate vicinity. In the evening I arrived at -Catumbella, after passing through a thick jungle of a shrub (_Sesbania -punctata_, Pers.) bearing bright yellow pea-like flowers thickly -spotted with purple, and always found growing in swamps and marshy -places in Angola, both near the sea and inland. - -Catumbella is an important place, and is about nine miles to the north -of the town of Benguella. The Portuguese have there a fine little -fort on a hill, a commodious “residencia” of the “chefe,” and a small -detachment of soldiers from Benguella. - -There is here a pretty little river, very broad and shallow, so that it -can always be forded except during the heavy rains. It is very full of -alligators, which are constantly carrying off blacks whilst crossing. - -The scenery at Catumbella, about three or four miles from the sea, and -for some little distance inland, is exquisite, from the hilly and rocky -character of the country and the luxuriance of the vegetation, both -wild and cultivated. - -From the top of a mountain near Catumbella which, with one opposite, -forms the deep gorge or valley through which the river, dotted with -green islands, passes, the view is one of the greatest loveliness. - -There are many traders established here, and a large trade is done with -the natives of the interior in wax, ivory, gum-copal, white gum, &c. - -It is on the high road to those very important and extensive countries -of the interior, Bailundo, Bihé, and others, reputed to enjoy excellent -climate and most fertile soil, and never yet visited except by a very -few Portuguese traders, who have gone very far beyond, even nearly -reaching the east coast, after ivory. - -I had a very unpleasant experience once, at Catumbella, of the -sufferings of hunger and thirst. I went with an old Portuguese to visit -the place inland where a very fine sample of copper ore had been found -by the natives. We started at daybreak, and our pretended guide told -us that we could reach the place and be back at noon for breakfast. -Relying on his statement, we only took half a dozen biscuits and a tin -of jam with us. - -It was noon when we left the River Catumbella, after travelling over -several miles of very rocky ground, and struck due south. Shortly -after, we luckily met with an intelligent young Mundombe, who told us -we were going quite wrong and volunteered to show us the place, as it -was some considerable distance off in quite another direction. To cut -a long story short, we only got to a spring of beautiful water in the -evening, where we finished our three biscuits each and tin of sweets. - -Next day we journeyed on, and only reached the locality we sought at -noon. Having had nothing to eat or drink, we started back as fast as -we could to Catumbella, only reaching the river at sunset, and the -way we rushed to the water’s edge to drink was amusing. We had then a -long high hill to ascend, and at midnight arrived at a black trader’s -hut, who most fortunately had prepared a good dinner for us, as he had -expected us the evening before. - -My companion was more dead than alive. However, some wine our black -friend had had the forethought to send to Catumbella for, and the -excellent fowl-soup he had prepared, soon set him to rights, and we -left again to reach Catumbella at daybreak, completely worn out with -fatigue and want of sleep. - -Our friends had prepared an expedition to seek for us, almost giving -us up for lost, as they knew we had taken no provisions with us. The -country was very arid and stony, and the vegetation mostly prickly -trees and bushes. I subsequently sent a miner with a party of blacks -from Benguella to bring away the little copper ore at the place I -visited. The total weight raised was about half a ton of very good -quality, but no more was to be seen. The manner in which small -quantities of copper ore are thus found in many places in Benguella is -most extraordinary. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - - TOWN OF - BENGUELLA--SLAVE-TRADE--MUNDOMBES--CUSTOMS--COPPER--HYENAS--MONKEYS-- - COPPER DEPOSIT--GYPSUM--HORNBILLS--BIRDS--FISH--LIONS. - - -The town of Benguella is situated on a level plain near the sea, and -backed, at a distance of about six miles, by a line of hills. The -appearance of the town from the sea is rather picturesque; to the -north, at a distance of little more than a mile, is seen the green belt -of forest marking the course of the River Cavaco, a white sandy bed in -the dry, and a broad, shallow, running stream in the rainy season. - -The town is large, consisting of good houses and stores, irregularly -distributed over several fine squares and roads; the custom of the -houses having large walled gardens and enclosures for slaves, in -former times, stamping it with a wide straggling character. - -In the wet season the squares and roads are all covered with a -luxuriant growth of grass and weeds in flower, giving the town the -appearance of a wild garden. - -The soil of Benguella is very fertile, and all kinds of fruit and -vegetables grow splendidly. The trade is large and increasing yearly, -particularly in beeswax, of which a great quantity is exported. There -is, of course, the usual incubus of the custom-house, with its high -duties and vexations weighing heavily on all enterprise and commerce. -Not far from the beach is a large fort, garrisoned with a force of -soldiers that supplies detachments to the districts of Dombe Grande, -Egito, Novo Redondo, Catumbella, Caconda, and Quillengues. - -During the time of the slave-trade Benguella was one of the principal -shipping ports of Angola, many thousands of slaves being sent off from -it to the Brazils and Cuba. The last two or three shipments took place -whilst I was working the copper deposits near Cuio Bay and at Quileba, -near Benguella. They were principally brought for sale by the natives -of Bihé; and I once saw a caravan of nearly 3000 blacks arrive, of whom -1000 were slaves for sale. The whole caravan was loaded with beeswax -and other produce for barter. - -Of these and other slaves that constantly arrived only a few -were shipped; the rest were then in great demand for extensive -cotton-plantations from Benguella to Mossamedes. The average price of -a full-grown, healthy man or woman was about three pounds in cloth -or other goods, and as low as five shillings for a little nigger. I -must do the traders at Benguella the justice to say that they never -separated mother and child; as for other ties of relationship, they did -not seem to exist amongst the slaves brought down for sale, and I never -heard of any being claimed by them. There was no cruelty whatever in -the manner the slaves were brought in the caravans from the interior, -and they were never bound or coerced in any way. - -The last shipments of slaves took place from “Bahia Farta,” a few miles -south of Benguella. Every one in Benguella, from the governor of the -district to the lowest employé, knew of the transaction, and received -the regular scale of fees for shutting their eyes to it. - -I am happy to say, however, that every one of the shipments turned -out a total loss to the shippers, though they stood to gain enormous -profits, the price of the raw article being, say three pounds, and -worth some thirty pounds each on arrival at Cuba. The slave-trade -in the district of Benguella died out entirely from the activity of -the cruisers off the coast of Cuba, and from the Spanish authorities -capturing the slaves after they were landed on the island. The Spanish -slave-dealers also no longer sent cash and vessels to Angola for the -purchase and shipment of slaves, and the consequence was that the -proceeds of several cargoes shipped at the expense of the Portuguese -traders on the coast were entirely appropriated by the Spaniards, who -did not even vouchsafe an acknowledgment of the cargoes, but left the -captains and supercargoes to think themselves lucky that they escaped -with their lives. - -Only a very large number of cruisers on the Angolan coast could have -prevented the shipment of slaves, as every man and woman, white -or black, was interested in the trade, and a perfect system of -communication existed from all points, overland and by sea. The few -foreigners who, like myself, were not interested in the slave-trade, -knew better than to risk their lives by meddling with what it was -absolutely impossible they could prevent. Other foreigners and -Englishmen were indirectly interested in the trade, such as the traders -at Ambriz and farther north, who, as already mentioned, received hard -cash in Spanish gold, at a profit of two to three hundred per cent. for -the goods of pious Manchester and Liverpool, with which almost every -one of the thousands of slaves shipped were bought. - -Before the war in America raised the price of cotton so high as to -induce the Portuguese at Benguella and Mossamedes to plant cotton -on a large scale, a great many slaves were employed in picking -orchilla-weed, which grew abundantly on the trees and bushes within the -influence of the sea air; and I knew men who had their two or three -hundred slaves thus engaged, collecting as much as from two to three -tons a day. There is very little collected at present, the country -having been picked nearly bare, and the aniline dyes so reducing the -price in Europe that it was no longer worth seeking. These slaves were -gradually employed in cotton-planting instead, and fortunes were made -by the successful planters. - -[Illustration: - - PLATE XIII. - -MUNDOMBES AND HUTS. - - _To face page 185._] - -All these flourishing plantations will be completely destroyed on the -coming liberation of the slaves, as nothing will induce the natives -of Benguella to work at anything of the kind. They belong to a tribe -called the Mundombes, who are of a wild, roving disposition, and very -unlike the rest of the tribes inhabiting Angola. Their clothing is -principally skins and hides of sheep or wild animals, and they rub -their bodies and heads with rancid cow’s butter or oil, with which -they are fond of mixing charcoal-dust, and they are the only natives -in Angola who wear sandals (made of raw hide) on their feet. They -are very dirty, never making use of water for washing; are generally -about the middle height, and ugly in face. The women especially are -very rarely comely, either in face or figure, and they will not live -with or intermarry with blacks of other tribes. Their huts are mostly -round-roofed and low (Plate XIII.). They are very independent, and -will not hire themselves to any kind of work. - -The women cultivate the ground for the indispensable mandioca and -beans; the men hunt, and tend large herds of cattle that thrive -remarkably well in the country, and also flocks of sheep, which they -rear for food. - -Cattle are their principal riches, and are seldom killed for food, -except when the owner dies, when, if he be a “soba” or chief, as many -as 300 oxen have been known to be killed and eaten at one sitting, -lasting for several days. On these occasions the whole tribe and -friends are assembled, heaps of firewood collected, fires lit, and -oxen killed one after the other till the herd is eaten up, not a -native moving away from the feast or gorge till the last scrap is -consumed. The flesh is cut into long thin strips and wound round long -skewers,--these are stuck upright round the fires, and the meat only -allowed to cook slightly. The meat is eaten alone, without any other -food whatever and without salt, as that would make them drink, which -they do not do, as they affirm it would prevent them from eating much -meat; the blood, entrails, and even the hide, toasted to make it -eatable, are consumed, a big feast lasting from ten to fifteen days, or -sometimes more. - -I have often seen Mundombes rolling on the ground groaning with pain, -and on asking what was the matter with them, have been answered with a -laugh, “Oh! he has eaten too much meat!!” - -They are fond of dividing their cattle into herds of 100 head each, -and are wonderfully clever at tracking strayed cattle, and also in -recognizing any they may have once seen. - -A most singular custom of these natives is that of the women and girls, -with their heads covered with green leaves and carrying branches of -trees in their hands, and singing in chorus, taking round to all their -friends and acquaintances any young woman of their tribe who is about -to be married; but the most curious part of the ceremony is the manner -in which the interesting young bride is prepared. She is stripped -perfectly naked, and whitewashed from head to foot with a thick mixture -of a kind of pipe-clay and water, which dries perfectly white, and -in this manner she is taken in procession to visit and receive the -congratulations of her friends. - -I never could learn what the meaning of this ceremony was; they always -confined themselves to telling me “that it was their custom to do so.” - -It appears that this extraordinary custom is also common to some hill -tribes in India and in the Andes of South America, but I never heard of -it anywhere else in Africa. - -The richer Mundombes have an odd manner of making their beds. A layer -of clay about six or nine inches thick and about two feet wide is made -in the huts, and when dry constitutes their sleeping place; this they -rub over with rancid butter to make it smooth, and they lie on it -without any skin or cloth under them! - -The Mundombes generally wear their hair in a large woolly bush, but the -young men and women cut it into a variety of strange forms and patterns. - -Their arms are knobbed sticks often fancifully carved, small axes -(Plate XIV.), bows and arrows, and “assagaias” or spears, generally -much ornamented with beads, &c. They are expert hunters, and the -abundance of large game supplies them with more animal food than other -tribes of Angola. - -They are a hard, wiry race, capable of undergoing great fatigue and -hunger, and a very good trait in their character is that they are -good-natured and merry. They are not a bad race, but are wild, roving, -and intractable to teaching or civilization. Not one of them can be -induced to work beyond carrying loads or a hammock, which latter they -have also a unique way of doing. Supposing eight to be carrying a white -man in a hammock, three will range themselves and run along on each -side; at a loud clap of their hands, one Mundombe from the right will -shove his shoulder under the pole behind the carrier in front, who -passes to the left. Another on the left does the same with the carrier -behind, who passes to the right, and so they go changing round and -round every few yards, and running along all the time without stopping -a moment. - -It took me several months before I could induce the Mundombes at -Benguella to carry the copper ore from the mine at Quileba to -Benguella, and this was more from distrust of not being paid than -anything else. I used to give them a load of ore, and a small ticket -which was either paid in copper money or was endorsed by the agent at -Benguella, and was then passed by them at any shop in payment of the -cloth or rum they might purchase. - -Next to the Cabindas I think the Mundombes are more fond of rum or -other spirits than any tribe in Angola, and they seem capable of -drinking almost any quantity without other effect than making them -extremely jolly. They will never stop in Benguella at night, but all -clear out before sunset to their towns and villages a little way off. - -Pieces of copper are sometimes brought to Benguella by the caravans, -which are said to be smelted by the natives of Lunda. They are cast in -a very peculiar form, something like that of the letter X. All I have -seen have been of this shape, and all have thick inner edges joined by -a ridge (Plate XIV.). - -I have never been able to ascertain or guess what the mould could -possibly be that invariably gives this character to them, for whatever -variation there may be in the length of the arms or waist, the -thicker inner edge, connected with a more or less prominent ridge, is -always there. - -[Illustration: - - PLATE XIV. - - 1. Native-smelted Copper.--2. Powder-flask.--3. Mundombe - Axe.--4. Manner of securing Fish for drying.--5. Hunters’ Fetish - (Benguella).--6. Manner of carrying in the hand (Native Jug).--7. - Gourd Pipe for smoking Diamba.--8. Wooden Dish.--9. Double-handled Hoe. - - _To face page 190._] - -The first hills seen from the sea behind the town of Benguella are -composed of layers of fine sandstone of all thicknesses, from a foot -or two to an eighth of an inch, and separated by layers of the finest -dust, so that slabs of any desired thickness can be obtained without -difficulty; a good deal of massive gypsum or sulphate of lime is also -found in these hills. Immediately behind these recent sedimentary -deposits (in which I never found the least trace of fossil remains) -comes the gneiss rock of the country. - -At a place called Quileba, about six miles due inland from Benguella, -I explored a deposit of copper ore at the junction of the gneiss with -the sedimentary beds. This deposit yielded about 2000 tons of very -good ore, mostly earthy green carbonate containing some sulphide, and -was found adhering to the gneiss in an irregular-shaped mass, from the -surface of the ground to a depth of about three or four fathoms. Not -an ounce more could be found either deeper, or in the vicinity, when -this mass was exhausted. The whole of the ore was raised and sent to -Benguella for shipment in less than two years, and was all carried -by blacks, men and women, who came from Benguella for that purpose. -These were partly Mundombes, and partly slaves of the inhabitants of -Benguella. I also had about fifty miserably small donkeys from the Cape -de Verde Islands, but they were more troublesome than useful. - -One of the principal plants around Benguella is the shrubby jasmine, -and it grows in such quantities as to present a very pretty appearance -when in flower, the clumps in which it grows being covered with white -blossoms; and in the still, early mornings the air is so strongly -loaded with the scent of these flowers as to give people a headache who -pass through the bush for any distance. - -Jackals and hyenas are very abundant at Benguella, and were much more -so in the slave-trade times, when the blacks who died were simply taken -out a little distance and thrown into the bush. Graves have to be -dug deep and covered over with a heap of heavy stones to prevent the -hyenas from digging out the corpses and crunching them up. A great fat -Cabinda in my service at Cuio Bay fell down dead one afternoon whilst -dancing with some others of his countrymen, and I had to defer burying -him till notice of his sudden death had been given to the “chefe” at -Dombe Grande, that he might send to ascertain that the man had not -died from any foul play. This took some days, during which his body -smelt anything but nice to us, but was evidently most appetizing to -the hyenas, who every night flocked, howled, and laughed round the hut -where it lay, watched over by his countrymen. He was at last buried, -and covered over with the usual heap of stones, but the ground was -dry and soft, and the smell of the body strong, and next morning we -found that a number of hyenas must have been at work, and had actually -burrowed into the grave from the edge of the heap of stones, had pulled -the body out, and eaten it on the spot! Not a particle of bone even -could be seen, and besides the scratched and trodden ground, a few -shreds and scraps of rags of the cloths the Cabinda had been wrapped -in, were all the evidence of the grand supper of negro flesh the hyenas -had had. - -On dark nights especially the hyenas perambulate all over the town -in search of bones and offal of every description, and I have often -heard them fighting and making a terrific noise in the open squares at -Benguella. - -Zebras are abundant in the rocky country about Benguella and -Mossamedes, and their bray is very peculiar, being like that of the -donkey without the long drawn notes made during inspiration. - -A large dog-faced monkey (_Cynocephalus sp._) is very abundant in the -rocky and arid littoral zone of Benguella, going about in troops of -from twelve to twenty. When feeding, they always have two or more of -their number perched on the high rocks as sentinels, and on the least -sign of danger they utter a hoarse grunt and all take to flight, the -young ones tightly clasping their mothers’ backs. It is said by the -natives that if a monkey sentinel does not perform his duty properly, -the others set upon him and worry him well as a punishment, and a -Portuguese assured me that such was the fact, and that he had witnessed -one being punished in this manner. - -It seems at first sight almost incredible how these large creatures can -find sufficient food on the desert rocks where they are found, but -I ascertained that their principal food is the thick fleshy root and -stem of a low bush, and several species of large onion-looking bulbs. -There are also a number of trees and bushes that yield them food in the -shape of berries and fruits, especially one called “Umpequi” (_Ximenia -Americana_), bearing plentifully an astringent plum-like fruit, from -the large kernel of which the natives of Mossamedes manufacture a fine -oil. - -On this part of the coast the natives use the wood of the “Bimba” -tree (_Herminiera Elaphroxylon_) to construct a kind of boat or raft, -which is perfectly unsinkable in the heavy surf at the mouths of the -rivers. This tree principally grows in the stagnant water of marshes, -and is about twenty feet high; its trunk attains to as much as a foot -in diameter. It is covered with spines, and bears very large and -beautiful pea-like flowers of a golden orange colour; the wood is soft, -and as light as pith. The peeled stems are skewered together in two -or three layers, with sides about a foot and a half to two feet high, -and the ends finished off in a point, the whole looking like a punt -built of thin logs. The water, of course, is free to rush in and out -everywhere, and the “bimba,” as the boat is also called, floats like -a dry cork on the sea. People in it may get washed over and wetted -through by the surf, but the “bimba” never upsets or sinks. - -About twenty or twenty-four miles to the south of Benguella is situated -the district of Dombe Grande. There is here a large native population -on the southern bank of the River San Francisco or Capororo, governed -by a Portuguese “chefe.” The road to it from Benguella passes over -slightly undulating ground, but very arid in character, alternately -sandy, dusty, and of gypsum rock. - -About half way, at a place called Quipupa, there is a small spring -of ferruginous water, which is the halting-place of the natives who -frequent the road to and from Dombe Grande. It is a wonderful relief -from the desert road to arrive at the River San Francisco, and see -stretched for miles the beautiful green expanse of Dombe Grande. The -river is perfectly dry for one half of the year, and is then a broad -band of pure, dazzling, white sand, but the land near it is extremely -fertile, and very large quantities of mandioca and beans are grown. -The mandioca is made into “farinha” or meal, and thousands of bushels -are sent by road to Benguella, or to Cuio Bay for shipment. The sand -of the river will even grow splendid crops of this root as soon as the -water dries up. - -Towards the sea the valley of this river is very broad; and it is -here that the extensive cotton plantations, to which I have already -referred, exist. This part of the country is called “Luache,” and in -it there are some very curious lagoons and quicksands. One of these -lagoons is extremely deep. A Portuguese told me he had tried to sound -it, but had failed to touch the bottom. - -At another place the road for some considerable distance is over a -narrow path composed of the roots of large sedge-like plants interwoven -and grown together, and yielding under every step. The Mundombes take -their cattle over this path, but should one walk away from it at the -side, it sinks immediately in the black mud, and is seen no more. - -There is a great deal of pure sulphur in the gypsum hills on the -northern bank of the river at Dombe Grande, and going across them -once, I came to a small eminence that seemed to be all sulphur, and -with a knife, a stick, and a few wedges that I cut, I managed to detach -a solid block of sulphur of about thirty pounds in weight. - -At Luache the trees and bushes are covered with a vast quantity of a -curious leafless parasite. This is a creeper, which grows luxuriantly -in great masses of long, thin, green strings or stems, sometimes -completely covering the tree. These are full of tasteless mucilage -when fresh, and are employed in decoction as an emulcent in coughs -and colds. When dry these wire-like stems become black and hard, and -give the trees a very mournful and dismal appearance. This plant is -a species of Cassytha (_C. Guineensis?_) and although excessively -abundant in the province of Benguella, becomes scarce to the north. - -About nine miles south of Dombe Grande is the little bay of Cuio, in -13° S. lat., to the interior of which I explored a copper deposit in -1861-1863. This deposit was situated four miles from the bay in the -bottom of a small circular depression or valley in the gneiss rock of -the country. It was evident that the copper ore had been brought from -a distance by the action of water, and precipitated in the bottom of -this cup or basin. - -The lower part consisted of a bed of the rare indigo-blue sulphide -intimately mixed together with quartz gravel or sand, the blue sulphide -forming the matrix of this curious conglomerate, in which were also -found large, rounded, smooth, water-worn masses of hard compact gneiss. -This bed alone yielded nearly 1000 tons. Another 1000 or 1200 tons were -obtained from a higher part of the valley, and consisted of a hard -amorphous mixture of sulphide and blue and green carbonate, the latter -apparently due to the surface decomposition of the former. Some small -masses of this copper ore contained silver, from a mere trace to over -100 ounces in the ton. In one place I found a few tons of lead ore, -earthy carbonate and sulphate, with only a trace left of the galena -that had no doubt supplied the two by its decomposition. Specimens of -these ores were exhibited in the London International Exhibition of -1862, and were awarded honourable mention. - -I was the first in Africa to make plaster of Paris from the gypsum -rock of the country, and to apply it to cover walls of houses, for -flooring, and even for roofing. I had to build stores at Cuio mines, -and houses for twenty-two white miners, and as there was no grass or -other material fit to roof them with, I put a layer of plaster of -Paris, about an inch and a half thick, on a framework of palm-leaf -stems, and it withstood the rain admirably. It is magnificent material -for flooring in that country, absorbing moisture and preventing the -white ant from getting through. The Portuguese soon after made great -use of this material, which had existed in inexhaustible quantities -unknown to them for so many years. - -The road from Dombe Grande to Cuio passes through some deep -perpendicular ravines cut in solid gypsum rock by the action of the -waters, and in other parts of Benguella it is equally abundant. It -requires no kiln for burning: it is sufficient to make a pile of small -pieces of the rock with any kind of fuel or brushwood at hand to burn -it into proper plaster of Paris; in fact, if burnt in a kiln, or -exposed to too great a degree of heat, it will not set afterwards when -mixed with water. - -In the bare, arid country of Benguella there are a number of birds, the -colouring of whose plumage so closely accords with that of the ground -as to be barely distinguishable at a little distance. Such are the -sand-grouse (_Pterocles namaquus_) and three species of bustards, one -of which (_Otis picturata_, Hartl.) was a new and undescribed species. - -These bustards are very abundant, and are found in pairs; they have -a curious, loud, hoarse, clucking cry, which can be heard at a -considerable distance, and are very shy; they run along the ground with -great rapidity, and when alarmed fly off in a straight line, but very -little above the ground, and when they alight they always run on for -some distance. Their flesh is excellent. Several Portuguese attempted -to keep them in their gardens, and rear them, but without success. - -In the woods of thorny trees and bushes, and particularly in the sandy -ravines, several species of small hornbills are very common. Two were -undescribed species (_Tockus elegans_, and _Tockus Monteiri_), and -are very odd birds in appearance and habits. I found that their food -consisted of grubs, grasshoppers, and other insects, hornets’ nests, -and hard seeds. They dig in the sand with their long curved bills, when -seeking their food, throwing the sand behind them between their legs. -They look very comical when sitting on a tree, their soft feathers -puffed out like those of an owl, and they raise and depress their crest -feathers, uttering loud, long-drawn, unearthly cries, like the squall -of a sick baby. - -They are considered as “fetish” birds by the natives, who state -positively that it is the male bird who sits on the eggs, and that the -female shuts him up in the nest so that he cannot get out, and feeds -him till he has hatched the eggs, when she tears down the nest and lets -him out. The imprisoned bird is then very lean and in ragged plumage, -and the natives have several proverbs bearing upon this singular habit. -In Benguella, when a man looks very thin and miserable, they always -say, “he looks like the hornbill when he has been let out of the nest.” - -I offered a large reward to any black who would find me a nest of these -birds, as I wanted to verify this extraordinary story, but I never -succeeded in seeing one. There is no doubt that the statements of -the natives are correct, as other species of the same bird, in India, -&c., have exactly the same habit; the only particular in which I think -the natives may be wrong is in the male bird being imprisoned by the -female; it is more natural to suppose that the contrary takes place, -and that it is the female who is boxed up. - -The “Panda,” or wattled crane (_Grus carunculata_) is common in the -country to the interior of Benguella, and is often brought for sale to -the coast by the caravans. They get very tame and playful, and it is -amusing to see them make rushes in fun at the women and children, with -their wings and beaks wide open. - -A trader at Egito had one that used to play for hours with a young -donkey. The crane would run at and flap his wings in the donkey’s face -till it started after him for a race, when he would keep just a little -ahead and only take to flight when hard pressed, on seeing which the -donkey would generally give a loud bray of disappointment. At other -times the crane would chase the donkey, and it was very comical to see -the perfect understanding that seemed to exist between them, and their -evident enjoyment of play and fun. - -The ox-bird (_Buphaga Africana_) is very commonly seen on the cattle -at Benguella, and the following description of it is from my notes on -a collection of birds I made there (‘Proceedings of the Zoological -Society’ for 1865):--“Abundant all over Angola, which, generally -speaking, abounds in cattle. It appears to feed entirely on ticks: the -stomach of this specimen contained no less than twenty-five. Its flesh -is very dark-coloured, strong-smelling, and its blood extremely thick -and dark. It is curious to watch the manner in which they crawl all -over the body of an ox or large animal, under its belly and between its -legs, which they are enabled to do by their strong claws tipped with -exceedingly sharp, hooked nails. - -“The beak is soft, of a bright red at the tip, graduating to bright -yellow at the base. I once saw a nest of these birds, which they -appeared to be finishing. It was large, loose, of dry grass, and nicely -lined with long hair, seemingly taken from the tails of cattle. These -birds were constantly robbing the hair from the tail of an old mule -I had at Benguella. They will accompany a herd of cattle only for a -certain distance, when they will return to their usual locality, and -others immediately make their appearance and appear to take charge of -the herd.” - -The neighbourhood of Benguella, Catumbella, and Dombe Grande is famous -for the variety of its small and beautifully-coloured birds, and the -Mundombes capture them in thousands, to sell to the Portuguese at -Benguella, who export them to Loanda and Lisbon. These birds are said -to be more hardy, and to live better in confinement than those caught -at Loanda. - -Several of these little birds are greatly esteemed by the Portuguese -as cage song-birds; such are the “Maracachão” (_Pytelia elegans_), -noted for its exquisitely sweet song, the “Bigode” (_Crithagra ictera_) -or “moustache bird,” the “Viuva” or long-tailed whydah-finch (_Vidua -paradisea_), and others. - -They are captured with birdlime, the very sticky, gummy matter -enveloping the seeds of the beautiful parasite--a species of -Loranthus--already mentioned as being employed by the natives of -Cambambe as gum for sealing letters. This plant grows very abundantly -on trees, but most usually on the thinly-leaved spiny bushes near the -coast, and even on herbaceous plants. I have often observed it growing -luxuriantly on cotton bushes. - -Many kinds of ducks and other beautiful aquatic birds inhabit two -lagoons, called the “Bimbas,” about seven or eight miles inland from -Benguella. From Benguella to Mossamedes almost all the numerous bays -on the coast are inhabited by Portuguese, who employ their slaves -either in fishing or in cotton and sugar-cane planting. The principal -plantations are at Equimina and Carunjamba. Formerly all were engaged -in orchilla-weed picking, as already stated. - -There is no trade whatever between Benguella and Mossamedes, the -littoral region being very desert in character, and but little -populated, and the small quantity of produce from the interior finding -its way to either one or the other of those places. - -The fishery on that part of the coast is mostly carried on by deep -lines, and the fish caught are opened flat, and salted and dried in -the sun. Very large quantities are thus prepared and shipped to Loanda -and to the Portuguese islands of St. Thomé and Principe. A great -proportion is consumed by the slaves on the plantations. - -Great numbers of a dogfish, called “Cassão,” are also caught. The -livers of this fish are thrown into large iron pots and melted into -a strong-smelling oil, which is shipped to Europe, and employed to -adulterate whale and other fish-oils. It takes about 300 livers to make -a quarter-cask of oil. In the season (for these fish are not always on -the coast) a boat with two or three blacks will take from 60 or 70 to -300 fish each night, the latter being considered a large take. - -The lines and nets of the fishermen are prepared or tanned by steeping -them in the juice of an exceedingly curious plant growing in the sand. -This plant, specimens of which I sent to Dr. Hooker, proved to be a -new species of the genus _Hydnora_, a Rafflesiaceous plant. It is an -underground parasite on the roots of the euphorbia trees and bushes, -and consists of a square stem from one to two inches thick, soft in -texture, and of a beautiful rose-colour. This stem is covered with -a thin dark skin, and is full of tubercles; it has no leaves, and is -attached to the roots of the euphorbia, from which it derives its -nourishment. - -At certain seasons it sends up a thick stalk through the sand, on the -end of which it bears a large red flower of a very extraordinary shape, -and with an offensive odour of badly decayed meat. There are only three -other species known; two in South Africa, and one in Buenos Ayres. -Besides its use for tanning lines and nets, it is also employed by the -natives as a valuable astringent in cases of diarrhœa. - -During the latter years of the slave-trade, these various industries -were turned to a double account. When a vessel was on the coast -seeking a cargo of slaves, the planters, &c., of course always had a -stock ready. At other times any objection or suspicion was met by the -fact that the large number of slaves on the coast were employed in -the legitimate pursuits above mentioned, so that no slave barracoons -existed, and all were as industrious as bees when a cruiser, or some -local Portuguese governor or “chefe,” fired by zeal, or by disgust at -the little games carried on, sometimes without his usual fee, appeared -on the scene. - -Lions are common in the country, more especially to the south of -Dombe Grande, about Carunjamba and Lucira. I spent a week once at -Carunjamba, arriving there shortly after a number of lions had caused -the proprietor of a fine plantation to be in forced confinement for -days within the high walls enclosing his house and grounds, and in -which his slaves and herds of cattle and sheep were lodged every night -to preserve them from the attacks of these animals. I saw the ground -all trodden down with their footprints, where they had gone round and -round, attracted by the scent of the cattle within. - -These incursions of lions are periodical, and happen shortly after -the first rains have covered the sterile ground on the coast with a -beautiful crop of young grass. The antelopes come from the interior to -feed on this sweet grass, and the lions follow their steps to feed on -them. - -Numbers of slaves used to be eaten by the lions in the orchilla-picking -time. I knew one man who lost twelve in a short time at the Bay of -Bomfim, and another seventeen at Lucira, and they had to give up -collecting till the lions retired. If a lion once tastes negro flesh, -he prefers it to beef, and has been known to kill the black herdsman -and not touch a head of his cattle. - -The Portuguese in Angola are not valiant at lion-hunting. The -proprietor of the large sugar-cane plantation at Equimina used to -recount how he went out one night to shoot a lion that had devoured -several of his slaves, and used to visit the cattle enclosure nightly. -He saw the lion approach him as he knelt on one knee near the high -stump of a tree against which he leant his gun to steady his aim, and -waited till he thought it was sufficiently near, when he fired both -barrels between its eyes. A tremendous roar instantly followed his -shot, and he ran for his life and bounded over the high thorny fence -forming the enclosure. Nothing more being heard of the lion, he went -with his blacks in search with torches, and found it dead, and so -firmly clasping the stump of the tree with its paws and claws, that -they were with difficulty detached from it. - -He used to say that the thought that he might have been in the -lion’s dying embrace instead of the stump, cured him of going out -lion-hunting; and he never could make out how he had managed to clear -the high fence at one jump, as he did on that night when terror lent -wings to his feet. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - - COUNTRY BETWEEN BENGUELLA AND MOSSAMEDES--MOSSAMEDES--CURIOUS DEPOSITS - OF WATER--HYENAS--WELWITSCHIA MIRABILIS--MIRAGE. - - -The country between Benguella and Mossamedes abounds with large -animals: elands, spring-bok, and other antelopes, zebras, wild -buffaloes, &c. The natives affirm positively that the eland and other -antelopes in their wild state capture and eat small birds. - -It would be curious to ascertain if this strange habit or taste in a -herbivorous animal is true, or has been observed in South Africa, where -these animals are still more abundant. - -I was once fortunate enough to see, from a low rocky ridge, a vast herd -of spring-bok running at full speed across a plain near Mossamedes, and -it was really a fine sight. This very beautiful animal has a quantity -of long, snow-white hair completely hidden in a fold of the skin along -its spine;--when running, its pace seems to be a succession of high -leaps, in which this long white hair is alternately exposed and hidden -at each jump. The effect of these flashes of pure white in the sun -was most striking and beautiful, as the thousands of spring-bok sped -rapidly across the plain at our feet, and gradually vanished in the -distance. Although I had been prepared to see large herds of antelopes -at Mossamedes, from the accounts of the Portuguese there, and from what -I had read in books of travel in Southern Africa, I could not help -being astonished at the sight, and feeling how impossible it was to -realize, except from actual observation, the appearance of thousands -of these lovely animals assembled together and scudding like a cloud -across the face of the great bare plain. - -The large tree euphorbias, so common near the coast at Ambriz and -Loanda, become scarcer in the country to the south till we get to the -desert hills and cliffs about Elephant Bay, and beyond to Mossamedes, -where they completely disappear. - -Perfectly flat-topped hills are a striking feature of this part of -the coast, and are appropriately termed “mezas” or “tables” by the -Portuguese. The coast, more particularly from the River San Nicolau, -is deeply cut by ravines with almost perpendicular sides, and leading -no great distance inland, evidently worn by the action of the water -through the basalt and other friable rock. It makes travelling on foot -hard work, as the usual road is near the sea and some of the walls of -cliff are difficult and dangerous to ascend and descend. - -In one of my excursions in this part of the coast, I saw the dead body -of a black lying at the foot of one of these precipices, seemingly -fallen from the top. It was nearly devoured by birds, crabs, and small -animals. There is another road, a very good one, a few miles farther -inland. - -There are no elephants to be met with now on the coast at any part -of Angola; the last were said to have been seen about Elephant Bay, -from which it may probably have derived its name. They do come down -occasionally on the Quissama side of the River Quanza, and one was -lately shot at Bruto, most likely having swum the river. - -On Cape Santa Maria, the southern point of the “Bahia dos Passaros” -(Bay of Birds), there is an old marble column, placed there by the -Portuguese in olden times to commemorate the discovery of this cape, -in 1486, by the navigator Diogo Cam. I once went with a Portuguese -in a boat from Cuio to Catara, a small bay beyond Cape Santa Maria. -Our men had been rowing all the moonlight night long, and at daybreak -we landed at the Bahia dos Passaros, and found an empty hut that had -been occupied by a curer during the fishing season; this was taken -possession of by our blacks, who went fast asleep in it, after hauling -up the boat. We had our breakfast under the shade of the boat sail, and -then followed their example. We had slept about a couple of hours when -I was awakened by the loud cawing of the pretty white-banded crows of -the coast (_Corvus scapulatus_). I threw a stone at the noisy birds, -and happening to look in the direction of the sea, noticed that our -boat was gone; I looked into the hut thinking our men had gone off with -it in search of birds’ eggs, but they lay like logs, still fast asleep. -I woke my companion, and we ran to the beach and saw our boat at the -northern end of the bay slowly drifting away, the tide having risen and -floated it while we slept. Our men ran along the beach and swam off to -the boat, and we thanked the crows with the remains of our breakfast. -It is astonishing how soon a number of these birds will appear after -any one lands in these desolate bays, to pick up any food that may be -left about. This bay derives its name from the number of sea-gulls that -inhabit a high-peaked rock rising out of the sea at a short distance -from the shore. - -The River San Nicolau only runs in the rainy season, which is likewise -the case with all the other rivers on this part of the coast, south of -the River Quanza, and even this shifts its bar a mile or more to the -north in the dry season. - -At the little Bay of Baba, I saw a very extraordinary sight, and one -that shows the great quantity of fish in the sea of that coast. I had -started on foot early in the morning, from the house of a Portuguese -who was engaged in the fishing trade, on my way to Mossamedes, and as -I walked along the beach for more than a mile, I saw for the whole -distance, in the calm water, a small species of fish, about a foot -long, in countless numbers, packed side by side so closely as almost -to touch one another, and their snouts touching the sand. Farther -south, fish are said to be even more plentiful. - -At Port Pinda a three-masted fishing vessel arrived with a crew of -fishermen from Algarve, and they caught such quantities that they found -the work of curing too hard, and they gradually gave up fishing, and -employed their vessel in earning freights up and down the coast. - -I was told by the captain of a British man-of-war that at Walwish Bay -he had seen eight tons of fish taken at one haul of the seine net. - -The town of Mossamedes (or Little Fish Bay of the English charts) -is very prettily built on the shore of the little bay from which it -derives its name. The houses are of stone, well built and commodious, -and the town has quite a clean and imposing appearance as seen from -the sea. The bay is very pretty, and protected from the “calema” or -surf. A fort commands it, which is built on a low cliff immediately -south of the town. At a little distance off a low line of hills hides -the further view of the interior, and all around nothing but an arid -waste of pure white sand meets the eye with a very depressing effect. -Three miles to the north are the “hortas” or “kitchen gardens” of the -Portuguese, where the fertile sandy soil grows every kind of root and -vegetable. The common potato grows there in perfection, and was the -principal article of cultivation a few years ago, when the American -whalers used to call there from the fishery on the coast. The English -cruisers also used to touch there for cattle and fresh provisions. -Cattle used to be so abundant that the ordinary price of a bullock was -from ten shillings to one pound. There is a considerable quantity of -sugar-cane grown there and converted into rum, several thousand pipes -being the yearly production. The little River Giraul runs through these -plantations, and its overflow sometimes causes considerable damage. - -I saw excellent gum-arabic at Mossamedes, brought from the Gambos -country, and I sent a large tinfull of it to London, where it was -reported upon as being equal to the best quality in the market. - -At Mossamedes oxen are trained for riding; the cartilage of the nose is -perforated, and through the opening a thin, short piece of round iron -is passed, at the ends of which are attached the reins, and the animal -is guided by them in the same manner as a horse. A good bullock will -trot well, and even gallop for a short distance. They are most useful -in that country, and are very comfortable to ride. The saddle is made -of leather, and is only a well-padded cushion with stirrups. A riding -ox will go faster, if required, than blacks on foot can accompany it, -but as in travelling a caravan of blacks with provisions and baggage is -always necessary, there is no need of greater speed. They will live on -such spare dry grass as can be obtained on the road, and are much safer -over the stony and sandy ground than horses, and not so liable to lame -or be knocked up;--they will also go a much longer time without water. - -On one of my visits to Mossamedes I was away a fortnight in the bush, -on an excursion to explore several places where copper ore had been -found, and reached about forty miles into the interior, to near the -first range of mountains called the “Xellas” (pronounced Sheilas). Our -road lay north till we had crossed the dry, sandy bed of the River -Giraul, and then in an easterly direction. The first deposits met with -are recent clayey beds, gypsum-dust, and sandstones, and in some places -the perpendicular faces of the high masses are covered with an abundant -efflorescence of almost pure sulphate of magnesia. This had attracted -the attention of some of the Portuguese, who imagined that it might be -nitre. One man sent a cask full of it to Lisbon to be reported upon, -and the answer he received was, “that it was not nitre as it would not -make gunpowder, and that they could not tell what else it was!” - -This formation is succeeded by massive basalt, containing in places -small quantities of double refracting calcspar and heulandite. - -This narrow belt or strip of basalt is followed farther inland by a -highly quartzose schistose rock with much iron and hornblende. This -insensibly changes to a quartzose granite, then to more schist, and in -some places to a fine-grained porphyry. In these are found quartz veins -with small strings or lodes of very rich sulphide of copper. These -were the only copper lodes _in situ_ that I have been able to find in -Angola, but unfortunately, although containing the very richest copper -ore, they are so poor in size, and otherwise under such disadvantages -that they would be quite profitless to work or explore. - -About twenty or thirty miles from Mossamedes the granite country is -very peculiar. In some places huge single rocks rise out of the nearly -level plain; in others hills of rocks, in several of which deposits -of rain-water are found at the very top. One of these was a natural -tank with a narrow entrance, and so dark that we had to light an old -newspaper to see it. It contained, I should say, not less than three or -four hundred gallons of water, which was exquisitely clear and cool. It -was covered by vast slabs of granite, from which the rain drained into -it, so that the sun was unable to evaporate it during the hot season, -when not a drop of water is to be found for miles anywhere else. - -A still more singular phenomenon is that of the “Pedra Grande,” or -“big stone,” on the road to the interior at over thirty miles from -Mossamedes. This, as its name implies, is a huge rounded mass of -granite rising out of the granitic, sandy plain. - -On the smooth side of this rock, about twenty or thirty feet above the -plain, is a circular pit about nine or ten feet deep and five or six -wide. The rainfall on that part of the rock that lies above this pit, -drains into it, and is said to fill it completely every rainy season. -The form of the pit is like that of the inside of a crucible, narrowing -gently to the bottom. The walls are perfectly smooth and regular, and -it can contain several thousand gallons of water. The mass of granite -rock is of the closest and hardest description, and no explanation -seems possible of the formation of this pit, except that of a bubble -in the rock when primarily formed, or that there was a mass of easily -soluble or decomposable mineral contained in it that has since been -dissolved out. I must say, however, that there is no evidence anywhere -visible to corroborate this latter theory. There are, it is true, -one or two other small and similar pits near the great one, but this -does not throw any more light upon their probable formation. This -grand deposit supplies the Mundombes and travellers with an abundant -supply of water during the dry season, and is therefore a principal -halting-place. - -This is a lion country, but on both occasions that I was at Mossamedes -it was not the season in which they abounded, so that I saw but little -signs of them. - -They come regularly to the “hortas” near the town, and several have -been shot there by the Portuguese. I was shown the hut of a German -emigrant where a lion came through the grass roof on to the table at -which he was seated at supper with his wife. - -It appeared that the lion had chased a cat on to the roof from an -outhouse, and the roof being of a frail nature, had given way under his -weight, but luckily the cries of the man and his wife so frightened the -astonished beast, that he forced himself through the slender walls of -the hut and ran away. - -On an excursion to visit a copper locality inland of Baba Bay, where a -Portuguese convict alleged he had discovered and extracted a basketful -of good specimens of ore, I put up one night at a hut belonging to a -Portuguese engaged with a number of slaves in collecting orchilla-weed. -At a distance of about two or three hundred yards from the hut was -a pool of brackish water, in a grove of trees at the foot of a rocky -hill. During the night, which was pitch dark, the blacks declared -that a lion had captured some animal at the pool, and was eating -it. At daybreak we turned out and came on about a dozen black and -white dog-like animals, about the size of a Newfoundland dog, that -ran quickly up the hill on our approach. Close to the pool we found -the remains of an eland that had been killed by the lion. The other -animals, which are said to follow it, and wait till the royal beast has -had its fill of the game it has killed, and devour the remainder, had -not had time to finish it, and there was enough left to afford us a -good breakfast of venison steak, and our blacks a feast of fresh meat. - -Thick eland steak is delicious, both from its juiciness and flavour, -and its exquisite tenderness. - -My excursion was unsuccessful in discovering the copper-mine, as I -found that the rogue of a convict, who had been promised a large sum -of money for it by a friend of mine at Mossamedes, Senhor Accacio -d’Oliveira, had buried a basketful of copper ore taken from some other -locality, in a hole, where he pretended to find it when my friend sent -his own blacks with him to bring away larger samples. - -Hyenas are very common; and I saw at Mossamedes a magnificent wolfhound -(from the Serra da Estrella, in the north of Portugal) and his dam, -who always used to run out together at night and chase away any hyena -that came near their master’s house. One night, however, they did not -return, so their owner turned out to seek for them as soon as it was -daylight, and found them at some little distance lying down bleeding -and exhausted, and between them the dead body of a huge hyena which -they had fought with and killed. Some idea may be formed of the size of -the hyena, and of the ferocious nature of the fight, when I state that -the dogs were young, as powerful and as large as any I have ever seen, -and that they were protected by thick collars studded with strong iron -spikes. These beautiful animals recovered from their wounds, but they -never ran out after hyenas again. - -The country about Mossamedes is exposed to periodical irruptions of -the Monanos, or natives from the Nano country, which is inland, and -north of Mossamedes. They come down in large expeditions, laying -waste the country by driving off the cattle and sheep belonging to the -Mundombes. One of these marauding columns came down to the very town -of Mossamedes, but they agreed to retire on the payment of a certain -amount of cloth and other goods by the Portuguese; and amongst other -articles that they stipulated for were a number of dogs, which they -wanted for food. This condition was easily complied with, as Mossamedes -always contains a number of maimed and horribly mangy mongrels, who try -to pick up a living from the remains of fish and other offal on the -beach. - -The few native inhabitants about Mossamedes are Mundombes, like those -of Benguella, but between the two places there is a district peopled -by a curious tribe called the Mucoandos. This district lies to the -interior, and between Point Santa Maria and the River San Nicolau. -These Mucoandos are a roving, migratory tribe, rearing flocks of -sheep, which are their only wealth; it is said that they hardly ever -cultivate the ground, and only build temporary huts or shelters. They -go about nearly naked, only wearing a small piece of sheepskin round -their loins, and are a quiet and inoffensive tribe. They are said to be -gradually dying out. - -A still more curious tribe are the Muquices, of whom only a few now -remain. They are found near the sea, between Mossamedes and Carumjamba. -They do not keep sheep or cattle, or any live-stock whatever, and -never cultivate the ground or build huts to live in. Their food is -principally fish, which they catch with hook and line, and shellfish, -particularly mussels, which are very abundant and fine on the rocks, -and oysters. They cook their food by roasting it at a fire, and at -night they each make a small half circle of stones about a foot high, -against which they curl up like dogs as a shelter from the wind, very -often on the bare tops of the cliffs overhanging the sea. They also -take advantage of the ledges of rock and open caves or holes to sleep -in, but they are always on the move, never remaining more than a few -days at each place. I often saw these encampments, with the usual -accompaniments of heaps of mussel-shells and ashes, the remains of -their food and fires on the cliffs. - -I once saw a party of eight of these Muquices at Point Giraul, the -northern end of Mossamedes Bay, where I had gone with some friends for -a day’s picnic of fish, oysters, and mussels off the rocks. This was -the largest number I had seen together. They were living in a large -hole in the soft rock, and were very pleased to have a talk, and get a -drink and a few small presents. - -They are rather light-coloured, with very decided obliquely-set eyes, -which gives them a singular Chinese expression of face. They are slow -and gentle in their manner, and are said to be what their appearance -indicates, very quiet and inoffensive. The Portuguese often employ them -as letter-carriers up and down that part of the coast. - -Their constantly roving habits do not allow them to have old or infirm -people;--when these cannot walk and keep up with the rest, they are -killed by being knocked on the head from behind with a stick. The -eldest son, or nearest male relative, does the deed, and the victim is -not apprised beforehand of his fate. - -About Mossamedes that most singular plant the _Welwitschia mirabilis_ -is found growing, and the country about the River San Nicolau, or 14° -S. lat., seems to be its northern limit. It has been found south, in -Damara Land. I was fortunate enough to be able to collect specimens of -the plant, flowers, and cones for Dr. Hooker, which supplied some of -the materials for his splendid monograph on this wonderful plant. These -specimens are now preserved in the Kew Museum. - -[Illustration: - - PLATE XV. - -WELWITSCHIAS GROWING IN A PLAIN NEAR MOSSAMEDES. - - _To face page 229._] - -The following account of it is an extract from Dr. Hooker’s work:--“The -‘Welwitschia’ is a woody plant, said to attain a century in duration, -with an obconic trunk, about two feet long, of which a few inches -rise above the soil, presenting the appearance of a flat, two-lobed, -depressed mass, sometimes (according to Dr. Welwitsch) attaining -fourteen feet in circumference (!), and looking like a round table. -When full grown it is dark-brown, hard, and cracked over the whole -surface (much like the burnt crust of a loaf of bread); the lower -portion forms a stout tap-root, buried in the soil, and branching -downwards at the end. From deep grooves in the circumference of the -depressed mass two enormous leaves are given off, each six feet long -when full grown, one corresponding to each lobe: these are quite -flat, linear, very leathery, and split to the base into innumerable -thongs that lie curling upon the surface of the soil. Its discoverer -describes these same two leaves as being present from the earliest -condition of the plant, and assures me that they are in fact developed -from the two cotyledons of the seed, and are persistent, being replaced -by no others. From the circumference of the tabular mass, above but -close to the insertion of the leaves, spring stout dichotomously -branched cymes, nearly a foot high, bearing small, erect scarlet cones, -which eventually become oblong and attain the size of those of the -common spruce-fir. The scales of the cones are very closely imbricated, -and contain, when young and still very small, solitary flowers, which -in some cones are hermaphrodite (structurally but not functionally), in -others female. The hermaphrodite flower consists of a perianth of four -pieces, six monadelphous stamens with globose three-locular anthers, -surrounding a central ovule, the integument of which is produced into a -styliform sigmoid tube, terminated by a discoid apex. The female flower -consists of a solitary erect ovule contained in a compressed utricular -perianth. The mature cone is tetragonous, and contains a broadly-winged -fruit in each scale.” - -I first saw the plant in my first journey inland from Mossamedes. On a -second visit to Mossamedes I went one day specially to obtain the large -specimens now at Kew, which were growing about six miles south of the -town on the sandy plain near the sea. - -I found a considerable number of the plants growing, and having secured -my specimens, placed fresh cones in spirit, and transplanted a couple -of the small plants into a box of earth, I prepared to return. I had -ridden an old mule, and taken with me a number of blacks with poles to -carry the specimens. I tied the mule to a pole and left her to graze -about on the scanty tufts of grass whilst I dug out the plants. The -little refreshment she had picked up made her quite skittish, and all -our efforts to catch her were unavailing. For more than an hour did she -manage to elude us over the burning white sand, and I was fairly tired -out when she was at last caught. - -I several times witnessed the “mirage” at Mossamedes. At a distance -of a few hundred yards before me I seemed to see the surface of the -ground covered with about two feet of water, and only the tops of the -grass and bushes could be seen out of it. The illusion is absolutely -perfect: the little waves and ripples of the water, and the reflection -of the sun from the surface, are all there, and only seeing the tops of -the grass still further increases the reality of the impression, which -continues sometimes for more than a quarter of an hour. - -I found most agreeable society at Mossamedes, many of the Portuguese -there having their wives and families with them, which was not the case -at Benguella or elsewhere in Angola. - -The climate at Mossamedes is remarkably healthy, and for many years -fevers were quite unknown there. I saw the white children looking as -healthy and rosy and strong as in Europe, and the white men working in -the plantations as in Portugal. Subsequently fever made its appearance -there, and once of a rather severe type, which I cannot help thinking -originated from the total want of sanitary arrangements for the greatly -increased population. - -The Portuguese in Angola are everywhere remarkably neglectful and -careless of these matters, so necessary for the preservation of health, -especially in a hot climate. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - - CLIMATE--COOKERY--DRUNKENNESS--FEVER--NATIVE - TREATMENT--ULCERS--SMOKING WILD-HEMP--NATIVE REMEDIES. - - -The climate of Angola is not so hot as might be expected from its -latitude. Near the coast the sea-breeze, which sets in about nine or -ten o’clock in the morning, and lasts till sunset or an hour later, -always blows strongly, and consequently cools the burning rays of the -sun in the hot season: it is very often too strong to be agreeable, -blowing everything about in the houses, which always have the doors and -windows open. The thermometer in the hot season is seldom more than -80° to 86° Fahrenheit in the shade during the day; 90° and over is not -often attained. In the “cacimbo,” or cool season, the usual temperature -is 70° to 75° Fahrenheit, and at night as low as 60° to 65°. The -nights are always cool, and for not less than six months in the year a -blanket on the bed at night is found comfortable. - -Towards the interior, away from the influence of the sea-breeze, the -temperature is rather higher, but soon the greater elevation of the -country lowers it, so that the thermometer ranges about the same. - -Rain only falls in the hot season, or from the end of October to -the beginning or middle of May, when violent storms with but little -wind deluge the country. There is generally a cessation of the rains -during the month of January and part of February; the last rains are -the heaviest, and seldom occur after the 12th or 15th of May. During -the cool or “cacimbo” season, the sun is often not visible for days -together, a thick uniform white sky preventing its position being seen -at any time of the day. A thick white mist covers the ground at night, -and in the mornings valleys and low places are completely enshrouded in -it. - -As the wind and sun dissipate these rolling vapours, very beautiful -effects are seen, particularly among the valleys and mountains in -the interior. When looking down into a deep valley, the mist is -exactly like a cloud of steam from a locomotive. The “cacimbo” is the -best season for Europeans newly arrived on the coast, but is always -disagreeably felt by those who have lived in the country for some -years, the sudden fall of the thermometer checking the action of the -skin. It has a very depressing effect on old stagers, who are then more -than usually disinclined for any kind of work, bodily or mental. To new -comers, apt to be distressed by heat, the cool season is delicious, as -it enables them to go about freely, carry a gun, work, &c., without -protection from the sun. - -The climate of the coast of Africa is everywhere more or less -enervating, and it requires the exercise of a strong will and -determination to overcome its influence, and resist the natural -tendency to produce inactivity of mind and body. This being the case -when in perfect health, it can easily be imagined how much more this is -required when a touch of fever, however slight, still further enfeebles -the system. - -I am not competent to speak medically on the subject of the action of -the African climate and fevers on Europeans, which I believe to be very -difficult and obscure, but a few detached facts and observations I have -noted may be interesting. I fancy there must be something in the action -of an atmosphere so completely saturated with moisture, to account for -the sensation of exhaustion and prostration that is felt in Africa at -any bodily exertion, generally accompanied by a clammy perspiration. -I have felt this more especially in the cool or rainless but misty -season, when the air is, I believe, even more saturated with moisture -than in the rainy season with its almost daily storms, but bright -atmosphere, blue sky, and hot sun. - -Keys or penknives in use, and kept constantly in the pocket, get -rusty to an extraordinary degree, and steel-springs of every kind -become brittle and break very readily; I never saw a shot-pouch or -powder-flask of which the spring did not very shortly snap in two, -sometimes even before it had become rusty, and when only a thin line or -streak of rust could be seen on it. - -For the first few months after arrival, Europeans have enormous -appetites, and all increase in weight;--it is very rarely that fever -attacks those first arriving on the South-West Coast. - -Persons of a nervous temperament, of a thin, active, muscular habit of -body, and not above medium height, I have found to be the most likely -to resist the climate. - -Previous good health and sobriety are no guarantees against the -probable effects of the climate, and I believe that the best and surest -indication is to be obtained not from the physical, but from the mental -constitution of the individual. Those of a light-hearted and happy -disposition, naturally disposed to make the best of circumstances, and -whom no inconveniences or annoyances can rob for long of their good -humour, are almost certain to enjoy their health on the South-West -Coast, whilst those difficult to please, who worry themselves about -every little unpleasantness, and who are irritable and unhappy under -difficulties, are soon attacked by fever and ague, although apparently -just as strong and healthy as the former. - -I have always observed that an educated man has a great advantage over -one who is without education, in resisting disease on the coast; this -shows very strongly the preservative action of the healthy and active -mind. - -Amongst uneducated men, I have found that Portuguese, Spaniards, -and Italians enjoy better health than Englishmen or Germans, and -have vastly more endurance and pluck in sickness than the latter. A -Portuguese working man, soldier, or convict, will roll himself up and -shiver and groan under a strong attack of fever or ague, and as soon -as it is over will quickly go about his occupation without making any -fuss or complaint, whereas the English miners, strong and powerful as -navvies when well, were, as I have said before, pitiable sights under -even a slight attack. - -The reason for the greater immunity enjoyed by the natives of southern -over those of northern Europe from attacks of fever and ague, may be -due not only to the fact of that race inhabiting a hot climate, but -also to their mode of living and greater sobriety. - -Their cookery is infinitely better adapted to a climate like that -of Africa than ours; their soups, stews, and made dishes more or -less highly seasoned, or condimented, give less trouble to the -stomach naturally debilitated by the action of the climate, and -present the food in a better condition for easy digestion, than the -solid ill-cooked masses of roast or boiled meat preferred by the -English--always freshly killed, and rarely of good quality or in proper -condition, from the impossibility of hanging it long enough to allow -it to get tender without being tainted. The natives of south Europe -also make great use of two vegetable products, which I consider to be -of great benefit in preserving health--the common tomato and garlic. -The former, apart from what I believe to be its valuable medicinal -properties, gives a delicious zest to every kind of cooked food from -its slightly acid taste, often transforming an uninviting dish of cold -meat, fowl, or fish, into a savoury mess, the very smell of which is -sufficient to make one’s mouth water, and raise the enfeebled appetite. - -A common and very delicious dish on the coast is called “muqueca,” and -is thus prepared: the bottom of a frying-pan is covered with sliced -tomatoes, on these a layer of small fish is put, or pieces of larger -fish, and some salt; a little salad-oil is poured over the whole, and -lastly the fish is covered with thin slices of bread. No water is -added, the tomatoes and fish supplying quite enough liquid to cook the -whole, which is allowed to stew slowly till done. It should be made -hot to taste with green chilies, cut up and added with the salt. Cold -fried-fish is equally good for making a “muqueca,” which is always -served at table in the frying-pan, or, better still, flat earthen pan -in which it has been cooked. A plate or close cover over the pan whilst -cooking the “muqueca” is desirable, as it keeps in the moisture better, -and the bread becomes nice and soft in the rich gravy. The proportion -of tomato to fish is soon ascertained by practice, but it is never a -fault to have too much of the former. - -Garlic I consider a most valuable article of food in a hot climate, -especially eaten raw. I never travelled without a supply of garlic, and -I found its beneficial effects on the stomach and system most marked. -When very hungry and fatigued I have found nothing to equal a few -pieces of raw garlic, eaten with a crust of bread or a biscuit, for -producing a few minutes after a delightful sensation of repose, and -that feeling of the stomach being ready to receive food, generally -absent when excessive emptiness or exhaustion is the case. - -The Portuguese in Angola as a rule rarely drink anything stronger than -Lisbon red wine. Many undoubtedly drink a great deal more cold water -than is necessary or good for them, as constantly drenching the stomach -with water must weaken it greatly. - -The English and other foreigners on the coast, on the contrary, make -use of too much brandy and spirits, which is a principal cause of the -sickness amongst them; but I am happy to say that drunkenness has very -greatly decreased of late years. It would not be easy to see now such -scenes as I have witnessed at Quissembo and Cabinda only a few years -ago. - -I was at the former place when an Englishman died from the effects of -intemperance a few hours after his arrival from Cabinda, where a three -days’ orgie had been held to bid him good-bye previous to his return to -England. - -His body was laid on a table, candles were lit all round it, and a kind -of wake held nearly all night, during which time two casks of bottled -ale and several cases of spirits were consumed amongst not more than -a dozen people. In the morning a hole was dug in the sand, and the -body, in a wooden coffin, lowered into it, whilst the few English in -the place stood around, most of them crying, and held by their black -servants to prevent them from falling into the grave, the effects of -the wake not allowing them to be sufficiently steady to stand without -assistance. An American, since dead, poor fellow! tried to read the -burial service, but he was obliged to give up the task, his utterance -being most amusingly choked with sobs and hiccups. - -I have known an Englishman to invite the rest of his countrymen to -dinner on Christmas-day, and only a very small number make their -appearance, the rest having been overpowered by drink at breakfast and -during the day. - -At Cabinda, on one occasion, a poor fellow who was dying was taken out -of his bed, seated on a chair at the head of the table, and his head -held up to make him drink to his own health, whilst the rest sang, “For -he is a jolly good fellow!” Next morning he was found dead and stiff -on his bed. - -The reason for this disgraceful state of things must not be laid -entirely to the fault of the men or the climate, but greatly to the -false economy of the stupid and bad system of inducing a certain class -of young men to go out at a nominal salary for several years, under the -pretence of learning the African trade. - -It is rather too much to expect a young man to devote his entire time -and to work hard on the coast of Africa, away from his family and every -amusement and relaxation, placed very often in a responsible situation, -and knowing that his employers are making large profits, whilst he -is earning the munificent sum of 20_l._, 30_l._, and 40_l._, for the -first, second, and third year of his engagement, and that also liable -to various deductions, and with a very remote chance of ever becoming a -head agent. - -I am certain that the popular idea against the use of brandy or wine -in African travel is erroneous and very mischievous, and may be the -cause of the loss of valuable lives in future exploration if not -refuted. To the traveller in perfect health, spirits of any kind are no -doubt unnecessary, and should not be made use of at all under ordinary -circumstances, but I am decidedly of opinion that wine and water (in -equal parts) is almost a necessity, and should be taken at meals as -long as it can be procured. Lisbon red wine, which has more body but is -not stronger than claret, is unquestionably the best for this purpose. - -When chilled with wet, exhausted by fatigue, or when the stomach and -bowels are deranged by the heat, or bad food and water, brandy is -worth its weight in gold, and is better and more efficacious than any -medicine. It is all very well for strong, healthy people in Europe to -cry down brandy because its use is abused, and because any fatigue -they may undergo, in a comfortable manner, is easily dispelled at a -good fire, with a cup of nice tea, buttered toast, and warm slippers; -but let them travel in Africa, perhaps drenched by rain, with clothes -and food all soaked, or weak with profuse perspiration and bad food, -stomach, &c., out of order, and gasping for breath under the hot sun, -and they will confess to the wonderfully reviving effect of a drop -of good brandy! It is almost as suicidal to travel in tropical Africa -without brandy as without quinine. Both should of course only be used -on occasions when necessary. During eight months of the rainy season, -when I was exploring the province of Cambambe, I only suffered from one -fit of ague, lasting half an hour, and an attack of simple intermittent -fever for about four hours, and my consumption of spirits for the whole -time was about a litre bottle full of brandy, but I am positive that it -saved me from illness on several occasions. The risk from the climate -to Europeans in tropical Africa is quite sufficient, without increasing -it by withholding such a valuable protection as brandy from our -explorers, simply from fear of its abuse, or in deference to popular -claptrap. - -A very important rule to be observed (and invariably adopted by the -Portuguese) is to take a cup of coffee or tea immediately on rising at -daybreak. I made my miners at Benguella take a mugful of hot coffee and -a biscuit every morning before going to work, with great benefit to -them. - -My whole experience on the coast has taught me no lesson more strongly -than that of immediately attending to the slightest indication of -illness or fever, and I believe that the great secret or means of -enjoying health depends almost entirely on this. It is very rarely -that a fever or ague comes on without some premonitory indisposition, -very often so slight as to be disregarded--a dryness of the mouth, or -thirst, or a nervous exhilaration, being often the forerunner of an -attack of fever. - -If rest be taken (a slight aperient if necessary), and attention paid -to not exposing the body to the sun, the attack is generally slight, or -does not come on at all. If it does, cooling drinks must be plentifully -made use of, and means adopted to cause copious perspiration as it -passes off, and care taken to avoid any chill or cold. - -A most important measure is to take the sulphate of quinine immediately -the pulse is reduced to its natural beat, but not before: three to five -grains are to be taken every half hour, until fifteen to twenty-five -grains have been swallowed, either in solution or made into pills with -a little camphor, and one grain of opium to twenty of sulphate of -quinine. - -Any kind of cooling drink most palatable to the patient may be made -use of liberally, and only chicken or other broth as food. - -This treatment in the majority of cases will suffice to stop the fever -or ague. Ten or twelve grains of quinine (in small doses) should be -given a few hours before the completion of the twenty-four hours after -the commencement of the attack, when its recurrence takes place if the -amount of quinine first given has not been sufficient to arrest it. -Should the attack come on a second time, the same treatment must be -adopted, with an increased amount of quinine. For a couple of days or -so nothing but fowl-soup, or other light nutritious food, should be -given, increasing it only as the appetite becomes fully developed, and -when it is certain that the attack has been successfully combated. A -very strong but false appetite is often developed immediately after a -fever, which it is necessary to be very careful not to satisfy with -strong food, as this would be quite sufficient to cause indigestion, -and with certainty produce a worse attack of fever, often complicated -with dangerous bilious derangement, vomiting, &c. Bilious fevers of -a bad type are comparatively rare in Angola; and if the foregoing -all-important precaution is taken, of attending carefully to a fever at -first, there is but little fear of the dangerous type. - -A great deal of the sickness on the coast is entirely owing to the want -of this precaution. People get into a careless habit of going about -with a little fever on them every day, and it is only when they become -very reduced in strength, or unwell, that they call the doctor or place -themselves under proper treatment or regimen. - -It is perfectly impossible to account for the origin of fevers in -Africa. They do not always depend upon the proximity of marshes or -stagnant water. They were very frequent at Bembe, where I believe -the thick forest around had something to do with their occurrence, -as it became healthier as these were gradually cleared away. Fever -is sometimes common in places near the sea, where there are neither -marshes nor forests for considerable distances. - -Again, the banks of rivers may be comparatively free from fevers, -whilst at the same time places apparently least likely are suffering -from them. In any case, even in the dangerous type, there is never any -long convalescence or recovery, as happens with the agues and fevers of -the marshy places in Europe. A few days suffice to restore people to -health after an attack of African fever and ague, and in a short time -flesh and strength are picked up. - -There is no effectual substitute for quinine as yet known; its use -by subcutaneous injection has not yet been adopted in Angola. Many -Portuguese have a prejudice against quinine, and in its stead make use -of a common plant called “Fedegozo” (_Cassia occidentalis_). - -The root, which is excessively bitter, is made into decoction. The -seeds also are roasted and ground, and their infusion taken either -alone, or generally mixed with coffee. - -The natives suffer but little from fever and ague, and then it is -generally the result of a chill, on the change from the hot to the cold -season. Their treatment almost always consists in lying quiet until -nature works her own cure, but they also make use of a strong infusion -of the leaves of the “Malulo,” an excessively bitter plant (_Vernonia -(Elephantopus) Senegalensis_). - -This is a handsome, herbaceous shrub, and is curious from its habit -of being (like the nettle with us) the first to take possession -of and grow luxuriantly on all bare open places where habitations -or plantations have existed. The infusion of this plant is also -universally employed by the natives in bowel complaints. A common -method they have of curing fever is to induce strong perspiration -by squatting over an earthen pot (just removed from the fire) sunk -in a hole in the ground, in which “Herva Santa Maria” (_Chenopodium -ambrosioides_) and “Sangue-sangue” have been boiled. The patient is -well covered over, and the aromatic vapour-bath soon produces its -desired effect. I have seen blacks cured of severe attacks of fever -with one or two applications of this simple remedy. “Sangue-sangue” -is the name given to the large seed-heads of a strong, tall grass (a -species of _Cymbopogon_), which exhales a very powerful aromatic odour -when crushed. - -The “Herva Santa Maria” grows very abundantly everywhere in Angola, -and, as in other warm countries where it is found, its medicinal -properties are held in great repute. It is a small annual plant, -generally about a foot and a half high, very green and bushy, and every -part of it is hotly and strongly aromatic. - -In almost every complaint the natives first apply this plant as a -remedy. For internal pains of every kind it is taken as decoction, -or the crushed plant rubbed over the seat of the pain; for blows, -swellings, and bruises, a poultice of the fresh plant is employed. -When the back aches from carrying a heavy load, &c., fresh leaves are -rubbed on the spine, and a handful of the crushed plant is placed -between the skin and the waistcloth. In cases of headache, the crushed -plant is rubbed over the head, and plugs of the leaves inserted in the -capacious nostrils; for this pain they also paint the forehead with the -milky juice of the mandioca-plant, and place one or more white dots on -the temples of “pemba” or white clay. A shrub growing near streams, -called “Entuchi” (the botanical name of which I know not), the leaves -and young shoots of which, when freshly crushed, exhale a delicious -smell of bitter almonds, is also used to plug the nostrils in cases of -headache. - -There is remarkably little diarrhœa or dysentery in Angola, either -amongst the natives or whites. The treatment for it adopted by the -natives consists exclusively in taking decoctions of various astringent -and aromatic plants. - -The principal are “Empebi,” the aromatic seeds of the _Anona muricata_; -“Mucozo,” the thick, fleshy, rose-coloured bark of a large, handsome -fig-tree, and very strongly astringent; the “Jindungo N’Congo” -(Congo-pepper), the carpels of the _Xylopia æthiopica_, with a -disagreeable, resinous taste; “Ensacu-sacu,” the small, knobby roots -of a plant growing in marshy places, and with a strong smell of -turpentine, and the roots and stems of the Hydnora already described. - -A singular disease of a dysenteric character, and peculiar to the -blacks, is called “maculo,” and is quickly fatal if not attended to -promptly, when it is easily cured. It commences with strong diarrhœa, -but its chief characteristic is the production in the anal orifice, -both internally and externally, of little ulcers containing maggots. -The native method of treatment is quickly efficacious, and consists -in plugging the orifice with a wad of crushed “Herva Santa Maria” -dipped in strong rum and ground gunpowder, and any kind of astringent -medicine is given at the same time. This disease was very prevalent -in the slave barracoons; and I was told that at the French depot at -Banana, when they shipped some thousands of blacks some years ago under -the name of “free emigrants,” the slaves were dying at the rate of -fifty and sixty each day from this disease, whilst under the care of -the French surgeons; but that when these left from ill health, and the -slaves were entrusted to the care of black medicine-men skilled in the -treatment of “maculo,” the deaths decreased immediately to a very small -number. - -This disease is due to overcrowding and improper food; but change of -place will also produce it. Slaves from the interior mostly have it on -coming into possession of the white man, when it is probably induced -by the change from their usual poor food to the very much better -sustenance given them by their new masters. - -Sores and ulcers on the feet and legs are extremely common, and are -troublesome to heal, whether in natives or Europeans. The blacks use a -variety of remedies, and are sometimes very successful in the cure of -stubborn cases. - -I had a boy at Bembe called “Brilhante” (Brilliant), about fourteen -years of age, a fine, sharp little fellow, the son of a “capata” or -head-man of a number of carriers from the town of Musserra. A fetid -ulcer appeared on his leg, and I put him in the military hospital -under the doctor’s care, where he remained for three months without -the least improvement, although every care was taken of him, and every -remedy employed that could be thought of. At last, his father said he -would take him to the coast, and see whether the native treatment could -cure him. Two months after, he returned to Bembe, bringing me little -Brilhante perfectly cured. Our doctor was astounded, but although I -offered the boy’s father a large reward if he would obtain for me -the plants, &c., employed by the medicine-man, he never did. Their -principal remedy, however, is powdered malachite, with or without -lime-juice. Lime-juice is also used by itself, or with powdered -“mubafo” or gum elemi, which is very abundant in the Mushicongo -country. Poultices and decoctions made of crushed “Herva Santa Maria,” -and of various other plants, are also applied to the sores, which are -protected from dust and flies by a piece of rag, or very often by a -light shield made from a piece of dry gourd. Ointments are never made -use of by the natives in the treatment of ulcers, and they are not much -in favour with the Portuguese. - -From the sudden fall of the high temperature of the hot season to the -“cacimbo” the natives, as might be expected, suffer most from diseases -of the respiratory organs. No provision whatever is made by the bulk of -the natives against this great change, and the quick transition from -the clear warm nights of the hot season to the cold wet ones of the -“cacimbo,” when the ground is covered with a heavy mist, tells on their -nearly naked and unprotected bodies with terribly fatal effect. In -fact, by far the greater part of the blacks die from this cause; and so -true is this, that it is rare to see a white-headed native in Angola. - -There is no doubt that this is a wise provision of nature for keeping -down the otherwise excessive numbers of the human animal in that -country, and it is certainly more natural and merciful than the -supplementary measures adopted by themselves, of poisoning by “casca” -or otherwise killing one another for “fetish” or witchcraft, or in -times of famine. Should the negro race ever be civilized, they must -be taught to be more industrious, or else means must be adopted to -enable the teeming millions to seek work and food in other countries; -subjects, I am afraid but too little regarded by philanthropists in -their present anxious solicitude for the welfare of these lazy, happy -brutes. - -It is a wonderful scene when travelling with a caravan in the “cacimbo” -season, to see perhaps two or three hundred blacks wake up in the -cold misty mornings, and crouch in circles of ten or a dozen together -round a fire, shivering and chattering their teeth. It is then that -they enjoy smoking the “diamba” (_Cannabis sativa_), which is the name -they give to the wild-hemp, the flowering tops of which are collected -and dried for this purpose. It is burnt in a straight clay-pipe bowl -inserted in the closed end of a long gourd, in which is contained a -small quantity of water, and through which the smoke is forced and -washed when the open end of the gourd is put to the mouth and suction -applied. (Plate XIV.) Four or six long deep inspirations from the gourd -are as much as a man can bear of the disagreeable acrid smoke, which -makes them cough and expectorate as if their lungs were coming out of -their mouths. The gourd is rapidly passed from one to another in each -circle, and the mighty chorus of violent coughing and hawking lasts for -about ten minutes or a quarter of an hour. The effects of the wild hemp -(from which the “hasheesh” of other countries is prepared) are curious, -and appear to be different from those described as attending its use -in other parts of the world. There is no intoxicating effect produced, -but, on the contrary, the blacks affirm that it wakes them up and warms -their bodies, so that they are ready to start up with alacrity, take up -their loads, and trot off quickly. - -Natives who smoke “diamba” immoderately, and make themselves slaves -to the habit, have their brains affected in time, and become stupid -and listless. When they arrive at this stage, they are “fetished” like -drunkards. The Portuguese prohibit their slaves from indulging in this -habit. The plant is cultivated round the huts everywhere in Angola, -but except in the cold season diamba-smoking is not very general. - -The natives have no efficient remedies or treatment for bronchitis, -pleurisy, and pneumonia, from which they suffer so much and so fatally -in the cold season. They chew the stem of a kind of rush growing in -streams and marshy places, the juice of which has an agreeable taste of -acetic acid, and make a few emulcent drinks from the leafless parasite -_Cassytha_, a large mallow, and the seed-heads of the sangue-sangue; -these, and rubbing the chest with “tacula” mixed with a pulp of the -bruised leaves of “Herva Santa Maria,” “Ensuso-ensuso,” “Brucutu,” and -other plants, are their only applications. With slaves or other blacks -under the care of Europeans, only the most energetic medical treatment -will save their lives when attacked by these complaints, so dangerous -and rapid is the effect on their constitutions. - -Ophthalmia, or any affection of the eyes, is extremely rare in Angola, -either amongst natives or Europeans, which is singular, considering -that the littoral region is so white and sandy in many places. - -A kind of itch called “sarna” is very common among the blacks: it -appears as little watery pustules on the hands and feet, and, in -severe cases, on the elbows and knees, and on the arms and legs. -These pustules break into sores, which become covered with matter and -scales, and are accompanied by a little swelling and pain, but not much -itching. It does not appear to be contagious, and I was unable to find -acari in several cases that I examined under the microscope. - -I believe it is principally the result of dirt and filth, but is not -always so, as the Cabindas and the cleaner tribes have it, although -not to such an extent as tribes like the Mushicongos, who are so much -dirtier in their habits. Europeans are almost sure to have it after -some years’ residence in the country, and I have known this to be the -case with some who were scrupulously clean in their persons and habits. -It readily gives way to sulphur ointment, and the blacks have no native -remedy so efficacious as this, which is therefore often asked for by -them. - -I remember, on my first arrival in Africa, witnessing a little episode -that produced some impression on my then inexperienced mind. I saw -one morning, from my window at Bembe, a black woman and a little girl -go out into the enclosure at the back of my neighbour’s house, both -carrying kitchen pots and pans, plates, and cups and saucers, which -they placed ready for washing up on the usual “tarimba,” a kind of -table or framework of sticks on four uprights, to be seen in every -yard for this purpose. Before going on with her work, however, the -woman stripped the child naked, and proceeded with both hands to rub -her little body all over with sulphur ointment, she being covered from -head to foot with this “sarna.” When she had thoroughly rubbed in the -ointment to her satisfaction, she deliberately, without even so much -as wiping her hands on a rag, poured some water into a frying-pan -and cleaned it with her hands; she did the same with the rest of the -pans and crockery, and left them to drain on the “tarimba” ready for -preparing her master’s breakfast! - -I afterwards, in the course of time, had any little squeamishness or -prejudices that I had brought with me from England rubbed off by other -instances of similar insignificant negligences on the part of the -black cooks in Africa. I once found a fine cutting of a big-toe nail on -a beefsteak; another time, a round head with a beak and large eyes, and -a body of an indistinct and cloudy nature, in a rice-pudding, from a -half-hatched egg having been stirred into it in its manufacture; and in -a roast fowl I was disappointed in cutting open what I fondly thought -was its stuffed breast, to find that it was the poor hen’s crop, full -of indian-corn, cockroaches, and a fine centipede. I also, as I have -said before, once saw my cook at Ambriz making some forcemeat-balls -quite round and smooth by rolling them with the palm of his hand on his -naked stomach! - -Another skin disease, principally attacking children, and said to be -very contagious, appears in the form of little bladders filled with -water. The treatment for this disease is to touch the vesicles with -caustic, when they soon heal; but the natives adopt a barbarous and -painful process, which is to rub them off with a rough indian-corn -cob and sand and water, and then cover the raw places with powdered -malachite and lime-juice. When at Bembe, my wife was horrified at -finding two or three women busily engaged in the cure of this -complaint on a child near a very pretty pool of water, to which we had -gone to collect butterflies; but instead of using a corn cob, they were -actually scraping the poor, yelling little unfortunate’s sores with a -piece of sharp potsherd! It is, however, satisfactory to know that the -treatment, although cruel, is efficacious. - -The purgatives made use of by the negroes are the castor-oil seeds -ground and mixed with a little water, and the juice of the plant -bearing the physic-nut (_Jatropha curcas_). This is collected on a leaf -from a cut made in the stem of the plant, and at once swallowed;--from -five to ten drops appear to be a dose. - -Epsom-salts are a very favourite medicine of the blacks living with the -white men near the coast, and I have seen them take a great mugful of a -strong solution of this salt without making a wry face. They are also -very fond of being cupped for any pain, and it is rare to see a man or -woman whose back or shoulders do not bear signs of this operation. - -Bleeding seems to suit the negro constitution admirably, and the -Bunda-speaking natives are very skilful in the use of the lancet, often -with dreadfully blunt instruments. - -One of the natives in my service at Cambambe was a capital hand at -bleeding, but his lancet was in such shocking condition, that I took -some pains to sharpen it properly on a hone: the first time he used it -afterwards, he nearly killed the man he operated upon, for, accustomed -to find considerable resistance to its blunt point, he applied the same -force to it when sharpened. He told me confidentially that he was much -obliged to me for “fetishing” the lancet, as he was sure I had not made -it so sharp by merely grinding on a stone, and he also told me that no -blood-letter would be able to compete with him. - -For swellings in the feet, &c., they are fond of making a number of -little incisions in the skin with a razor or common knife, and I have -often lent them my sharp penknife for this purpose. - -For inflammation of the bowels, colic, or other violent pains, great -use is made of the fresh leaves of the tobacco plant, applied as -gathered to the abdomen, or better still, after dipping in boiling -water. They are also chopped up and made into a poultice with -castor-oil. I have heard such wonderful accounts of the efficacy of -this remedy in those cases, both from the natives and Portuguese who -have used it, that I hope some of my medical readers may be induced to -give it a trial, which could easily be done even here, where tobacco -is now so generally grown out of doors as an ornamental plant in our -gardens. - -The leaves of the castor-oil plant are also employed in the same -manner, but are said not to be so efficacious. - -A short, broad-leaved grass covered with hairs, exuding a sticky gum, -and with a resinous smell, grows in the interior, and when very tired -the natives drink an infusion of it, which they say acts with great -benefit. - -There are a variety of other plants employed by the natives in the -cure of various complaints, but of their positive efficacy I can -only speak in two cases. One is a shrub with a very peculiar leaf, -but which unfortunately I did not observe in flower, and therefore -did not collect a specimen, so that I cannot ascertain its botanical -name. About Benguella its name is “Mboi.” The root is sliced, and the -decoction employed to rinse the mouth in scurvy. - -A Portuguese trader at Novo Redondo first told me of this plant, and -that it had quickly cured him of a dreadfully ulcerated mouth from -scurvy, after every other remedy he had had from the druggists at -Loanda had failed. On arriving at Egito I found my friend the “chefe” -there also suffering from a very bad mouth. I went into the bush in -search of this plant, and obtained a bundle of the roots for him; a few -days after, I had the satisfaction of receiving a letter telling me it -had cured him perfectly. - -Another remedy for stomach and liver complaints, from which I have -seen great benefit derived by the Portuguese who have used it, is the -root of a creeper bearing very pretty small white flowers (_Boerhaavia -sp._), and growing most abundantly everywhere in Angola. - -A clerk of mine at Ambriz, who complained of pain in his stomach, and -who was in ill health for several months, notwithstanding the doctor’s -care, was quite cured in a short time by the use of the decoction of -this root. I gave it to him, having seen its good results in several -cases at Benguella. - -Singularly enough, there is very little rheumatism amongst the natives -of Angola. Europeans also suffer but little from this complaint; but -a few years ago an epidemic of a kind of rheumatic fever attacked the -natives and nearly every white at Loanda and its neighbourhood. It was -like a simple fever, but accompanied with sudden pain in every joint, -rendering the slightest movement almost impossible. This lasted only -a few days, and the patients gradually got well. If I remember right, -there was no fatal termination to any case among the Europeans. This -disease is known in Angola by the name of “Católo-tólo,” and nearly -forty years had elapsed since its previous appearance at Loanda. - -Leeches are extremely abundant in the fresh-water lagoons of Angola, -and are much used by the Portuguese. - -In former days, when there was more intercourse between Angola and the -Brazils, leeches were an important article of export, as they fetched a -high price in the latter country. I have often bought a large clay-pot -full of fine leeches for a few fathoms of cotton cloth. - -The acrid, milky juice of the euphorbias is very dangerous to the eyes -if it should drop into them, no uncommon circumstance in clearing away -bush, &c. As a remedy the natives employ the juice of the _Sanseviera -Angolensis_, Welw. I imagine that any good effect of this plant in such -cases is more mechanical than otherwise, as it is so full of watery -juice that, by simply twisting the rod-like leaves, abundance of it -immediately squirts out. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - - CUSTOMS--BURIAL--WHITE - ANT--WASPS--FRUITS--SCENTS--SPITTING-SNAKE--SCARABÆUS--LEMUR. - - -There are several peculiar habits and customs, common to the natives of -Angola, that I have not mentioned in the preceding chapters. One of the -most striking and pleasing is their regard for their parents and old -people. These are always consulted before they undertake a journey, or -hire themselves as carriers or for other service, and they always bid -them good-bye, and leave them some little present of beads or rum. On -returning to their towns they immediately see their fathers and mothers -and the old people, and squat down and “beat hands” to them, and give -an account of their doings. A little food is then eaten together, and -they consider that they have done their duty. Neither the men nor women -will smoke whilst speaking to their old people, but always take their -pipes out of their mouths, or, if their hands are engaged, hold the -pipe-stem across their teeth. Other marks of respect always practised -to their old men, to their kings, and to white men, are, when passing -between or close to them, to bend their bodies slightly and snap their -fingers: if they meet them on the road, they will stand aside without -moving, till they have passed, and if carrying a load on the head, -always remove it to the shoulder, or lift it above the head on both -hands. A gun is never carried on the shoulder in similar cases, but -always in the hand, horizontally at the side. - -Smoking is universal, but although they are very fond of the habit, -and the plant grows luxuriantly and without any trouble, tobacco is -comparatively dear in all parts of Angola. It is a very usual thing -to see a native put a great piece of lighted charcoal in his empty -pipe-bowl, and puff away, as he says, to warm himself. They generally -carry the bits of plaited tobacco behind the ear. Tobacco is always -smoked pure. Only amongst the Mushicongos have I seen them put small -chips of a sweet-smelling root (probably a species of orris) in their -pipes with the tobacco, to give a flavour to the smoke. This root they -call “Ncombo” or “goat,” its beautiful scent being compared by the -natives to that of a billy-goat! - -Snuff-taking is also very general, the Mushicongos and the natives of -the Zombo country beyond, who bring down the ivory to the coast, being -the tribes most addicted to the habit. The tobacco leaf is well dried -over a fire, and ground on a stone, when it is ready for use, but the -above-mentioned tribes are not satisfied with it in its pure condition, -and, to make it stronger, mix it with a white ash obtained by burning -the twigs of a bush which appears to be very alkaline. This even is not -sufficiently strong for many of their delicate noses, and dried ground -Chili (cayenne) pepper is also added to obtain the degree of strength -desired. - -Their snuff-box is generally a length of cane between two knots, -the open end being closed by a small wooden stopper, secured to the -snuff-box by a bit of string passing through a hole in the centre. -Snuff-boxes are also carved out of wood, and variously ornamented. -The ordinary way of taking a pinch of snuff, between the forefinger -and thumb, is unknown to the blacks, and would be considered a very -unsatisfactory method. They pour about a teaspoonful of snuff into the -palm of the hand, and burying their wide and capacious nostrils in the -peppery mixture, snort it up loudly, aided by a rotary motion of the -half closed hand. - -Many allow a scrubby, woolly moustache to grow for the sole purpose -of plastering it thickly with snuff, so that when on a journey and -carrying a load, they can take it by simply curling up the upper lip -and sniffing strongly, without stopping or laying down the load to open -the box and take it in the ordinary way. - -Neither infanticide nor abortion are practised in Angola; on the -contrary, it is considered a misfortune not to have children, and their -marriages may be dissolved if they prove barren. - -The Mundombes have a curious custom in connection with this desire for -children. A banana-tree is planted on the day of their marriage, and if -on its producing its first bunch of fruit, which is generally in nine -or ten months after, a child should not have been born, the contract is -considered void, and they may marry again. - -The common way amongst blacks to assert the truth of a statement, is to -go on their knees and rub the forefinger of each hand on the ground, -and then touch their tongues and forehead with the dusty tips; this is -equivalent to an oath. About Loanda they make the sign of the cross on -the ground with a finger, for the same purpose, and this is evidently -derived from some old custom introduced by the former missionaries. - -Some of the actions of the blacks are exactly the same as those -performed by monkeys. In using their hands and fingers to clean or -polish a piece of brass work, for instance, the feeble and nerveless -manner of holding the bit of oiled rag, and the whole action of the -hand and arm, is strikingly like that of a monkey when it rubs its -hands on the ground when they are sticky or dirty. Their manner -of sliding their hands up and down on the edge of a door or on a -door-post, or along the edges of a table whilst waiting or speaking, is -very monkey-like, and no black--man, woman, or child--ever goes along -a corridor or narrow passage without rubbing both hands on the walls. - -Blacks, especially women, have a singular way of carrying any object -in the hand, which always appeared to me to be very uncomfortable. A -plate or glass, for instance, is invariably carried as in Plate XIV., -the hand being thrown back and the object taken on the flat, extended -palm. The greater flexibility of the joints in the negro race may have -something to do with this, as also with the fact of their squatting -on their heels, but with their knees not touching the ground, for a -considerable length of time, and then getting up apparently without -the slightest stiffness from what would be to most of us a very -uncomfortable position. - -Blacks have an odd habit, when they feel cold, of placing their hands -on their shoulders, not with their arms crossed, as would be most -natural for us to do, but each hand on its corresponding shoulder, and -if they feel very cold, they bring their elbows together in front and -shrink their heads into their shoulders, so that the ears touch the -sides of the hands. - -They are fond of gambling, particularly the inhabitants of Loanda, and -also the slaves and servants of the white men on the coast. For this -they use playing-cards, and also small round pieces of crockery ground -on a stone to the size of a sixpence, and these they shake in the hands -and throw up in the same way as a handful of halfpence in our game of -“toss,” and according as a greater or lesser number of the plain or -coloured sides come down uppermost, so do the players win or lose. I -have also seen in several places a board in which were a number of -shallow pits, and in these a few seeds or round pebbles, which were -rapidly shifted about into the different holes by the two players, -but I could never make out the plan of the game. Beyond this, and the -“batuco” or dance, and playing the “marimba,” the natives of Angola -have absolutely no game or amusement of any kind whatever. - -The youngsters have no toys or playthings, and never race or play -together as ours do. - -None, either young or old, know or practise a single game of skill or -strength; there is not an indication anywhere that they ever contended -at ball, stick, wrestling, or any other exercise or feat. This to -my mind is striking in the highest degree, and most suggestive of a -singularly low type, one in which no sentiment of emulation or rivalry -exists, and consequently very difficult to work upon with much chance -of success for its advancement. - -I have never seen or heard of any monument, or sculptured rocks or -stones being found in the country, which might indicate the existence -of a previous race; and the most curious thing is that even tradition -of any kind is unknown to the blacks of Angola. In no case could they -trace events further back than during the reign of five “sobas;” -no very great length of time when it is considered that these are -generally old men when elected. They do not even know the history of -the crucifixes now-existing amongst them as “fetishes” of the “sobas;” -and when I have explained to them that they formerly belonged to the -missionaries, they were astonished, and gave as a reason for their -ignorance and my knowledge, that the white men could write, whereas, -when they died, nothing they had seen or known was preserved, as our -writings were, for the information of their children. - -This again, I think, is very indicative of their low type; as also is -the fact that no animal is tamed or utilized by the negro, or made -subservient to his comfort in any way. Even the cows or goats are not -milked except by the natives south of the River Quanza. In no part of -Angola (and the same holds good, I believe, of the whole negro race) is -a single animal employed in agriculture as a beast of burden, or for -riding. - -The burial places of the blacks of Angola are almost everywhere alike. -A square place is raised about a foot from the ground, and the earth -enclosed by short stakes or flat pieces of rock, and on this raised -space broken bottles and crockery of every description are placed. - -The ordinary burial places, like those mentioned about Ambriz, are -merely mounds of earth or stones, with a stick to mark the grave of -a man, and a basket that of a woman; and sometimes a slab of rock -is stuck upright in the ground to indicate the head of the grave. -Occasionally, in the case of a big “soba,” there are several tiers -of earth raised one above the other, and ornamented with broken glass -and crockery and various figures representing “fetishes,” and I have -also seen a shade of sticks and grass erected over the whole, to keep -it from the rain. - -[Illustration: - - PLATE XVI. - -Pelopœus spirifex and nest.--Devil of the Road.--Dasylus -sp.--Caterpillars’ nests.--Mantis and nest.--Manis multiscutatum and -Ants’ nests. - - _To face page 277._] - -The “Salalé” or “white ant,” as the larva of quite a small black ant -is called, is, from its numbers and the ravages it commits, a very -important insect, and merits some notice. It is most abundant in the -interior, where the soil, from the decomposition of the clay and mica -slate, is more earthy or clayey, as it is not fond of rocky, stony, or -sandy ground unless it is very ferruginous. Their nests are sometimes -large, pointed masses of earth three and four feet high, and as many -in diameter at the base, internally tunnelled in every direction, and -swarming with ants, eggs, and larvæ; but the usual nests are about a -foot or eighteen inches high, like a gigantic mushroom, with from one -to six round curved heads placed one on top of the other (Plate XVI.). -These nests are very hard, and the exceedingly fine earth or clay of -which they are made must be mixed with some gummy secretion, by means -of which it becomes so hard on drying. - -My cook at Cambambe was very clever at making small dome-shaped ovens -from old ants’ nests, which he ground fine and mixed to a thick paste -or mortar. When the oven was dry (nothing else being used in building -it but this mortar), he lit a fire in it, and it burnt to almost the -hardness of stone, and without a crack or flaw in it; it was then ready -for use, and lasted a long time. These ovens were big enough to bake -three small loaves of bread at a time. - -These nests are sometimes so numerous, particularly in the grassy -plains of the interior, as to render walking difficult in many places, -and, when the grass has been burnt off, they give a very peculiar -appearance to the surface, looking something like a field of brown -cauliflowers. They are, like the larger ones, perforated with galleries -in every direction, and also full of ants and larvæ. It is curious that -considering the existence of the countless millions of these ants over -large areas of country, no bird, and with the exception of the rare -_Manis multiscutata_, no animal, should be found to feed on them. This -animal is something like an armadillo, with a long tail, and covered -with large, hard, long scales (Plate XVI.). Specimens are sold at -Loanda and elsewhere, and used as “fetishes” by the natives. A species -of the “ant-bear,” apparently the same as that found at the Cape, is -not uncommon in Benguella, but I have seen its burrows in situations -near the sea, in salt, dusty plains, &c., where very little or no -“Salalé” is found, and from examination of the dung, I found that its -food must consist principally of small lizards and larvæ of insects, -and beetles, especially the _Psammodes oblonga_, Dej., so extremely -abundant in its haunts. - -The natives of Benguella say there are two kinds, one very much larger -than the other. I once tasted a roasted leg of the ant-bear, called -“Jimbo” by the natives, and its flavour was very much like pork. - -It is a well-known fact that the white ant is most destructive to -timber and woodwork of every description, as well as to all clothes and -fabrics. Nothing comes amiss to its insatiable jaws, with the exception -of metal and some very few woods. Goods, provisions, &c., must be kept -on tables or frames built on wooden legs, as if placed on the ground -they would quickly be destroyed; but even then care must be taken to -examine the legs or supports of the frames every day, as they will run -up these in search of the good things on the top. The white ant is -about a quarter of an inch long, and its body is very soft and white, -but with a black head provided with most powerful jaws for so small a -creature. - -It never ventures into the light, and when it leaves the shelter of the -ground always protects itself by building a flattened tube of earth -or sand as it goes along; it will carry this tube up a wall to reach -a window-sill or other woodwork, or right up to the roof timbers. Any -object left for a little time on the ground, particularly in a closed -or dark store, is quickly covered over with earth, and then completely -eaten away. I have known a pair of shoes thus covered in one night, and -the thread, being the softest part, devoured, so that the leathers came -apart at the seams when they were lifted. - -I once left a trunk full of clothes at Loanda whilst I was away for -about a month on an excursion inland. When I returned the trunk seemed -all right, but on opening it I found that a black cloth coat I had laid -at the top was at the bottom, and under it about a couple of handfuls -of dust was all that remained of my boxfull of clothes. - -Window or door frames I have seen completely eaten away from the walls, -leaving only a thin covering, often not thicker than a sheet of brown -paper, or little more than the thickness of the paint. - -Whilst lying awake one night, I noticed a peculiar thrumming noise -made by the white ant when manufacturing a tube up the wall near my -bedside. In the morning I carefully peeled off the top of the tube with -a penknife, just sufficiently to observe the motions of the little -masons within, and I saw a string of larvæ coming up loaded with -little pellets of clay, which they delivered to others at the top, who -simultaneously, and at intervals of four or five seconds, patted them -down, thus producing the noise I had heard. This noise can be very -plainly heard if the larvæ are working on the “loandos” or mats with -which the huts or stick-houses are covered. - -Towards the end of the rainy season the white ant attains its perfect -form, and on a still, warm evening, generally after a shower of rain, a -wonderful sight presents itself when the perfect winged insects issue -forth in countless myriads from the ground. This is everywhere full -of little holes, about the size of a goose-quill, from which the ants -are forcing their way out, not singly, but in a solid compact body or -stream. They instantly take wing and rise upwards for about six to -twelve feet, when the breeze wafts them about in every direction. The -air becomes so full of these ants, that a mist seems to hang over the -ground, and I have seen the whole of the bottom of the valley at Bembe -completely enshrouded by them. Great is the feast of birds and animals -at this time. Birds of all kinds are attracted by the sight and collect -in numbers, flying low, and gorging themselves with them. I have shot -hawks and eagles with their crops full to their beaks. Poultry eat them -till they go about with their beaks open, unable to find room for any -more. Several tame monkeys I had at Bembe used to sit on the ground, -and, taking pinches of the ants as they issued from their holes, bite -off the succulent bodies and throw away the wings. - -On our last journey to Bembe my wife was very much amused to see two -little children come out of a hut, each with a slice of “quiquanga,” -and, sitting down on the ground close by an ant-hole, proceed to take -pinches of the ants (exactly as I have described the monkeys as doing), -and eat them as a relish to their “quiquanga.” - -After rising in the air for a very little while, the ants quickly fall, -lose their wings, and disappear in the ground, leaving it covered -with the pretty, delicate, transparent wings. These lie so thickly -that a handful can easily be collected together. This will give some -idea of the number of these destructive pests, which Nature seems to -provide with wings simply to enable them to spread about and form new -colonies. It is very fortunate that they do not attack live plants or -roots. These soft, delicate little mites doubtless play an important -part in Nature’s most wonderful plan for the balance of life by quickly -destroying all dead timber and other vegetable matter that the quick -growing and ever luxuriant vegetation would otherwise soon completely -cover, thereby choking up the surface of the country. These ants do not -wait for the fall of a dead tree, or even a branch, for they will find -the latter out, and carrying their earthen tube up the tree quickly -consume the rotten limb. I do not know how intelligence of a likely -morsel is conveyed to the larvæ underground, but it is most likely -carried by the ants. They will construct four or five feet of tube up -a wall in one night, straight to a coat or any other object that may -be hanging up; they will also come through a wall, in which they have -bored, exactly behind anything placed against it that may be likely -food for their jaws. - -There are many other species of ants in Angola; one very large black -kind migrates in columns of perhaps eight to ten abreast, and as -much as ten or twelve yards in length; they walk very fast, and do -not deviate from their intended path unless compelled to do so by an -impassable obstacle. - -On touching one of these columns with a stick, a curious fizzing -noise is produced, which is communicated to the whole body, and they -instantly open out in all directions in search of the supposed enemy; -after a great deal of running backwards and forwards with their -powerful hooked mandibles open and upraised, they again collect and -fall into a column and proceed on their way. - -I remember a laughable incident that happened at a small town on the -road to Bembe, where I once put up for the night. Some of my carriers -had gone to sleep in a hut, and towards morning I was awakened by -screams and shouts, and saw a number of these blacks coming pell-mell -out of it, dancing, jumping, and running about like mad. All the -town was alarmed, and the natives came running out of their huts to -ascertain what was the matter. I had hardly got on my feet when the -cries were mixed with peals of laughter, they having quickly found out -the cause of the terrific uproar. - -It was nothing else than a column of these ants that had passed through -the hut and had instantly fastened on the bodies of the sleeping blacks -with which it was filled. They fasten their great jaws into the skin -so tightly, that their bodies can be pulled off their heads without -relaxing their hold. The mandibles must discharge a poisonous fluid -into the wound, as their bite feels exactly like a sharp puncture from -a red-hot needle, and they always draw blood. - -I once unconsciously put my foot upon a column, but luckily only three -or four fastened on my ankle and leg, and I shall never forget the -sudden and sharp hot bite of the wretches. - -There is another kind very abundant on bushes and trees, of a -semi-transparent watery-red colour, with long legs; their bite is also -very sharp. They build nests by attaching the leaves together with fine -white web; these nests are from the size of an apple to that of a hat. - -Their food must be principally the fruit and seeds of the plants -they are usually found on. Some seeds, particularly those of the -india-rubber creeper, I had the greatest difficulty in obtaining ripe, -from these ants eating them up whilst green. - -A minute red ant, like that which infests our kitchens and houses, is -extremely abundant, and is very difficult to keep out of sugar and -other provisions; the best way is to place the legs of the table in -saucers of vinegar and water, or have safes suspended by a rope, which -must be tarred, or they will find their way down. If anything on -which they are swarming is placed in the sun, they immediately vanish. -A small piece of camphor, tied up in a bit of rag and placed in a -sugar-basin or safe, will effectually keep them out, without flavouring -the sugar, &c., in the least. - -The best and cheapest preventive against the white ant is ordinary -petroleum; they will not come near a place where the least trace of its -smell exists. - -Of other insects the most abundant and worthy of note, besides the -mosquitoes already described, are the many species of wasps. One of -these, brightly barred with yellow and having a comical habit of -dropping down its long legs in a bunch straight under its body as it -flies, is the _Pelopœus spirifex_ (Plate XVI.)--(called “marimbondo” by -the natives)--and is one of the large family found in the tropics and -called “mud-daubers” from their habit of making clay or mud nests in -which they store up spiders and caterpillars as provision for the grubs -or larvæ. It is a very singular fact that of the fifty or sixty species -known to entomologists, all are males, the females not having yet been -discovered. It is supposed that the latter are parasites on other -insects, or perhaps in ants’ nests, &c. I have opened many hundreds of -the clay cells and invariably found a grub or perfect male insect, or -the empty chrysalis of one; and I further ascertained that the male -insect does not bring the female in its legs or mouth to lay the egg -in the cell, nor does he bring the egg, but the young, hatched grub. I -watched one nest being built, and when it was ready, I saw the insect -fly away and return and go into it, and on examination I found that it -had deposited the small grub at the bottom. In its next journeys it -brought spiders till the cell was full of them, when it procured some -clay and quickly plastered over the aperture. To procure the spiders it -first stabs them with its dreadful sting, and then picks them up and -flies away with them to its nest. - -Whilst at Bembe, I fortunately witnessed a fight between a large -specimen of these wasps and a powerful spider which had built its -fine web on my office wall. The spider nearly had the wasp enveloped -in its web several times, and by means of its long legs prevented the -wasp from reaching its body with its sting, but at last, after a few -minutes hard fighting, the wasp managed to stab the spider right in the -abdomen, when it instantly curled up its legs and dropped like dead to -the ground. The wasp pounced down on it, but I interfered, and picking -up the spider placed it under a tumbler to ascertain how long it would -live, as I had noticed that the spiders stored in the nests were always -alive, although unable to crawl away when taken out. It lived for a -week, and, although moving its legs when touched, had no power of -locomotion, showing that the poison of the wasp has a strong paralysing -effect. I have counted as many as twenty spiders in a single cell, and -there are seldom less than three cells together, and sometimes as many -as eight or ten. - -These wasps are fond of building their nests in the houses, on -curtains, behind picture-frames, books, or furniture, and I once found -the inside of a harmonium full of them. Each cell is about the size of -a thimble; they are very smoothly and prettily made, and a wasp will -build one in a day easily. I never found anything else in these cells -but spiders and caterpillars. - -It is satisfactory to know that these savage destroyers of spiders have -in their turn enemies from which they have no escape. These are large, -long-bodied, brown flies (_Dasylus sp._ and _Dasypogon sp._) (Plate -XVI.), with long legs and a very quiet inoffensive look and manner of -flying. They settle on the backs of the different species of wasps, -their long legs enabling them to keep at such a distance that the wasp -cannot reach them with its sting, then insert a long sharp proboscis -into the wasp’s back and suck its body dry, when they fly off in search -of another. Other beautiful flies of splendent metallic colouring -(_Stilbum sp._) also prey on the wasps and mud-daubers. These flies -again are an easy prey to the numerous insectivorous birds, and thus -we get a series of links of the complicated chain of the apparently -somewhat cruel law of Nature, by means of which the due proportion -of animal life would appear to be principally adjusted, and an undue -preponderance of one kind over another prevented. - -On the stems of the high grass may very often be seen little round -nests about the size of a hen’s egg, having the appearance of rough -glazed paper, and made by the different species of Mantis (Plate -XVI.). These nests are applied by the black women to an odd use; they -rub the soles of their children’s feet with them in the belief that it -will make them good walkers when they grow up, and I have often seen -the little brats struggling and yelling in their mothers’ laps whilst -being thus tickled. - -A large species of wasp (_Synagris cornuta_) is called the “devil of -the road” by the natives, from the alleged poisonous character of its -bite and sting. It is a ferocious-looking creature with very large and -powerful mandibles (Plate XVI.). It is an inch and a half long, and is -said to have a habit of settling on the paths: hence its name, and the -natives then always give it a wide berth. - -The sting of this class of insect is poisonous. One very small species -once stung me in the back of the neck, and it was greatly swollen, for -several hours; and I have seen a black who had been stung in the ear by -a moderate sized one, with not only his ear but the side of his face -very much swollen for a couple of days. - -Centipedes are very abundant, but their bite is not dangerous. I -was bitten by one in the shoulder whilst asleep, and on awaking, and -putting my hand instinctively to the place, I was bitten a second time -in the wrist, and, although it was a large specimen, beyond the sharp -puncture and considerable irritation near the spots, no other ill -effect was produced. Whilst I was at Bembe a Portuguese officer was -bitten between the fingers, and his hand and arm as far as the shoulder -were swollen slightly for two or three days, but without much pain. - -Many of the caterpillars are very gorgeously coloured and fancifully -ornamented with tufts of hair, but generally the moths and butterflies -are of a more dull and sombre colouring than might be expected from -the tropical latitude of Angola. Insect life as a rule is scarce, with -the exception of ants and mosquitoes, and not only very local in its -occurrence but also confined to a short space of time. Hardly an insect -of any kind is to be seen in the “cacimbo,” and in the hot season the -different species of butterflies only appear for a very few weeks, -and sometimes only days. Beetles are remarkably scarce at any time. -The finest butterflies are, of course, found in the forest region of -the first and second elevation, and almost exclusively in the places -most deeply shaded, where they flit about near the ground between the -trees. The sunny open places full of flowering plants are not so much -frequented by butterflies as might be expected, but the great abundance -of insectivorous birds may possibly supply an explanation of this -circumstance. - -The following interesting note on the butterflies of Angola has -been kindly written by my friend, Mr. W. C. Hewitson, so well known -from his magnificent collection, and his beautiful work on ‘Exotic -Butterflies’:-- - -“Until very recently we knew nothing of the butterflies of Angola, -and very little of those of Africa north of the Cape of Good Hope, -except what we could learn from the plates of Drury. The great genus -_Romaleosoma_, so peculiar to that country, and remarkable for its rich -colour, rivalling even Agrias of America, was only represented in the -British Museum. Now we have them in abundance, and several species are -plentiful in Angola. - -“We have had large collections from that country during the last -two years from Mr. Rogers, a collector sent out by me, and from Mr. -Monteiro, who, with the assistance of his wife, caught and brought home -a fine collection of Lepidoptera. - -“With the first collections of Mr. Rogers, made on the banks of the -River Quanza, I was greatly disappointed. With a very few exceptions -they contained those butterflies only which we had previously received -in abundance from the Cape and from Natal. A collection from the -mountainous district of Casengo was much more promising, and supplied -us, together with some new species, with several varieties little known -before, amongst them _Charaxes Anticlea_ and _Harma Westermanni_. - -“Mr. Monteiro’s collection, though also deficient in new -species, contained several of great value, and only recently -discovered--_Godartia Trajanus_, so remarkable for its nearly -circular wings, which had been previously taken by Mr. Crossley on -the Cameroons; the rare _Charaxes Lysianassa_, figured by Professor -Westwood in his ‘Thesaurus;’ _Charaxes Bohemani_, which we had -previously received from the Zambesi; the very beautiful _Crenis -Benguella_, described by Mr. Chapman; and a number of varieties of -_Acræa Euryta_, and the _Diademas_, which so closely resemble them. - -“The most remarkable new species in the collection was the large -_Euryphene Plistonax_, since figured in the ‘Exotic Butterflies.’ - -“It is interesting to learn that the same species of butterflies are in -Africa spread over a very large extent of country. The distance from -the Cape of Good Hope to Angola is 1400 miles. Several new species -which I have had from the West Coast have been received by Mr. Ward -from Zanzibar, a distance of 36 degrees. Two new species of Papilio, -remarkable because unlike anything previously seen from Africa, which -I had received from Bonny, were very soon afterwards sent to Mr. Ward -from Zanzibar.” - -Mr. H. Druce has published a list of the butterflies we collected in -the ‘Proceedings of the Zoological Society’ for 1875. - -Several caterpillars form very curious nests or houses to protect -their bodies. One is made of bits of twig about an inch and a half -long, attached round a strong cocoon or web (Plate XVI.); the head and -front legs alone are protruded at will, which enables the insect to -walk about on the under side of the leaves on which it feeds. Another -is built up on the same plan, but the bits of twig are short and laid -across the length of the cocoon, and the whole enveloped in a strong -white web (Plate XVI.). - -The coast of Angola has never to my knowledge been dredged for shells. -The surf grinds and destroys any that may be thrown up on the beach, -but as this is almost everywhere sandy and very slightly shelving from -the land, dredging would probably prove its fauna to be rich. Land and -fresh-water shells are rare. - -I have seen land tortoises at Benguella and Musserra only, and they -appear to be confined to the gneiss and granite rocks of those two -places. They are only found in the hot season, and according to the -natives they hybernate in holes in the rock during the “cacimbo.” The -natives eat them, so that it is not easy to obtain live specimens. Two -that I brought home from Musserra lived for some time at the gardens -of the Zoological Society, and were described by Dr. Selater as the -_Cinixys erosa_ and the _Cinixys belliana_ (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1871). - -Porcupines are not uncommon, and I often found their quills lying on -the ground. The natives are fond of the flesh of this pretty animal; -they are also fond of sticking the quills in the wool of their heads -as an ornament, but they have no acquaintance with the story of their -being able to project their quills when angry, or as a means of defence. - -Fruits are by no means so abundant in Angola as they might be. It is -only within the last few years that the Portuguese have followed the -good example of the old missionaries in planting fruit-trees. Most of -the European fruit-trees grow remarkably well. Oranges are of delicious -quality. Mulberries bear most abundantly, but only a very few trees -are to be seen. Limes grow wild in many places. Mangoes (_Mangifera -Indica_) grow splendidly, but are scarce everywhere except about -the Bengo country; there are none on the Quanza, the natives having -a prejudice against planting the tree, as they believe it would be -unlucky. Sweet and sour Sop (_Anona sp._) and Papaw (_Carica Papaya_) -are very common. The Guava (_Psidium Guaiava_) grows wild in abundance -in many places, and the Araçá, another species (_P. Araçá_) is also -cultivated. The Jambo (_Jambosa vulgaris_) is found growing wild, and, -although rather insipid, it has a delicious scent of attar of roses. -The “Munguengue” is the name of a tree (a species of _Spondiaceæ_) -bearing bunches of yellow, plum-like fruit of a very delicious flavour -and scent, and its pulp mixed with water and sugar makes one of the -nicest drinks I have tasted. It is a very handsome tree with leaves -of a bright, spring green, of which goats, sheep, and other animals -are exceedingly fond. The wood is soft and useless for carpentry, -but the branches are much used for fences round huts and enclosures, -as any piece stuck in the ground quickly takes root, and soon grows -into a fine shady tree. The natives on the coast eat the fruit of the -_Chrysobolamus Icaca_, var., which they call “Jingimo”; it is like a -round, black-purple plum, tasteless and astringent. It is a common -sea-side plant, covering large stretches of coast, and growing from -large trailing masses a few inches high, to small bushy trees. It has a -round, bright, shiny, green leaf. Pineapples are generally very fine, -and might be grown to any extent. Grapes and figs are sparingly grown, -but bear well. - -The only plants employed by the natives as scents are the seeds of -the _Hibiscus Abelmoschus_, smelling strongly of musk, and a very -sweet-smelling wood. These they keep in their boxes with their cloths, -&c., and also rub them over the head and body. The natives from the -interior also rub themselves over with a stinking nut something like an -acorn, with a powerful smell like rotten onions. These are brought to -the coast for sale to the natives of Ambriz. On my asking one of them -how he could bear to rub his body with such a bad-smelling substance, -he answered by another question, “Do not you whites use Eau-de-Cologne?” - -The blacks also use the skin of the musk or civet-cat, which is very -common in the interior, to scent their cloths and bodies. The smell of -this animal is so powerful that the clothes of a person passing through -grass where one has previously been, acquire such a strong smell of -musk as to retain it perceptibly for days. - -Angola is poor in dyes, and only a few are employed by the blacks. -For red they use the fresh pulp enveloping the seeds of the “annatto” -(_Bixa Orellana_); for yellow they employ yellow ginger. The Quissamas -and some of the natives on the River Quanza dye their cloths of a -bluish-black with the black mud of the river, mixed with the infusion -of a plant that I believe to be a species of indigo. Cloths are also -made black by rubbing them with charred ground-nuts reduced to a fine -paste, and, as already mentioned, a fine red for painting their faces, -bodies, and houses, is obtained by rubbing tacula-wood to a pulp with -water on a rough stone, and drying the resulting paste. - -Large land-lizards are rare except at Benguella, where they abound. -They are brown, and from two to three feet long. I tried very often to -preserve them alive, but without success, although I gave them every -kind of food I could think of. A very long yellow-spotted water-lizard -(_Monitor Niloticus_), with a handsome bead-like pattern on its back -and legs, and as much as six or eight feet long, is common in the -rivers, and is said to be very destructive to poultry. The natives -state that this lizard feeds upon the eggs and young of the alligator. - -Snakes are nowhere very abundant--I may say singularly scarce; and -in the years that I have travelled in Angola I have not only never -trodden on or been attacked by one, but have only seen them a very few -times. The most common is the boa-constrictor, but only in the marshy -places near rivers. In these the River Jack (_Clotho nasicornis_) is -also found; one of these which had been caught in a fish-basket set to -catch “Bagre” in the River Luqueia, was brought alive to me at Bembe. -It was a very fine one and very brilliantly marked. I kept it in a -large box covered with wire-gauze. It lived for several months, and -died a natural death shortly after shedding its skin. It is called -“Uta-maza” (water-snake) by the natives, and is held in the greatest -fear by them, its bite being said to be deadly, and no antidote or cure -for it known. I can well believe this from witnessing the effect of its -bite on the live rats with which I fed it. - -I was obliged to feed it on live rats, as it refused to eat any kind -of animal or bird that it had not itself killed. If I placed a dead -rat in its cage with the live one, I would find in the morning it had -swallowed the one it had killed, but had left the dead one. On placing -a rat in the cage, the snake, which was generally coiled up in a -corner, would lift up its head and hiss slightly at the rat, which -seemed conscious of its danger, and would run about seeking for some -means of escape. The snake would continue to watch it with uplifted -head till it passed close enough, when it would suddenly strike it a -blow with incredible rapidity, the action being so instantaneous that -I could never see how the fangs were projected forwards, or, in fact, -how the blow was delivered. The poor rat would only give a small squeak -on receiving the blow, run a few paces, then stagger, fall on its side, -stretch itself out, and die after a few feeble convulsions. - -This snake would never make more than one dart at its prey, and would -only swallow it at night; and although I watched it for hours in -perfect quiet, and with a shaded light, I never succeeded in seeing it -eat. - -There is a dangerous snake (Naja heje) not uncommon about Benguella. -It is small in size, but remarkable from its habit of spitting to a -considerable distance, and its saliva is said to blind a person if it -touches the eyes. It is called “Cuspideira” by the Portuguese. One of -these snakes was captured by the natives and brought to the mine at -Cuio, where it was placed in a cage. An English miner was standing over -the cage, which was on the ground, teasing the snake with a stick; when -it spat up in his face, and he felt some of the liquid enter one of -his eyes. He immediately had it washed out with water, but the eye was -very much irritated for several days after. I was absent at the time, -and the snake was unfortunately destroyed, but I have no reason for -doubting the miner’s statement or that of his companions, corroborated -as it is by that of the natives and Portuguese. A harmless snake is -found under floorings of houses and stores, and is very useful in -ridding them of rats and mice. - -One of these snakes once gave me considerable trouble at Loanda. My -bedroom was on the ground-floor under an office, and outside my door -was the staircase leading to it. Every morning, just a little before -daybreak, I used to be awakened by hearing a loud crack on the table as -if made by a blow from a thick whip. This excited my curiosity greatly, -as I could find no possible explanation for the noise. At last I -determined to be on the watch. I had lucifers and a candle ready, -and was luckily awake when I heard the noise repeated on my table. I -instantly struck a light, and saw a snake about six feet long glide off -the table on to the ground and quickly disappear in a hole in a corner -of the room. I then ascertained that Mr. Snake went up the staircase -every night to the office above, where he hunted about for rats, and -towards morning returned through a hole in the flooring immediately -above my table, dropping a height of about ten feet, and producing the -whip-like sound that had so perplexed me for many nights. A bung in the -hole in the floor above stopped his return that way for the future, but -I could not help being thankful that my bed had not been placed where -the table stood, for, notwithstanding that I believed it was simply -a harmless and inoffensive ratcatcher, still six feet of cold snake -wriggling over my face and body might not have been quite pleasant in -the dark. - -We collected a number of sphynx-moths, both at Ambriz and on the road -to Bembe. At Ambriz they always came to the flowers of the shrubby -jasmine I have described as being so abundant near the coast (_Corrissa -sp._) Farther inland we saw them flitting about only on the white -flowers of a herbaceous plant (_Gynandropsis pentaphylla_, D.C.), a -very common weed, particularly around the towns and in open, cleared -spaces. - -A large scarabæus beetle (which my friend, Mr. H. W. Bates, finds to be -a new species, and has named _Ateuchus Angolensis_) is very abundant -wherever cow-dung is found; and it is amusing to see them at work, -making it up into balls nearly the size of a billiard-ball, an egg -having been deposited in each. Two or three may often be seen pushing -the ball along backwards--the custom of these beetles everywhere. I -once saw a curious episode at Ambriz:--one beetle was on the top of -a ball fussing about as if directing two others that were pushing -it along with all their might; suddenly he came down and commenced -fighting with one of them, and after a hard tussle (during which they -made quite a perceptible hissing noise), beat him off and took his -place. - -I discovered at Benguella a very beautiful lemur, named by Mr. A. -D. Bartlett the _Galago Monteiri_, and described and figured in the -‘Proceedings of the Zoological Society’ (June 1863). It is of a light, -chinchilla-grey colour, with black nose and ears, and dark brown feet -and toes. This animal can turn back and crumple up its rather large -and long ears at will. Its tail is long, and, like the rest of the -body, very furry. It is very quiet and gentle, nocturnal in its habits, -and sleeps much during the day. The natives use its long, fine fur to -stanch bleeding from cuts or wounds. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -CONCLUSION. - - -I have now brought to a close my description of a small portion of -the terra incognita, comparatively speaking, of Africa, and it may -not be out of place, in conclusion, to note those results of my long -experience in Angola that bear on the important questions of the -civilization and mental advancement of the negro race, and the material -development of tropical Africa. - -I have given the reasons that have convinced me of the rudimentary -quality of the negro intellect, naturally corresponding to the -peculiar insensibility of his organization, the result of the “natural -selection” that, through perhaps thousands of years of struggling -against malaria, has at last resulted in his adaptability to inhabit -with perfect impunity what to the white race is the deadly, unhealthy -climate of a great part of tropical Africa. I have also attempted -to show that the malignity of the climate of the West Coast is, as I -believe, principally due to its low level, and that this unhealthy -character or influence is continued in many places far inland, although -perhaps resulting from other causes. - -From the mental constitution of the race, and the impossibility of -ameliorating the climate, I can see no hope of the negro ever attaining -to any considerable degree of civilization, owing to his incapacity for -spontaneously developing to a higher or more perfect condition, and -the impossibility of the white race peopling his country in sufficient -numbers to enforce his civilization; consequently, should science not -discover a means for the successful combating of the African climate, -the negro must ever remain as he has always been, and as he is at the -present day. - -The greatest good or improvement we can hope for is, that in the -comparatively healthy parts, as Angola for instance, the more barbarous -customs or habits may be abolished by the more intimate contact with -Europeans; but even this gain or advantage will not be an unmixed good, -as it will be counterbalanced by the creation of an amount of vice and -immorality unknown to the negro in his native or unsophisticated state. - -That this is not an imaginary result, but one inevitably following -the contact of the white race with one of so inferior a type as the -negro, is, for example, notably evidenced at Sierra Leone. The contact -of the Portuguese with the natives of Angola, however, does not -appear to have acted so prejudicially as ours in Sierra Leone, for -although there is not much difference for the better in the morals -of the whites or of the civilized natives, the latter certainly have -not the astounding impudence and cant of the Sierra Leone blacks. -It is true that in Angola the natives have not been muddled by the -present style of missionary work, which I am sorry to say is not only -nearly useless, but must be blamed as the cause of the above very -objectionable characteristics. It does seem a pity that so much money -and well-intentioned zeal should for so many years have been expended -on the negro of British West Africa with an almost negative result. - -There is more hope for the development of the material resources of -tropical Africa. The negro is capable of being acted upon to a certain -extent by the desire for something more than the absolute necessaries -of life, to satisfy which he is willing to work a little. The country -is so extensive, and the soil and natural productions so rich, that -a very little exertion on the part of the population suffices to -bring forth a considerable amount of produce; but another and more -industrious race will have to take the place of the negro in Africa if -its riches and capabilities are to be fully developed. - -The introduction of Coolies and Chinese into tropical Africa would, -in my opinion, be the most important and valuable step that could be -devised. The starving millions of China and other parts of the East -would find in Africa a congenial climate, and a bountiful reward -for their industry, with the greatest benefit to themselves and the -rest of mankind. The useless negroes would then sooner follow their -apparent fate of future extinction, or become merged into a more highly -organized and industrious race. - -The indefensible injustice and cruelty of the former slave-trade has -created a wrong impression in our minds of the actual condition of -the negro in Africa, and, based upon this false idea, our sympathies -are unduly excited for a state of misery and wretchedness that in -reality has no existence. Our blind philanthropists crowd to hear the -stereotyped tale of the missionary in Africa, and the greatest interest -is taken in the efforts to ameliorate the assumed unhappy state of the -much-pitied negro--who is lying in perfect enjoyment and nakedness -under a magnificent sky, surrounded by exquisite scenery, supplied by -nature with food without any work or trouble, and insensible alike to -physical suffering and hardship, or mental worry and vexation. Meantime -thousands of our race are plunged into hopeless misery and suffering, -unpitied and often unrelieved by those who are so anxious to minister -to the imaginary wants of the poor heathen! - -It is impossible for any one who has lived much amongst natives of -tropical climates not to contrast the life led by them with that -endured by a great portion of our own so highly civilized race--to -compare their, as a rule, harmless, peaceful, healthy, and I may say -sinless existence, with the grinding, despairing poverty of our -cities; with the awful misery that hides in noisome dens under a -cruel, rigorous climate, without warmth, air, water, or food; with the -constant hopeless toil of thousands in our manufacturing districts, -and the frightful barbarity, ignorance, and vice underlying our -civilization, with all its religions, wealth, and luxury. We spend -large sums in the fruitless attempt to reclaim and convert the negro -from his so-called dark state, and we allow thousands of our innocent -children at home to grow up as thieves and worse than savages. - -It is lucky that the negro is unaware that those who are so anxious for -his welfare and conversion from a comparatively innocent condition, -come from a country where a state of ferocity, poverty, and vice exists -of which he has happily no conception, or it would make him look upon -us with horror and surprise. - -Amongst the pleasant remembrances of the years I have spent in -Angola, the hospitality of the Portuguese often recurs. Many a time -in travelling I have had my hammock hidden, and have been obliged -to stay for two or three days with strangers, in all but name, or -friends perhaps of persons I knew at other places. At any time of the -night that a traveller may arrive, he is made welcome, and the cook is -instantly told to prepare coffee or kill a fowl and make a “canga,” as -fowl-soup thick with rice, and flavoured with ham, &c., is called. - -I have been especially grateful to the officers commanding the -districts in the interior, and to all, without exception, whether -civilians or military, that I have met with in my long travels, I have -to offer my thanks for their great kindness and hospitality--doubly -pleasing from its disinterestedness and spontaneity. - -I have hardly alluded to the wonderful safety and absence of all risk -or danger in travelling over almost any part of Angola, especially -in those parts in the occupation of the Portuguese. The natives are -everywhere civil if well treated; and if only good humour exists on the -part of the traveller, and due allowance be made for the laziness and -procrastination of the negro, no great inconvenience need ever be felt -in going anywhere through the country. A knowledge of Portuguese is -of course almost essential, as, with the exception of some places on -the River Congo, and as far south of it as Ambriz, where some of the -natives speak English, a great number speak only Portuguese besides -their own language. - -Money of most nations passes in Angola, the English sovereign being -perhaps the most useful of any, and at those places where goods of -various kinds are principally required for payments of carriers, -provisions, &c., they can be readily obtained at moderate rates from -the traders. - -I have now, to the best of my ability, described the customs and -productions of this wonderful and beautiful country, and I shall be -glad if the perusal of these pages should induce others to explore more -fully the rich field it presents to the naturalist and geographer. - - - - -APPENDIX. - - -The habit of the negro, when employing European languages, of using an -absurd and inflated style is well known, and I cannot help attributing -this peculiarity to the effect of the specifically constituted mind of -the race. The natives of Angola are no exception to this rule, and I -have often been amused at their writings in Portuguese. - -I cannot better illustrate this very curious characteristic than by -transcribing the following pamphlet, written by a highly educated -native of Sierra Leone: - - “_The Athletic Sports at Falcon Bridge Battery, Freetown, Sierra - Leone, June 4, 1869, graphically sketched._ - -“The dull monotony of the city was revived and the hearts of the -denizens exhilarated by the celebration--under the auspices of those -holding the reins of government in this settlement--of athletic games -at the above period. - -“A grand spectacle indeed it was! Countless numbers of persons -came to witness this magnificent sight. The arena of athletic -contention--limited by boards geometrically constructed, guarded by -an efficient constabulary corps, not less rotund in their size than -prodigious in their height--was crowded almost to suffocation by those -who were voluntary to signalize themselves by their feats. The mountain -was really in labour and brought forth no ridiculous mouse. - -“The time for the commencement of the games was fixed for 2 P.M. -If recollection fails not, so it was. The hilarity evinced by the -spectators reminded one of ancient Greece and Rome; when, in the leaps, -wrestles, quoits, &c., of the former, and the gladiatorial combats, -&c., of the latter, combatants vied with each other, and the victors -were amply remunerated; when emulation was cultivated; when, as -expressed by Thomson in his ‘Castle of Indolence’-- - - ‘It was not by vile loitering at ease, - That Greece obtain’d the brighter palm of art, - That soft yet ardent Athens learnt to please, - To keen the wit and to sublime the heart; - In all supreme--complete in ev’ry part-- - It was not thence majestic Rome arose, - And o’er the nations shook her conq’ring dart.’ - -Ancient Olympia, with her inhabitants, would have rejoiced to behold -such a pleasing scene. - -“At the appointed time the programme was followed, despite the absence -of His Excellency; because ‘procrastination is the thief of time.’ The -ringing of a bell announced the beginning of every race. The adroitness -of the athletes, combined with the thought of there being some who -equalled in all points almost the notorious Gogmagog in English -history, were things akin to the incredible. The scene had commenced, -but two _sine qua nons_ were wanting. A few moments after, one -appeared--viz., the band of the 1st West Indian Zouaves, whose services -will ever be remembered whilst music reverberates its harmonious peals -throughout the four corners of this stupendous cosmos, headed by one -through whom music wakes. But there was a pause. The play stood in -need of a _coup de grâce_. The sports were a little after full going, -when, lo! His Excellency was kenned. His arrival to the spot was not -one of inactivity. Seated gallantly on a restive horse, ‘round-hoofed, -short-jointed, fetlocks shag and long, broad breast, full eye, small -head, high crest, short ears, straight legs, thin mane, thick tail, -tender hide, nostrils drinking the air,’ whose foams and yells made -part of the spectators stand aghast--he, with excellent dexterity, -skilfully contrived to be a match for him, and made his way to the spot -at a graceful pace. And ere he reached the spot for rest, ‘God save the -Queen’ was heard, the splendid band playing that which - - ‘Language fades before its spell.’ - -“Far a little from the scene of action--untrodden by insignificant -individuals--supplied with all kinds of food for refreshment--decorated -with such things as beautify nature--amidst the pathless intricacies -of countless multitudes--was erected a GRAND STAND. On the arrival of -the Governor at the stand, he was most cordially greeted and received -by ladies of rank and wit and gentlemen of respectability and erudition -who were the tenants of that locality. The games became more lively. -Clergymen, editors of the different local papers, and great many of -the well-to-do, with their consorts, &c., entered into conversation, -and were viewing the sight. A very gratifying circumstance it was -that all who were there present were superbly clad in the latest -Parisian styles. Ladies with their bonnets and other dresses almost -indescribable, and gentlemen attired in costly vestments, observed the -most faultless etiquette. Some of the gentlemen must have, no doubt, -interested the little band, either with the light bantering of Addison -or the ponderous verbiage of Johnson. Added to this, the place was -like a perfumer’s, where odoriferous unguents delight the smell of the -visitants. Needless it is to speak of the natural accomplishments of -these personages, as they soar beyond the pen of description. Suffice -it to say, that the gentlemen, breathing ambrosial scents around their -heads, were taciturn, loquacious, sedate, and grave; and the ladies, as - - ‘Coy as Thetis, fair as Flora, - Beautiful as young Aurora.’ - -“They spoke: and, during the time the games were being directed by -a very able-bodied European, whose reward was a sprained foot after -the celebration of the sports, were very jolly, and remained in that -position until the sports were over, without a violation of any -trifling minutiæ of civility. - -“Not to speak of the High Jumps, Flat Races, &c., it was no ordinary -treat to see lasses running with all their might to have some pieces -of cloths for their prizes. An event like this induced the ladies -and gentlemen in the Grand Stand to rise from their seats and take a -clearer view of the scene. Many were (I think) halting between two -opinions--either to look at the sports or listen to the charming music. -Would that there were ten eyes and ears to each! But impossibility _is_ -impossibility. - -“One of the actors, well-nigh approaching to a British Grenadier, -tumbled during the High Jumps on the ground, and was a victor of not -even a ridiculous prize. - -“The scene went on amidst the hurrahs and applauses of the -spectators: among them the always-the-same Allangbas,[1] and the -never-to-be-polished vulgar. But afterwards nature--either disgusted -at, or fatigued by, the event--for a while interrupted the scene by her -somewhat violent inundations: but subsequently being appeased she again -charmed us with her usual smiles. With her well-prepared instruments -she was ready to depict in the most masterly language the proceedings -of the day. - -[1] The Timnehs are here meant. - - ‘Who can paint - Like nature? Can imagination boast, - Amid its gay creation, hues like hers?’ - -“All those successes of the actors were the results of the like energy -which ‘built,’ observes Harris, ‘the mountain pyramids of Egypt--which -reared the Chinese wall--by which Alexander conquered the old -world--Columbus discovered the new--and Newton elaborated the system of -the universe.’ - -“The scene of action commanded, like the Acropolis of Athens, a most -picturesque sight opposite the sea. The fairy landscape, viewed in -conjunction with the stately and commodious houses by which it was -adorned, and the trees already in full bloom which cast their shades -on the undulating and glittering waves of the sluggish and ceaseless -sea during ebb tide, formed an unrivalled spot for the pencil of the -artist. How delightful would it have been to see a Boswell ready -to describe in the most sparkling language the proceedings of this -auspicious day. The effusions of a poet would have been excessive and -Byronian delineations tremendous--for the sight was delightful; the -gentlemen were masterpieces of nature; and the ladies each a belle -ideal of symmetrical beauty. What topics were touched upon by the -grandees on this occasion were so momentous that, like Elsie, - - ‘Their words fell from their lips - Like roses from the lips of Angelo: and Angels - Might stoop to pick them up!’ - -“Donkeys were not a whit behind the spectators and contenders; they -created their own excitement. On the backs of these heady brutes were -to be seen two lads who endeavoured with all their wits to ride them, -but all in vain! Although guided by some gentlemen who willingly lent -them a helping hand, they were tumbled on the ground as many times as -they attempted to ride. The consequence was that a universal roar of -laughter ran through the whole spot. - -“Besides this there was another interesting sight. A greasy pole, -having at the end a leg of mutton, was offered to him who would scale -it to its top. The attempts were fruitless. The pole, finding no -Alexander, stood like the Gordian knot, and set at the utmost defiance -men of magnanimity, those possessing massive bodies and Herculean -prowess. Thus the scene proceeded; and, in reality, the Rubicon -remained uncrossed. - -“Whilst on the one hand you would see the refined natives leaping and -exercising within the circus with inimitable grace, you would, on the -other, without the pale of the circus, see Timnehs in their usual garb -performing feats,--by whirling themselves as a well-constructed steamer -in Scylla or Charybdis,--without any taste or attraction. - -“Not to speak of the other exercises, the victors, with the prizes -awarded them, claim the most paramount importance. - -“Without chaplets of flowers, without laurel wreaths, without -ovations or triumphs, without the prizes in brief anciently awarded -to gladiators, warriors, comedians, lyric, tragic, and epic poets, -and other innumerable worthies, humble as the premiums were, this is -certain--that prizes, acting as an incentive and a stimulus to be up -and doing, were awarded to the victors. And so it was, if the news is -to be credited, and the veracity of the inaugurators of the games is -unimpeached. - -“Among all who merited rewards, two were more especially noticed. -At every race almost, they went winning and to win. The prodigious -feats performed by these two, coupled with those of the others, are -sufficient to entitle each being honoured with the sobriquet of -‘Valentinian.’ - -“During the whole of the procedure the spectators were not a little -cheered up by the matchless music of the band, whose stirring strains -silently spoke of the perfect order of the regiment, the worth of the -bandmaster, the avidity of the men to master such an excellent science, -by its being performed _sostenuto_. Not descanting on the selections, -overtures, &c., performed on piccolos, flutes, cornets, and clarionets, -on the whole it was ‘ear’s deep sweet music.’ The Sicilian Muses, -if present, would have stood astounded, doubting whether such was -excellently managed by mortals or celestials. - -“One great desideratum wanting on that occasion to grace it to -perfection was that, while the men were employed in doing such -athletics, the ladies in the Grand Stand were not engaged in -performing Terpsichorean gymnastics. The _why_ and _wherefore_ veiled -in a mystery was unravelled. - -“The popular excitement was unbounded. The enthusiasm marked by -the plaudits of the spectators; enthusiasm evinced by the actors; -enthusiasm, the great propeller to immortal acts--seen not only in the -horizon, but even on the spot where the games were celebrated--was -equal to, in every way (if it surpassed not), that of the subtle -and sophistical Athenians, when the ridiculer[2] of the Eleusinian -mysteries, noted for his ‘versatile genius and natural foibles,’ -returned home from his expedition against the Lacedemonians. - -[2] Alcibiades. - -“It is gratifying to know that, despite the countless multitudes that -thickened the paths on the occasion, there was no _émeute_, as might -have been expected; all things went on in perfect harmony. Everyone was -active, each had his post, all acted heart and hand, and put forth an -undivided attention to render all things energetic and attractive. - -“The proceedings of the day went on as at the commencement, till -about half-past 6 P.M. with quickened step brown night appeared, and -terminated the affair never to be forgotten in the archives of Western -Africa. - -“If the city and the rural districts should, at all times, be -exhibiting shows, and be ready and willing to excite public admiration -by horse-races, regattas, &c., and by grand concerts, where comic -and such like songs delight the ears of the audience: then by such -emulations and amusements, not only will we find that in process of -time the Colony shall be, under an All-wise Providence, one of physical -improvement, but by vieing with each other in the pure sciences, -the intelligence of the inhabitants shall arrive at its climax, and -it shall equal the admirable Crichton’s, who ‘acted the divine, the -lawyer, the mathematician, the soldier, and the physician, with such -inimitable grace, that every time he appeared upon the theatre he -seemed to be a different person.’ - -“Thus this event, like all other things human, had its end; and, amidst -the unbounded praises and acclamations of the spectators, combined with -the heart-stirring strains of the band which cast weariness on this -occasion to absolute nothingness, and which was eminently calculated to -magnify the sight, every one, with much _éclat_, went to his domicile -prepared to relate to his absent friend or friends the dexterity and -vigour evinced at the athletic arena, and all bade the scene of action -their tender farewells! - - “SIERRA LEONE, _Jan. 1870_.” - - - - -INDEX. - - - A - - Abuses by authorities of Angola, i. 54. - - Adansonias, abundance of, from River Congo to Mossamedes, i. 27. - - African fevers, facts and observations about, ii. 236. - - Agave, i. 29. - - Alligators, i. 65, ii. 123. - - Ambaca, natives of, ii. 103. - - Ambaquistas, natives of Ambaca, ii. 103. - - Ambriz, description of town, i. 153; - trade of, _ib._; - iron pier at, 157; - author’s return to, 233; - negroes, customs of the, 281. - - ----, vegetation of, i. 30; exports from in 1874, 111. - - ---- to Mossamedes, i. 23. - - ---- to Loanda country, ii. 1. - - Ambrizzette, witchcraft at, i. 65; - treatment of a black for forgery, 115. - - _Amydrus fulvipennis_, ii. 164. - - Andrade, on board the, to Quanza, ii. 113. - - Angola, discovery and early history, i. 1; - Portuguese possessions of, 23; - physical geography of, _ib._; - description of coast-line, _ib._; - character of landscape, 25; - change of landscape at 13° S. lat., 26; - vegetation of from Ambriz to Bembe, 29; - slave trade in, 59; - statistics of slaves shipped in, 67; - division of, ii. 51; - pay of governor and army officers, 52; - abuses by authorities of, 54; - climate of, 223; - effect of climate on Europeans, ii. 237; - customs of the natives, ii. 268. - - _Angolœa fluitans_, ii. 133. - - Anha River, ii. 173. - - Animal food of the natives, i. 297. - - _Arachis hypogœa_, native name of, “mpinda,” or “ginguba,” i. 129; - description of, 130; - its cultivation, _ib._; - preparation of the nut and Chili pepper, 132. - - Arms and war, i. 261. - - Atacamite, where found, i. 192. - - Athletic sports at Sierra Leone, account of, ii. 315. - - Author buys a slave, i. 77; - the slave’s ingratitude to, _ib._; - reception of by Senhor Chaves at Boma, i. 83; - at a picnic organized by Senhor Chaves, 87; - catches four new species of fish at Boma, 95; - discoverer of the baobab fibre as a substance for paper-making, 118; - manages a malachite mine, 161; - accompanies Mr. Augustus Archer Silva to Quanza, ii. 112. - - ----, mining explorations of, at Benguella, i. 43, ii. 191,199. - - - B - - Baba Bay, abundance of fish at, ii. 216. - - Babies, treatment of, i. 71. - - Bagre fish, i. 50. - - _Bagrus_, “Bagre” fish, ii. 134. - - Baobab-tree--_Adansonia digitata_, i. 24, 29. - - ---- bark, its application to paper-making (discovered by author in - 1858), i. 75; - baobabs at Boma, 84. - - ---- or _Adansonia digitata_, as a substance for paper-making, i. 118; - description of the tree, and use of the trunk, 120; - mode of taking off the bark, 122; - its fruit, and mode of climbing it, 128. - - Banana, trading factories at, i. 81. - - Bananas, or plantains, i. 294; - as food, 295. - - Barra da Corimba, ii. 21. - - Basalt, ii. 220. - - Bats, abundance of in churches, ii. 129. - - Bed-clothing of the natives, i. 266. - - Beer, native, manufacture of, i. 301. - - Bees--mode of getting honey, ii. 165. - - Bellows, native, ii. 93. - - Bembe, vegetation of, i. 31; - description of, 109. - - ---- Fort, i. 190; soil about, 225. - - Bengo river, ii. 16. - - Bengo to Loanda, vegetation, ii. 18. - - Benguella, i. 28; - mining operations at, 43; - country south of, 45; - fertility of its soil, trade, &c., ii. 181; - slave-trade at, 184. - - ---- and Mossamedes, country between, ii. 212. - - Berenjela, egg plant, i. 296. - - Bigode, or moustache-bird (_Crithagra ictera_), ii. 205. - - Bimba tree (_Herminiera Elaphroxylon_), ii. 195. - - Bimbas, birds at, ii. 206. - - Birds of Boma, i. 86; - habits of various kinds, _ib._ - - Bitumen, ii. 11. - - Bleeding, fondness of the natives for, ii. 262. - - Boma, as centre for slave-trade, i. 56; - cultivation of, 85; - birds of, 86; - distrust of natives at, 90. - - Bombó, preparation, i. 287. - - Bonny, landing at, i. 114. - - _Brachytrypes achatinus_ (king cricket), i. 299. - - Brandy, use of in Africa, ii. 245. - - Bronchitis, &c., native treatment of, ii. 258. - - Bruto, plantation at, ii. 119. - - _Bucorax Abyssinicus_ (hornbill), ii. 71. - - Bunda-speaking natives, indolence of, ii. 100. - - Burial among the natives, i. 276. - - ---- and burial-places, ii. 275. - - Bustards, ii. 5. - - Bustards at Benguella, ii. 201. - - Butterflies, species of, ii. 295. - - - C - - Cabeça da Cobra to Ambriz--description of coast-line, i. 102; - vegetation, 103. - - _Cajanus indicus_, shrub, i. 296. - - Calumbo, scenery, vegetation, &c., ii. 116. - - Cambambe, high grass at, i. 38; - water at, 47; - cataracts at, ii. 133. - - _Camoensia maxima_, plant, i. 177. - - Cannibalism, ii. 157. - - Capatas, or captains of the carriers, i. 196, 203. - - Cardozo, Feo, on the “History of the Governors of Angola,” i. 1. - - Casca, preparation of, i. 63; - effect by poisoning from, 127. - - Cashew-tree, i. 44. - - Cassão, dogfish, ii. 207. - - Cassanza, country about, ii. 153. - - Cassytha--(_C. Guineensis?_), i. 45; - at Luache, ii. 198. - - Castor-oil plant in Novo Redondo and Benguella, i. 51. - - Catinga, or odour of the natives, i. 30. - - Cattle, cause for absence of, i. 46. - - ---- and other animals, mortality of, i. 207. - - Catumbella, scenery and vegetation, ii. 178. - - Cazengo, abundance of food at, ii. 84-88. - - Celis country, ii. 105. - - Chameleons, ii. 109. - - Circumcision among the natives, i. 278. - - Civilization of the negro, i. 113. - - Climate of Angola, effect on Europeans, ii. 237. - - Coffee-trade, i. 134. - - Coffee plantations, ii. 87; - wild, about Golungo Alto and the Dembos, ii. 92. - - Cola fruit, ii. 37. - - Commerce, i. 117. - - Congo River, i. 26; - a boundary, i. 53; - mouth of, i. 81. - - ----, probable sources of, i. 54, ii. 69. - - ---- to Ambriz, the country from, i. 100. - - ---- River and Ambriz, system of trading, i. 105. - - Congo, king of, i. 213; - customs of, 221. - - Cookery of Angola natives, ii. 239. - - Copper at Benguella, ii. 179; - at Quileba, 191. - - Copper ore at Cuio Bay, ii. 198. - - _Coracias caudata_, manner of flying, &c., i. 172, ii. 19. - - _Corythaix Paulina_, plantain-eaters, superstitious dread of by the - natives, ii. 74. - - _Corythornis cyanostigma_, kingfisher, ii. 121. - - Cotton growth at Cazengo, ii. 105. - - Creepers, description of, i. 31, 45. - - Crime, punishment for in Angola, ii. 46. - - Crows (_Corvus scapulatus_), ii. 215. - - Cuacra, cannibalism at, ii. 155. - - Cuio Bay, ii. 198. - - _Cursorius Senegalensis_, ii. 19. - - Customs of natives of the interior, ii. 99. - - _Cynocephalus sp._ of dog-faced monkey, ii. 194. - - - D - - Dances of the natives, ii. 137. - - Dande River, ii. 15. - - Dead, “drying” of the, i. 275. - - _Decamera Jovis-tonantis_, hard-wood shrub, preservative against - lightning, ii. 99. - - Diamba, hemp for smoking, ii. 26, 257. - - Dias, Captain, governor of Barra do Bengo, i. 80. - - Dirty habits of the natives, ii. 259. - - Dish, Angola native, i. 305. - - Dog’s sense of smell when nearing a negro, i. 36. - - Dombe Grande, rush of water down the Luache, i. 49. - - ----, district of, ii. 196. - - Dondo town, ii. 130. - - Dress of the kings, i. 260. - - ---- natives, i. 263. - - Drunkenness of Englishmen, ii. 243. - - Dyes and paints, ii. 299. - - Dysentery, native treatment of, ii. 252. - - - E - - Egg-trade, i. 209. - - Egito river, ii. 169. - - Eland steak, a breakfast of, ii. 224. - - Engongui signal-bells, i. 203. - - Entuchi, shrub, used for curing headache, ii. 251. - - Epsom-salts, ii. 262. - - _Eriodendron anfractuosum_, cottonwood tree, ii. 86. - - _Erythrophlœum Guineense_, action of poison extracted from, i. 61. - - Euphorbia tree, i. 24; - abundance of, from River Congo to Mossamedes, 27; - in Ambriz, 29. - - _Eusemia ochracea_, moth, i. 158. - - - F - - Fairs, i. 209. - - Falls of Cambambe, ii. 133. - - Farofa, preparation, i. 291. - - Farinha de pao, preparation, i. 290. - - Fedegozo (_Cassia occidentalis_) as a substitute for quinine, ii. 249. - - Fetish, as a punishment to drunkards, i. 117. - - “Fetishes” of the negro, fetish men, &c., i. 243-253. - - Fetish-house, ii. 7. - - Fever, its prevention and cure, ii. 246; - native treatment of, 249. - - Fevers at Bembe, i. 227. - - Fish, mode of cooking at Loanda, ii. 30. - - ---- caught at Loanda, ii. 31. - - ---- and fisheries between Benguella and Mossamedes, ii. 206. - - Food, abundant growth at Cazengo, ii. 105. - - Frogs as food, i. 298. - - Fruits, ii. 297. - - Furniture of the natives, i. 282. - - - G - - Gamboa, General, ii. 3. - - Garapa, drink, i. 300. - - Garlic as a food for hot climate, ii. 240. - - Gigantic grasses, i. 33. - - Giraul river, ii. 218. - - Gold at Lombige, ii. 90. - - Golungo Alto, ii. 85. - - Gorilla and Chimpanzee, where found, i. 53. - - Gourds of Cazengo and Pungo Andongo, ii. 104. - - Grandy, Lieut., i. 162. - - Grass, “Capim de faca” or knife-grass, i. 33; - description of burning, 39. - - Ground-nut, analysis, ii. 110. - - Gum-arabic at Mossamedes, ii. 218. - - Gum Elemi, called “mubafo,” i. 206. - - Gun-loading by the natives, i. 141. - - Gypsum, ii. 16. - - - H - - Habits and customs of natives in Angola, ii. 268. - - Hammock, description of, i. 163. - - Haricot-bean, i. 97. - - Head, mode of shaving the, i. 269. - - ----, “inhabitants” of the, trap for catching, and professional - catchers, i. 269. - - Herva Santa Maria (_Chenopodium ambrosioides_), ii. 250. - - Hippopotami in the River Quanza, ii. 124. - - Hornbill, the, ii. 73. - - ---- (_Toccus elegans_ and _Toccus Monteiri_), at Benguella, ii. 201. - - Hot-spring at Dongo, ii. 162. - - _Hydnora_, a Rafflesiaceous plant, ii. 207. - - Hydraulic-press for baleing the baobab fibre, i. 125. - - Hyenas steal the author’s sheep, ii. 81; - attacked by wolf-hounds, 225. - - - I - - Import-duties, ii. 61. - - India-rubber creeper, description of, i. 31, 137. - - Indian-corn, i. 296. - - Indolence of the Bunda-speaking natives, ii. 100. - - Infundi, preparation, i. 288. - - Ink, ingredients of native, ii. 98. - - Insanity among the natives, i. 279. - - Iron-smelting at Cazengo, ii. 95. - - Ivory, i. 139. - - - J - - Jasmine at Benguella, ii. 192. - - Jasminum auriculatum, ii. 5. - - ---- multipartitum, ii. 5. - - - K - - Kew Gardens, author’s collection of plants in the herbarium at, - i. 178. - - Kimpoaca, aversion of natives to the landing of hydraulic press, - i. 126. - - King Parrot, where found, i. 53. - - Kingfishers, ii. 121. - - Kinsao, mineral pitch at, i. 150. - - - L - - _Landolphia, florida?_ the tree-creeper that produces indiarubber, i. - 31, 137. - - Language of the different races, ii. 96. - - Lead ore, ii. 199. - - Leeches, abundance of, ii. 266. - - Lemur, _Galago Monteiri_, ii. 306. - - Libollo country, ii. 145. - - Libongo, ii. 9. - - Lions at Carunjamba, ii. 209. - - _Lissochilus giganteus_, found at Porto da Lenha, i. 82. - - Little Fish Bay, i. 23. - - Lizards, ii. 109. - - Loanda, cause for change of vegetation, i. 28; - baptizing slaves at, 68. - - ----, death of a boy in market-place at, i. 72. - - ----, vegetation, ii. 18. - - ----, city of St. Paul de, ii. 20; - population, 22; - style of building, _ib._; - market of, 25; - custom of the ladies of, 33; - dress of the people, 35; - slavery in, 39; - vegetation, 44; - police of, 48; - lighting of the city, _ib._; - theatre at, _ib._; - morals, _ib._ - - Loangos or Loandos’ mats, i. 302. - - Lobato, Senhor, ii. 63. - - Lobito Bay, ii. 176. - - Loranthus, seed of, used as bird-lime, ii. 205. - - Luache river at Dombe Grande, i. 49. - - ----, quicksands at, ii. 197. - - - M - - “Macotas,” or the council, i. 255. - - Maculo, a disease peculiar to blacks, its treatment, ii. 252. - - Malachite, ii. 161, 191. - - ----, how and where found, i. 191-195. - - Malagueta pepper, i. 294. - - Manatee, or woman-fish, ii. 17, 125. - - Mandioca plant, cultivation of, i. 287; - preparation, 291, ii. 197. - - Mangrove tree, ii. 117. - - _Manis multiscutata_, ant-eating animal, ii. 278. - - Manoel Vacca, notorious pirate, i. 92. - - Maquata, the red gum-copal, i. 134. - - Maracachão bird (_Pytelia elegans_), ii. 205. - - Marble column at Santa Maria Cape, commemorating its discovery, ii. - 216. - - Marriage law of the natives, i. 264. - - Massangano town, ii. 128. - - Mateba palm, abundance of, from River Congo to Ambrizzette, i. 44. - - Matuta, change of scenery and vegetation, i. 29. - - ----, visit to, i. 199. - - Mineral pitch, i. 150. - - Mirage at Mossamedes, ii. 231. - - Mossamedes, i. 23, 27, 28. - - ---- (Little Fish Bay), ii. 217. - - ----, climate, society, &c., ii. 232. - - Mosquitoes, i. 167. - - Mourning of the natives, i. 277. - - Mucelis, i. 28. - - Mucoandos tribe, ii. 226. - - Mucozo river, i. 47, ii. 66. - - Mundombes, the inhabitants of Benguella, their clothing, vegetation, - mode of eating meat, &c., ii. 186; - their arms, 188. - - Muinzus or pestles, i. 304. - - Mule, dislike to being harnessed by a negro, i. 37. - - Muqueca, its ingredients, ii. 239. - - Muquices tribe, ii. 227. - - _Mus Gambianus_, ii. 168. - - Mushicongo negroes, customs of, i. 280; - mode of building their huts, 284; - furniture of the, _ib._ - - Musical instruments of the natives, ii. 139. - - Mussera, town, i. 143. - - Mussurougo tribe, pirates, i. 92; - ankle-rings worn by, 93; - customs of, 280. - - Muxima town, ii. 122. - - Muxixe tree, i. 29. - - - N - - Native remedies for diseases, ii. 263. - - Natives, custom of, in case of death, after the administration of - medicine, or after the performance of an operation, i. 73; - objection of to work for wages, 75; - fear of at sight of a steamer, 125; - customs of the, 257; - bed-clothing, 266. - - Navigation of Rivers Dande, Bengo, &c., i. 47. - - Nborotuto shrub, ii. 70. - - Ncombo, or goat-root, used to flavour tobacco, ii. 270. - - _Nectariniæ_, i. 99. - - Negro cook making forcemeat balls, i. 36. - - Negro, insensibility of the, i. 69-75; - ingratitude of the, 77; - character of the, 238; - absence of affection in the, 242; - social laws of the, 242; - absence of sympathy in the, 243; - absence of cruelty in the, 245; - “fetishes” of the, 246, 247; - toilet of, 263; - mode of shaving the head, 269. - - Negroes, odour of, i. 36; - ankle-rings worn by, 94; - customs of, 181. - - Ngilló, vegetable, i. 296. - - Novo Redondo, i. 28. - - ---- natives of, ii. 155-159. - - _Nymphœa dentata_ and _stellata_, water-lily, ii. 121. - - - O - - Oil, dog-fish, ii. 207. - - Oil-palm at Bembe, i. 32. - - Ophthalmia, its rarity, ii. 258. - - Orange River, i. 27. - - Orchilla-weed, ii. 184. - - Ordeal by poison, i. 61. - - Ornaments of kings’ and macotas’ wives, i. 268. - - Ox-bird (_Buphaga Africana_), ii. 204. - - Oxen trained for riding, ii. 218. - - - P - - Palm-chop, i. 97. - - ---- tree, mode of climbing, i. 97. - - ---- wine, i. 97. - - Panda or wattled crane (_Grus carunculata_), ii. 203. - - Paper-making, baobab-tree in its application to, i. 118. - - Papyrus, growth of, i. 302. - - Pedra grande, or “big stone,” ii. 221. - - _Pentalobus barbatus_, beetle, i. 146. - - Pepper, Chili, &c., i. 293. - - Picnic at Boma, visit of the nine kings, i. 87. - - Pirão, preparation, i. 291. - - Pitch, mineral, ii. 9. - - Plants used by natives for cure of dysentery or diarrhœa, ii. 252. - - Plaster-of-paris, manufactured by author from gypsum-rock, ii. 200. - - Polygamy among the natives, i. 263. - - Porcupines, ii. 297. - - Porto da Lenha, description of, i. 83. - - ---- Domingos, ii. 66. - - Potato, sweet, i. 296. - - Productions of Cazengo, ii. 105. - - Products from River Congo to Ambriz, i. 119-141. - - _Ptyelus olivaceus_, or spit-frog, ii. 108. - - Pungo Andongo range, description of scenery, i. 31. - - ----, natives of, ii. 102. - - Pungo fish, i. 142. - - Purgatives used by the natives, ii. 262. - - - Q - - Quanza River, i. 47, ii. 113. - - “Queimada,” burning grass, description of, i. 39. - - Quiavo, or Quingombó, i. 297. - - Quiballa, i. 30; - description of country, 171. - - ---- to Bembe, i. 181-187. - - Quifandongo, ii. 19. - - Quileba, copper at, ii. 191. - - Quilumbo, i. 185. - - Quinbundo natives, ii. 146. - - Quincollo, i. 236. - - Quindas or baskets, i. 301. - - Quingombe, i. 235. - - Quinine--fedegozo used as a substitute by Portuguese, ii. 249. - - Quioco bird, ii. 79. - - Quipupa, spring of ferruginous water at, ii. 196. - - Quiquanga, preparation, i. 289. - - Quirandas, shell-bead ornaments, ii. 169. - - Quissama country, ii. 144. - - ---- ladies, fashions of the, ii. 147. - - - R - - Rain, fall of, i. 42. - - Rat-catching, i. 298. - - Rats, as food, i. 298; - at Libongo, ii. 8. - - Root parasite, i. 198, ii. 207. - - - S - - Salalé, or white ant, i. 299, ii. 277. - - Salt, i. 147. - - San Francisco River, ii. 196. - - San Salvador, i. 225. - - Sand-grouse--_Pterocles namaquus_, ii. 201. - - Sangue-sangue, tall grass, ii. 250. - - Sanseviera plant, i. 29, 45. - - Santa Maria Cape, ii. 214. - - Sarna, a kind of itch common among blacks, ii. 259. - - Scents, ii. 299. - - Scorpions, effects of their sting, ii. 170, 171. - - _Scopus umbretta_, heron-like bird, ii. 73. - - Senhor Chaves, i. 83; - organizes a picnic, 87. - - _Sesamum indicum_ seed, i. 134. - - _Sesbania punctata_, Pers., shrub common in marshes, ii. 176. - - Sharks, absence of south of River Congo, i. 51. - - Silva, Mr. Augustus Archer, accompanies author to Quanza, ii. 112. - - Silver in Cambambe, ii. 62. - - Skin-disease, treatment of, ii. 261. - - Slave, author buys a, i. 77. - - Slaves shipped in Angola, statistics of, i. 67; - treatment of in case of famine, 69; - native laws regarding, 76; - cost of, 205. - - Slave-trade, i. 56; - explanation of in Angola, 58. - - ---- at Benguella, ii. 185. - - Slavery, i. 56; - observance of laws, 59; - witchcraft in, 61; - ordeal by poison, _ib._; - in Loanda, ii. 39; - author’s views on abolition of, 41. - - Sleep-disease, i. 143; - description of, 144. - - Snakes, ii. 300. - - Soba, a, visits the author, ii. 173. - - ---- Dumbo, formerly a powerful king, ii. 67. - - _Solanum saponaceum_, fruit of the, used as soap, ii. 111. - - Solé, bird, ii. 166. - - Sounds of birds, &c., i. 304. - - Sphynx moths, ii. 304. - - Spit-frog, the, ii. 108. - - Spring-bok, near Mossamedes, ii. 213. - - _Sterculia tomentosa_, i. 29. - - Sulphate of magnesia, ii. 220. - - Sulphur at Dombe Grande, ii. 197. - - Suspension-bridge at Novo Redondo, ii. 159. - - - T - - “Tangandando,” india-rubber, i. 137. - - Tobacco, its efficacy for inflammation of bowels, ii. 263; - its use by natives, 269. - - Toilet of the negro, i. 263. - - Trading between River Congo and Ambriz, i. 105. - - Traps to catch “inhabitants” of the head, i. 269. - - Travelling, mode of, i. 165. - - _Treron calva_, pigeon, ii. 164. - - Trial of a man for bewitching the spirit of his dead wife, i. 66. - - _Trionyx nilotica_, tortoise, ii. 125. - - _Turacus cristatus_, plantain-eater, ii. 86. - - - U - - Uallua, drink, i. 300. - - Ulcers, native remedies for, ii. 253. - - Uzanzos, baskets or sieves, i. 304. - - Uzus, or mortars, i. 304. - - - V - - Vegetables, growth of, at Bembe, i. 225. - - Vegetation of Angola, from Ambriz to Bembe, i. 29; - from River Congo to Mossamedes, 43. - - Viuva, or long-tailed whydah-finch (_Vidua paradisea_), ii. 205. - - _Voandzeia subterranea_, ii. 111. - - Volcanic rocks, ii. 69, 220. - - - W - - Wages of Englishmen in Africa, ii. 243. - - Water, mode of getting, in dry season, i. 43; - finding of at Cambambe, 47; - curious deposits of ii. 221. - - Watercress, ii. 93. - - Wasps, ii. 287, 291. - - _Welwitschia, mirabilis_, plant, ii. 229. - - White men, reception of, by king, i. 257. - - Wild-hemp smoking, ii. 257. - - Witchcraft at Ambrizzette, i. 65. - - Women’s work, i. 285. - - Writing, style of employed by natives, ii. 315. - - - Z - - Zebras at Benguella, ii. 194. - - Zombo tribe, mode of dressing the hair, &c., i. 271. - - - LONDON: PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET - AND CHARING CROSS. - - - - -Transcriber’s Notes - -A few minor errors in punctuation were fixed. - -Page 74: “plaintain-eaters” changed to “plantain-eaters” - -Page 201: “_Toccus elegans_, and _Toccus Monteiri_” changed to “_Tockus -elegans_, and _Tockus Monteiri_” - -Page 301: “bit being said” changed to “bite being said” - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ANGOLA AND THE RIVER CONGO, -VOL. 2 *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Angola and the River Congo, vol. 2</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Joachim John Monteiro</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: May 26, 2022 [eBook #68176]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Peter Becker and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ANGOLA AND THE RIVER CONGO, VOL. 2 ***</div> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_i">[Pg i]</span></p> - - - -<h1> ANGOLA<br /> - -<span class="vsmall"> AND</span><br /> - -THE RIVER CONGO.</h1> - -<p class="center p2"> BY</p> - -<p class="center"> JOACHIM JOHN MONTEIRO,</p> - -<p class="center small"> ASSOCIATE OF THE ROYAL SCHOOL OF MINES, AND CORRESPONDING - MEMBER OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY.</p> - -<p class="center p2"> IN TWO VOLUMES.</p> - -<p class="center"> <span class="smcap"><abbr title="Volume">Vol.</abbr> II.</span></p> - -<p class="center p2"> <i>WITH MAP AND ILLUSTRATIONS.</i></p> - -<p class="center p4"> London:<br /> - -<span class="big">MACMILLAN AND <abbr title="company">CO.</abbr></span><br /> -1875.</p> - -<p class="center small"> <i>All Rights Reserved.</i> -</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_ii">[Pg ii]</span></p> - - - - -<p class="center small p2"> LONDON:<br /> - PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS,<br /> - STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS. -</p></div> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_iii">[Pg iii]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CONTENTS">CONTENTS.</h2> -</div> -<hr class="r5" /> - -<table class="autotable"> -<tr> -<th colspan="2" class="tdr"> -PAGE -</th> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2"> -<a href="#CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I.</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td> -<a href="#Page_1"><span class="smcap">Country From Ambriz To Loanda—Mossulo—Libongo—Bitumen—River - Dande—River Bengo—Quifandongo</span></a></td> -<td class="tdr page"> -<a href="#Page_1">1</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2"> -<a href="#CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II.</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td> -<a href="#Page_20"><span class="smcap">City of Loanda—Natives—Slavery—Convicts—Theatre and Morals</span></a></td> -<td class="tdr page"> -<a href="#Page_20">20</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2"> -<a href="#CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III.</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td> -<a href="#Page_50"><span class="smcap">Division of Angola—Wretched Pay of Officials—Abuses by Authorities—Evils of High Import Duties—Silver Mines of Cambambe—Journey to Cambambe—Exploration—Volcanic Rocks—Hornbill—The Plantain-eater—Hyenas</span></a></td> -<td class="tdr page"> -<a href="#Page_50">50</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2"> -<a href="#CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV.</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td> -<a href="#Page_84"><span class="smcap">Province of Cazengo—Golungo Alto—Gold—Wild Coffee—Iron Smelting—Former Missionaries—Customs—Natives—Productions</span></a></td> -<td class="tdr page"> -<a href="#Page_84">84</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2"> -<a href="#CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V.</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td> -<a href="#Page_112"><span class="smcap">River Quanza—Calumbo—Bruto—Muxima—Massangano—Dondo—Falls of Cambambe—Dances—Musical Instruments—Quissama—Libollo</span></a></td> -<td class="tdr page"> -<a href="#Page_112">112</a><span class="pagenum" id="Page_iv">[Pg iv]</span> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2"> -<a href="#CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI.</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td> -<a href="#Page_151"><span class="smcap">Country South of the River Quanza—Cassanza—Novo Redondo—Celis—Cannibals—Lions—Hot Springs—Bees—Egito—Scorpions—River Anha—Catumbella</span></a></td> -<td class="tdr page"> -<a href="#Page_151">151</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2"> -<a href="#CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII.</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td> -<a href="#Page_180"><span class="smcap">Town of Benguella—Slave-trade—Mundombes—Customs—Copper—Hyenas—Monkeys—Copper Deposit—Gypsum—Hornbills—Birds—Fish—Lions</span></a></td> -<td class="tdr page"> -<a href="#Page_180">180</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2"> -<a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII.</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td> -<a href="#Page_212"><span class="smcap">Country between Benguella and Mossamedes—Mossamedes—Curious Deposits of Water—Hyenas—Welwitschia mirabilis—Mirage</span></a></td> -<td class="tdr page"> -<a href="#Page_212">212</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2"> -<a href="#CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX.</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td> -<a href="#Page_233"><span class="smcap">Climate—Cookery—Drunkenness—Fever—Native Treatment—Ulcers—Smoking Wild-hemp—Native Remedies</span></a></td> -<td class="tdr page"> -<a href="#Page_233">233</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2"> -<a href="#CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X.</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td> -<a href="#Page_268"><span class="smcap">Customs—Burial—White Ant—Wasps—Fruits—Scents—Spitting-snake—Scarabæus—Lemur</span></a></td> -<td class="tdr page"> -<a href="#Page_268">268</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2"> -<a href="#CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI.</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td> -<a href="#Page_307"><span class="smcap">Conclusion</span></a></td> -<td class="tdr page"> -<a href="#Page_307">307</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr class="bt"> -<td class="tdl"> -<a href="#APPENDIX"><span class="smcap">Appendix</span></a></td> -<td class="tdr page"> -<a href="#Page_315">315</a> -</td> -</tr> -</table> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_v">[Pg v]</span></p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="LIST_OF_ILLUSTRATIONS">LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.</h2> -</div> - -<hr class="r5" /> -<table class="autotable"> -<tr> -<td> -<a href="#img001">View of the City of St. Paul de Loanda</a></td> -<td class="tdr page"> -<i>To face page</i> <a href="#Page_20">20</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td> -<a href="#img002">Bellows—Marimba—Native smiths—Rat-trap</a></td> -<td class="tdr page">”      <a href="#Page_93">93</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td> -<a href="#img004">Maxilla and Barber’s shop—Carrying corpse for burial—Quissama Women, and manner of pounding and sifting meal in Angola</a></td> -<td class="tdr page">”    <a href="#Page_147">147</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td> -<a href="#img005">Mundombes and Huts</a></td> -<td class="tdr page">”    <a href="#Page_185">185</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td> -<a href="#img006">Native-smelted Copper—Powder-flask—Mundombe Axe—Manner of securing Fish for drying—Hunters’ fetish (Benguella)—Manner of carrying in the hand (native jug)—Gourd-pipe for smoking Diamba—Wooden dish—Double-handled hoe</a></td> -<td class="tdr page">”    <a href="#Page_190">190</a> -</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td> -<a href="#img007">Welwitschias growing in a plain near Mossamedes</a></td> -<td class="tdr page">”    <a href="#Page_229">229</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td> -<a href="#img008">Pelopœus spirifex and nest—Devil of the Road—Dasylus sp.—Caterpillars’ nests—Mantis and Nest—Manis multiscutatum and Ants’ nests</a></td> -<td class="tdr page">”    <a href="#Page_277">277</a> -</td> -</tr> -</table><p> -<span class="pagenum" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</span></p> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p class="center vbig">ANGOLA AND THE RIVER CONGO.</p> -<hr class="r5" /> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I.<br /><span class="small">COUNTRY FROM AMBRIZ TO LOANDA—MOSSULO—LIBONGO—BITUMEN—RIVER -DANDE—RIVER BENGO—QUIFANDONGO.</span></h2> -</div> - - - -<p>The distance from Ambriz to Loanda is about sixty miles, and the -greater part of the country is called Mossulo, from being inhabited -by a tribe of that name. These natives have not yet been reduced -to obedience by the Portuguese, not from any warlike or valorous -opposition on their part, but entirely from the miserable want of -energy of the latter in not taking the few wretched towns on the road. -Incredible as it may appear, it is nevertheless a fact that to the -present day the Mossulos will not allow a white man to pass overland -from<span class="pagenum" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</span> Libongo (about half-way from Loanda) to Ambriz, although this -last place was occupied in 1855, and several expeditions have since -been sent to and from Ambriz to Bembe and San Salvador. Nothing could -have been easier than for one of these to have passed through the -Mossulo country and to have occupied it, at once doing away with the -reproach of allowing a mean tribe to bar a few miles of road almost at -the gates of Loanda, the capital of Angola.</p> - -<p>One of these expeditions, on its return from chastising the natives -of a town on the road to Bembe for robbery, was actually sent to -Loanda by road. The Governor-General (Amaral) was then at Ambriz, -and being unacquainted with the negro character, and having mistaken -humanitarian ideas, gave strict orders that the natives of Mossulo, who -had committed several acts of violence, should not be punished, but -that speeches should be made to them warning them of future retribution -if they continued to misconduct themselves. Their towns and property -were not touched, nor were hostages or other security exacted for their -future good conduct.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</span></p> - -<p>The natural consequence was that this clemency was ascribed by the -natives to weakness, and that the Portuguese were afraid of their -power, as not a hut had been burnt, a root touched, or a fowl killed, -and they consequently, in order to give the white men an idea of their -power and invincibility, attacked some American and English factories -at Mossulo Bay, the white men there having the greatest difficulty to -save their lives and property; a Portuguese man-of-war landed some -men, and so enabled the traders to get their goods shipped, but the -factories were burnt to the ground. This was in September 1859.</p> - -<p>I was at Ambriz when the expedition started, so I determined to join -it, and examine the country to Loanda.</p> - -<p>The expedition consisted of 150 Portuguese and black soldiers, and -as many armed “Libertos,” or slaves, who are freemen after having -served the Government for seven years; these “Libertos” dragged a -light six-pounder gun. The commander was Major (now General) Gamboa, -an officer who had seen upwards of twenty years’ service in Moçambique -and Angola, and to whom I was indebted<span class="pagenum" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</span> for great friendship during -the whole time I was in the country. The major and two officers rode -horses; two others and myself were carried in hammocks. We started -one afternoon and halted at a small village consisting of only a few -huts, at about six miles south of Ambriz. There we supped and slept, -and started next morning at daybreak. The start did not occupy much -time, as the Portuguese troops and officers in Angola do not make use -of tents when on the march, and their not doing so is undoubtedly the -cause of a good deal of the sickness and discomfort they suffer. In -the evening we arrived at the Bay of Mossulo, where we were hospitably -entertained by the English and American traders there established.</p> - -<p>The country we passed through on our march was of that strange -character that I have described as occurring in the littoral region of -Ambriz. In the thickets dotted over the country a jasmine (<i>Corissa -sp.</i>) is a principal plant. It grows as a large bush covered with -long rigid spines, and bears bunches of rather small white flowers -having the scent of the usual jasmine. Also growing in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</span> these thickets, -and very often over this species, are two creeping jasmines—the -“<i>Jasminum auriculatum</i>” (<i>J. tettensis? Kl.</i>) and -“<i>Jasminum multipartitum?</i>”</p> - -<p>Various kinds of birds abounded, principally doves and the beautiful -purple starlings, and on the ground small flocks (from two to four -or five) of the bustards Otis ruficrista and Otis picturata were not -uncommon, appearing in the distance like snakes, their heads alone -being visible over the tops of the short rough grass as they ran along. -A small hare is found in abundance, and also several species of ducks -in some small marshes near Great Mossulo. Of larger game only some -small kinds of antelope are found.</p> - -<p>I had gone on some distance ahead of the troops, and on approaching -one large town, about a dozen natives armed with muskets stopped my -hammock, and told me I must return to Ambriz, as no white man could -be allowed to pass. I told them that the soldiers were close behind, -and that resistance would be useless, as their town would be taken and -burnt if they attempted any; they, however, still persisted in not -letting me go forward,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</span> so I had to wait for a few minutes till they -saw Major Gamboa and the two officers approaching on horseback, when -they scampered off into the bush without even saying good-bye, and on -our entering the town we found it deserted save by the king and a few -other old men, who were all humility, and protested that they would -never more insult or ill treat white men.</p> - -<p>Major Gamboa was perfectly convinced of the uselessness of only talking -to blacks, his intimate knowledge of them telling him that the only -safe plan would have been to have burnt the towns on the road and -taken the king and old men to Loanda as hostages, but he had to obey -his instructions, and the result was that they attacked the factories -and killed a number of natives. The Portuguese, however, instead of -punishing this outrage, tamely pocketed the affront, and left the -Mossulos in undisputed possession of the road.</p> - -<p>In these towns were the largest “fetish” houses I have seen in Angola. -One was a large hut built of mud, the walls plastered with white, and -painted all over inside and out with grotesque drawings, in black -and red, of men and animals.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</span> Inside were three life-size figures -very roughly modelled in clay, and of the most indecent description. -Behind this hut was a long court the width of the length of the hut, -enclosed with walls about six feet high. A number of figures similar -in character to those in the hut were standing in this court, which -was kept quite clean and bare of grass. What, if any, were the uses to -which these “fetish” houses were applied I could not exactly ascertain. -I do not believe that they are used for any ceremonials, but that the -“fetishes” or spirits are supposed to live in them in the same manner -as in the “fetish” houses in the towns in the Ambriz and Bembe country. -At one of the towns we saw a number of the natives running away into -the bush in the distance, carrying on their backs several of the dead -dry bodies of their relatives. I hunted in all the huts to find a dry -corpse to take away as a specimen, but without success; they had all -been removed.</p> - -<p>Next day we continued our journey, and bivouacked on the sea-shore, not -very far from Libongo, and near the large town of Quiembe.</p> - -<p>On the beach we found the dead trunk of a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</span> large tree that had -evidently been cast ashore by the waves, and had been considered a -“fetish;” for what reason, in this case, I know not, as trees stranded -in this way are common. It was hung all over with strips of cloth and -rags of all kinds, shells, &c. As it was dry, it was quickly chopped up -for firewood by the soldiers and blacks.</p> - -<p>The following morning our road lay along the beach till we reached the -dry mouth of the River Lifune, a small stream that only runs during the -rainy season. We then struck due inland for about three miles to reach -the Portuguese post of Libongo, consisting of a small force commanded -by a lieutenant. This officer (Loforte) I had known at Bembe, and he -gave us a cordial welcome.</p> - -<p>The “Residencia,” or residence of the “Chefe,” as the commandants are -called, was a large, rambling old house of only one floor, and it -contained the greatest number of rats that I have ever seen in any one -place.</p> - -<p>One large room was assigned to the use of Major Gamboa, two officers, -and myself, a bed being made in each corner of the room. We had taken<span class="pagenum" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</span> -the precaution of leaving the candle burning on the floor in the middle -of the room, but we had scarcely lain down when we began to hear lively -squeaks and rustlings that seemed to come from walls, roof, and floor. -In a few minutes the rats issued boldly from all parts, running down -the walls and dropping in numbers from the roof on to the beds, and -attacking the candle. We shouted, and threw our boots, sticks, and -everything else that was available at them, but it was of no use, and -we could hardly save the candle. It was useless to think of sleep under -these circumstances, for we considered that if the rats were so bold -with a light in the room, they would no doubt eat us up alive in the -dark, so we dressed ourselves, and pitched our hammocks in the open -air, under some magnificent tamarind-trees, and there slept in comfort.</p> - -<p>Libongo is celebrated for its mineral pitch, which was formerly much -used at Loanda for tarring ships and boats. The inhabitants of the -district used to pay their dues or taxes to government in this pitch. -It is not collected at the present time, but I do not know the reason -why.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</span></p> - -<p>I was curious to see the locality in which it was found, as it had not -been visited before by a white man, so Lieutenant Loforte supplied -me with an old man as guide, and Major Gamboa and myself started one -morning at daybreak.</p> - -<p>We had been told that we might reach the place and return in good time -for dinner in the evening, and consequently only provided a small -basket of provisions for breakfast and lunch; we travelled about six -miles, and reached a place where we found half-a-dozen huts of blacks -belonging to Libongo, engaged in their mandioca plantations. These -tried hard to dissuade us from proceeding farther, saying that we -should only reach the pitch springs next morning. I, of course, decided -to proceed, but Major Gamboa, who did not take the interest in the -exploration that I did, determined to return to breakfast at Libongo at -once, leaving me the provisions for my supposed two days’ journey.</p> - -<p>After a short rest I started off again, and about mid-day arrived at -the place I was in search of. It was the head of a small valley or -gully, worn by the waters from the plain on their way<span class="pagenum" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</span> to the sea, -which was not far off, as although it could not be seen from where I -stood, the roll of the surf on the beach could just be heard. It must -have been close inland to the place where we had bivouacked a few -nights before, and had burnt the “fetish” tree for firewood.</p> - -<p>The rock was a friable fine sandstone, so impregnated with the bitumen -or pitch, that it oozed out from the sides of the horizontal beds and -formed little cakes on the steps or ledges, from an ounce or two in -weight to masses of a couple of pounds or more.</p> - -<p>Although it was very interesting to see a rock so impregnated with -pitch as to melt out with the heat of the sun, I was disappointed, as -from the reports of the natives I had been led to believe that it was a -regular spring or lake. My guide was most anxious that I should return, -and as I was preparing to shoot a bird, begged me not to fire my gun -and attract the attention of the natives of the town of Quiengue, close -by, whom we could hear beating drums and firing off muskets. Next day -we knew at Libongo that these demonstrations had been for the purpose -of calling together<span class="pagenum" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</span> the natives, to attack the factories at Mossulo -Bay.</p> - -<p>There was great talk at Loanda about sending an expedition to punish -these natives, but, as usual, it ended in smoke, and no white man has -since been allowed to pass through the Mossulo country.</p> - -<p>Several years after, the King of Mossulo sent an embassy to me at -Ambriz, begging me to open a factory at Mossulo. On condition that -I, or any white man in my employ, should be free to pass backwards -and forwards from Loanda to Ambriz, I promised to do so, and was -taken to the king’s town at Mossulo, where it was all arranged. I did -not believe them, of course, but I gave a few fathoms of cloth and -other goods that they might build me a hut on the cliff at Mossulo -Bay, which they did, and I then declared myself ready to send a -clerk with goods to commence trading, as soon as they should send me -hammock-boys to carry me to Loanda. As I expected, they never sent -them, and for several years, whilst the hut on the cliff lasted, it -served as a capital landmark to the steamers and ships on the coast. -The Governor-General<span class="pagenum" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</span> at Loanda, to prevent traders from establishing -factories at Mossulo Grande, warned us at Ambriz that if we did so we -must take all risks, that he would not only not protect us, but that -all goods for trading at Mossulo would have to be entered and cleared -at the Loanda custom-house. Far from such disgraceful pusillanimity -being censured at Loanda, it was, with few exceptions, considered by -the Portuguese there as a very praiseworthy measure.</p> - -<p>The rock of the country at Libongo is a black shale; also strongly -impregnated with bitumen. A Portuguese at Loanda, believing that this -circumstance indicated coal in depth, sunk a shaft some few fathoms in -this shale, and I visited the spot to see if any organic remains were -to be found in the rock extracted, but could not discover any. About -half way from Libongo to the place where I saw the bituminous sandstone -formation, I observed a well-defined rocky ridge of quartz running -about east and west, which appeared to have been irrupted through the -shale.</p> - -<p>The ground about Libongo is evidently very fertile, the mandioca and -other plantations being<span class="pagenum" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</span> most luxuriant, and I particularly noticed -some very fine sugar-cane. Some of the tamarind-trees were extremely -fine, and on the stem of a very large one a couple of the “engonguis,” -or double bells, were nailed, which had belonged to the former native -town there, and as they are considered “fetish,” no black would steal -or touch them.</p> - -<p>A few hours’ journey (or about fifteen miles) to the south of Libongo -is the River Dande, navigable only by large barges, and draining a -fertile country.</p> - -<p>It is only within the last two years that the value of this river, for -trading or produce, has attracted attention at Loanda, and I am glad to -say that it was owing to two foreign houses that trading was commenced -there on anything like a respectable scale. The interior is rich in -coffee, gum-copal, ground-nuts, and india-rubber, and this country -promises an important future; cattle thrive here, and Loanda is now -supplied with a small quantity of excellent butter and cream cheese -from some herds in the vicinity of this river near the bar.</p> - -<p>Limestone is also burnt into lime, which is sold at a good price at -Loanda; and were the Portuguese<span class="pagenum" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</span> and natives more enterprising and -industrious, the banks of the river would be covered with valuable -gardens and plantations; but apathy reigns supreme, and the authorities -at Loanda prevent any attempt to get out of this state by the -obstructions of all kinds of petty and harassing imposts, rules, and -regulations, having no possible aim but the collection of a despicable -amount of fees to keep alive and in idleness a few miserable officials.</p> - -<p>The country is comparatively level, and calls for no particular -description, till about eighteen miles southward the high and bold -cliff of Point Lagostas (Point Lobsters) marks the bay into which runs -the beautiful little river Bengo, or Zenza, as it is called farther -inland.</p> - -<p>This is even a smaller river than the Dande, though more important -from its near proximity to Loanda, and the remarks as to the wonderful -indifference and hindrance to the development of the River Dande, apply -with still greater force to the Bengo, a very mine of wealth at the -doors of Loanda! It is hardly possible to restrain within reasonable -limits the expression of surprise at the fact that Loanda, with its -thousands of inhabitants,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</span> should be still destitute of a good supply -of drinking water, when there is a river of splendid water only nine -miles off, whence it receives an insignificant and totally inadequate -supply brought in casks only, carried by a few rotten barges and canoes -that are often prevented from leaving or entering the river for days -together, on account of the surf at the bar. A small cask of Bengo -water, holding about six gallons, costs from twopence to fourpence! -All kinds of fruit and vegetables grow luxuriantly on the banks of -the Bengo, and yet Loanda, where nothing can grow from its sandy and -arid soil, is almost unprovided with either—a few heads of salad or -cabbage, or a few turnips and carrots being there considered a fine -present.</p> - -<p>At Point Lagostas a good deal of gypsum is found, and also specimens of -native sulphur.</p> - -<p>Both the River Bengo and the River Dande are greatly infested by -alligators, and a curious idea prevails amongst all the natives of -Angola, that the liver of the alligator is a deadly poison, and that it -is employed as such by the “feiticeiros” or “fetish”-men.</p> - -<p>The Manatee is also not uncommon in these<span class="pagenum" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</span> rivers;—this curious mammal -is called by the Portuguese “Peixe mulher” or woman fish, from its -breasts being said to resemble those of a woman. Near the mouth of the -Dande this animal is sometimes captured by enclosing a space, during -the high tides, with a strong rope-net made of baobab fibre, so that -when the tide falls it is stranded and easily killed. I was never so -fortunate as to see one of these animals, and am therefore unable to -describe it from personal observation, but it is said to be most like -a gigantic seal. I once saw a quantity of the flesh in a canoe on the -River Quanza, and was told that the greater part had been already -sold, and I had given me a couple of strips of the hide of one that -had been shot in the River Loge at Ambriz. These strips are about -seven feet long and half an inch thick, of a yellowish colour, and -semi-transparent. They are used as whips, being smooth and exceedingly -tough. The flesh is good eating, though of no particular flavour, -and is greatly liked by the natives. The marshes and lagoons about -the River Bengo are full of wild duck and other water-fowl, and are -favourite<span class="pagenum" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</span> sporting places of the officers of the English men-of-war -when at Loanda. The Portuguese, not having the love of sport greatly -developed, seldom make excursions to them.</p> - -<p>The country from the Bengo to Loanda rises suddenly, and the coast line -is high and bold, but the soil is very arid and sandy, the rocks being -arenaceous, evidently of recent formation, and full of casts of shells.</p> - -<p>There is much admixture of oxide of iron, and some of the sandy -cliffs and dunes close to Loanda are of a beautiful red from it. The -vegetation is, as might be expected, of a sterile character, being -principally coarse grass, the <i>Sanseviera Angolensis</i>, a few -shrubs, euphorbias, and a great number of giant baobabs. Though the -vegetation is comparatively scarce, birds of several species are -common; different kinds of doves are especially abundant, as are -several of the splendidly coloured starlings; kingfishers are very -common, and remarkable for their habit of choosing a high and bare -branch of a tree to settle on, from whence, in the hottest part of the -day, they incessantly utter their loud and plaintive whistle, and, -after darting down on<span class="pagenum" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</span> the grasshoppers and other insect prey, return -again to the same branch.</p> - -<p>The exquisitely coloured roller (<i>Coracias caudata</i>) is also very -common in the arid country surrounding Loanda.</p> - -<p>The pretty runners (<i>Cursorius Senegalensis</i>, and <i>C. -bisignatus</i>, n. sp.) are also seen in little flocks on the sandy -plains, and are most elegant in their carriage as they swiftly run -along the ground. Two or three species of bustards are also common.</p> - -<p>The great road from the interior skirts the River Bengo for some miles -to the bar, where it turns south to Loanda; and the last resting or -sleeping place for the natives carrying produce is at a place called -Quifandongo, consisting of a row of grog-shops and huts on either side -of the road.</p> - -<p>It is a curious sight to see hundreds of carriers from the interior -lying down on the ground in the open air, each asleep with his load by -his side. A march of two hours brings them to a slope leading down to -the bay, at the end of which Loanda is built.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II.<br /><span class="small">CITY OF LOANDA—NATIVES—SLAVERY—CONVICTS—THEATRE AND MORALS.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The city of <abbr title="Saint">St.</abbr> Paul de Loanda is situated in a beautiful bay, backed -by a line of low, sandy cliff that at its southern end sweeps outward -with a sharp curve, and terminates at the water’s edge in a bold point, -on which is perched the Fort of San Miguel (<a href="#img001">Plate X.</a>).</p> - -<p>The “Cidade Baixa,” or lower town, is built on the shore of the bay, on -the flat sandy ground thus enclosed on the land side.</p> - -<p>The “Cidade Alta,” or high town, is built on the high ground, at the -end of which stands the fort above named.</p> - -<p>In front of the bay a long, low, and very narrow spit of pure sand -stretches like a natural break-water, and protects the harbour of -Loanda perfectly from the waves and surf of the ocean.</p> - -<p class="center p2"><span class="figcenter" id="img001"> - <img src="images/001.jpg" class="w75" alt="VIEW OF THE CITY OF ST. PAUL DE LOANDA" /> -</span></p> -<p class="center caption"><span class="smcap">Plate X.</span><br /><span class="allsmcap">VIEW OF THE CITY OF ST. PAUL DE LOANDA.</span><br /> <i>To face page 20.</i></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</span></p> -<p>A small opening called the Barra (or bar) da Corimba, about a mile -south of Loanda, breaks the end of this long spit into an island; the -rest joins the mainland about twelve miles to the south.</p> - -<p>The whole length of the spit is very low and narrow, so that in high -tides the waves break over it in places, but, singular to say, it has -never been washed away at any place.</p> - -<p>The bay was formerly much deeper;—vessels could anchor quite near the -town, and could pass out of the Barra da Corimba, but now they have to -anchor about a couple of miles to the north of the town, and boats only -can pass over this bar.</p> - -<p>A number of huts inhabited by native fishermen are built on the island, -also a few houses belonging to the Portuguese, who are fond of going -over to it for the purpose of bathing in the open sea beyond. The -cocoanut-palm tree thrives very well on this sandy spit, but only a -comparatively small number are growing on it.</p> - -<p>Some years ago the Government sent to Goa for a Portuguese planter to -plant this valuable<span class="pagenum" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</span> palm, and to teach the natives its cultivation. -On his arrival he was only afforded means to sow a very small number, -and was then appointed postmaster of Loanda, an office he held for many -years, till his death, and I do not believe that a single cocoa-palm -has been planted since, either by Government or private individuals; -and thus a valuable and easy branch of cultivation and source of wealth -is entirely neglected.</p> - -<p>Loanda contains about 10,000 or 12,000 inhabitants, of whom about -one-third are whites. The houses are generally large and commodious, -built of stone, and roofed with red tiles; blue is a favourite colour -for painting window-sills, door-posts, &c., and gives a very pretty -appearance to the city. The greater part of the houses consist only of -a ground floor,—the better class have a first, but rarely a second -floor. Verandahs more or less open are the rule, in which it is -customary to take meals.</p> - -<p>Not many houses have been built within the last few years; they mostly -date from the time when Loanda was a wealthy city, and the chief -shipping port for slaves to the Brazils, when as<span class="pagenum" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</span> many as twelve or -fifteen vessels were to be seen at a time taking in their cargoes of -blacks. The slavers on their way out to Loanda used to bring timber -from Rio de Janeiro for the rafters and flooring of the houses, and so -hard and durable was it that it can be seen at the present day in the -old buildings, as perfect and sound as when first put down, resisting -perfectly the white ant, beetle larvæ, dry rot, and mildew that soon -attack and destroy native woods.</p> - -<p>Loanda has improved immensely since I first landed there in February -1858. It was then in a very dilapidated and abandoned condition. No -line of steamers communicating with Europe then existed; four and six -months elapsed without a vessel arriving, except perhaps one from Rio -de Janeiro with sugar and rum; the slave-trade had ceased there for -some years, and hardly any trade in produce had been started, a little -wax, ivory, and orchilla-weed, being almost the only exports.</p> - -<p>There was no trade or navigation whatever on the River Quanza, and -hardly any shops in the town, so that provisions and other necessaries -were constantly exhausted and at famine prices. A<span class="pagenum" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</span> large subsidy was -granted to the colony by Portugal, to defray its expenses, always -far in excess of its receipts. Now there is a monthly line of large -steamers from Lisbon, another from Liverpool, and a considerable number -of sailing-vessels constantly loading and discharging, to attest to -the wonderful increase in the trade of the place. The colony now pays -its own expenses, and shows a yearly surplus; and a couple of steamers -running constantly from the River Quanza to Loanda can hardly empty the -river of its produce.</p> - -<p>All the public buildings are in an efficient state, a large extent of -flat, stinking shore has been filled up and embanked, ruins of churches -and monasteries cleared away, walks and squares laid out and planted, -a large new market is being built, and good shops and stores are now -abundantly supplied with every description of European goods; and if -a good supply of water were brought to the city from the River Bengo, -there would certainly not be a finer place to live in on the whole -Western Coast of Africa.</p> - -<p>From most of the houses having large yards, in which are the kitchens, -stores, well, and habitations<span class="pagenum" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</span> for the slaves and servants, the city -is luckily very open, and there is as yet no overcrowding; the roads -and streets are also wide and spacious. The principal street, running -through the whole length of the town, is remarkably wide, and for some -distance has a row of banyan trees in the centre, under the shade of -which a daily market or fair is held of cloth and dry goods.</p> - -<p>This is called a “quitanda,” the native name for a market, and the -sellers are almost all women, and are either free blacks, who trade on -their own account, or are the slaves of other blacks, mulattoes, or -whites.</p> - -<p>Many of the natives and carriers from the interior prefer buying their -cloth, crockery, &c., of these open-air retailers, to going into a shop.</p> - -<p>Four sticks stuck in the ground, and a few “loandos,” or papyrus mats, -form a little hut or booth in which presides the (generally) fat and -lazy negress vendor.</p> - -<p>On the ground are laid out temptingly pieces of cotton, gaily -coloured handkerchiefs, cheap prints, indigo stripes, and other kinds -of cloths; “quindas,” or baskets with balls and reels of cotton,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</span> -seed-beads, needles, &c.; knives, plates, cups and saucers, mugs and -jugs, looking-glasses, empty bottles, and a variety of other objects. -At other stalls may be seen balls of white clay called “pemba,” and -of “tacula,” a red wood of the same name rubbed to a fine paste with -water on a rough stone, and dried in the sun. Resting against the -trunks of the trees are long rolls of native tobacco, plaited like fine -rope and wound round a stick, which a black is selling at the rate -of a few inches for a copper coin, the measure being a bit of stick -attached by a cord to the roll of tobacco, or round the neck of the -black. Others sell clay tobacco-pipes and pipe-stems, and as all men -and women smoke as much tobacco as they can afford, a thriving trade -is driven in the fragrant weed. All the tobacco used by the natives is -grown in the country; but little is imported from abroad, and this is -mostly purchased by the Portuguese for the weekly allowance which it is -customary in Angola to make to the slaves.</p> - -<p>“Diamba,” or wild hemp for smoking, is also largely sold.</p> - -<p>The women vendors at these booths are amongst<span class="pagenum" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</span> the best-looking -and cleanest to be seen in Loanda, and with often quite small and -well-formed hands and feet; they are very sharp traders, and all -squat or lie down at full length on the hot sand, enjoying the loud -gossip and chatter so dear to the African women with their friends and -customers.</p> - -<p>A square at the back of the custom-house is the general market of -Loanda, and presents a curious scene, from the great variety of -articles sold, and the great excitement of buyers and sellers crying -out their wares and making their purchases at the top of their voices. -The vendors, here again, are mostly women, and, as no booths are -allowed to be put up, they wear straw hats with wide brims, almost -as large as an ordinary umbrella, to shade themselves. Every kind -of delicacy to captivate the negro palate and fancy is to be had -here:—wooden dishes full of small pieces of lean, measly-looking pork; -earthen pots full of cooked beans and palm-oil, retailed out in small -platters, at so much a large wooden spoonful, and eaten on the spot; -horrible-looking messes of fish, cakes, and pastry, &c., everything -thickly<span class="pagenum" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</span> covered with black flies and large bluebottles; large earthen -jars, called “sangas,” and gourds full of “garapa,” or indian-corn -beer; live fowls and ducks, eggs, milk, Chili peppers, small white -tomatoes, bananas, and, in the season, oranges, mangoes sour-sop, and -other fruits, “quiavos,” a few cabbage-leaves and vegetables, firewood, -tobacco, pipes and stems, wild hemp, mats, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, -palm and ground-nut oil, and dried and salt fish. The women squat -on their heels, with their wares in front, all round and over the -square, while hundreds of natives are jabbering and haggling over their -bargains, as if their existence depended on their noisy exertions.</p> - -<p>To the markets, especially, the black women take their dirty babies -(they all seem to have babies, and the babies seem always dirty), and -they let them roll about in the sand and rubbish, along with a swarm -of children, mongrel dogs, and most miserable, lean, long-snouted pigs -that turn over the garbage and quarrel for the choice morsels.</p> - -<p>There are two other marketing places, one principally for fruit and -firewood, the other where fried fish is the chief article, and where -a number of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</span> negresses are always busy frying fish in oil in the open -air. The natives swarm round to buy and eat the hot morsels which the -greasy cooks are taking out of the hissing pans placed on stones on the -ground over a wood fire,—these they put into wooden platters by their -side, and then suck their oily fingers with their thick lips or rub -them over their warm and perspiring faces and heads.</p> - -<p>Loanda is most abundantly supplied with fish of many kinds, and -fortunate it is for many of its inhabitants that the sea is so -prodigal of its riches to them. The fish-market is an open space at -the southern end of the town, under the cliff on which stands the Fort -of San Miguel. Here, in the early morning and in the afternoon, come -the fishermen with laden canoes and toss their cargoes on the sandy -beach, loud with a perfect Babel of buyers and vendors. The smallest -copper coin enables a native to buy enough fish for one day;—the crowd -that collects daily at the fish-market, and the strange scene that it -presents of noisy bustle, can therefore be imagined.</p> - -<p>A number of women and children are always busy scaling and gutting -fish, or cutting the large<span class="pagenum" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</span> “pungos” and sharks into small pieces in -large wooden tubs, where they lie slopping in their reddish, watery -blood; others are frying fish, and roasting a fish like a herring, -held in cleft sticks (<a href="#img006">Plate XIV.</a>), six or seven in each, stuck upright -in the sand all round a fire, or opening fish flat to dry in the sun -for sale to the natives from the interior. The fish are caught, both -in the bay and out at sea, with hook and line and with nets made of -native-spun cotton.</p> - -<p>The quantity of fish on the coast is incredible. I have often watched -the bay at night to listen to the wonderful swishing noise made by the -fish on the surface of the water, as they were scared by every flash of -lightning. Steaming once into Ambriz Bay, its whole surface was alive -and boiling, as it were, with fish. The captain of the steamer, who had -in his lifetime been to all parts of the world, declared that he had -never witnessed such a sight.</p> - -<p>A small shark is often caught which is much esteemed by the natives, -and is dried in the sun; also the “pungo,” which attains to as much as -a hundred pounds in weight. It is no unusual sight<span class="pagenum" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</span> to see one slung -on a stick passed through the gills and carried on the shoulders of -two blacks, with the tail dragging on the ground. It has very large, -flat scales, and the flesh is not at all coarse in flavour. Latterly, -the Portuguese have salted this fish in barrels, and when I was last -at Loanda I was told of one man who had already salted 2000, and the -season was not then over. It is this fish that is said by the natives -to make the very loud and extraordinary noise that one hears so plainly -at night or early morning, when in a boat or ship; it is said to press -its snout against the vessel and then make the curious sound. I have -heard it so strongly and plainly when lying in a bunk on board steamers -that I have no doubt whatever the fish must have been touching the side -of the vessel, and I have seen the blacks at other times splashing the -water with an oar, because the loud drumming of the pungo kept them -awake when lying in the bottom of a barge. The sound is like a deep -tremolo note on a harmonium, and is quite as loud, but as if played -under water. This low, sustained note has a very strange effect when -first heard so unexpectedly in the still water. It is<span class="pagenum" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</span> a migratory -fish, and comes in shoals on the coast only from about June to August.</p> - -<p>Another fish like a small cod, called “corvina,” is also migratory, -visiting the coast from July to September, and appears to come from a -northerly direction, as it is a month later in arriving at Mossamedes -than it is at Benguella, a distance of about 160 miles.</p> - -<p>Till quite lately the roads and streets of Loanda were of fine, loose, -red sand, rendering walking difficult and uncomfortable, particularly -in the daytime, when the sand becomes burning hot from the sun’s -rays; hence very few people ever walked even short distances, and the -consequence was the constant recourse to the “maxilla” for locomotion. -This is a flat frame of wood and cane-work, with one, or sometimes two -arms at the side, and a low back provided with a cushion. This frame -is hung by cords to hooks on a “bordão,” or palm-pole, about fifteen -or eighteen feet long, and is carried by two blacks (<a href="#img004">Plate XII.</a>). It -is a very comfortable and lazy contrivance, and the carriers take it -easily at the rate of about three to four miles an hour. The maxilla -is provided with a light painted<span class="pagenum" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</span> waterproof cover, and with curtains -to draw all round and effectually hide the inmate, if necessary. The -Portuguese ladies were never seen walking out at any time, and when -going to church, or paying visits, always went in a maxilla closely -curtained that no one might see them. It is difficult to explain the -reason for this, but I believe that a fear of Mrs. Grundy was at the -bottom of it.</p> - -<p>There is a very fair military band at Loanda, which plays twice a -week in the high town, and once in a square near the bay. When I was -last at Loanda with my wife, two other English ladies were also there -with their husbands, and as we all listened to the band regularly, -enjoying the cool evening promenade, we, no doubt, at first shocked -the Portuguese greatly by so doing. It had at last, however, the good -effect of bringing many of the Portuguese ladies out also, and they -did not draw the curtains of their maxillas quite so closely as they -used. An officer from Lisbon explained to my wife that the reason his -countrywomen did not like to go about and be seen was that they were -so ugly! But I can emphatically testify that this<span class="pagenum" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</span> was an ill-natured -libel on the white ladies of Loanda.</p> - -<p>There is a commodious custom-house in the centre of the town. On the -quay are some benches on which the merchants sit in the afternoon to -discuss current events, and to retail the choice bits of scandal of -the day. There are several large and roomy Roman Catholic churches in -the lower town, at which the attendance, however, is not very great, -except at some of the principal festivals. I once saw, in a procession -from one of the churches, in carnival time, a number of little black -girls dressed to represent angels, with white wings affixed to their -backs, and intensely funny they looked. On these occasions, and also -at weddings, christenings, &c., quantities of rockets are sent up in -the daytime, no feast being considered complete without an abundant -discharge of these fire-works, to the immense delight of the black -juvenile population, who yell and scream like demons and throw and roll -themselves about in the sand.</p> - -<p>At several places may be seen open barbers’ shops for the natives, -distinguished by a curious sign, namely, two strips of blue cloth edged -with<span class="pagenum" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</span> red, about three or four feet long and six inches wide, stretched -diagonally over the entrance (<a href="#img004">Plate XII.</a>). Inside, a chair covered with -a clean white cotton cloth—with the threads at the ends pulled out for -about four inches, to leave a lace-like design, called “crivo”—invites -customers to enter and sit down, and have their heads shaved quite -bare, the usual custom at Loanda, particularly of the negro women.</p> - -<p>The dress of the blacks at Loanda is the same as elsewhere in -Angola;—a cloth round the waist reaching to the knees or ankles -and another thrown over the shoulders, or a cotton shirt, is the -most common. Those who can afford it are fond of dressing in white -man’s costume of coat and trousers, but the grand ambition of all -is to possess an ordinary chimney-pot hat, which is worn on special -occasions, no matter whether the wearer be dressed in cloths or coat.</p> - -<p>The costume of the black women of Loanda is hideous. An indigo black -cotton cloth is folded round the body and envelopes it tightly from the -armpits to the feet; another long piece of the same black cloth covers -the head and is crossed<span class="pagenum" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</span> over the bosom, or hangs down loosely over the -shoulders, showing only the face and arms.</p> - -<p>The correct costume is to have a striped, or other cotton cloth or -print under the black cloths, but as only these latter are seen, the -women have a dreadfully funereal appearance. The poorer class and -slaves wear bright cotton prints, &c., and always a white or red -handkerchief folded narrow and wound round the head very cleverly, -suiting their dark skins remarkably well. A very common ornament round -the forehead is a narrow strip of seed bead-work of different colours -and patterns, and the women are fond of copying the large capital -letters of the advertisements in the Portuguese newspapers, quite -unconscious, of course, of the meaning of their pattern:—I once saw -“Piannos para alugar” (Pianos for hire) worked in beads round the head -of a black woman.</p> - -<p>The Loanda women have a singular habit of talking aloud to themselves -as they walk along, which at first strikes a stranger very forcibly; -the men do the same, but to nothing like the extent that the women -do. All loads are carried by the women on their heads, in all parts -of Angola, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</span> the ease with which they balance anything on their -shaven heads is wonderful. It is not difficult to understand that -baskets or heavy loads can be easily balanced, but it is no uncommon -thing to see women and girls walking along with a tea-cup, bottle, -tumbler, or wine glass on their heads, and turning round and talking -without the least fear of its dropping off. The manner in which they -balance the “sangas,” or earthen pots in which they carry water, is the -most curious of all; these are large, and have round, rather pointed -bottoms; a handkerchief is rolled round into a small cushion and put on -the side of the head, and the “sanga” is placed on it, not quite on its -bottom, but a little on one side.</p> - -<p>All the natives of Angola, but particularly the women of Loanda, are -very fond of “cola,” the beautiful rose-coloured fleshy fruit of the -<i>Sterculia cola</i>. The tree bearing it is very handsome, with small -pretty flowers having a powerful and most disgusting odour. The first -time I became acquainted with the tree was at Bembe. I was out walking, -and suddenly noticed a very bad smell, and on asking a black with me -where it could<span class="pagenum" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</span> possibly come from, thinking it was from some dead -animal in a high state of decomposition, he laughed, and pointing to a -tree said it came from the flowers on it;—I plucked a small bouquet -of them, and when I reached home put them in a wine-glass of water to -keep them fresh, and left them on the table of the padre (with whom -I was then staying). When he went into his room he began to call out -for his servants, and asked them why they had allowed cats to get into -his room, and it was some time before he was pacified, or convinced -that the few innocent-looking flowers had made the room stink to that -degree. The flowers are succeeded by large pods, in which are contained -five or more large seeds like peeled chestnuts, closely wedged -together, soft and fleshy, and with a very peculiar, disagreeable, -acrid, bitter flavour. The natives eat a small piece of “cola” with a -bit of green ginger the first thing in the morning, and wash it down -with a dram of gin or other spirit.</p> - -<p>Amongst the mulattoes and black women it is usual to send a fresh -“cola” as a present, and there is a symbolical language expressed by -the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</span> number of nicks made on it by the nail, of greeting, good wishes, -&c.</p> - -<p>A considerable quantity of “cola” was formerly exported to Rio de -Janeiro from Loanda, packed in moist clay or earth to keep it fresh.</p> - -<p>Servants in Loanda are almost all slaves. It is very difficult to hire -free men or women. Those seeking service as carriers, porters &c., -are nearly all slaves to other natives. Slaves as a rule are very -well treated in Angola by the Portuguese, and cases of neglect or -ill-usage are rare. Public opinion is strongly opposed to ill-treatment -of slaves, and there is a certain amount of rivalry in presenting -household slaves, especially well-dressed, and with a healthy -appearance, and even on the plantations inland, or removed from such -influence, I never knew or heard of slaves being worked or treated -in the hard and cruel manner in which they are said to have been in -the Southern States of America, or at the present day in Cuba. It is -easy for slaves in Angola to run away, and it is hardly worth while -to take any steps to recapture them; and if they have any vice or bad -habits, it is so well known that harsh<span class="pagenum" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</span> measures will never cure them -of it, that they are sold at once. An ordinary slave is not worth much, -3<i><abbr title="pounds">l.</abbr></i> to 5<i><abbr title="pounds">l.</abbr></i> being the utmost value. If proficient in any -trade, or good cooks, then they fetch as much as 20<i><abbr title="pounds">l.</abbr></i> or more. -Many of the old-established houses make it a point of never selling a -slave they have once bought; and when a slave requires correction or -punishment, he is delivered over to the police for that purpose, and -as desired, he is either placed in the slave-gang, chained by the neck -to others, and made to work at scavengering, carrying stone, &c., or -receives a thrashing with a cat-o’-nine-tails, or a number of strokes -on the palms of the hands with a flat, circular piece of wood pierced -with five holes and with a short handle.</p> - -<p>The abolition of slavery in the Portuguese possessions was decreed some -years ago. The names of all the existing slaves had to be inscribed -in the Government office as “Libertos,” and the owners were obliged -to supply them with proper food, clothing, and medicine, and were -not allowed to punish them; while they, on their part, were required -to work for seven years as compensation to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</span> their owners, at the -expiration of which time they were to be free. This has been allowed -to remain virtually a dead-letter, the slaves never having had the law -explained to them, and the authorities not troubling themselves to -enforce their liberation at the end of the seven years.</p> - -<p>The complete abolition of slavery in Angola has, however, been decreed -to take place in the year 1878; and should the measure be strictly -enforced, the total annihilation and ruin of the thriving and rising -cotton and sugar-cane plantations, &c., will be the result, with a vast -amount of misery to the thousands of liberated blacks.</p> - -<p>It is a pity that philanthropy should blindly put so sudden a stop -to a custom that has existed from time immemorial, and of which the -evils are, in a country like Angola, exceedingly slight. The effect of -this measure will be to destroy its nascent industry, the only means -for its progress and development, and will plunge a great part of its -population into helpless misery for years to come. Let slavery be -abolished by all means, but only in the most gradual manner, and in -proportion to the industrial and moral advancement of the race.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</span></p> - -<p>The natives of Angola are specially fitted for the introduction of -habits of industry and usages of civilization, as they are naturally -of a peaceable, quiet, and orderly disposition. The difference between -them and the natives of Sierra Leone and the rest of the West Coast is -very striking and pleasing. They have none of the disgusting swagger, -conceit, or cant of the former, but are invariably civil and kindly, -and under a firm and enlightened policy they would become more really -civilized and industrious than any other natives of the West Coast.</p> - -<p>That such would be the case is abundantly proved by what has already -been done under the Portuguese in Angola, notwithstanding the -intolerable system of rapine and oppression which the natives have -borne for so many years from their government, a system in which only -quite recently has any improvement been noticed. Were the natives -otherwise than inoffensive and incapable of enmity, they would long ago -have swept away the rotten power of the Portuguese in that large extent -of territory.</p> - -<p>Two good paved roads lead from the lower to the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</span> upper town of Loanda; -in this are the Governor’s palace, the prison, the treasury and other -public offices, the barracks, and the military and general hospital. -This is the healthiest part of the town, being fully exposed to the -strong sea breeze, and splendid views are obtained from it of the bay, -shipping, and town to the north, and of the coast and the “Ilha” or -island to the south.</p> - -<p>The country inland, immediately beyond the town, is dotted with -“mosseques” or country-houses and plantations, and in one depression -or valley are situated the huts comprising the dwelling-places of -the native population, which have lately been removed from the back -of the lower town, where they were a nuisance. In the “Cidade Alta” -there existed till lately the ruins of the former cathedral: these -were cleared away and a tower built on the spot, in which are a few -meteorological instruments, and observations of temperature, height of -barometer, &c., are taken daily. The extensive ruins of a monastery -have also been levelled, and a public garden laid out on their site. -These ruins gave some idea of the importance of Loanda in former and -richer times.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</span></p> - -<p>A tame pelican has lived in the “Cidade Alta” for some years. He is fed -daily with a ration of fresh fish from the Governor’s palace, and flies -over every morning to the island to have his bath and plume himself at -the water’s edge, returning regularly after completing his ablutions. -He is very playful, and is fond of giving the nigger children sly pokes -and snaps, or trying to pick the buttons off people’s coats. On the -evenings when the band plays he may be seen promenading about with -becoming gravity as if he enjoyed the music. He is very fond of being -taken notice of, and having his head, and the soft pouch under his long -bill, stroked.</p> - -<p>About a mile from the high town, on the road south to Calumbo on the -River Quanza, is an old and deep well called the “mayanga,” where -hundreds of blacks flock daily to draw a limited supply of clear though -slightly brackish water, but the best to be had in Loanda, the usual -wells affording water quite unfit for drinking purposes.</p> - -<p>The vegetation about Loanda is scanty, but a milky-juiced, thin-stemmed -euphorbia, called “Cazoneira,” and the cashew-tree, grow very -abundantly<span class="pagenum" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</span> on the cliffs, and inland about the “mosseques;”—mandioca, -beans, &c., grow sparingly in the sandy, arid soil.</p> - -<p>Oxen thrive, but very little attention is given to rearing them, Loanda -being supplied with cattle from the interior for the beef consumed by -the population.</p> - -<p>Angola is one of the penal settlements of Portugal, where capital -punishment was abolished some years ago, and whence the choicest -specimens of ruffians and wholesale assassins are sent to Loanda to -be treated with the greatest consideration by the authorities. On -arriving on the coast, some are enlisted as soldiers, but the more -important murderers generally come provided with money and letters of -recommendation that ensure them their instant liberty, and they start -grog-shops, &c., where they rob and cheat, and in a few years become -rich and independent and even influential personages.</p> - -<p>Although most of the convicts are sentenced to hard labour, very few -are made to work at all; but I must do these gentlemen the justice -of saying that their behaviour in Angola is generally very good, and -murders or violence committed by them<span class="pagenum" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</span> are extremely rare, though they -may have been guilty of many in Portugal,—the reason of this furnishes -an argument against the abolition of capital punishment; it is because -they have the certainty of being killed if they commit a murder in -Angola, whereas in their mother country they may perpetrate any number -of crimes with the knowledge that if punished at all, it is at most by -simple transportation to a fine country like Angola, where many have -made their fortunes, and where no hardships await them.</p> - -<p>In Angola they are thrashed for every crime, and none survive the -punishment if such crime has been of any magnitude. One of the few -cases that I remember at Loanda was that of two convicts who agreed to -kill and rob another who kept a low grog-shop, and who was supposed to -be possessed of a small sum of money. They accomplished their purpose -one night, and returned to the hut where one of them lived, to wash -away the traces of their crime, and hide the money they had stolen. A -little girl, the child of one of the murderers, was in bed in a small -room in the hut at the time, and heard the whole of the proceedings. -Before leaving,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</span> the other assassin, suddenly remembering the presence -of the child in the adjoining room, declared that she might have heard -their doings and that it was necessary to kill her also, lest she might -divulge their crime. The monsters approached her little bed for that -purpose, but she feigned sleep so successfully that they spared her -life, thinking she had been fast asleep.</p> - -<p>The next day the child informed a woman of what she had heard the night -before, and the inhuman father and his companion were arrested, tried, -and condemned to receive a thousand stripes each. They were thrashed -until it was considered that they had had enough for that day, but -luckily both died on their way to the hospital. At the investigation or -inquest held on their bodies, the doctor certified that their deaths -had been caused by catching cold when in a heated condition on their -way to the hospital from the place of punishment!</p> - -<p>In Angola convicts cannot run away, nor would they meet with protection -anywhere, and they would most certainly be killed off quietly for any -crime they might commit, and no one would care to inquire how they came -by their death.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</span></p> - -<p>The police of Loanda are all blacks, but officered by Portuguese. They -manage to preserve public order pretty well, and are provided with a -whistle to call assistance, as in Portugal. No slave is allowed to be -about at night after nine o’clock unless provided with a pass or note -from his master.</p> - -<p>The lighting of the city is by oil-lamps suspended at the corners of -the streets by an iron framework, so hinged as to allow the lamp to be -lowered when required for cleaning and lighting, and it is secured by a -huge flat padlock.</p> - -<p>The military band plays twice a week. There are no places of public -amusement except the theatre, which is a fine one for so small a place -as Loanda, but only amateur representations are given. It was once -closed for a considerable length of time on account of a difference of -opinion amongst the inhabitants as to whether only the few married and -single ladies should be admitted, or whether the many ladies living -under a diversity of arrangements should be on equal terms with the -rest. This very pretty quarrel was highly amusing, and gave rise to -most lively scandal and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</span> recrimination between the two contending -parties, but the latter and more numerous and influential section -carried the day, and ever since the doors have been open to all classes -of the fair sex, and the boxes on a gala night may be seen filled with -the swells of the place, accompanied by the many black, mulatto, and -white lady examples of the very elastic state of morals in fashion in -Angola.</p> - -<p>There is a well attended billiard-room and café, and lately an hotel -was opened. There is not much society in Loanda, as but few of the -Portuguese bring their wives and families with them, and there are but -few white women.</p> - -<p>An official Gazette is published weekly, but it seldom gives any news -beyond appointments, orders, and decrees, movements of shipping, &c.; -a newspaper was attempted, but owing to its violent language it was -suppressed for a time and its editors imprisoned. There are at present -two newspapers, but they indulge abundantly in scurrilous language -and personalities. There is no doubt that a well-conducted newspaper, -exposing temperately the many abuses, and ventilating the questions of -interest in the country, would be of great benefit.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III.<br /><span class="small">DIVISION OF ANGOLA—WRETCHED PAY OF OFFICIALS—ABUSES BY -AUTHORITIES—EVILS OF HIGH IMPORT DUTIES—SILVER MINES -OF CAMBAMBE—JOURNEY TO CAMBAMBE—EXPLORATION—VOLCANIC -ROCKS—HORNBILL—THE PLANTAIN-EATER—HYENAS.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The province of Angola is divided by the Portuguese into four -governments, viz., Ambriz (or Dom Pedro V.), Loanda, Benguella, and -Mossamedes. These are again subdivided into districts, each ruled -by a military “chefe” or chief subordinate to the governors of each -division, and these in their turn to the Governor-General of the -province at Loanda. In this great extent of country under Portuguese -rule, from the difficulty and delay in the communications with the -central head of military and civil government at Loanda, and from the -fact that the “chefes” combine both military<span class="pagenum" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</span> and civil functions, the -tyrannical injustice and spoliation the natives have so long suffered -at their hands can be easily imagined.</p> - -<p>Other causes also concurred to produce this disgraceful state of -things in Angola. The wretched pay of the Portuguese officers almost -obliged them to prey upon the utterly defenceless population. The great -bribery and corruption by means of which places that bled well or -yielded “emoluments,” as they were called, were filled; the ignorant -and ordinary class of officers, as a rule, who could be forced to serve -in Angola; and the knowledge that scarcely any other future was open -to them than the certainty of loss of health after years of banishment -in Africa—must be mentioned as causes of the despotic oppression that -crushed the whole country under its heel, depopulating it, and stifling -any attempt at industrial development on the part of the natives. That -this is a truth, admitting of no denial or defence, is at once shown by -the fact that the sources of the great exports of native produce are -all places removed from the direct misrule of the Portuguese.</p> - -<p>The pay of the Governor-General of Angola is<span class="pagenum" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</span> 1333<i><abbr title="pounds">l.</abbr></i> per annum. -That of the Colonial Secretary is 444<i><abbr title="pounds">l.</abbr></i> A major’s pay is now -10<i><abbr title="pounds">l.</abbr></i> per month; that of a captain, 6<i><abbr title="pounds">l.</abbr></i> 13<i><abbr title="shillings">s.</abbr></i> -4<i><abbr title="pence">d.</abbr></i>; a lieutenant’s, 5<i><abbr title="pounds">l.</abbr></i> 12<i><abbr title="shillings">s.</abbr></i> 1<i><abbr title="pence">d.</abbr></i>; a -sub-lieutenant’s, 4<i><abbr title="pounds">l.</abbr></i> 8<i><abbr title="shillings">s.</abbr></i> 11<i><abbr title="pence">d.</abbr></i> Some few years ago -the pay was actually, incredible as it may appear, thirty-seven and a -half per cent. below the above amounts: the present pay is only the -same as in Portugal. When in command, a major and captain have thirty -per cent., and a lieutenant and sub-lieutenant twenty-five per cent. in -addition.</p> - -<p>For the above mean and miserable pay Portugal sent, and still continues -to send, men to govern her extensive semi-civilized colonies. Can any -one in his senses be astonished at the result? Not a penny more did a -poor officer get when perhaps sent miles away into the interior, where -the carriage of a single load of provisions, &c., from Loanda would -cost half a sovereign or more, and where even necessaries were often at -enormous prices.</p> - -<p>In the fifteen years that I have principally lived in, and travelled -over a great part of Angola, and passed in intimate intercourse with -the natives and Portuguese, I have had abundant opportunities of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</span> -witnessing the miserable state to which that fine country has been -reduced by the wretched and corrupt system of government. This state -is not unknown to Portugal, and she has several times sent good and -honest men as governors to Loanda to try to put a stop to the excesses -committed by their subordinates, but they have been obliged to return -in despair, as without good and well-paid officials it was no use -either to change, or to make an example of one or two where all were -equally bad or guilty. There is, of course, but little chance of -any change until Portugal sees that it is to her own advantage that -this immensely rich possession should be governed by enlightened and -well-paid officials. Let her send to Angola independent and intelligent -men, and let them report faithfully on the causes that have depopulated -vast districts, that have destroyed all industry, and that continually -provoke the wars and wide dissatisfaction among tribes naturally so -peaceable and submissive, and amenable to a great extent to instruction -and advancement.</p> - -<p>A few instances will give an idea of the persecution that the natives -were subject to in Angola<span class="pagenum" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</span> from the rapacity of their rulers, and from -which no redress was possible.</p> - -<p>To assist the traders established at Pungo Andongo, Cassange, and other -parts of the interior to transport their ivory, wax, and other produce -to the coast, the government directed that a certain number of carriers -should be supplied by the “Soba” or native king of each district, and -that a stipulated payment should be made to these carriers for their -services by the traders. This was immediately turned by the Portuguese -“chefes” to their own advantage. The carriers were forced to work -without any pay, which was retained by the “chefe;” and as fines and -imprisonments helped to depopulate whole districts, and carriers became -more difficult to obtain, the “chefes” in their rapacity exacted a -larger and larger sum from the traders for each, over and above the -stipulated pay. This frightful abuse existed in full force till 1872, -when the forced liability of the natives to serve as carriers was -abolished by law.</p> - -<p>So easy and successful a robbery was this, that large sums were -spent, and much interest employed,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</span> for the sake of getting the post -of “chefe” to the more important districts, such as Golungo Alto, -Pungo Andongo, &c., even for a short time. The “chefe” being military -commandant and civil judge, the population were perfectly incapable of -resistance or complaint, and if such reached Loanda, it was of course -quashed by the friends of the despot in power, who had themselves -received a heavy sum to obtain him the post.</p> - -<p>While I was exploring the district of Cambambe, an order arrived from -Loanda for the “chefe” to draw up and forward a list of the number of -men capable of bearing arms and being called out as a native militia. -Such an apparently simple order supplied the “chefe” with a means of -committing a dastardly robbery on the defenceless natives; and he in -his turn was cheated of more than half of it by his subordinates, two -mulatto militia officers, who were sent by him with half-a-dozen black -soldiers to scour the country and obtain the desired information.</p> - -<p>I was staying at the house of a Portuguese trader, at a place called -Nhangui-a-pepi, on the road to Pungo Andongo, and about half way<span class="pagenum" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</span> -between that place and Dondo, when these two scoundrels arrived, and -arranged the following plan with the trader, whose name was Diaz. -They had agreed with the “chefe” of Cambambe at Dondo, to receive a -small share of the plunder they were to collect for him, but as they -considered this share was not sufficiently liberal, they proposed to -Diaz to send him part of the horned cattle they should obtain, for -which he was to pay them in cash,—a certain amount below the value of -course. This was agreed to, and they departed in high spirits.</p> - -<p>A month after, on calling again on Diaz, I found that the two villains -had already sent him seventy oxen, and that their journey was not yet -completed! How many they had sent to the “chefe” at Cambambe of course -I could not ascertain.</p> - -<p>The manner of proceeding was simple and ingenious. They pretended that -the Governor-General at Loanda had sent an order that all men in the -district should be enlisted as soldiers and sent to the coast to serve -in some war, that the names of all were down from the registers at<span class="pagenum" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</span> -Cambambe, and they had come to revise the list, and that all would be -liable to serve and be taken from their homes unless they were bribed -to have the names erased.</p> - -<p>In this way they robbed the poor inhabitants wholesale of oxen, sheep, -goats, fowls, money, &c., with what success will be seen from the -number of cattle only that they sent Diaz in one month, and from a part -only of an extensive district.</p> - -<p>On my arrival at Loanda some months later, I informed the governor -personally of what I had witnessed, but he declared himself unable to -prevent it or punish the culprits, from the impossibility of obtaining -legal proofs, and from the influential position held by the principal -robber.</p> - -<p>Shortly after the commencement of steam navigation on the River Quanza, -the Governor-General was asked to order the “chefes” of Cambambe and -Muxima to cause stumps and snags that were dangerous to the steamers -to be removed from the river. By a similar ingenious interpretation -this inoffensive order of the government was converted into a means -of levying black-mail on the natives of the river. The subordinates -intrusted<span class="pagenum" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</span> with the execution of the measure declared that they had -orders to cut down all palm-trees on or near the banks of the river, -and would do so unless bribed to spare them. In this way a considerable -sum of money was netted by the rogues in power.</p> - -<p>The natives of the interior of Loanda are very fond of litigation, -and this again is a source of considerable profit to the “chefes,” -as they will not receive any petition, issue a summons, &c., without -being bribed, and the crooked course of justice may in consequence be -imagined.</p> - -<p>A friend told me, that being once with the “chefe” of a district in the -interior, they saw two bullocks approaching the “chefe’s” house, and on -his asking a black standing near whose cattle they were, he answered -very coolly that “they were two oxen that were bringing a petition!”</p> - -<p>I need not say that I have known some honest “chefes” who discharged -the duties of their ill-paid and thankless office honourably and with -intelligence, but these exceptions are too rare to influence in the -least the sad state into which the country has been sunk by long years -of rapacity<span class="pagenum" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</span> on the part of its irresponsible rulers. Only a total -change in the system of government can again people the vast deserted -tracts with industrious inhabitants to cultivate its rich land; but, I -am sorry to say, a termination to the long reign of corruption that has -existed in Angola is not to be expected for years to come.</p> - -<p>Whilst in Portugal itself patriotism and public morality are debased -by an unchecked system of bribery and greed of money and power, it -is too much to expect that her rich colonies will be purged of their -long-existing abuses.</p> - -<p>As might be expected, the great peninsular obstruction and impediment -of high custom-house duties, so fatal to all commercial and industrial -development, is in full and vexatious force in Angola, with the -exception of Ambriz, where the total annihilation of trade from this -cause, after its occupation by the Portuguese, was so striking, that -I at last prevailed upon the Governor, Francisco Antonio Gonçalves -Cardozo, to reduce the duties to a moderate figure, with what wonderful -results I have already explained in a former chapter.</p> - -<p>With the great want of roads and carriers, or<span class="pagenum" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</span> other means of -conveyance, either for goods into or produce from the interior, -transport is very expensive, and it is evident that the levying of high -import duties besides on all goods for trade so enhances their value, -that it becomes impossible to offer an adequate return or advantage -to the native for the result of his labour or industry, or to leave -much margin for profit to the merchant; consequently, the development -of the country becomes completely paralysed and the revenue of the -state remains small in proportion. Such a simple fact, apparent to the -meanest understanding, is perfectly incomprehensible to the Portuguese! -To mention one instance only: the last time I was at Golungo Alto the -price of gunpowder was nearly six shillings a pound, and that of other -goods in proportion! That the natives of Angola will cultivate large -quantities of produce, if they can get moderately well paid for their -trouble, is evidenced by the considerable exports from the country from -Ambriz to the River Congo, where there are no custom-houses, and also -on the River Quanza, where steam navigation enables goods to be sent -up the country cheaply, and so to bear<span class="pagenum" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</span> the almost prohibitive duties -levied on them at Loanda.</p> - -<p>It is not only the excessively high duties paid to the custom-house -that are complained of by the merchants at Loanda, but the absurd, -petty, and vexatious manner in which the whole system is worked; the -mean prohibitions and regulations attending the loading, discharging, -and clearing of goods, vessels, and boats; the great delay and trouble -about the simplest operations; the intense obtuseness of the officials, -and the utter want of reason or object for such irritating proceedings. -They do not prevent smuggling, as that can be most easily effected by -any one desiring to do so, the lower officers and police being all -common blacks or mulattoes in the receipt of miserable pay; and I -remember one of the first merchants of Loanda once opening a drawer -in his office, and showing me significantly, when speaking on this -subject, a number of vouchers for small sums of money he had advanced -on loan to the petty officers employed by the custom-house, and paid -liberally at the rate of a few pence a day to prevent smuggling!</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</span></p> - -<p>It would be amusing to see so much imposing bombast in the custom-house -of a little place like Loanda, depending on a lot of poor, ragged, and -starving blacks for its preventive service, were it not so annoying to -see the effect of the high duties in hindering the development of the -riches of the country, whose commercial prosperity is at present the -only remedy for the evils of its misgovernment.</p> - -<p>From olden times the report has been handed down of the occurrence of -silver in the district of Cambambe, and the object of the Portuguese -in some of their first wars in the interior was to obtain possession -of the mines. There is, however, no record to show that they were -successful in their endeavours; and beyond the statement that the -natives of Cambambe paid tribute to the Portuguese in silver, part of -which was made into a service for a church in Lisbon, nothing more was -definitely known about it.</p> - -<p>When I left the Bembe mines I was engaged by Senhor Flores of Loanda -to explore the supposed locality of the silver mines, as well as -various sites in Cambambe, believed in former days<span class="pagenum" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</span> to have been copper -workings. I made a preliminary trip into the interior in September -1859, and then left Africa, returning a few months later with miners -and the necessary tools and apparatus for a more complete exploration, -which the indications I had noticed warranted me in undertaking.</p> - -<p>I luckily had with me six capital Ambriz carriers, who had brought me -from Ambriz to Loanda, in my journey through the country of Mossulo, -which I have described in a preceding chapter, and I readily induced -them to take me to Cambambe. I say luckily, as we found the greatest -difficulty in obtaining carriers on the road, and we should have had to -walk much greater distances than we did, if I had not had the Ambriz -blacks. I was accompanied by a Senhor Lobato, of Massangano, the first -man who had started trade on the River Quanza by means of barges to -and from Loanda. Our route lay from Loanda to the River Bengo, and -from thence inland, in an easterly direction, on the high road to -Cassange—the farthest point occupied by the Portuguese in Angola.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</span></p> - -<p>The road, for a couple of days’ journey or more, is on and near the -south bank of the River Bengo, and passes through some of the most -fertile land imaginable, but, with the exception of small mandioca and -other food-plantations, producing but little beyond the requirements of -the few inhabitants of the country owing to the absence of cultivation.</p> - -<p>We passed many places where towns had formerly existed, but the -inhabitants had been obliged to remove farther into the interior, or to -the country about the River Dande, to escape the wholesale robbery and -exactions of the Portuguese “chefes.”</p> - -<p>The second night after leaving Loanda we dined and slept at the house -of the “chefe” of the district of Icollo e Bengo, a very intelligent -young man, newly appointed to that place, and he gave us a painful -description of the wretched condition in which he had found his -district.</p> - -<p>We were unable to obtain carriers here at any price, those that had -brought us from Loanda having been hired for that distance only, as -they would not trust themselves farther inland, fearing they might be -forced to carry back heavy loads,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</span> for which they would be paid only a -miserable pittance, or perhaps nothing at all.</p> - -<p>We had, consequently, to rely only on the six Ambriz men we had -with us, but subsequently we were fortunate enough to pick up a few -more on the road. In six days we arrived at Porto Domingos, on the -River Lucala, a tributary of the Quanza. In these six days we passed -through very varied scenery, due not only to the gradual elevation -of the country from the coast, as noticed on the road from Ambriz to -Bembe, but also to the variety of geological formations. On leaving -Loanda horizontal beds of limestone, and then fine sandstones, occur. -Near the junction, at a place called Tantanbondo, there are curious -lines of nodules embedded in the limestone, and numbers loose on the -surface from the weathering of the latter. These nodules are generally -fractured, and re-cemented with crystalline calcspar; those not -fractured are mostly of a singular, rounded shape, like an ordinary -cottage-loaf. At Icollo e Bengo, finely micaceous iron ore is found; -and at Calunguembe trap-rock occurs, which gives a most picturesque -peaky appearance to the country.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</span></p> - -<p>Porto Domingos is one of the most lovely places I have seen in Africa; -the vegetation of palm-trees, baobabs, cottonwood-trees, and creepers -of many kinds on the banks of the river is wonderfully luxuriant. We -found traces everywhere of a former very much larger population, and -the same true tale of the inhabitants having been driven farther inland -by the rapine of their Portuguese rulers.</p> - -<p>After leaving Porto Domingos we arrived next day at the dry bed of -the River Mucozo, a small stream running only in the rainy season and -joining the River Quanza at Dondo. We passed through a thick wood, the -road being the dry bed of a small stream running through it, and the -ground a sandy dust of a bright red colour from oxide of iron. We and -our carriers presented a comical appearance after walking an hour and a -half through the wood.</p> - -<p>The rock of the country is a kind of conglomerate, with a matrix -containing much oxide of iron. At the River Mucozo this formation is -succeeded by a very hard white quartzose rock, containing but little -mica or feldspar, and the scenery<span class="pagenum" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</span> is very beautiful, the country being -very hilly and broken.</p> - -<p>Three days’ journey over a wild and rocky country brought us to -the “Soba” Dumbo, formerly a very powerful king, and from whom the -Portuguese have always derived great assistance in their wars, but only -a handful of natives remain at the present day in the country, to mark -the place of the once populous kingdom of the “Soba” Dumbo.</p> - -<p>In the next two or three succeeding days I visited the places where, -from the heaps of stones lying close to holes and excavations, it was -likely that the natives had formerly worked for minerals; and that -copper was what they had extracted or searched for was evident from the -indications of blue and green carbonate of copper in these heaps. I saw -enough to convince me that an exploration of the country was desirable, -and likely to result in meeting with important deposits of copper. Of -silver or other metals I saw no indications whatever.</p> - -<p>We crossed in a southerly direction to Nhangui-a-pepi, and from thence -to Dondo, and down the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</span> River Quanza in a canoe to Calumbo. A night’s -journey in a hammock brought us back to Loanda, having been absent -exactly a fortnight on this very interesting journey, and though we -suffered several times from hunger and thirst, and walked a great part -of the distance from want of carriers, it was performed without any -accident whatever or ill effects to health.</p> - -<p>On my return to Africa in November 1860, I was accompanied from Lisbon -by two Portuguese miners, to assist me in the exploration of these -localities and in my search for the ancient silver mines. One of these -men died on arrival at Loanda of an epidemic of malignant fever then -raging there, and the other died shortly after reaching Cambambe, -whither I had immediately proceeded.</p> - -<p>From November to June I was actively occupied in exploring this -district, and I cleared out several of the old workings, but failed -to discover metallic deposits or indications of any value, though -malachite and blue carbonate of copper were to be noticed abundantly -distributed everywhere.</p> - -<p>I made many excursions, sometimes of several<span class="pagenum" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</span> days’ duration, in that -time—one in the direction of the district of Duque de Bragança, to -a place called Ngombi Ndua, on the fine range of granite mountains -ending south at Pungo Andongo; but beyond the universal indications of -carbonates of copper, my explorations yielded no result.</p> - -<p>A very interesting excursion was one I made about thirty miles in a -northerly direction, where I passed through most beautiful mountain -scenery, the formation of the country being trachyte or volcanic rock.</p> - -<p>This evidence of ancient volcanic action is extremely interesting, as -it may have caused the ridge or elevation running the whole length of -Angola, which elevation has prevented the drainage of the plateau of -the interior of that part of Africa from flowing to the Atlantic. This -too strengthens my idea of the great River Congo being found to bend to -the south, and be the outlet for the waters of the hundreds of miles -of country lying behind Angola, and perhaps far beyond to the south, -where, as I have already stated, there is no river of any consequence -to be found.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</span></p> - -<p>The only other example of volcanic rock I have met with in Angola is -the narrow belt or strip of basalt found at Mossamedes, and on the sea -shore to the north of it for about thirty or forty miles.</p> - -<p>This trachyte of part of Cambambe is no doubt connected with the -trap-rocks noticed in my journey overland from Loanda to that district. -The greater part of Cambambe is rocky, and destitute of forest or large -trees; large tracts are covered with grass and shrubs, and of these the -“Nborotuto” (<i>Cochlospermum Angolense</i>, Welw.), a small shrubby -tree with large, bright yellow flowers about four inches across, and -like gigantic butter-cups in shape and colour, is extremely common, and -very conspicuous. In the cacimbo, or dry season, some very beautiful -bulbs and orchids spring up after the ground has been cleared of grass -by burning.</p> - -<p>Birds of many species and of beautiful colouring are abundant, and in a -small collection I made (see ‘The Ibis’ for October 1862), <abbr title="Doctor">Dr.</abbr> Hartlaub -found several new species, and I have no doubt this district would well -repay a collector. The most extraordinary bird in appearance and habits -is<span class="pagenum" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</span> certainly a large black hornbill (<i>Bucorax Abyssinicus</i>), -called by the natives Engungoashito. It is about the size of a large -turkey, but longer in the body and tail. The following is from my notes -on this bird in the above publication:—</p> - -<p>“They are found sparingly nearly everywhere in Angola, becoming -abundant, however, only towards the interior. In the mountain-range in -which Pungo Andongo is situated, and running nearly N. and S., they are -common, and it was near the base of these mountains that I shot these -two specimens. They are seen in flocks of six or eight (the natives -say, always in equal number of males and females). Farther in the -interior, I was credibly informed that they are found in flocks of from -one to two hundred individuals.</p> - -<p>“The males raise up and open and close their tails exactly in the -manner of a turkey, and filling out the bright cockscomb-red, -bladder-like wattle on their necks, and with wings dropping on the -ground, make quite a grand appearance.</p> - -<p>“They do not present a less extraordinary appearance as they walk -slowly with an awkward gait, and peer from side to side with their -great eyes in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</span> quest of food in the short grass, poking their large -bills at any frog, snake, &c., that may come in their way.</p> - -<p>“Their flight is feeble, and not long-sustained. When alarmed, they -generally fly up to the nearest large tree, preferring such as have -thick branches with but little foliage, as the Adansonia “Mucuzo” (a -wild fig). Here they squat close on the branches, and, if further -alarmed, raise themselves quite upright on their legs in an attitude of -listening, with wide-open bills. The first to notice a person at once -utters its customary cry, and all fly off to the next tree.</p> - -<p>“They are very wary. The grass near the mountains being comparatively -short, and with but little scrub or bush, it is very difficult to -approach them without being observed from the high trees. I followed -a flock of six for upwards of two hours, crawling flat on my stomach, -negro fashion, before I obtained a chance of a shot, when I was so -fortunate as to break the wing of a male without otherwise injuring it. -It was quickly captured by the blacks.</p> - -<p>“They are omnivorous in their food: reptiles,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</span> birds, eggs, beetles, -and all other insects, mandioca-roots, ginguba or ground-nuts, -constitute their food in the wild state. In confinement I have fed this -bird upon the same food, also upon fresh fish, which it showed itself -very fond of, as well as on the entrails of fowls, &c. On letting -it loose in Loanda, in a yard where there were several fowls with -chickens, it immediately gulped down its throat six of the latter, and -finished its breakfast with several eggs!</p> - -<p>“The note or cry of the male is like the hoarse blast of a horn, -repeated short three times, and answered by the female in a lower -note. It is very loud, and can be heard at a considerable distance, -particularly at night.</p> - -<p>“They are said to build their nests on the very highest adansonias, in -the hollow or cavity formed at the base or junction of the branches -with the trunk.”</p> - -<p>Another bird (the <i>Scopus umbretta</i>) is singular from the curious -story of its habits, as described by the natives, but unfortunately I -had not an opportunity of investigating their statements to ascertain -the exact foundation for them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</span></p> - -<p>All the more intelligent blacks in Cambambe gave me exactly the -same description, and I leave it for future collectors to verify -the statement. It is a small heron-like bird of a very uniform -chestnut-brown colour, and is found near pools and marshes. It is -affirmed by the natives that it never builds its own nest, but that -other birds, of different species, make one for it; and also, that if a -person bathes in the pool in which this bird is in the habit of washing -and pluming itself, he becomes quickly affected with a cutaneous -eruption similar to the itch.</p> - -<p>The lovely “plantain-eaters,” principally the <i>Corythaix Paulina</i>, -are very abundant all over Angola where thick forests are found. They -are common in the country about Pungo Andongo, and also near the River -Quanza. They have a very loud, hoarse cry, quite unlike that which -a bird might be imagined to produce, which has a very singular and -startling effect when heard in a forest.</p> - -<p>It is its unearthly cry that makes this bird an object of superstition -to the natives of the whole of Angola. It is said by them to be a -“feiticeiro,” or sorcerer, and that it warns travellers of danger<span class="pagenum" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</span> by -frightening with its cry animals or robbers lying in wait for them. -If one of these birds should perch on a hut or on a tree within the -enclosure of a town and sing, it is thought such a bad omen that the -inhabitants vacate it and remove to another place. When the natives -bring them in cages from the interior for sale on the coast, they never -take them into the towns on the road for fear they should sing whilst -in them, and at night the carrier, for the same reason, sleeps with his -birds at some little distance from any town.</p> - -<p>One most singular circumstance connected with this bird is the fact -that the gorgeous blood-red colour of its wing-feathers is soluble, -especially in weak solution of ammonia, and that this soluble colouring -matter contains a considerable quantity of copper, to which its colour -may very probably be due. My attention was first called to this -extremely curious and unexpected fact by Professor Church’s paper in -the ‘Phil. Trans.’ for 1869; and, on my last voyage home from the -Coast, I purchased a large bunch of the red wing-feathers in the market -at Sierra Leone, with which my brother-in-law, <abbr title="Mister">Mr.</abbr> Henry Bassett, -F.C.S., has<span class="pagenum" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</span> verified Professor Church’s results conclusively, and -has found even a larger proportion of copper in the colouring matter -extracted from these feathers.</p> - -<p>The ammoniacal solution is of a magnificent ruby-red colour by -transmitted light. <abbr title="Mister">Mr.</abbr> Bassett obtained the following as the result of -his investigation:—</p> - -<p>“From 300 feathers obtained 1·045 grm. turacin. Two copper -determinations, made by fusing with nitre and carbonate of soda, -washing out with water, then dissolving the oxide of copper in nitric -acid, filtering, and precipitating with potash, gave quantities of -oxide of copper corresponding to 7·6 and 8·0 per cent. of metallic -copper. Church found 6·0 per cent.; on the other hand, the feathers -yielded him a larger quantity of the colouring matter. General -characters, appearance, &c., exactly in accordance with Church’s -description; insoluble in benzol, sulphide carbon, tetrachloride -carbon. The copper to be unmistakably seen by burning the smallest -portion of a feather in a Bunsen burner.”</p> - -<p>It is difficult to say whether this copper is derived from the metal -contained in the food of these birds,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</span> or whether they pick up, with -sand and gravel, the attractive looking particles of malachite so -universally distributed over Angola. Their habits would seem to favour -somewhat this view, as they are extremely inquisitive in their wild -state, running along the large branches of the trees in an excited and -fussy manner, with outstretched neck and expanded wings, and peering -down on any intruder with every expression of interest and curiosity.</p> - -<p>At the same time, two birds that I have had in confinement in England, -both for five or six years, moulted regularly every year, and -reproduced the splendidly coloured feathers, of the same brightness, -without the possibility of getting any copper except what might have -entered into the composition of their food, which was most varied, -consisting of every ripe fruit in season, cooked vegetables and roots, -rice, bread, biscuits, dried fruits, &c.</p> - -<p>In Angola many of the “plantain-eaters” to be obtained from the natives -will only eat bananas, and refuse all other food, so that they cannot -be brought to Europe; others, however, readily adapt themselves to -almost every kind of soft food.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</span></p> - -<p>My first bird was a <i>Corythaix Livingstonii</i>, and was beautifully -tame and gentle; it was most amusing in its habits, and in the notice -it took of everything around it;—a change of dress, or even new or -differently coloured ribbons to what it had been in the habit of -seeing, excited its attention greatly, and it would utter a loud cry -and open out its lovely wings in astonishment, and coming close to the -cage bars examine it with the greatest curiosity. It was very fond of -having a picture-book shown it, noticing especially those pictures that -were most vividly coloured. It was very fond of a bath, which it used -to come out and take in a large pie-dish full of water placed on the -table. At night it roosted in a little, flat basket, in which it would -not readily nestle till one of my sisters sang to it for a few minutes, -when it would utter a satisfied kind of low, rumbling noise, and at -once squat down quietly to sleep.</p> - -<p>My last live specimen, a <i>Corythaix Paulina</i> was also very tame, -and has only recently died from the breaking of an egg inside its body. -A former egg that it laid is now in the collection of the British -Museum. It had only just<span class="pagenum" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</span> moulted before it died, and the skin is in -beautiful plumage.</p> - -<p>It is pleasing to record an instance of a bird being considered of -good omen; this is one called “Quioco” by the natives, which has a -beautifully clear and loud song, and this is believed to be a sign -of good luck when heard near their huts. Its scientific name is -<i>Telephonus erythropterus</i>.</p> - -<p>Cattle thrive excellently in this district, and might be reared in -any number, as also goats, sheep, and poultry. Game is comparatively -scarce. Wild animals are principally the spotted and striped hyena -and the black-backed jackal. Leopards I only heard of as infesting -the country about half-way between Nhangui-a-pepi and Dondo, where, -during the time I was in Cambambe, they had carried away cattle and -attacked several blacks. The hyenas used to visit us almost every -night in Cambambe, and at one place, where my cook slept by himself -in a small hut, which was also the kitchen, they frightened him so by -snorting under the door and trying to force their way in, attracted -no doubt by the smell of the pots and pans, that he refused to pass -another night in it, and I had to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</span> let him sleep in my hut. One night -we heard a noise of smashing of crockery and falling of pots, &c., -from the kitchen, and in the morning we found that a hyena had forced -his way into the hut (built of sticks and grass), and had taken away a -sheepskin from a wooden frame that served as a table, on which my cook -had carefully placed my stock of plates and cooking utensils to dry, -bringing the whole to the ground, and considerably reducing my limited -stock of china and glass.</p> - -<p>Nothing comes amiss to these voracious creatures, their powerful jaws -and teeth enabling them to crunch up any bones, skin, &c. The hides of -the oxen that were killed for food used to be thrown on the roofs of -the huts to dry, and the hyenas would sometimes get at them, and if not -taken away bodily we would find them almost entirely eaten up, their -sharp teeth having cut through the tough raw hide as perfectly, and -seemingly as easily, as a pair of shears; the ox skull and other bones -of course always disappeared completely during the night.</p> - -<p>When driven by hunger they become very bold, but rarely attack man. At -Benguella, where they<span class="pagenum" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</span> are very abundant, such a thing as an attack -on a native was unknown, although at night many blacks sleep out of -doors, and often in a drunken and helpless state; but at Golungo Alto, -after an epidemic of small-pox, when the hyenas preyed upon the bodies -of natives who had died of the disease, I was told that they had got -into a habit of attacking the live blacks at night, but no fatal case -occurred.</p> - -<p>Hyenas always hunt in couples, a male and female according to the -natives, and very often several couples together.</p> - -<p>That they seek their prey in pairs I believe to be the case, from an -instance that occurred to myself in Cambambe. I had built a long hut of -sticks and grass for two white men (Portuguese soldiers and military -convicts) from Loanda, who had been sent me on the death of the miner -I had brought with me from Portugal. The two men occupied one end of -the hut, the other being taken up with the mining tools, stores, &c., -and one night two sheep had been placed there also, for safety. One was -tied to a bundle of shovels, and the other to a wheelbarrow, to prevent -them from straying<span class="pagenum" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</span> about in the hut. Opposite to where they were -secured was a door made of green sticks and withes.</p> - -<p>Whilst the men were asleep a hyena forced his way under the door, and -carried off one of the sheep; its cries and the noise awoke the men, -who jumped out of bed and rushed out to try and save the poor sheep, -but in the darkness of the night nothing could be seen, and all that -was heard was the rush of the animals and shovels down the rocky and -stony ground—the hut being built on a small steep rise or hill. Whilst -the men were thinking what they should do, and standing only a few -yards from the hut, another hyena got into it through the now open -door and carried off the second sheep and the wheelbarrow, which went -banging down the hill over the loose stones. In the morning the shovels -and wheelbarrow were found at some little distance at the foot of the -hill, but not a trace of the poor sheep.</p> - -<p>The hyenas are remarkably wary and cautious, only coming near -habitations in the darkest nights, and generally near daybreak. I was -never<span class="pagenum" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</span> able to shoot one in the ordinary way, though I often watched -with gun ready through an opening in the walls of my hut. I once, -however, killed a fine spotted hyena by tying my gun to a couple of -stakes in the ground, and putting an ox’s gullet on the muzzle as a -bait, so arranged with a string to the trigger as to fire off the gun -on the animal attempting to pull it away.</p> - -<p>The next time I arranged this infernal-machine it nearly killed a -fine pig that had set its heart on the bait, but as he luckily did -not approach it in the right direction, I lost the charge of powder -and ball, and the pig found his anticipated titbit suddenly vanish in -smoke.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV.<br /><span class="small">PROVINCE OF CAZENGO—GOLUNGO ALTO—GOLD—WILD COFFEE—IRON -SMELTING—FORMER MISSIONARIES—CUSTOMS—NATIVES—PRODUCTIONS.</span></h2> -</div> - - - -<p>The farthest inland district in Angola under the rule of the Portuguese -was that of Cassange, but a successful revolt of the natives against -the oppression of the Portuguese “chefes” led to its being abandoned a -few years ago.</p> - -<p>Malange is now the farthest point, the two next being Pungo Andongo and -Duque de Bragança; the latter is at present of no value or importance -whatever.</p> - -<p>The Portuguese traders are, however, established in considerable force -at Cassange, as well as at Malange and Pungo Andongo, and a large trade -in ivory and wax has always been carried on from that part of the -country.</p> - -<p>I am unable to describe these localities from<span class="pagenum" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</span> personal observation, -but they are stated to be very fine and healthy, and mostly well -watered. The natives have no antipathy or objection whatever to the -Portuguese, their opposition being entirely to the military rulers who -had abused their position; and recently the natives of the country of -the Dembos, between Golungo Alto and Duque de Bragança, have also risen -in arms for the same reason, and they have had the advantage so far in -the struggle.</p> - -<p>In the year 1867 I visited Cazengo and Golungo Alto, on my way to -a part of the country called Lombige, where gold in dust had been -discovered, and where two white men with a party of blacks were -“prospecting” for Senhor Flores. It is impossible to describe in words -the beauty of the districts of Cazengo and Golungo Alto, and the -country about the River Lombige, a small tributary of the River Zenza, -as the River Bengo is called inland.</p> - -<p>Mountains and deep valleys filled with magnificent virgin forests -cover the country. Streams and springs of the clearest water abound, -and the valleys are full of monkeys and beautifully<span class="pagenum" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</span> coloured birds -and butterflies. Most wonderful and varied effects of rolling mists, -sunrise, and sunset are to be seen in this earthly paradise, and the -clearness and lightness of the atmosphere are most exhilarating and -agreeable after the dull oppressiveness of the air on the coast.</p> - -<p>At Cazengo I saw the largest trees I have ever seen, and conspicuous -amongst these the cotton-wood tree (<i>Eriodendron anfractuosum</i>), -towering to an immense height straight as an arrow, without the -slightest break, to the small branches at the very top covered with -feathery-looking foliage, and studded with puffy balls like white silk, -from the burst seed-pods. The stems and branches are thickly studded -with hard, short, conical, sharp-pointed spikes, and at the base of -the stem vast flattened buttresses project, which give a wonderful -idea of strength and stability. In these grand forests the splendid -giant touraco (<i>Turacus cristatus</i>), the largest of the tropical -African plantain-eaters, finds a fitting habitat, and from its great -size compared with the other much smaller species, is evidence of the -magnificence of the forests and scenery of Cazengo and Golungo Alto.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</span></p> - -<p>I cannot help having a feeling of reverent affection and admiration -for this family of birds, whose exquisite plumage has most likely been -evolved through ages of the greatest tropical beauty, of dazzling -sunshine, bright flowers, and luxuriant vegetation in lovely valley and -mountain chain.</p> - -<p>Coffee is found growing wild in these virgin forests, but it is -confidently believed to have been originally introduced by the old -missionaries, and since been spread by the agency of monkeys and birds.</p> - -<p>Several important coffee plantations have been established, principally -in Cazengo, and with slave labour; but they exist under great -disadvantages, owing to the want of roads and means of conveyance, -this last being entirely effected by carriers, who are difficult to -obtain even at considerable expense. The coffee from the Portuguese -planters is all sent to Dondo, and thence down the river to Loanda and -the sea. That cropped by the natives is carried by them for sale to the -River Quanza and to Loanda, but a considerable part is taken across -the country all the way to Ambriz,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</span> where, from the low custom-house -duties, they receive from the traders a much larger amount of goods -and powder in exchange than at Loanda. I noticed on the natives -certain kinds of cloth customarily passed in trade in Ambriz, and I -had a further proof of the Cazengo and Golungo Alto coffee thus going -northward, in the considerable number of natives recognised in Cazengo -by my servant, as having been seen by him trading coffee at Ambriz, his -native place.</p> - -<p>The town of Cazengo consists of half a dozen houses, occupied -principally by Portuguese traders, the “residencia” or house of the -“chefe,” and the huts of a small native population. It is about two -days’ journey from Dondo (on the River Quanza), and the River Lucala is -passed about six miles before arriving there.</p> - -<p>The district of Golungo Alto gives the same name to its town, which is -most picturesquely situated and surrounded by luxuriant vegetation, -and is reached in another two days’ journey from Cazengo, through -exquisite scenery. Starting from the town of Golungo Alto in a -northerly direction, I arrived in the afternoon at the River Zenza, -and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</span> slept a few miles beyond it at a place called Gonguembo, at the -house of a respectable black, who was a kind of government official for -that district, and who was married to a very comely black woman from -Loanda. I was most hospitably treated by these good people, and a clean -bed in a nice airy room was prepared for me; they would not accept -any remuneration for their kindness, so I had to content myself with -making them a present of some handkerchiefs I had with me. Next day I -continued to travel in the same direction, sleeping at night in a wood, -and the day after arrived at a place called Mayengo, near the River -Lombige, there only a noisy mountain torrent of most beautifully clear -water. It was here that the two white men with the party of blacks -were exploring for gold, and they had already obtained a few ounces of -dust from the sand of the river by washing it in pans and a couple of -rockers.</p> - -<p>The following morning I proceeded about ten miles farther in the -direction of the course of the Lombige, to another place where a little -gold-dust had also been obtained.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</span></p> - -<p>The formation of the country from Golungo Alto to the auriferous ground -of the Lombige is a hard clay slate, in which I observed only a few -small quartz veins, and in my opinion it is a poor gold country. Not -more than a couple of pounds weight of gold were obtained after many -months working, and the exploration was finally abandoned on the death -of Senhor Flores, which happened at the Lombige.</p> - -<p>My friend <abbr title="Mister">Mr.</abbr> Richard Smith, of the Metallurgical Laboratory at the -Royal School of Mines, has kindly assayed a sample of gold from -Lombige, with the following results:—</p> - -<table class="thin"> -<tr><td>Gold</td><td class="tdr">93·860</td></tr> -<tr><td>Silver</td><td class="tdr">5·352</td></tr> -<tr><td>Copper</td><td class="tdr">0·404</td></tr> -<tr><td></td><td class="tdr bt">99·616</td></tr> -</table> - -<p>equal to 22¹⁄₂ carats fine.</p> - -<p>From Golungo Alto to the south the geological formation is a hard, -compact, quartzose granite rock. At Cazengo is found gneiss, granite, -and a hard quartzose slaty rock, with in places a curious rock -seemingly composed of disintegrated granite<span class="pagenum" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</span> and clay slate. The strike -of the clay slate is about E. and W., and it dips to the S.S.W.</p> - -<p>The few natives I saw about the Lombige seemed rather a fine race. They -belong to a tribe called the Dembos, which is the name of that part of -the country, and they have lately driven back the Portuguese, who had -attempted to encroach on their territory with the customary exactions -of the “chefes.”</p> - -<p>To show that they bore no ill-will to the Portuguese, but only desired -to resist the grasping oppression of the “chefes,” they escorted to the -River Zenza, near Golungo Alto, a small number of unfortunate troops -they had surrounded, and who, without pay, provisions, ammunition, -shoes, or clothing, had been obliged to surrender, and they greatly -insulted the Portuguese by offering to give these poor soldiers a -month’s pay in cash! I was at Loanda when several batches of soldiers, -composing the so-called expedition to the Dembos, arrived, viâ the -River Quanza, in a disgraceful state of starvation and rags, and the -poor devils were loud in their complaints of the way they had been -treated and robbed by their own government and officers.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</span></p> - -<p>A more shameful manner of exposing men to disease and the enemy cannot -be imagined. A local newspaper at Loanda exposed the scandalous way -in which the war was conducted; and the merchants represented the -true state of the case to the government at Lisbon, but no attention -was given to them, as the governor at Loanda reported that there was -nothing going on in Angola to call for special notice.</p> - -<p>The great forests on the slopes of the chains of mountains and valleys -of the country about Golungo Alto and the Dembos are also full of -coffee trees growing wild, and they are gradually being cleared of bush -or underwood by the natives so as to enable them to collect the berry. -I did not hear anywhere that they had taken to planting coffee, nor -are they likely to do so as long as they can find it growing wild. As -far as has been ascertained, wild coffee is only found growing in the -forests of the country of the second elevation from the coast, nor does -it grow well in the littoral region, where the air is much too dry: it -is a plant requiring a moist heat and the shade of large trees; and a -certain amount of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</span> elevation above the level of the sea may possibly -have something to do with its proper growth.</p> - -<p>The future production of coffee on the whole West Coast of Africa might -be simply unlimited, as far as extent of ground eminently suitable for -its cultivation is concerned: it becomes only a question of time and -labour. The coffee plant is not the only one formerly introduced by the -missionaries or Portuguese which has spread itself over a large extent -of country in Angola, as I saw beautiful watercress growing wild most -luxuriantly in several of the rivulets and wet places in Cazengo, and -<abbr title="Doctor">Dr.</abbr> Welwitsch found parsley and fennel growing wild abundantly at Pungo -Andongo.</p> - - -<p class="center p2"><span class="figcenter" id="img002"> - <img src="images/002.jpg" class="w50" alt="BELLOWS—MARIMBA—NATIVE SMITHS—RAT-TRAP." /> -</span></p> -<p class="center caption"><span class="smcap">Plate XI.</span><br />BELLOWS—MARIMBA—NATIVE SMITHS—RAT-TRAP.<br /> <i>To face page 213.</i></p> - - - -<p>Cazengo has been celebrated from time immemorial for its iron, smelted -by the natives, and the bellows (<a href="#img002">Plate XI.</a>) employed in the process -appears to date from the earliest times, being in fact identical with -that used by the ancient Egyptians.</p> - -<p>The object of the double arrangement is to obtain a constant current of -air from the nozzle; there are no valves in it, and the tops of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</span> -cylinders are tightly closed with a peak-shaped cover of sheepskin in -which there is no hole or aperture. They are worked alternately and -very rapidly, and blow into a baked-clay tuyère about twelve inches -long, of which the under end is much wider than the nozzle of the -bellows that just rests inside it. The object of this is apparent, -as, from the bellows having no valve for the admission of air, which -therefore enters it through the nozzle, were this to fit tightly in the -tuyère it would alternately blow into and draw air from the fire. For -ordinary blacksmith’s work the forge is simply a small round cavity -scooped out in the ground, the fuel being charcoal; and in this, with -one bellows, a welding heat is obtained, and they are enabled to make -hoes, &c., out of ordinary iron hooping or other waste scrap-iron.</p> - -<p>Iron smelting from the ore is but little practised now in Angola, as -the iron hooping from bales obtained from the traders nearly suffices -for the few purposes for which this useful metal is required; but I -once had the opportunity whilst travelling of seeing the operation -of smelting going on at Cazengo, and of obtaining the following<span class="pagenum" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</span> -information on the process. There was no furnace proper, simply a -somewhat larger excavation in the ground, with three pair of bellows -hard at work at equal distances round it. There was neither cover nor -chimney to the fire, which was fed with charcoal. The ironstone was a -gossany-looking brown ore, and was broken into bits about the size of -small walnuts.</p> - -<p>I was informed that the first operation took some hours, and did not -reduce the iron to the fused state, but only to an apparently metallic -spongy condition, without much diminution in the size of the pieces. -These reduced pieces are separated from those only imperfectly acted -on, the latter being again submitted to the first process with fresh -ore; the former are then raised to a high heat and welded together with -a hammer, on a block of iron for an anvil, into a small bar.</p> - -<p>In the management of the fire, and in welding, the natives employ water -and sand in the same way that our smiths do. The bellows and the tuyère -are slightly inclined downwards, and are secured to the ground by -strong stakes driven into it on each side, to which are attached cross -pieces passing over the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</span> bellows and tuyère (<a href="#img002">Plate XI.</a>). I have seen -these bellows in every part of Angola, and in Loango and Cabinda, north -of the River Congo, among tribes speaking entirely different languages, -but it is of exactly the same pattern everywhere.</p> - -<p>The natives of the interior, like those of Loanda, that is to say, of -the country comprised between the Rivers Dande and Quanza, speak the -Bunda language. The division on the latter river is very marked, the -Quissamas and the Libollos on the southern bank speaking a distinct -language. The natives beyond the River Dande speak the Congo language, -and its dialects of Ambriz and Mossulo.</p> - -<p>This large Bunda-speaking population offers points of great interest, -and most strongly and favourably impresses the observer, auguring well -for its future civilization as far as it can go. It speaks volumes for -the superiority of this part of the negro species to know that very -fair reading and writing in Portuguese has been handed down from father -to son from the time of the former missionaries to the present day.</p> - -<p>It is impossible not to admire and honour the wonderful work of those -good men. Palpable signs<span class="pagenum" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</span> of their industry, and of their example -and teaching may still be seen everywhere in Angola. Plantations of -cocoa-nut and oil-palm trees, groves of orange, lemon, and other fruit -trees, the introduction of the coffee and other useful plants, the -ruins of extensive monasteries with which were associated their schools -of industrial arts, all bear witness to their good work, and last but -not least the love and veneration in which their name is held amongst -all classes of blacks, who consider a padre almost as a god;—their -name for a priest is Ngana Nganga (God’s sir), Ngana being “Senhor,” -sir, and Nganga their word for God.</p> - -<p>Although as completely imbued as their more uncivilized brethren -with the belief and practice of “fetishes” of all kinds, they still -retain many of the usages taught them by the missionaries;—they will -have their children baptized by a padre to give them one or more -Saints’ names; and though they will call a girl or boy such a name as -“Thursday,” if he or she happens to have been born on that week-day, -or the name of a tree or plant, or place, or any circumstance they may -fancy connected with its birth, yet it must also bear the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</span> name of -Antonio Domingos, or Maria Roza, or some other favourite combination -of Portuguese Christian names. The christening is celebrated with the -usual accompaniment of sponsors, and, as is customary in Catholic -countries, these will not intermarry or live together as man and wife, -or with the parents of the child.</p> - -<p>A sheet of foolscap paper is a very usual article to receive from the -traders with other goods in barter for produce; this they roll up -carefully, and hang by a bit of string to their stick or pack.</p> - -<p>For pen they use the quill of any bird; their ink is charcoal or burnt -ground-nuts ground fine with the juice of the wild tomato; for wax or -gum they use the very sticky mass enveloping the seeds of a beautiful -red-flowering parasite (<i>Loranthus sp.</i>).</p> - -<p>These natives are extremely fond of writing to one another, and also -to the “chefes” or authorities, and their letters and petitions are -sometimes most amusing and laughable, as they have the usual love of -their race for pompous or high-sounding words and phrases.</p> - -<p>They are fond, on occasions, of wearing coats<span class="pagenum" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</span> and trousers, often -made of very extraordinary quality and patterns of cloth, and boots -and shoes. Their houses or huts and customs otherwise are not -distinguishable from those of the natives of other parts of Angola.</p> - -<p>A curious hard-wood shrub (<i>Decamera Jovis-tonantis</i>, Welw.), -called by the natives Nduí, is considered a sure preservative against -lightning, and branches of it are placed on the huts to save them from -being struck by the electric fluid. This belief is peculiar to the -Bunda-speaking race. It is also only among these people that tapioca -is prepared, though rarely, from the starch of the mandioca-root, by -drying it over iron or copper plates.</p> - -<p>A very singular custom is common to them and to the natives of Novo -Redondo farther south. When a relative or other person visits them, a -dish of “infundi” or “pirão” is prepared, and should there not be a bit -of meat or fish in the larder (no uncommon circumstance by the bye) -they send out to a neighbour for the “lent rat” as it is called. This -is a field-rat roasted on a skewer, and it is presented to the guest -who, holding the skewer in his left hand, dabs bits of the “infundi”<span class="pagenum" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</span> -on the rat before he swallows them, as if to give them a flavour, but -he is very careful not to eat the rat, or even the smallest particle of -it, as this would be considered a great crime and offence, and would be -severely punished by their laws. It is supposed that the host has duly -preserved the dignity of his house and position, and has performed the -rites of hospitality in presenting his guest with meat and “infundi,” -though he has not tasted a morsel of the former, which is returned -intact to the owner from whom it was borrowed. This example of a sham, -knowingly played by both host and guest as an act of politeness, seems -very curious in the extremely unsophisticated state of the negro:—in -our superior state of society, shams as patent to all are too common to -attract attention.</p> - -<p>The Bunda-speaking natives of Angola are extremely indolent: by the -better class, such as those who can read and write, it is considered -derogatory to perform any manual work whatever. A little trading in wax -or other produce is the most they indulge in, and this is principally -made the means of obtaining goods or money on credit from the traders, -or in some other way imposing<span class="pagenum" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</span> on them. They are specially clever at -any little roguery of this kind.</p> - -<p>In the mornings, the rising generation may be seen assembled in groups -squatted on the ground, wrapped up in a cotton cloth manufactured in -the country, and with a printed alphabet in their hands lazily learning -their letters. No inducement that I could offer of pay or anything -else, whilst I was exploring in Cambambe, would make them work, and as -their style of living is exactly the same as that of other blacks, the -plantations, tended by their women and female slaves, suffice them for -their daily wants. I lived on beans for a week on that occasion, as I -would not pay half a sovereign in money or cloth for a single fowl, and -sheep and goats in proportion. When the tax-gatherer came round with -the soldiers, and they had not the wherewithal to pay him, I had my -revenge, and bought a large number of fowls at a penny each, goats and -sheep at about a shilling a head, and fat oxen at five to ten shillings -each, from the very blacks who a day or two before had refused to sell -oxen at any price, and fowls, &c., only at such exorbitant prices.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</span></p> - -<p>I had to provide food for the forty or fifty blacks who were with me, -and an ox was generally killed every day for them, but not being used -to so much animal food it did not agree with them. One morning they -came to me headed by an old native of Ambaca, who presented me with a -petition written in high-flown language, praying that I would not give -them any more meat, but that I would order beans and “infundi” to be -cooked for their rations instead. Of course, I assented to the desired -change, which, moreover, was more economical.</p> - -<p>The natives of Pungo Andongo are the most deceitful, and the worst -generally. Those of the district of Ambaca, contiguous to Cazengo -and Golungo Alto, are a very extraordinary set of blacks. They are -distinguished by a peculiar expression of countenance, manner, and -speech, which enables them to be at once recognised as surely as a -raw Irishman or Scotchman is with us. They are the cleverest natives -of Angola, speak and read and write Portuguese best of any, are the -greatest cheats of all, and are well described by the Portuguese as -the Jews and gipsies of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</span> Angola. They are the greatest traders in the -country, and collect and deal in all manner of hides, skins, and other -articles, for which they travel great distances and amongst other -tribes. They will least of all work at any manual labour; trade and -roguery are their forte, and they have often suffered at the hands of -other tribes for their cupidity.</p> - -<p>During a famine, a few years back, in the Quissama country, which -the Ambaquistas (as the natives of Ambaca are called) used to visit -with farinha, &c., for the purpose of purchasing rock-salt to trade -with in other places, they bought a large number of the Quissamas as -slaves, at the rate of a small measure of meal each; but the succeeding -season, on a number of Ambaquistas going to Quissama, they were robbed, -flogged, branded with hot irons, and otherwise tortured and punished, -and finally put into canoes and started down the river, arriving at -Muxima in a lamentable condition, and only a few recovered from their -ill-treatment. This revenge was taken by the Quissamas because the -Ambaquistas took advantage of their dire necessity for food to buy -their sons and daughters<span class="pagenum" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</span> as slaves for small portions of meal. To the -present day, to vex an Ambaquista, it is sufficient to ask him if he -has any Quissama rock-salt for sale!</p> - -<p>Of course they have never been to Quissama since; and should the -Portuguese desire to conquer that country, as yet not reduced to -submission, they could count upon a large contingent of volunteers from -Ambaca. Ambaca is said to be comparatively flat, but very fertile, and -it has lately been sending a large quantity of ground-nuts to the River -Quanza.</p> - -<p>In Cazengo and Pungo Andongo the largest gourds I have ever seen are -grown, which when dried are employed by the natives as vessels to carry -oil, water, “garapa,” or other liquids; or, the top being cut off, -are used as baskets for meal, beans, &c. I have seen them so large -that they were enclosed in a rope-net, and when full of “garapa” or -water were a good load for two men to carry, slung to a pole on their -shoulders. The plants are generally trained up the sides and on the -grass roofs of the huts, on which they produce a plentiful crop of -flowers and fruit. I have also<span class="pagenum" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</span> seen the gourds supported on a kind -of nest of dry straw or grass, placed in the fork of a three-branched -stick stuck in the ground.</p> - -<p>Cotton is grown sparingly everywhere. It is picked from the seeds and -beaten on the ground with a switch to open it out, and then spun by -hand. This was the constant employment of the natives, particularly -of the women and girls, but quite lately this industry has greatly -fallen off, owing to the greater importation of Manchester goods. The -cotton-thread was woven by the natives into strong thick cloths, but -these are now not easy to obtain for the same reason.</p> - -<p>Food is most abundant:—mandioca, maize, beans, massango (a kind of -millet), ground-nuts, &c., growing with the greatest luxuriance in -the fertile ground and lovely climate. Beautiful and tame cattle are -easily reared, as well as sheep, goats, and poultry; but, as usual, the -great indolence of the natives prevents them from availing themselves -of the wonderful capabilities of the soil and climate to any but an -infinitesimal degree.</p> - -<p>It is rare to see any stores of food, so that if, as sometimes happens, -especially in the littoral region,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</span> the rains should fail, a famine is -the result, and hundreds die.</p> - -<p>When a little indian-corn or other seed is kept, it is enclosed in -large, smooth, spindle-shaped masses of long straw, and these are hung -to the branches of the trees. The straw keeps the wet from entering -to the corn, and it also keeps out rats, as, should they run down the -short rope, they slip off the straw and tumble to the ground.</p> - -<p>Large and small pots for cooking and holding water are made in many -places. They are made of clay, and are burnt by being built up in a -heap in the open air with dry grass and covered with the same, which is -then set on fire and allowed to burn out; when cold, the pots are found -completely baked, without the use of anything like a kiln. Clay pipes -for smoking are also made, and burnt in the same manner (Plate V.).</p> - -<p>Many of the towns in the interior, in the more out-of-the-way places, -are completely isolated for several months by the growth of the high -grass towards the end of the rainy and the beginning of the dry season. -In travelling it is the custom of the guides to lay a handful of grass -on the paths<span class="pagenum" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</span> that they wish the rest of the party to avoid; and this -is the universal practice of the natives all over Angola, to indicate -the path to be taken by others following them, and which from the -height of the grass and the number of intersecting paths, would be -difficult to keep without some such mark. Blacks, of course, never -travel but in single file, and I was once asked by a negro the reason -why white men always walked side by side, and not one behind the other -as they did, but my reply failed to convince him of the advantage of -our plan.</p> - -<p>For some years the “chefes” have had the paths leading from each -capital town of their divisions kept clear of grass and weeds for a -breadth of from six to twelve feet by the natives of the town nearest -it, but even then the blacks not only walk in single file, but, what is -very curious, tread out and follow a winding path in it from side to -side. Their own paths are never straight but invariably serpentine, and -this habit or instinct is followed even when a broad, straight road is -offered them.</p> - -<p>Whilst I was at Cambambe, a somewhat eccentric Portuguese (not a -military man) was “chefe” of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</span> Pungo Andongo, and he took it into his -head that he would break the natives of this habit of walking in single -file, and he actually fined and otherwise punished a number of them, -but, of course, he never succeeded in making them alter the custom -except when passing before his house. The blacks will never move a -stone or other impediment in the road. If a tree or branch fall on it, -and it is too large to walk over comfortably, no one pushes it aside, -however easy such an operation may be, but they deviate from the path -and walk round it, and this deviation continues to be used ever after, -although the obstacle may rot away or be otherwise removed.</p> - -<p>I twice saw in Cambambe the remarkable “spit-frog” described by <abbr title="Doctor">Dr.</abbr> -Livingstone. This insect is of the same shape as the ordinary British -“spit-frog,” but is quite three-quarters of an inch in length. Its -scientific name is <i>Ptyelus olivaceus</i>. The larvæ, like the -British species, have the property of secreting a copious watery froth, -in which they envelop themselves, a number being found together on a -thin twig or branch, and the amount of water secreted is so great as to -drop<span class="pagenum" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</span> constantly from the branch on which they are living, so that the -ground beneath becomes quite wet. Though the amount of water abstracted -from the atmosphere is something enormous for so small a creature, the -very hygroscopic state of the air there is quite sufficient to account -for its source.</p> - -<p>Lizards are very abundant on the rocks, and there are some very pretty -and brightly-coloured species. Chameleons are also abundant, and the -natives are everywhere afraid to touch them. The Mushicongos believe -that if they once fasten on the wool of a black’s head, nothing can -take them off, and that they are poisonous; but their dislike of -these harmless creatures does not prevent them from trying a curious -though cruel experiment—the quick and mortal action of nicotine—on -them. They insert a bit of straw or grass into the wooden stems of -their pipes, so as to remove a small portion of the nicotine and -other products of the combustion of the tobacco, and when the poor -chameleon opens its jaws in fear, they pass the moistened straw across -its tongue and mouth, and in a very few seconds it turns on its side, -stiffens, and is quite dead. This very small quantity<span class="pagenum" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</span> of the poison is -wonderfully rapid in its fatal action.</p> - -<p>The ground is cultivated with a hoe like that described in use about -Ambriz, but with a double instead of a single handle (<a href="#img006">Plate XIV.</a>).</p> - -<p>The natives, like those of the country to the north, eat considerable -quantities of the ground-nut, and from the following analysis by B. -Corenwinder (‘Journal de Pharm. et de Chimie,’ 4th series, xviii. 14) -its great value as an article of food is apparent:—</p> - -<table class="thin"> -<tr><td colspan="2">Water</td><td class="tdr">6·76</td></tr> -<tr><td colspan="2">Oil</td><td class="tdr">51·75</td></tr> -<tr><td colspan="2">Nitrogenous matter</td><td class="tdr">21·80</td></tr> -<tr><td colspan="2">Non-nitrogenous matter containing starch</td><td class="tdr">17·66</td></tr> -<tr><td>Phosphoric acid</td><td class="tdr">0·64</td><td class="tdr" rowspan="2"><span class="vbig">}</span> 2·03</td></tr> -<tr><td>Potash, chlorine, magnesia, &c.</td><td class="tdr">1·39</td></tr> -<tr><td colspan="2"></td><td class="bt tdr">100·00</td></tr> -</table> -<p class="center">The proportion of phosphoric acid found in the perfectly white ash was                31·53%<br /> -</p> - -<p>I am convinced that, from the amount of nitrogenous matter, and the -form in which the large quantity of oil is masked in the ground-nut, -its use<span class="pagenum" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</span> by invalids and persons of delicate constitution would be -attended with valuable results. The nuts are delicious simply roasted, -or, better still, afterwards covered with a little sugar dried on them -in the pan.</p> - -<p>A small plant bearing pods containing one or two roundish seeds, and -like the ground-nut ripening beneath the soil, is also sparingly -cultivated in Cambambe and the surrounding districts. It is the -<i>Voandzeia subterranea</i> of botanists.</p> - -<p>The round fruit, about the size of a small apple, of a handsome leaved -plant is employed by the natives of the same places for washing their -cloths, &c., instead of soap, and <abbr title="Doctor">Dr.</abbr> Welwitsch named the plant the -<i>Solanum saponaceum</i> from this circumstance.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V.<br /><span class="small">RIVER QUANZA—CALUMBO—BRUTO—MUXIMA—MASSANGANO—DONDO—FALLS OF -CAMBAMBE—DANCES—MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS—QUISSAMA—LIBOLLO.</span></h2> -</div> - - - -<p>The River Quanza is the gem of the Portuguese possession of Angola. -South of the great River Zaire, or Congo, it is the only river -navigable for any distance, and is the natural highway to the most -fertile and healthy countries of the interior, yet, such has been the -apathy of the Portuguese, and so utterly and culpably neglectful have -they been in developing the vast resources of their rich possessions, -that, till the year 1866, only an insignificant amount of produce or -trade came to Loanda by that river.</p> - -<p><abbr title="Mister">Mr.</abbr> Augustus Archer Silva, an American, long established in business -at Loanda, obtained from the Portuguese Government a concession for -the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</span> steam navigation of the river, after great trouble and opposition, -and on the 21st of September, 1866, I accompanied him in the steamer -“Andrade” on her first trip to the Quanza.</p> - -<p>We started from Loanda at midnight, and arrived at about eight o’clock -in the morning opposite the bar, where a dozen of the so-called bar -pilots came on board, and a more surprising manner of coming through -the heavy surf that breaks over it can hardly be imagined.</p> - -<p>On their knees, and squatted on their heels, each on a perfectly flat, -plain piece of thick board, about eight or nine feet long and two or -three feet wide, evidently the bottom of an old canoe, the blacks -pushed off from the shore, and with a single-bladed paddle propelled -their primitive boats to the steamer, a distance of over a mile. At -high tide there was sufficient depth of water, and the “Andrade” -steamed safely into the river. Our trip that time was only as far as a -place called Bruto, about thirty miles up the river, and we returned to -Loanda in a few days, the steamer decorated with flags and branches of -palm-trees, making her look like a floating island.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</span></p> - -<p>This trip was the commencement of the most important era in the modern -development of Angola. The great and yearly increasing trade on that -river is entirely due to its steam navigation, and fostered principally -by the efforts of its spirited promoter.</p> - -<p>The trade of Loanda has since increased to a wonderful extent, and -has enabled the province to pay its own expenses, which were formerly -supplemented by a grant from Portugal.</p> - -<p>Several large and small steamers hardly suffice to bring to Loanda the -large quantity of palm-oil, palm-kernel, coffee, ground-nuts, and other -produce from that river. <abbr title="Mister">Mr.</abbr> Silva has unfortunately lately died on his -way home, unrewarded by Portugal for his signal services to Angola; and -it is to be feared that his widow even will not receive any recognition -of the great benefits that his long years of disinterested efforts so -justly merit.</p> - -<p>My first visit to the River Quanza was in 1859, when almost the only -trader there was a Portuguese of the name of Manoel Lobato, established -at Massangano.</p> - -<p>Travelling was then performed in a large canoe,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</span> with two or three -or four blacks, who punted it with long poles along the sides of the -banks. The trip from Calumbo to Dondo used to be performed in this -way in about six days, and very pleasant indeed it was. Only a few -barges used to leave the river for Loanda with produce, and these would -sometimes remain at the bar for weeks, under the excuse of waiting for -a good bar, but generally from the attractions of a small town near, -where the crews (natives of Cabinda) would stop and amuse themselves. -Even of canoes there were but few, and the banks were consequently -covered with different kinds of waterfowl and other birds; and on -several occasions when I subsequently had to travel in a canoe on this -river, I used to supply myself and the half-a-dozen blacks with me with -abundance of food in the shape of ducks, &c., simply by shooting them -off the banks or in the water as we went along. In the mornings I would -walk for miles along the river side, under the shade of the thick palm -forest.</p> - -<p>With the steamers and increased traffic it is more rare to see birds on -the banks in the same numbers; they have mostly taken to the lagoons<span class="pagenum" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</span> -and marshy places extensively bordering this beautiful river.</p> - -<p>The mouth of the River Quanza is about fifty miles south of Loanda; the -course of the river is then so far northerly, that a well-kept path or -road south from Loanda reaches it at a distance of twenty-one miles at -a place called Calumbo. This road to Calumbo used formerly to be much -infested with lions, but with the greatly increased traffic they are -seldom now seen or heard of. Lions used to come close to Loanda even, -and I was shown a walled enclosure which one had cleared, dragging -a calf with him over it. The blacks always use the word “Ngana,” or -“Sir,” when speaking of the lion, as they believe that he is “fetish,” -and would not fail to punish them for their want of respect if they -omitted to do so.</p> - -<p>The scenery on this road is very pretty, but is of the same character -as that of the littoral region at Ambriz and Mossulo; gigantic baobabs, -euphorbias, aloes, prickly shrubs and trees, delicate creepers, and -hard, wiry grass.</p> - -<p>From the mouth of the river to Calumbo there are large mangrove -marshes, and there is a native<span class="pagenum" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</span> town called Tumbo, the inhabitants -of which are mostly engaged as pilots, mangrove wood-cutters, and -fishermen.</p> - -<p>The mangrove tree grows here to a large size, and is cut and sent to -Loanda for beams, piles, &c.; the longer thin trees are also in great -request for roof timbers, scaffoldings, and other uses. The mangrove -is a very hard and heavy wood; a pole of it sinks in water almost like -a bar of iron, and it is magnificent for fuel. It is sent to Loanda in -rafts floated out of the river to the sea, and navigated with a sail.</p> - -<p>As the mangrove-wood is so heavy, the natives first make a bed of -palm-stems, which are also valuable for hammock-poles, roofs, &c., and -on these the mangrove timber is piled, and all securely tied together -with tough creeper-stems. These rafts, called “balças,” are worth at -Loanda from 200<i><abbr title="pounds">l.</abbr></i> to 300<i><abbr title="pounds">l.</abbr></i> and upwards each.</p> - -<p>Calumbo boasts of a “chefe,” and of the most voracious mosquitoes in -Angola.</p> - -<p>There is a considerable assemblage of huts and mud-plastered houses -at Calumbo, belonging to the native population, but the river floods -the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</span> whole place almost every year. There is also a beautiful avenue -of cocoa-nut palm trees planted by the old missionaries, who appear -to have had an extensive establishment here, but all that remains of -it at the present day is a pretty church in very good repair, and -picturesquely situated on a slight eminence on the banks of the river -about a mile from Calumbo. The low ground about Calumbo is exceedingly -fertile, and is beautifully cultivated immediately after the floods.</p> - -<p>The best land is on the southern bank of the river; on the northern -bank there is but little ground under cultivation, and the marshes are -left to breed clouds of mosquitoes.</p> - -<p>The river from its mouth to Calumbo passes through level country, and -the banks are covered with mangrove, “bordao” palm, and other trees -and plants. The mangrove disappears before arriving at Calumbo, where -the water is perfectly sweet, and the banks are mostly bare or lined -with sedges and papyrus. The appearance of the low, hilly ground behind -is very much like that of the cliffs on the sea shore, being mostly -covered with a perfect forest of baobabs. At Calumbo there grew<span class="pagenum" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</span> a -baobab with a monstrous trunk; this was with great difficulty cut -down by order of the vandalic idiot of a “chefe,” who objected to the -leviathan tree because it stood in the middle of the road along the -bank of the river!</p> - -<p>A few miles higher up the river we arrive at Bruto, belonging to -my friend Senhor Felicianno da Silva Oliveira, who has there a -magnificent sugar-cane plantation, distillery, and farm, and also does -a considerable trade with the natives in ground-nuts and other produce. -This gentleman is well known as one of the most intelligent and -energetic industrial explorers of Angola. I knew him first in Benguella -Velha, where he had extensive cotton plantations, &c.; but, convinced -of the great resources of the River Quanza, he started, some years -back, the cultivation of sugar-cane at Bruto with complete success, but -entailing incessant work that only those who have any experience of the -vast difficulties of such an undertaking, without capital and in a wild -country, can appreciate.</p> - -<p>A large extent of cultivated ground, well built and commodious houses -and stores, steam sugar-cane<span class="pagenum" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</span> mill, and stills for the production -of rum from the juice of the sugar-cane, beautiful herds of cattle, -garden, lime-kiln, &c., are proud monuments of his well-directed -efforts, and a bright example to his, in general, apathetic countrymen. -It is to such men that the authorities should give every assistance, -but I am sorry to say that it only takes the form, at most, of empty -praise. The Government at Lisbon, to favour men who devote their -energies to the development of her provinces, did give exceptional -privileges to the “Banco Ultramarino” or Colonial Bank for this -purpose, but its operations at Loanda, instead of being principally -directed to aiding planters, &c., with capital, have been hitherto -restricted to a system of miserable usury.</p> - -<p>In a draft on England for a small amount that this bank once -discounted, it was stipulated that it should be paid in gold, and not -in Bank of England notes, as from information that had reached Loanda -of a commercial panic in London, it was considered a proper precaution -to adopt, in case such notes should suffer depreciation in value!</p> - -<p>In digging the foundations of the cane-house,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</span> Senhor Oliveira -discovered a beautifully carved ivory crucifix in the most perfect -state of preservation. This work of art is about two feet high, and -evidently belonged to some monastery existing there.</p> - -<p>At Bruto there is a fine lagoon in which abundance of fish is netted, -and there are some lovely woods and valleys near, which abound with -birds and monkeys.</p> - -<p>I obtained some exquisite little kingfishers (<i>Corythornis -cyanostigma</i>) from a kind of little bay in the banks of the river -near Bruto. This bay was covered with the leaves and flowers of the -water-lily (<i>Nymphæa dentata</i> and <i>stellata</i>), and trailing -on these were long stems of a plant many yards in length, covered with -bright green leaves and lovely purple bell-shaped flowers. I sat down -behind a bush and watched this beautiful nook for some time, looking at -a number of water-hens and other birds running over the water-lilies, -and, with the kingfishers, chasing their insect and finny prey.</p> - -<p>Beyond Bruto the river scenery is much finer, cliffs and hills on -either side covered with the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</span> everlasting baobab, and the valleys -filled with a luxuriant green forest of trees and creepers, with here -and there brilliant patches of colour from the abundant flowers of the -latter—the banks of the river a foreground of papyrus and sedges of -unfading green.</p> - -<p>At intervals the lines of hills recede inland, and show vast spaces -occupied by lakes and lagoons fringed with almost impenetrable virgin -forests containing trees of fine timber.</p> - -<p>At about fifty or sixty miles from the coast, and about half-way to -Dondo, on the southern bank of the Quanza, is the town of Muxima, built -on a bare, white limestone rock, on which the hot sun seems to have -baked the mud huts with their straw roofs to a dark brown. A fine large -red-tiled church, and the ruins of a small fort on the top of a steep -rocky hill, give a picturesque appearance to the otherwise glaring and -scorched desolation of the place. Hardly any movement of the natives is -ever seen at Muxima when passing it on the river; there is no trade or -industry whatever in the place, and the town has always the appearance -of a deserted ruin as represented in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</span> a dissolving view. The Portuguese -have a “chefe” here, with a few black soldiers, but it is such a -forsaken, dead-alive place that there is always a difficulty in finding -an officer for the post.</p> - -<p>The church at Muxima is held in the greatest veneration by the natives -far and wide. It is considered as a great “fetish;” and even the -natives from Loanda seek there the intercession of the Virgin Mary as -represented by an image in that church; and I was shown a chest full of -plate, chains, rings, and other offerings of the pious pilgrims to its -shrine.</p> - -<p>Alligators abound, and places are staked round on the banks of the -river to enable the natives to fill their vessels with water without -danger of being drawn in by these hideous monsters. On a hot day they -may be seen dozing on the mudbanks, stretched out flat like great logs -of wood. The blacks affirm that the alligator is fonder of eating women -and girls than men;—this belief may very likely be due to the fact -that it is the women who generally fetch water from the river, and that -consequently a greater number of them fall victims to this brute. They -have also the belief,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</span> common to the natives of all Angola, that the -alligator’s liver is poisonous, and that it is used as a poison by the -“feiticeiros” or sorcerers.</p> - -<p>Numbers of hippopotami also inhabit this river, but since the steamers -are constantly navigating it they are seldom seen, and appear to have -migrated more to the lagoons. Formerly it was most amusing to watch -these huge and inoffensive beasts; I have seen them lift their great -heads out of the water and stare quite familiarly for two or three -minutes with every appearance of curiosity in their little round eyes -at the canoe passing, and then slowly sink with a snort and great -bubbling of the water from their nostrils. One wide bend of the river, -where the water is very still, used to be the favourite resort of the -hippopotamus, and was called by the natives “hippopotamus corner” from -this circumstance. I once stopped my canoe off there for some time, to -witness the gambols of some twenty of these animals, large and small, -evidently playing and chasing one another, lifting their heads and -shoulders right out of the water, and snorting and booming away at a -great rate.</p> - -<p>There were formerly natives who used to hunt<span class="pagenum" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</span> these animals for the -sake of their flesh, fat, and teeth, and I went ashore to two or three -huts where some of these blacks lived to buy for my boatmen a quantity -of the dry and salted flesh and bacon of a hippopotamus they had -recently killed. It was cut into long thin strips which were hanging to -dry over some lines stretched from poles in the ground. I tasted some -of the flesh and fat cooked with beans by my men, and it was very nice; -and had I not known what it was, I should never have distinguished the -taste from that of insipid pork or bacon.</p> - -<p>The manatee is also not uncommon, and also a large fresh-water tortoise -(<i>Trionyx nilotica</i>) which is speared by the natives and much -esteemed for food.</p> - -<p>Fish is extremely abundant, particularly a short thick fish called -“cacusso,” which is the principal food of the natives on that river. A -fisherman once gave me the names of over forty species of fish to be -obtained in the Quanza; and at Dondo a large fish is caught, and is -much valued by the Portuguese for its delicious flavour.</p> - -<p>Fish is principally caught by throw-nets, or by hook and line, also in -fish-baskets or traps.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</span></p> - -<p>Beyond Muxima the appearance of the banks becomes really charming. -A delicious panorama of mile after mile of the most beautiful dark -forest of high feathery-topped oil-palms stretches on both sides, but -principally on the north bank.</p> - -<p>Under the shade of these palms is seen a succession of picturesque -huts, in every variety of unsymmetrical quaintness, of weathered grass -roofs, mud walls and whitewash, and crooked doors and windows. Many -of these huts are embosomed in a fence of growing hog-plum stakes, -and surrounded by a thicket of lime and orange trees, plantains, -papaws, &c., the luxuriant and ever bright green foliage contrasting -beautifully with the sombre, almost black hue and shade of the palms. -Where there are no palm trees the vegetation is equally lovely, a -profusion of creepers festooning and covering the highest trees. -Amongst these, the cotton-wood trees and giant baobabs are the most -conspicuous, their sparsely-covered branches generally crowded with -hundreds of long-legged herons and other birds. One of these vast trees -with but few leaves, and the branches thickly covered with lines of -long-legged and long-necked grey<span class="pagenum" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</span> or white birds standing bolt upright, -has a most extraordinary and unexpected appearance.</p> - -<p>The palm forests resound with the cooing of innumerable doves, and are -a favourite haunt of a white-headed eagle or vulture, complained of by -the natives for the havoc that it commits on the palm-nuts, on which it -is said chiefly to subsist.</p> - -<p>The palm-tree is also the favourite resort of several species of the -beautiful little nectarinæ or sun-birds, who appear to find on the -crown and leaves the small spiders and other insects that constitute -their principal food. They are always especially busy about the gourds -placed at the tops of the trees for the purpose of collecting the palm -wine;—whether it is that they are fond of the juice, or whether this -attracts the insect prey they are in search of, I know not. Palm-trees -standing alone generally have as many as a hundred or more of the -pretty nests, made by a species of weaver-bird, suspended from the -leaflets. These birds are very noisy, and take not the least notice of -the people passing beneath—in fact, they seem to prefer building their -nests in solitary palms in the middle of a native town. The natives -never think<span class="pagenum" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</span> of molesting small birds, and the children have not the -cruel propensity for stone-throwing and bird-nesting that our more -civilized boys have.</p> - -<p>Many of the sandy islets and shallows of the river are frequented by -clouds of different species of gulls, attracted no doubt by the great -abundance of fish.</p> - -<p>The scenery continues of the same character as far as Dondo.</p> - -<p>A little above Muxima there is a fine perpendicular cliff, at the foot -of which runs the river. This is called the “Pedra dos Feiticeiros,” -or “Fetish Rock,” and from it the Quissamas throw into the river the -unfortunate wretches accused of witchcraft. They are said to be first -stunned by a blow on the head from a knobbed stick and then thrown over -the cliff, to ensure their not escaping the alligators by swimming -ashore. Before arriving at Dondo we reach the important district of -Massangano, where the River Lucala, the largest tributary of the -Quanza, runs into it.</p> - -<p>The town of Massangano stands on high ground, but only the old fort -and “residencia” of the “chefe” are seen from the river, these being -built<span class="pagenum" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</span> on the high cliff overlooking it. The fort contains a couple -of ancient iron guns, evidently loaded by the breech in some way -which is not at present very clear. From the fort an extensive view -is obtained of the splendid country below. I once spent a few days at -Senhor Lobato’s house at Massangano, and made several excursions in -the neighbourhood. The country around is beautiful and very fertile. -There are a number of traders established there, and a large assemblage -of native huts and houses. There is also a fine old church, the only -remaining evidence of the existence of the old missionaries. Both this -and the church at Muxima contain great numbers of small bats. The roof -inside is completely covered with them. I have noticed a very curious -circumstance in Angola with regard to these bats, and that is the way -they issue at dusk from any window or crevice communicating with the -interior of the roofs or other dark places that they occupy during the -day.</p> - -<p>At regular intervals of about thirty seconds to one minute, a small -puff or cloud of these bats is seen to issue together, and so they -continue till all<span class="pagenum" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</span> are out. This strange habit of leaving their -hiding-places intermittently, and not continuously as might be -expected, cannot easily be explained, nor why they assemble together -to go forth in distinct batches only. Whether they return in the same -manner I cannot say. Once out, they seem to spread apart immediately, -and fly away in all directions, and do not appear in the least to keep -in flocks like birds, though they may roost together in communities.</p> - -<p>The town of Dondo is about twenty miles from Massangano. It stands in -a small, triangular, level plain surrounded by hills on all sides, -the base of the triangle being the River Quanza and the low line of -hills on its southern bank. From the configuration of the ground, shut -in on all sides from winds, it is perhaps, as might be imagined, the -hottest corner of Angola. The heat in a calm summer’s day is almost -stifling, and the nights, generally cool everywhere else, are not less -oppressive. Formerly the town was on the high land above, at Cambambe, -as the town itself was called, but the exigencies of trade have peopled -the present town of Dondo.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</span></p> - -<p>It is a growing and flourishing place, where a number of traders and -agents of Loanda houses are established, and is the receiving port for -embarkation of the produce and trade of the neighbouring districts -and of those of the interior. Thousands of tons of ground-nuts, -coffee, wax, palm-oil, ivory, &c., are shipped yearly at Dondo for -Loanda by the steamers. There is a fine large square in the middle of -the town, where a fair or market is held every day, and to this the -natives resort from all parts around with produce and provisions. Many -different tribes from the interior are to be seen at Dondo, both from -the northern and southern banks of the river, who have brought produce -for sale to the white men. The “residencia” of the “chefe” is on a hill -to the south of the town, and the view from it is truly magnificent. -As far as the eye can reach it is one gorgeous scene of mountains, -dark palms, and forests, range after range, till lost to view in the -horizon. There are two views in Angola that would alone almost repay -the trouble of travelling there. One is that just described, and the -other from the hill at Tuco on the road from Ambriz to Bembe.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</span></p> - -<p>About six or eight miles from Dondo up the river are the first -cataracts of Cambambe. Immediately on leaving Dondo the river is -enclosed by high hills or cliffs on both sides, and winds a good deal, -so that a succession of fresh and seemingly more beautiful pictures -is constantly presented to the traveller’s admiration as he ascends -the river in a boat. The river is wide and deep, and the slopes and -perpendicular sides of the hilly walls on either side are of endless -variety of colour, both of rock, moss and lichen, plant and tree. -Deep red iron-stained sandstone, conglomerate, blue clay slate, huge -white-stemmed baobabs, dark masses of palm-trees, plots of large-leaved -plantains, masses of trees overgrown with creepers, meet the eye in -ever varying combination, and gradually the wide valley worn by the -water becomes narrower and narrower, until at last it is a deep gorge -with almost upright walls of clay slate, and the passage for the great -body of water is barred right across by vast rocky ledges and peaks, -over which, in the rainy season, it rushes and dashes with a deafening -wild roar and mad flinging up into the air of showers of water and -foam. The last time I saw these<span class="pagenum" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</span> rapids I was accompanied by my wife, -and we landed on a bank of gravel a little below the cataract and -walked and scrambled on the rocks, till we were on a great ledge quite -close to, and but little over the level of the waters; but, it being -the end of the dry season, they were so far reduced as to run between -the rocks in a swift dark oily-looking mass, and at such a considerable -inclination and speed as to give the idea of vast and irresistible -force. On the rocks covered over and splashed by the water, were -growing masses of a curious semi-transparent plant with thick stems, -and bearing minute white flowers.</p> - -<p>The singular appearance of this plant, so exactly like a sea-weed, -attracted our attention, and as I had never before observed it anywhere -in my travels in Angola, we secured specimens, which we dried and -preserved, and on forwarding them to Kew it was found to be a new genus -of <i>Podostemaceæ</i>, and has been described by <abbr title="Doctor">Dr.</abbr> Weddell in the -‘Journal of the Linnean Society,’ xiv. 210, † 13, as the <i>Angolæa -fluitans</i>.</p> - -<p>It is said that coal has lately been discovered<span class="pagenum" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</span> near the river on its -southern bank, and not far from Dondo.</p> - -<p>Of the old town of Cambambe, situated on the high ground over the -cataract, but little else remains than the church and a few houses. The -River Quanza is not navigable beyond the rapids, except perhaps for -short distances and for small canoes. At Nhangui-a-pepi it is only a -broad shallow stream, but with a very rocky bed; its source, however, -is far beyond Pungo Andongo.</p> - -<p>About the higher parts of the river a gigantic species of the “Bagre” -(<i>Bagrus</i>) is found. This is a siluroid fish, and my attention was -first called to its extraordinary dimensions by seeing a black using -the flat top of the skull of one as a plate or dish. I was then in the -province of Cambambe, and several times had an opportunity of asking -natives from Pungo Andongo the size of these fish: one man told me that -they were captured so large that two men were required to carry one -fish slung on a pole on their shoulders by passing the pole through the -gills, and that the tail then drags on the ground. Another black, who -was a river fisherman, explained to me that the “bagres” were<span class="pagenum" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</span> caught -with an iron hook made on purpose by the native smiths and baited -with a piece of meat; he gave me an idea of the thickness and size -of the hook with a piece of twig, and it was as large as an ordinary -shark-hook; he further drew on the ground the size of this large fish, -and it was six feet long. Other natives who were with him joined in the -description and corroborated him, and I am perfectly convinced that -they spoke the truth, and were not exaggerating much. I wrote to some -Portuguese traders at Pungo Andongo, asking them to send me the head of -one in spirits, but of course I never got it.</p> - -<p>Only the northern bank of the Quanza is subject to the Portuguese (with -the exception of the town of Muxima), and the natives inhabiting it -are greatly civilized and well behaved, and very civil. They are, of -course, not industrious, the women cultivating the usual mandioca and -other produce for food, and manufacturing palm-oil. A little tobacco is -also cultivated by them, and the leaves when fully grown are gathered, -and a string passed through the stem. This string of leaves is -stretched round their huts to dry, and the large<span class="pagenum" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</span> leaves thus hanging -give them a curious appearance.</p> - -<p>The first trips of the steamers caused the natives on either bank -the most intense astonishment; they would race them along the banks, -shouting and yelling; and when the steamers stopped at any place, -crowds would flock round and come on board to stare at the machinery, -which was universally pronounced to be a white man’s great “fetish.”</p> - -<p>All natives are very fond of the “batuco” or dance, of which there -are two kinds. The Ambriz blacks and those of the Congo country dance -it in the following manner:—A ring is formed of the performers and -spectators; “marimbas” are twanged and drums beaten vigorously, and -all assembled clap their hands in time with the thumping of the drums, -and shout a kind of chorus. The dancers, both men and women, jump with -a yell into the ring, two or three at a time, and commence dancing. -This consists almost exclusively of swaying the body about with only -a slight movement of the feet, head, and arms, but at the same time -the muscles of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</span> shoulders, back, and hams, are violently twitched -and convulsed. The greatest applause is given to those who can most -strongly shake their flesh all over in this way. It is difficult to do, -and appears to require considerable practice, and seems very fatiguing, -for in a few minutes the dancers are streaming with perspiration and -retire for others to take their places, and so they will often continue -for a whole night long, or in dark nights, as long as the great heap -of dry grass that they have provided lasts—the illumination being -obtained by burning wisps of this grass, two or three blacks generally -having the care of that part of the performance. The natives at these -dances are dressed as usual in the ordinary waistcloth, the men -arranging theirs so as to allow the ends to trail on the ground. There -is nothing whatever indecent in them.</p> - -<p>The “batuco” of the Bunda-speaking natives of Loanda and the interior -is different. The ring of spectators and dancers, the illuminations, -the “marimbas” and drums are the same, but only two performers jump -into the ring at a time, a man and a girl or woman; they shuffle their -feet with<span class="pagenum" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</span> great rapidity, passing one another backwards and forwards, -then retreat facing one another, and suddenly advancing, bring their -stomachs together with a whack. They then retire, and another couple -instantly take their places. This performance might be called somewhat -indecent, but I do not believe that the natives attach the most remote -idea of harm to the “batuco.”</p> - -<p>The “marimba” is the musical instrument par excellence of the natives -of Angola. In <a href="#img002">Plate XI.</a> is represented the better made ones. It -consists of a flat piece of wood, generally hollowed out, and with a -number of thin iron tongues secured on it by cross bits, but so as to -allow them to be pulled out more or less for the purpose of tuning. In -front is affixed a wire, on which some glass beads are loosely strung -that jangle when the instrument is played, which is done by holding -it between both hands and twanging the tongues with the thumbs. The -light wood of which the “marimbas” are made is that of the cotton-wood -tree. They are also made with slips of the hard cuticle of the stem of -the palm-leaf instead of the iron tongues, but these are the commoner -instruments.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</span> Others are made smaller and with fewer tongues.</p> - -<p>The more complete ones have an empty gourd attached to the under -part, which is said to give them greater sonorousness. The blacks are -excessively fond of these instruments everywhere in Angola, playing -them as they walk along or rest, and by day or night a “marimba” is -at all hours heard twanging somewhere. The music played on it is of a -very primitive description, consisting only of a few notes constantly -repeated.</p> - -<p>Another common instrument of noise, much used to accompany the -“marimbas” and drums at the “batucos,” is made by splitting a short -piece of palm stem about four or five feet long down one side, and -scooping out the soft centre. The hard cuticle is then cut into little -grooves across the slit, and these, energetically rubbed with a stick, -produce a loud, twanging, rattling kind of noise.</p> - -<p>A musical instrument sometimes seen is made by stretching a thin string -to a bent bow, about three feet long, passed through half a gourd, the -open end of which rests against the performer’s<span class="pagenum" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</span> bare stomach. The -string is struck with a thin slip of cane or palm-leaf stem held in -the right hand, and a finger of the left, which holds the instrument, -is laid occasionally on the string, and in this way, with occasional -gentle blows of the open gourd against the stomach, very pleasing -sounds and modulations are obtained.</p> - -<p>Another very noisy instrument with which the drums and “marimbas” are -sometimes accompanied at the “batucos,” is made by covering one end of -a small powder-barrel or hollow wooden cylinder (open at both ends), -with a piece of sheepskin tied tightly round it. A short piece of -round wood, about six or seven inches long, is pushed through a hole -in the middle of the sheepskin cover, a knob at the end preventing it -from slipping quite in. The hand of the performer is then wetted and -inserted into the cylinder and the piece of wood is lightly grasped and -pulled, allowing it to slip a little, the result being a most hideous, -booming sound.</p> - -<p>I would strongly recommend my youthful readers, if they would like to -create a sensation in a quiet household, to manufacture one of these<span class="pagenum" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</span> -simple and efficacious musical instruments, and I would suggest the -application of a little powdered resin instead of water to the hand, to -produce a full tone.</p> - -<p>I once saw at a town near Bembe a musical instrument which I thought -rather ingenious. A small rectangular pit had been dug in the ground, -and over its mouth two strings, about six inches apart, were stretched -with pegs driven in the ground. Across these strings ten or twelve -staves from a small powder-barrel were fastened. These were struck -with a couple of sticks, on the end of which was a little knob or lump -of india-rubber, and an agreeable sound was produced. I have seen two -Kroomen from the West Coast, at the River Zaire, playing on a similar -kind of instrument, but the flat pieces were laid across two small -plantain-stems, and were of different sizes and thickness, so as to -produce a kind of scale when struck by the performers with a couple of -sticks each. The rapidity with which this instrument was played was -really marvellous, and the music sounded like variations of their usual -plaintive song, always in a minor key, and one seemed to be<span class="pagenum" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</span> playing -bass to the other’s rapidly-executed treble. This air is played or -sung ad infinitum, and the second bar is often repeated. The Kroomen -on board the steamers on the coast always sing it and harmonize it -prettily, when it has a very pleasing effect indeed.</p> - -<p class="center p2"><span class="figcenter" id="img003"> - <img src="images/003.jpg" class="w50" alt="Bar of music" /> -</span></p> - - -<p>The southern bank of the Quanza, from its mouth to opposite Dondo, is -called the Quissama country, and is inhabited by the peculiar race or -tribe of negroes of the same name. They have not been subjected to the -Portuguese in modern times, and I apprehend that in former years, when -the Portuguese were in great strength on the River Quanza, they were -never considered worth the trouble of subjugating, as they certainly -are not now. The former missionaries also do not appear to have been -able to do anything with them, as not a trace exists there of the -habits of civilization they so successfully introduced, and which are -so apparent in the natives of the greater part of Angola, where they -were formerly established. Their greatest stations were on the Quanza, -where<span class="pagenum" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</span> their efforts were most successful; and there can be no reason -to suppose that any other obstacle existed to the Quissama natives -participating in their teaching or example than the resistance due to -the very low type, both physical and mental, of this tribe, so apparent -at the present day. The missionaries must have had a station of some -importance at Muxima, in their own country, as shown by the very fine -church still existing there, besides those at Calumbo, Massangano, -Cambambe, and perhaps at Bruto.</p> - -<p>The Quissama negroes are very black in colour, undersized, exceedingly -dirty, and have a remarkably ugly cast of countenance. With the -exception of the tribe of Muquandos, south of Benguella, the Quissama -blacks are the most miserable-looking race in Angola. They have a wild, -savage look, not seen in the faces of any other tribe, and have not -the free mien or attitude of perfect ease of other blacks, but appear -frightened and very suspicious. Everywhere on the river they cross over -daily with their produce for sale to the different houses of the white -traders, as well as to the petty native grog-shops and traders on the -river from<span class="pagenum" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</span> Calumbo to Dondo, but they never drop their distrustful -behaviour, and cross over to their own side without delaying more than -necessary. They will not allow traders to establish on their side of -the river;—one or two that are said to have done so were robbed, and -their houses burnt. They are on terms of perfect friendship with the -natives and white men of the northern bank, and at Calumbo and a few -other places their land is cultivated by the natives of those places.</p> - -<p>The greater part of the Quissama country is very barren, and perfectly -destitute of water except on the banks of the river itself, the -Quissamas employing baobab trees, hollowed out for the purpose, as -reservoirs for the rain-water falling in the wet season. It is very -scantily populated except near Massangano and Dondo, where their chief -towns are, and where they manufacture a considerable quantity of -palm-oil.</p> - -<p>When the oil season is approaching, the white traders go over from -Dondo to their principal towns to settle with the “sobas,” or kings, -the price per measure at which the oil is to be sold. Though so wild in -appearance, they are most<span class="pagenum" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</span> inoffensive and peaceable, and are in the -greatest fear lest the Portuguese should take it into their heads to -annex their territory, which they could most easily do if they thought -it advisable.</p> - -<p>The Libollos, or natives of the Libollo country, are a very much finer -and cleaner race than their neighbours the Quissamas, and their country -(according to the accounts I received from several Portuguese and -natives) most beautiful and fertile, and covered in great part with -palm-trees.</p> - -<p>The manner in which they have lately cultivated large quantities of -ground-nuts, and increased the production of palm-oil, proves that they -are an industrious race.</p> - -<p>They are antagonistic to the Quissamas, and very favourable to the -Portuguese, and have often offered to reduce them to the power of the -latter, if these will give them leave and supply them with guns and -ammunition. On one occasion, when I was at Dondo, an embassy arrived, -through the Libollo country, from some powerful tribes of the Bailundo -district—the most warlike of the tribes of the interior—also offering -to conquer the country for the Portuguese on condition of being<span class="pagenum" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</span> -allowed to plunder and carry off prisoners as slaves.</p> - -<p>These warlike tribes to the south of the Libollo and Quissama countries -are known in Angola by the name of Quinbundos, and are the handsomest -natives of any, being all very tall and well formed. They come in -caravans to Dondo, principally laden with beeswax, singing on the -march, and at night when assembled together, a song with chorus with -great effect. They put up at the Libollo and Quissama towns, and come -over to the northern bank to trade with the white men. They plait their -hair in thin strings all round their heads, and in each plait they put -several beads, mostly made of red paste in imitation of coral. The -Quissamas are not cannibals, as described by an English tourist, whose -sensational story about them, written after a few days’ trip in the -steamers on the Quanza, is full of gross inaccuracies.</p> - -<p>The dress of the men is a waistcloth of fine matting or cotton cloths, -obtained from the traders; that of the women is very singular, being -the soft, beaten inner bark of the baobab-tree made into a thick -sort of skirt, which is fastened round the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</span> waist, and has extra -layers at the back to puff it out still more, something in the manner -of the “dress-improvers” worn by the fair sex in our own country. -(<a href="#img004">Plate XII.</a>). Nature has provided the Quissama ladies with an abundant -development of what the Spaniards call “enthusiasm,” and on this -account the use of the extra thicknesses on the back of their skirts is -really quite unnecessary; but they are not satisfied, and consider this -fashion an improvement. Their appearance, therefore, is very comical, -particularly when they run, as the thick short skirt moves up and down, -and swings round with every motion of the body.</p> - -<p class="center p2"><span class="figcenter" id="img004"> - <img src="images/004.jpg" class="w50" alt="Maxilla, and Barber’s Shop" /> -</span></p> -<p class="center caption"><span class="smcap">Plate XII.</span><br />Maxilla, and Barber’s Shop.—Carrying Corpse to Burial.—Quissama -Women, and manner of pounding and sifting Meal in Angola.<br /> <i>To face page 147.</i></p> - - - -<p>They are very dirty in their habits, never appearing to make use of -water for washing, and their baobab skirts are always black with -grease, smoke, and perspiration. I had to order the two dresses in my -possession, one for a married woman and the other for a girl or young -woman, to be made on purpose, as I could not touch any of those offered -to me for sale.</p> - -<p>The women, when they come over to the northern bank, sometimes wear a -handkerchief or other cloth over the breast, and even over the baobab -skirt,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</span> but this latter they must wear, according to the custom of -their country. They carry the produce of their plantations in large -conical baskets on their backs, secured by a band round the forehead -(<a href="#img004">Plate XII.</a>). It is, as far as I know, the only tribe in Angola that -carries a load in this manner.</p> - -<p>The Quissama blacks are extremely poor, their arid country producing -hardly anything besides the food necessary for their bare subsistence, -and a little beeswax. The principal food of those near the river is -fish.</p> - -<p>There is a deposit of rock-salt in the Quissama country somewhere -between Muxima and Calumbo (said to be south of the former), and at -some distance from the river. It has never to my knowledge been visited -by any white man, nor would the Quissamas readily allow one to go to -the place; but the most curious thing connected with this salt is that -they cut it into little bars with five or six sides or facets, about -eight or nine inches long and about an inch thick, tapering slightly to -the ends, and closely encased in cane-work. These pass as money, not -only on the river,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</span> but in the interior, where they are at last perhaps -consumed.</p> - -<p>During the Abyssinian war, some of the correspondents described exactly -the same shaped pieces of rock-salt encased in similar wicker-work, as -being obtained and employed in that country for the same purpose. This -is extremely interesting, and opens several questions as to a possible -common origin for the custom in the far and dim past; and the case of -the bellows already described is another similar instance.</p> - -<p>Many of the native words mentioned by the same correspondents are -identical with those used in different places in Angola. I am very -sorry now that I did not devote more attention to the investigation -of the languages of the natives of Angola, and in particular that of -the Quissama tribe, which is different to the Bunda language, and is -also said to be different to that of Benguella Velha and Novo Redondo -farther south. The number of distinct languages and dialects in Angola -is very curious, and a similar multiplicity of tongues has been noted -by travellers in other parts of Tropical Africa. None of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</span> languages -in Angola are guttural, or spoken with a “click.”</p> - -<p>There is a great deal of most interesting detail to be worked out in -Angola in every branch of natural history and ethnology.</p> - -<p>My chapters are little more than an indication of the wealth that lies -there buried for future explorers, and of the success that will attend -their investigations.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI.<br /><span class="small">COUNTRY SOUTH OF THE RIVER QUANZA—CASSANZA—NOVO -REDONDO—CELIS—CANNIBALS—LIONS—HOT -SPRINGS—BEES—EGITO—SCORPIONS—RIVER ANHA—CATUMBELLA.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The country south of the River Quanza is very different from that to -the north of it, just described, not only in its physical aspect, but -also in the tribes of natives inhabiting it. The evidences of a former -degree of civilization, and of the good work of the old missionaries, -are not here visible, and I should almost imagine that this part of -Angola was not under their care to anything like the same extent.</p> - -<p>From June 1861 to the end of 1863, I was engaged in working two copper -deposits at Cuio and Benguella, and in exploring the coast from -Cassanza, about eighty miles from the River<span class="pagenum" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</span> Quanza, as far as and -including Mossamedes or Little Fish Bay.</p> - -<p>In these explorations I did not go inland a greater distance than -about thirty or forty miles at Mossamedes, and forty or fifty at Novo -Redondo. I cannot, therefore, speak from personal knowledge of those -most interesting places in the interior, Bihé and Bailundo, or the -Portuguese districts of Caconda, Quillengues, Huilla, Capangombe, &c.</p> - -<p>The geological character of the coast-line from the Quanza to -Mossamedes is gneiss, mostly very quartzose, then with a good deal of -hornblende and mica near Cuio, passing to a fine-grained porphyry and -fine granite with large, distinct feldspar about Mossamedes. Close to -the sea these primary rocks are joined by a line of tertiary deposits, -principally massive gypsum, and sandstones of different thicknesses -curiously separated by layers of the finest dust. Farther south, -between the River San Nicolao in 14° S. lat. and Mossamedes, there is a -strip of columnar basalt and trap-rock of only a few miles in width.</p> - -<p>The character of these rocks is sufficient to account<span class="pagenum" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</span> for the very -sterile nature of the country; in fact, most of it is completely -a rocky desert, without a drop of water, and covered with but -little grass, and frightfully thorny bushes. Although this is the -general character, there are numerous places of the greatest beauty, -particularly at a distance of twenty to thirty miles from the coast, -where the first elevation is reached, and where the vegetation, as in -the rest of Angola, changes to a luxuriant character.</p> - -<p>The country about Cassanza is level and well covered with grass, and -the natives appeared inoffensive and quiet. They have a considerable -quantity of fine cattle, and what is rare amongst the natives of -Angola, they milk the cows regularly twice a day, the milk being a -principal article of food with them. The few days that I was there in -1863, I enjoyed the abundance of beautiful milk immensely.</p> - -<p>The Portuguese with whom I was staying was then engaged in cotton -planting, but the ground did not appear very suitable for its -cultivation. He also had a beautiful cotton and sugar-cane plantation -at Benguella Velha, and at a pretty<span class="pagenum" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</span> place called Cuvo, where there is -a small river and good ground near its mouth.</p> - -<p>On that occasion I had come up in a sailing barge from Benguella to -Novo Redondo, to explore that district for copper, specimens of the -ore having been found in several places. The river at Novo Redondo had -overflowed its banks, and the road we had to follow was under water -for some miles, and whilst waiting for the river to subside, I started -to Cuvo and Cassanza to see the country and my friend. On returning to -Novo Redondo I obtained for guide the services of a jovial and useful -black named David, who had been educated at Benguella. He could read -and write Portuguese, which language he spoke perfectly, and was a -man of great importance in the Novo Redondo country, as he was the -hereditary king of the place, and was to be proclaimed as such as soon -as he could make up his mind to eat a man’s head and heart, roasted or -stewed, as he should fancy. David was not at all inclined either to -forego his kingship, or to eat any part of one of his fellow-creatures, -which by the custom of his country it was imperative he should do to be -proclaimed king.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</span></p> - -<p>He had been putting off the disagreeable ceremony for some two years, -if I remember right, but his people were getting impatient at not -having a king, and were threatening to elect another. How he got over -the difficulty, or if he at last submitted to overcome his repugnance -to roast or stewed negro, I never heard.</p> - -<p>The “Mucelis,” or natives of Novo Redondo and of the country inland -called “Celis,” are cannibals, and, as far as I could ascertain, there -are no others in Angola.</p> - -<p>The Portuguese have no stations inland on that part of the coast, that -of Caconda, to the interior and south of Benguella, being the first; -and they do not allow the practice of cannibalism at the town of Novo -Redondo itself, as they strictly prohibit and punish there, as in the -rest of Angola, any fetish rite or custom, but I found that at Cuacra, -the second large town I passed on my way inland, human flesh was eaten, -and in several other towns I passed I saw evidences of this custom in a -heap of skulls of the blacks that had been eaten in the centre of the -towns, and on the trees were also the clay pots in which the flesh was -cooked,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</span> and which, according to their laws, can only be used for that -purpose.</p> - -<p>One night I walked out of my hut at a town where I was sleeping, and -seeing that no one was about, I chose a nice skull from the heap, -and brought it home and presented it to my friend Professor Huxley, -who exhibited it at a meeting of the Anthropological Society. I had -previously asked whether I might take one of these skulls, but had been -told that it would be considered a great “fetish” if I did, and David -begged me not to do so, as there would be a great disturbance, so I was -obliged to steal one in the way I have described, and hide it carefully -in my portmanteau.</p> - -<p>It is only natives who are killed for “fetish” or witchcraft that are -eaten, and the “soba” or king of the town where they are executed has -the head and heart as his share.</p> - -<p>I was informed that at these feasts every particle of the body was -eaten, even to the entrails. At the principal towns of Ambuin and Sanga -(said to be the capital) I was told that as many as six and seven -blacks were eaten every month, and that the “sobas” of those two towns, -and their<span class="pagenum" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</span> wives, only used human fat to anoint their bodies with.</p> - -<p>I was shown at one of the towns the little axe with which the poor -wretches were decapitated, and which was distinguished from others used -by the natives by having a lozenge-shaped hole in the blade.</p> - -<p>I was very much surprised to find that, notwithstanding their cannibal -propensities, the natives of Novo Redondo were such an extremely fine -race; in fact, they are the finest race of blacks, in every way, that I -have met with in Africa.</p> - -<p>Cannibalism may possibly be one reason of their superiority, from -this custom supplying them with a certain amount of animal food more -than other tribes make use of, or it may be due to their usual food, -which is principally a mixture in equal parts of haricot beans and -indian-corn, being very much more nutritious than the diet of mandioca -meal, of almost pure starch, that supplies the staple food of other -tribes. Whatever the reason may be, there can be no question of the -superior physique and qualities of this cannibal tribe.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</span></p> - -<p>When about to start on my journey, I saw that only four carriers had -been provided for my hammock, and I refused to start with less than -six or eight, as I made sure, judging from every other place in Africa -I had travelled in, that I should have to walk a great deal, as four -men, even in Ambriz, where I had found the best carriers, would not be -able to carry me, day after day, on a long journey. I was assured that -it was never customary to have more than four, that two would carry me -from daybreak till noon, and the other two from noon till sunset, and -that I might have six or more, but that four alone would carry me every -day. This I found was the case, not only in that journey, but also when -returning overland from Novo Redondo to Benguella, a distance of about -ninety miles.</p> - -<p>Another extremely curious feature, distinguishing them favourably from -all other negro races, is their degree of honesty and honour.</p> - -<p>Any white or other trader going into the interior agrees to pay the -“soba” of a town the customary dues, and he provides the trader with a -clean hut, and is responsible for the goods in it. The trader<span class="pagenum" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</span> may go -away farther inland, and he is perfectly certain that on coming back he -will find his property untouched, exactly as he left it. Whilst I was -at Novo Redondo, an embassy arrived from a town in the interior, where -a Portuguese had established himself to trade in palm-oil and beeswax, -and where he had died, bringing every scrap of produce and goods -belonging to him to deliver the same to the “chefe.”</p> - -<p>They were paid and rewarded for their honesty, and I was told that it -was the usual thing for these natives to do, on the death of a trader -in their country. I do not know of any other part of Africa where such -an example would be imitated, certainly not by the Christian negroes at -Sierra Leone.</p> - -<p>There is a magnificent palm forest on the banks of the river at Novo -Redondo. This river is small, but brings down a considerable body of -water in the rainy season.</p> - -<p>I crossed it on the second day of my journey inland by means of a -curiously constructed suspension-bridge attached to the high trees on -either side. This bridge was made entirely of the stems<span class="pagenum" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</span> of a very -tough tree-creeper, growing in great lengths, and about the thickness -of an ordinary walking-stick. From two parallel ropes made of this -creeper, right across the stream and about two feet apart, hung a frame -of open, large-meshed basket-work about three feet deep, forming a kind -of flexible net or trough open at the top. The bottom or floor of this -trough was made of the same creeper, woven roughly and openly in the -same manner as the sides, and when walking in it, I found it necessary -to be careful to tread on the network, or my feet would have slipped -through, and to help myself along by holding on to the guys or ropes at -the top, which reached up to about my waist.</p> - -<p>The length of the bridge must have been some thirty paces. Near it I -noticed, on a flat-topped tree of no great height, a large bird of the -eagle species sitting on its eggs in an open nest, and the male bird on -a branch near his mate; this tree was quite close to the road or path, -and though numerous natives passed under it to and fro, neither they -nor the birds seemed to heed one another in the least.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</span></p> - -<p>The Celis country is infested with lions, but I was not so fortunate -as to see one, though one morning we came upon the fresh footprints of -what the natives affirmed to be a family consisting of a full-grown -male and female and three half-grown young ones. To my inexperienced -eyes there appeared to have been more, so numerous seemed the -plainly-marked footprints in the moist sand of the bottom of a small -ravine.</p> - -<p>We escaped an encounter with one the day we started on our trip. About -half-past four in the afternoon we arrived at a pretty clump of trees -round a pool of deliciously cool water, and near a low line of rather -bare-looking hills. David would not allow our carriers to tarry at this -pool, as he knew it to be the evening drinking-place for the lions -living in the low hills near. We went on, and shortly after we met an -old Cabinda man on his way to Novo Redondo, carrying a letter tied in -a cleftstick (the usual way to send a native with a letter in Angola). -He was an acquaintance of David’s, who had a talk with him, and we went -on our several ways. Next morning we heard that the poor fellow had -been caught by<span class="pagenum" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</span> a lion not more than an hour after, and at the very -pool of water where David had warned us not to stop long. The lion had -evidently eaten part of the body at the pool itself, and had carried -off the rest to its lair in the hills.</p> - -<p>I went to several places where indications of copper had been found, -but was disappointed in finding any worth exploring. They were all -in the recent beds at the junction or near the primary rock of the -country, and consisted of indications of blue and green carbonate -of copper in the fine sedimentary mud and sandstone beds. These -indications are most abundant everywhere in that district, and -curiously enough the plantain-eaters are also most abundant, more so -than in any other part of Angola I have been in. I went as far as a -range of very quartzose schist rock or gneiss mountains, called Ngello, -which I suppose to be between forty and fifty miles from the sea; and -at a pass called Tocota on the road to some important town in the -interior, named Dongo, I visited a hot-water spring about half way up -the mountain side. I had no thermometer with me, but the water, as it -issued from a crevice in the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</span> rock, was so hot that I could only keep -my hand in it for a few seconds.</p> - -<p>The direction of the mountain range was about N.N.E by S.S.W.; the rock -composing it was nearly vertical, inclining slightly to the west, and -with a strike about north and south. There is a most picturesque little -town of huts stuck on a rocky ledge, and the natives use the water -from the hot springs to drink, but first allow it to stand a day to -cool. It has a very pleasant taste when cold, with just the slightest -ferruginous flavour. From this range of mountains magnificent views are -obtained, the scenery and vegetation reminding me strongly of Cazengo; -and there can be no question that it is likewise capable of growing the -coffee-plant to perfection. Some sugar-cane I saw growing there was -as fine as I have ever seen it, and the native plantations were most -luxuriant. I do not know whether trade at Novo Redondo has increased in -the same ratio as on the Quanza and Ambriz, but that it is destined to -be a very rich country I have no doubt. There is a great deal of white -gum in the country, collected from a tree of which whole forests are -said to be found.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</span></p> - -<p>The principal article of trade at Novo Redondo when I was there was -palm-oil, which was mostly bought in exchange for rum, measure for -measure, and I often saw the very gourds and pots in which the natives -brought the palm-oil filled up with the rum in exchange without any -more cleansing than allowing the vessels to well drain off the oil.</p> - -<p>I noticed a great variety of birds, and I am sure the country would -well repay a collector’s trouble. In the middle of a small cultivated -valley I saw a low, flat-topped baobab, which had been taken possession -of by a flock of eight or ten birds about the size of a thrush, of a -black colour, with smoky-white feathers on the wings. They had built a -common nest on the flat top of the tree, and were all sitting hatching -their eggs together, quite unprotected from the sun. This bird is the -<i>Amydrus fulvipennis</i>, Sw., of ornithologists.</p> - -<p>I also saw numbers of a beautiful green pigeon (<i>Treron calva</i>), -which is very fat and good to eat. The food of this bird is principally -fruit and berries, especially the small figs of the “Mucozo,” a -large-leaved, handsome tree. They are generally seen in small flocks, -and they sit very close on the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</span> trees whilst feeding, during which -operation they utter a curious low noise, as of people talking at a -distance. If alarmed, they suddenly hush and stop eating until the -alarm has passed away, when they re-commence feeding. The natives state -that if a man is completely concealed, he can shoot a number, one after -the other, off the same tree where a flock may be feeding, as the -discharge of the gun is not sufficient to frighten them away if they do -not see the sportsman.</p> - -<p>The natives here are great bee-keepers, as are also the natives on both -banks of the Quanza. The hives are to be seen on almost every baobab, -this being the tree chosen in preference to any other, and as many as -four or five hives may be seen on one tree. They are made by splitting -a piece of wood, generally a branch of a tree with the bark on, about -five feet long and ten or twelve inches in diameter; the centre is -scooped out, leaving the ends entire; the two halves are securely tied -together, and three holes large enough to admit the little finger are -bored at each end. An aperture is cut in the middle of the hollow -cylinder, where the two halves are joined together, large<span class="pagenum" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</span> enough to -admit the hand. This aperture is closed with a piece of wood, and -clayed over to thoroughly prevent any rain from getting in. The hive -is securely placed in the branches of the tree, and a quantity of dry -grass put over it as a roof or thatch.</p> - -<p>Once a year the owner climbs the tree and draws up a basket for the wax -and honey with a cord, and also some dry grass and fire. He opens the -aperture, and, lighting wisps of grass, smokes the bees as they issue -out. Most of them drop half suffocated to the ground, and the comb is -extracted, a small quantity being left behind to induce the bees to -work again in the same hive. If no comb be left, the natives affirm -that they will not return to the hive. In some places the natives are -careful not to kill any of the bees, and are said to extract the comb -as often as three times a year. Bee-hives are the principal wealth -of these blacks, and some families possess as many as three and four -hundred.</p> - -<p>I was told that very little wild honey or wax was found, and that a -bird was known to the natives that showed them where the wild bees’ -nests were. They called it “solé,” and described it as having a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</span> white -bar across its tail, and making its nest of the hair of different -animals which it collected for the purpose.</p> - -<p>The Mucelis have a curious custom which I have not heard of as existing -in any other tribe, namely, that on the death of the great “sobas” -of Ambuin and Sanga, all fires in the kingdom must be put out, and -relighted by the succeeding “soba” from fire struck by rubbing two -sticks together.</p> - -<p>Their laws, principally those relating to the protection of property, -are very strict, slavery being the punishment for even trifling -robberies, such as a cob of growing indian-corn, or an egg. Oddly -enough, they have the same custom of the “lent rat” as in Cambambe, -and the punishment if it is not returned entire is a heavy fine, or in -default slavery.</p> - -<p>To show the extent of some beliefs in Angola amongst tribes far -apart, speaking different languages, and having not the slightest -communication with each other, I may mention that amongst the -Mushicongos a certain field-mouse is believed to drop down dead if it -crosses at the point where one path is intersected by another, and I -found<span class="pagenum" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</span> this absurd idea entertained exactly in the same manner in the -Celis country. I presented a skin of this mouse to the British Museum. -It is nearest to the <i>Mus Gambianus</i> in the same collection.</p> - -<p>Some of the natives from the interior of Novo Redondo had the most -extraordinary way of wearing their hair of any I have seen in Africa; -amongst other curious fancies the most usual and striking was that -of fashioning it into the exact resemblance of a large Roman helmet -with a projecting round horn in front. The custom of wearing a great -thickness of strings of flat beads made of shell, and called “dongos,” -is universal. They are also worn by the Mundombes, or natives of -Benguella, and are mostly made in the Celis country. They are made -from the shell of the <i>Achatina monetaria</i>, Morelet, which is -broken and chipped into little round pieces about the size of a -fourpenny bit, and these are strung on a string. The labour and time -taken in their manufacture may be imagined, as it takes several yards -of these flat beads coiled round the neck to make a proper necklace, -about the thickness of a man’s arm. This once put on is never taken -off again during life,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</span> and becomes a filthy mass of dirt, grease, -and perspiration. The women also wear these strings or “Quirandas” -(weighing sometimes as much as 20 to 30 lbs.) round the waist, and they -pass as money in the country.</p> - -<p>From Novo Redondo I returned overland to Benguella, fording the River -Quicombo, at the mouth of which the Portuguese have a small detachment, -and where a few traders are established. This river is broad, but -shallow where I crossed it, about six miles from the sea.</p> - -<p>The road was generally good and not far from the sea. It passed along -and across several ravines, in which I noticed a great quantity of the -castor-oil plant growing most luxuriantly.</p> - -<p>Late in the evening I arrived at the edge of the valley of the River -Egito, at the mouth of which is situated the Portuguese station of -Egito. It was getting dark, and there was a steep and long hillside to -descend, and some distance to go afterwards before reaching the house -of the “chefe,” whose guest I was to be. I therefore determined to make -snug for the night under a great baobab growing close to a wall of -rock, and my carriers were<span class="pagenum" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</span> clearing a space from leaves and branches -for my bed and mosquito curtain, when one of them was stung in the foot -by a scorpion.</p> - -<p>These poisonous creatures are extremely abundant in the whole of the -district of Benguella, and cases are constantly occurring of persons -being stung by them. In some places hardly a stone or piece of wood -can be lifted from the ground without finding one or more scorpions -under it. They are of all sizes, up to six and seven inches long. Their -sting is rarely fatal, except to old people or persons in a bad state -of health. The effects of the sting are, however, very extraordinary; -in severe cases it appears to paralyse all the muscles of the body, -sometimes with much pain, in others with little or none.</p> - -<p>The black stung on the occasion I am describing complained of a good -deal of pain during the night, but only after some hours, or I might -have thought of burning the part with a hot iron at first; his comrades -applied hot oil to his foot, but in the morning he had lost the use -of his legs completely. I had to put him into my hammock and have him -carried to Egito. Here I remained with my friend<span class="pagenum" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</span> the “chefe” for -four days, and the wounded black was laid in the sun every day to -keep him warm, the usual custom in such cases, a sensation of cold -always accompanying the subsequent stages of a scorpion bite. On the -fourth day he had acquired so much use of his limbs that he could drag -himself in a sitting position on the ground to a sunny corner, still -complaining of cold, but his appetite seemed good.</p> - -<p>I left him to the care of the “chefe,” asking him to send him on to -me at Benguella as soon as he should be able to walk. A week after he -came to me there quite recovered. Another case of scorpion-bite was -described to me by a Portuguese officer (a mulatto) who was “chefe” of -the district of Dombe Grande, to the south of Benguella. The man, a -tall, stout, powerful and healthy fellow, whilst sitting one evening -outside his house, smoking and talking with his family, chanced to drop -one of his slippers while crossing one leg over the other; on rising -after some time and putting his foot into the slipper, a scorpion that -had taken refuge in it stung him in the big toe. He did not think much -of the occurrence, but he gradually<span class="pagenum" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</span> became worse, and next day could -not rise from his bed; his legs and arms were completely paralysed, but -without any pain, and his tongue being but little affected he could -speak and swallow without difficulty. His mind was perfectly clear, -and he only felt a certain degree of numbness and cold. Not expecting -to survive he dictated his will, and remained thus paralysed for five -or six days, when he gradually recovered, and was well in about a -fortnight’s time and without the least inconvenient after-effect.</p> - -<p>The view from the top of the valley of Egito was one of the grandest -sights I have ever seen. The river was visible for a considerable -distance inland, fringed by a dark band of palm forest. The level -spaces between it and the high rocky sides of the valley in which it -ran were filled with luxuriant cultivated fields, and as the vast -rolling mists were dissipated by the morning rays of the sun, presented -a panorama of peaceful pastoral beauty that I have never seen surpassed.</p> - -<p>The Portuguese have here a pretty little fort on an eminence, a -small garrison being necessary as the natives from the interior -sometimes give considerable<span class="pagenum" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</span> trouble, by coming down and attacking the -plantations farthest removed from the town, but without doing any great -damage beyond keeping the inhabitants in a state of alarm.</p> - -<p>From Egito I continued my journey, sleeping the next night at the -valley of the River Anha, where I had been warned against an attack of -the natives, several Portuguese traders having been robbed there. I did -not take any goods with me, and provided myself with a few bottles of -rum as a present for the “soba,” feeling convinced that no harm would -be done me by them.</p> - -<p>On arriving at the river, a small stream flowing through a valley of -lovely forest scenery, I crossed and encamped under a tree on the -southern bank. I then sent one of my blacks, who knew the “soba,” with -a bottle of rum and a request that he would come and have a drink with -me. When he arrived, with about a dozen of the old men of the town, I -was just sitting down to my dinner. Being well up in the customs of -the blacks of Angola, I made him sit down on my portmanteau, and asked -him through one of my men who acted as interpreter, how he and his -wives and sons were, and if<span class="pagenum" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</span> his country “was well,” to which he duly -answered, and asked me in my turn where I had come from, and where I -was going? Proper answers being given, I filled a tumbler with wine, -and after drinking a portion (to show that there was no “fetish” in it) -I handed the rest to him, and a couple of bottles of rum for his old -men. I then gave him some of my dinner, which happened to be boiled -fowl, rice, and sweet potatoes, a portion of all which, with biscuit -or bread, must be given, put on the plate, and a spoon to eat it with. -There is a significance in all these minutiæ to which great importance -is attached by the blacks, and by which they know if the white man -is a gentleman or a common man. My seating him on my portmanteau was -considered equivalent to a chair, because it was part of my furniture, -and a “soba” must not sit on the ground if there is a chair or stool to -be had.</p> - -<p>If I had nothing else then I should have had to provide a mat for -him to squat upon. Giving him my own wine to drink, and rum to the -rest, was equal to showing him a special regard as distinguished from -that shown to them; the plateful of every part of my dinner, that I -considered<span class="pagenum" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</span> him as an equal; and the spoon, that I also believed him to -be a big chief who did not eat his food with his fingers.</p> - -<p>After finishing his plateful he retired with his old men, and shortly -after sent me a couple of fowls and a basket with fresh mandioca-roots -for my blacks; I returned the compliment with a few yards of cotton -cloth, and went to sleep knowing that I should not be disturbed in any -way. He could not attack or rob me after drinking my wine and eating my -dinner, as it would have been great “fetish,” according to the customs -of the blacks in Angola.</p> - -<p>They would, besides, have been afraid of the consequences, not only -of having committed “fetish,” but also of the heavy fine that I could -have made the “soba” and his people pay, through any other neighbouring -tribe to whom I might have complained of such a crime having been -perpetrated in their country. Had I been molested, any accident or ill -luck, want of rains, sickness or death that might have happened to his -tribe, would be at once attributed to the “fetish” committed by the -“soba” and his council of old men.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</span></p> - -<p>I started again early next morning, and at noon arrived at the bay -of Lobito, a beautiful and singular natural dock with a narrow deep -mouth, and large enough to hold a great fleet. This would be an -invaluable site for a city, the only disadvantage being the absence -of a stream of fresh water in the immediate vicinity. In the evening -I arrived at Catumbella, after passing through a thick jungle of a -shrub (<i>Sesbania punctata</i>, Pers.) bearing bright yellow pea-like -flowers thickly spotted with purple, and always found growing in swamps -and marshy places in Angola, both near the sea and inland.</p> - -<p>Catumbella is an important place, and is about nine miles to the north -of the town of Benguella. The Portuguese have there a fine little -fort on a hill, a commodious “residencia” of the “chefe,” and a small -detachment of soldiers from Benguella.</p> - -<p>There is here a pretty little river, very broad and shallow, so that it -can always be forded except during the heavy rains. It is very full of -alligators, which are constantly carrying off blacks whilst crossing.</p> - -<p>The scenery at Catumbella, about three or four<span class="pagenum" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</span> miles from the sea, and -for some little distance inland, is exquisite, from the hilly and rocky -character of the country and the luxuriance of the vegetation, both -wild and cultivated.</p> - -<p>From the top of a mountain near Catumbella which, with one opposite, -forms the deep gorge or valley through which the river, dotted with -green islands, passes, the view is one of the greatest loveliness.</p> - -<p>There are many traders established here, and a large trade is done with -the natives of the interior in wax, ivory, gum-copal, white gum, &c.</p> - -<p>It is on the high road to those very important and extensive countries -of the interior, Bailundo, Bihé, and others, reputed to enjoy excellent -climate and most fertile soil, and never yet visited except by a very -few Portuguese traders, who have gone very far beyond, even nearly -reaching the east coast, after ivory.</p> - -<p>I had a very unpleasant experience once, at Catumbella, of the -sufferings of hunger and thirst. I went with an old Portuguese to visit -the place inland where a very fine sample of copper ore had been found -by the natives. We started at daybreak,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</span> and our pretended guide told -us that we could reach the place and be back at noon for breakfast. -Relying on his statement, we only took half a dozen biscuits and a tin -of jam with us.</p> - -<p>It was noon when we left the River Catumbella, after travelling over -several miles of very rocky ground, and struck due south. Shortly -after, we luckily met with an intelligent young Mundombe, who told us -we were going quite wrong and volunteered to show us the place, as it -was some considerable distance off in quite another direction. To cut -a long story short, we only got to a spring of beautiful water in the -evening, where we finished our three biscuits each and tin of sweets.</p> - -<p>Next day we journeyed on, and only reached the locality we sought at -noon. Having had nothing to eat or drink, we started back as fast as -we could to Catumbella, only reaching the river at sunset, and the -way we rushed to the water’s edge to drink was amusing. We had then a -long high hill to ascend, and at midnight arrived at a black trader’s -hut, who most fortunately had prepared a good dinner for us, as he had -expected us the evening before.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</span></p> - -<p>My companion was more dead than alive. However, some wine our black -friend had had the forethought to send to Catumbella for, and the -excellent fowl-soup he had prepared, soon set him to rights, and we -left again to reach Catumbella at daybreak, completely worn out with -fatigue and want of sleep.</p> - -<p>Our friends had prepared an expedition to seek for us, almost giving -us up for lost, as they knew we had taken no provisions with us. The -country was very arid and stony, and the vegetation mostly prickly -trees and bushes. I subsequently sent a miner with a party of blacks -from Benguella to bring away the little copper ore at the place I -visited. The total weight raised was about half a ton of very good -quality, but no more was to be seen. The manner in which small -quantities of copper ore are thus found in many places in Benguella is -most extraordinary.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII.<br /><span class="small">TOWN OF -BENGUELLA—SLAVE-TRADE—MUNDOMBES—CUSTOMS—COPPER—HYENAS—MONKEYS—COPPER -DEPOSIT—GYPSUM—HORNBILLS—BIRDS—FISH—LIONS.</span></h2> -</div> - - - -<p>The town of Benguella is situated on a level plain near the sea, and -backed, at a distance of about six miles, by a line of hills. The -appearance of the town from the sea is rather picturesque; to the -north, at a distance of little more than a mile, is seen the green belt -of forest marking the course of the River Cavaco, a white sandy bed in -the dry, and a broad, shallow, running stream in the rainy season.</p> - -<p>The town is large, consisting of good houses and stores, irregularly -distributed over several fine squares and roads; the custom of the -houses having large walled gardens and enclosures for<span class="pagenum" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</span> slaves, in -former times, stamping it with a wide straggling character.</p> - -<p>In the wet season the squares and roads are all covered with a -luxuriant growth of grass and weeds in flower, giving the town the -appearance of a wild garden.</p> - -<p>The soil of Benguella is very fertile, and all kinds of fruit and -vegetables grow splendidly. The trade is large and increasing yearly, -particularly in beeswax, of which a great quantity is exported. There -is, of course, the usual incubus of the custom-house, with its high -duties and vexations weighing heavily on all enterprise and commerce. -Not far from the beach is a large fort, garrisoned with a force of -soldiers that supplies detachments to the districts of Dombe Grande, -Egito, Novo Redondo, Catumbella, Caconda, and Quillengues.</p> - -<p>During the time of the slave-trade Benguella was one of the principal -shipping ports of Angola, many thousands of slaves being sent off from -it to the Brazils and Cuba. The last two or three shipments took place -whilst I was working the copper deposits near Cuio Bay and at Quileba, -near Benguella.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</span> They were principally brought for sale by the natives -of Bihé; and I once saw a caravan of nearly 3000 blacks arrive, of whom -1000 were slaves for sale. The whole caravan was loaded with beeswax -and other produce for barter.</p> - -<p>Of these and other slaves that constantly arrived only a few -were shipped; the rest were then in great demand for extensive -cotton-plantations from Benguella to Mossamedes. The average price of -a full-grown, healthy man or woman was about three pounds in cloth -or other goods, and as low as five shillings for a little nigger. I -must do the traders at Benguella the justice to say that they never -separated mother and child; as for other ties of relationship, they did -not seem to exist amongst the slaves brought down for sale, and I never -heard of any being claimed by them. There was no cruelty whatever in -the manner the slaves were brought in the caravans from the interior, -and they were never bound or coerced in any way.</p> - -<p>The last shipments of slaves took place from “Bahia Farta,” a few miles -south of Benguella. Every one in Benguella, from the governor of the -district to the lowest employé, knew of the transaction,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</span> and received -the regular scale of fees for shutting their eyes to it.</p> - -<p>I am happy to say, however, that every one of the shipments turned -out a total loss to the shippers, though they stood to gain enormous -profits, the price of the raw article being, say three pounds, and -worth some thirty pounds each on arrival at Cuba. The slave-trade -in the district of Benguella died out entirely from the activity of -the cruisers off the coast of Cuba, and from the Spanish authorities -capturing the slaves after they were landed on the island. The Spanish -slave-dealers also no longer sent cash and vessels to Angola for the -purchase and shipment of slaves, and the consequence was that the -proceeds of several cargoes shipped at the expense of the Portuguese -traders on the coast were entirely appropriated by the Spaniards, who -did not even vouchsafe an acknowledgment of the cargoes, but left the -captains and supercargoes to think themselves lucky that they escaped -with their lives.</p> - -<p>Only a very large number of cruisers on the Angolan coast could have -prevented the shipment of slaves, as every man and woman, white -or black,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</span> was interested in the trade, and a perfect system of -communication existed from all points, overland and by sea. The few -foreigners who, like myself, were not interested in the slave-trade, -knew better than to risk their lives by meddling with what it was -absolutely impossible they could prevent. Other foreigners and -Englishmen were indirectly interested in the trade, such as the traders -at Ambriz and farther north, who, as already mentioned, received hard -cash in Spanish gold, at a profit of two to three hundred per cent. for -the goods of pious Manchester and Liverpool, with which almost every -one of the thousands of slaves shipped were bought.</p> - -<p>Before the war in America raised the price of cotton so high as to -induce the Portuguese at Benguella and Mossamedes to plant cotton -on a large scale, a great many slaves were employed in picking -orchilla-weed, which grew abundantly on the trees and bushes within the -influence of the sea air; and I knew men who had their two or three -hundred slaves thus engaged, collecting as much as from two to three -tons a day. There is very little collected at present, the country -having<span class="pagenum" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</span> been picked nearly bare, and the aniline dyes so reducing the -price in Europe that it was no longer worth seeking. These slaves were -gradually employed in cotton-planting instead, and fortunes were made -by the successful planters.</p> - - -<p class="center p2"><span class="figcenter" id="img005"> - <img src="images/005.jpg" class="w75" alt="MUNDOMBES AND HUTS" /> -</span></p> -<p class="center caption"><span class="smcap">Plate XIII.</span><br />MUNDOMBES AND HUTS.<br /> <i>To face page 185.</i></p> - - - -<p>All these flourishing plantations will be completely destroyed on the -coming liberation of the slaves, as nothing will induce the natives -of Benguella to work at anything of the kind. They belong to a tribe -called the Mundombes, who are of a wild, roving disposition, and very -unlike the rest of the tribes inhabiting Angola. Their clothing is -principally skins and hides of sheep or wild animals, and they rub -their bodies and heads with rancid cow’s butter or oil, with which -they are fond of mixing charcoal-dust, and they are the only natives -in Angola who wear sandals (made of raw hide) on their feet. They -are very dirty, never making use of water for washing; are generally -about the middle height, and ugly in face. The women especially are -very rarely comely, either in face or figure, and they will not live -with or intermarry with blacks of other tribes. Their huts are mostly -round-roofed and low (<a href="#img005">Plate XIII.</a>). They<span class="pagenum" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</span> are very independent, and -will not hire themselves to any kind of work.</p> - -<p>The women cultivate the ground for the indispensable mandioca and -beans; the men hunt, and tend large herds of cattle that thrive -remarkably well in the country, and also flocks of sheep, which they -rear for food.</p> - -<p>Cattle are their principal riches, and are seldom killed for food, -except when the owner dies, when, if he be a “soba” or chief, as many -as 300 oxen have been known to be killed and eaten at one sitting, -lasting for several days. On these occasions the whole tribe and -friends are assembled, heaps of firewood collected, fires lit, and -oxen killed one after the other till the herd is eaten up, not a -native moving away from the feast or gorge till the last scrap is -consumed. The flesh is cut into long thin strips and wound round long -skewers,—these are stuck upright round the fires, and the meat only -allowed to cook slightly. The meat is eaten alone, without any other -food whatever and without salt, as that would make them drink, which -they do not do, as they affirm it would prevent them from eating much -meat; the blood, entrails, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</span> even the hide, toasted to make it -eatable, are consumed, a big feast lasting from ten to fifteen days, or -sometimes more.</p> - -<p>I have often seen Mundombes rolling on the ground groaning with pain, -and on asking what was the matter with them, have been answered with a -laugh, “Oh! he has eaten too much meat!!”</p> - -<p>They are fond of dividing their cattle into herds of 100 head each, -and are wonderfully clever at tracking strayed cattle, and also in -recognizing any they may have once seen.</p> - -<p>A most singular custom of these natives is that of the women and girls, -with their heads covered with green leaves and carrying branches of -trees in their hands, and singing in chorus, taking round to all their -friends and acquaintances any young woman of their tribe who is about -to be married; but the most curious part of the ceremony is the manner -in which the interesting young bride is prepared. She is stripped -perfectly naked, and whitewashed from head to foot with a thick mixture -of a kind of pipe-clay and water, which dries perfectly white, and -in this manner she is taken<span class="pagenum" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</span> in procession to visit and receive the -congratulations of her friends.</p> - -<p>I never could learn what the meaning of this ceremony was; they always -confined themselves to telling me “that it was their custom to do so.”</p> - -<p>It appears that this extraordinary custom is also common to some hill -tribes in India and in the Andes of South America, but I never heard of -it anywhere else in Africa.</p> - -<p>The richer Mundombes have an odd manner of making their beds. A layer -of clay about six or nine inches thick and about two feet wide is made -in the huts, and when dry constitutes their sleeping place; this they -rub over with rancid butter to make it smooth, and they lie on it -without any skin or cloth under them!</p> - -<p>The Mundombes generally wear their hair in a large woolly bush, but the -young men and women cut it into a variety of strange forms and patterns.</p> - -<p>Their arms are knobbed sticks often fancifully carved, small axes -(<a href="#img006">Plate XIV.</a>), bows and arrows, and “assagaias” or spears, generally -much ornamented with beads, &c. They are expert hunters, and the -abundance of large game supplies them<span class="pagenum" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</span> with more animal food than other -tribes of Angola.</p> - -<p>They are a hard, wiry race, capable of undergoing great fatigue and -hunger, and a very good trait in their character is that they are -good-natured and merry. They are not a bad race, but are wild, roving, -and intractable to teaching or civilization. Not one of them can be -induced to work beyond carrying loads or a hammock, which latter they -have also a unique way of doing. Supposing eight to be carrying a white -man in a hammock, three will range themselves and run along on each -side; at a loud clap of their hands, one Mundombe from the right will -shove his shoulder under the pole behind the carrier in front, who -passes to the left. Another on the left does the same with the carrier -behind, who passes to the right, and so they go changing round and -round every few yards, and running along all the time without stopping -a moment.</p> - -<p>It took me several months before I could induce the Mundombes at -Benguella to carry the copper ore from the mine at Quileba to -Benguella, and this was more from distrust of not being paid than<span class="pagenum" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</span> -anything else. I used to give them a load of ore, and a small ticket -which was either paid in copper money or was endorsed by the agent at -Benguella, and was then passed by them at any shop in payment of the -cloth or rum they might purchase.</p> - -<p>Next to the Cabindas I think the Mundombes are more fond of rum or -other spirits than any tribe in Angola, and they seem capable of -drinking almost any quantity without other effect than making them -extremely jolly. They will never stop in Benguella at night, but all -clear out before sunset to their towns and villages a little way off.</p> - -<p>Pieces of copper are sometimes brought to Benguella by the caravans, -which are said to be smelted by the natives of Lunda. They are cast in -a very peculiar form, something like that of the letter X. All I have -seen have been of this shape, and all have thick inner edges joined by -a ridge (<a href="#img006">Plate XIV.</a>).</p> - -<p>I have never been able to ascertain or guess what the mould could -possibly be that invariably gives this character to them, for whatever -variation there may be in the length of the arms or waist, the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</span> -thicker inner edge, connected with a more or less prominent ridge, is -always there.</p> - - - -<p class="center p2"><span class="figcenter" id="img006"> - <img src="images/006.jpg" class="w50" alt="Plate XIV - tools" /> -</span></p> -<p class="center caption"><span class="smcap">Plate XIV.</span><br />1. Native-smelted Copper.—2. Powder-flask.—3. Mundombe -Axe.—4. Manner of securing Fish for drying.—5. Hunters’ Fetish -(Benguella).—6. Manner of carrying in the hand (Native Jug).—7. -Gourd Pipe for smoking Diamba.—8. Wooden Dish.—9. Double-handled Hoe.<br /> <i>To face page 190.</i></p> - - -<p>The first hills seen from the sea behind the town of Benguella are -composed of layers of fine sandstone of all thicknesses, from a foot -or two to an eighth of an inch, and separated by layers of the finest -dust, so that slabs of any desired thickness can be obtained without -difficulty; a good deal of massive gypsum or sulphate of lime is also -found in these hills. Immediately behind these recent sedimentary -deposits (in which I never found the least trace of fossil remains) -comes the gneiss rock of the country.</p> - -<p>At a place called Quileba, about six miles due inland from Benguella, -I explored a deposit of copper ore at the junction of the gneiss with -the sedimentary beds. This deposit yielded about 2000 tons of very -good ore, mostly earthy green carbonate containing some sulphide, and -was found adhering to the gneiss in an irregular-shaped mass, from the -surface of the ground to a depth of about three or four fathoms. Not -an ounce more could be found either deeper, or in the vicinity, when -this mass was exhausted. The whole of the ore<span class="pagenum" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</span> was raised and sent to -Benguella for shipment in less than two years, and was all carried -by blacks, men and women, who came from Benguella for that purpose. -These were partly Mundombes, and partly slaves of the inhabitants of -Benguella. I also had about fifty miserably small donkeys from the Cape -de Verde Islands, but they were more troublesome than useful.</p> - -<p>One of the principal plants around Benguella is the shrubby jasmine, -and it grows in such quantities as to present a very pretty appearance -when in flower, the clumps in which it grows being covered with white -blossoms; and in the still, early mornings the air is so strongly -loaded with the scent of these flowers as to give people a headache who -pass through the bush for any distance.</p> - -<p>Jackals and hyenas are very abundant at Benguella, and were much more -so in the slave-trade times, when the blacks who died were simply taken -out a little distance and thrown into the bush. Graves have to be -dug deep and covered over with a heap of heavy stones to prevent the -hyenas from digging out the corpses and crunching them up. A great fat -Cabinda in my service at Cuio Bay<span class="pagenum" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</span> fell down dead one afternoon whilst -dancing with some others of his countrymen, and I had to defer burying -him till notice of his sudden death had been given to the “chefe” at -Dombe Grande, that he might send to ascertain that the man had not -died from any foul play. This took some days, during which his body -smelt anything but nice to us, but was evidently most appetizing to -the hyenas, who every night flocked, howled, and laughed round the hut -where it lay, watched over by his countrymen. He was at last buried, -and covered over with the usual heap of stones, but the ground was -dry and soft, and the smell of the body strong, and next morning we -found that a number of hyenas must have been at work, and had actually -burrowed into the grave from the edge of the heap of stones, had pulled -the body out, and eaten it on the spot! Not a particle of bone even -could be seen, and besides the scratched and trodden ground, a few -shreds and scraps of rags of the cloths the Cabinda had been wrapped -in, were all the evidence of the grand supper of negro flesh the hyenas -had had.</p> - -<p>On dark nights especially the hyenas perambulate<span class="pagenum" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</span> all over the town -in search of bones and offal of every description, and I have often -heard them fighting and making a terrific noise in the open squares at -Benguella.</p> - -<p>Zebras are abundant in the rocky country about Benguella and -Mossamedes, and their bray is very peculiar, being like that of the -donkey without the long drawn notes made during inspiration.</p> - -<p>A large dog-faced monkey (<i>Cynocephalus sp.</i>) is very abundant in -the rocky and arid littoral zone of Benguella, going about in troops of -from twelve to twenty. When feeding, they always have two or more of -their number perched on the high rocks as sentinels, and on the least -sign of danger they utter a hoarse grunt and all take to flight, the -young ones tightly clasping their mothers’ backs. It is said by the -natives that if a monkey sentinel does not perform his duty properly, -the others set upon him and worry him well as a punishment, and a -Portuguese assured me that such was the fact, and that he had witnessed -one being punished in this manner.</p> - -<p>It seems at first sight almost incredible how these large creatures can -find sufficient food on the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</span> desert rocks where they are found, but I -ascertained that their principal food is the thick fleshy root and stem -of a low bush, and several species of large onion-looking bulbs. There -are also a number of trees and bushes that yield them food in the shape -of berries and fruits, especially one called “Umpequi” (<i>Ximenia -Americana</i>), bearing plentifully an astringent plum-like fruit, from -the large kernel of which the natives of Mossamedes manufacture a fine -oil.</p> - -<p>On this part of the coast the natives use the wood of the “Bimba” -tree (<i>Herminiera Elaphroxylon</i>) to construct a kind of boat or -raft, which is perfectly unsinkable in the heavy surf at the mouths -of the rivers. This tree principally grows in the stagnant water of -marshes, and is about twenty feet high; its trunk attains to as much -as a foot in diameter. It is covered with spines, and bears very large -and beautiful pea-like flowers of a golden orange colour; the wood is -soft, and as light as pith. The peeled stems are skewered together in -two or three layers, with sides about a foot and a half to two feet -high, and the ends finished off in a point, the whole looking like a -punt built of thin<span class="pagenum" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</span> logs. The water, of course, is free to rush in and -out everywhere, and the “bimba,” as the boat is also called, floats -like a dry cork on the sea. People in it may get washed over and wetted -through by the surf, but the “bimba” never upsets or sinks.</p> - -<p>About twenty or twenty-four miles to the south of Benguella is situated -the district of Dombe Grande. There is here a large native population -on the southern bank of the River San Francisco or Capororo, governed -by a Portuguese “chefe.” The road to it from Benguella passes over -slightly undulating ground, but very arid in character, alternately -sandy, dusty, and of gypsum rock.</p> - -<p>About half way, at a place called Quipupa, there is a small spring -of ferruginous water, which is the halting-place of the natives who -frequent the road to and from Dombe Grande. It is a wonderful relief -from the desert road to arrive at the River San Francisco, and see -stretched for miles the beautiful green expanse of Dombe Grande. The -river is perfectly dry for one half of the year, and is then a broad -band of pure, dazzling, white sand, but the land near it is extremely -fertile, and very<span class="pagenum" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</span> large quantities of mandioca and beans are grown. -The mandioca is made into “farinha” or meal, and thousands of bushels -are sent by road to Benguella, or to Cuio Bay for shipment. The sand -of the river will even grow splendid crops of this root as soon as the -water dries up.</p> - -<p>Towards the sea the valley of this river is very broad; and it is -here that the extensive cotton plantations, to which I have already -referred, exist. This part of the country is called “Luache,” and in -it there are some very curious lagoons and quicksands. One of these -lagoons is extremely deep. A Portuguese told me he had tried to sound -it, but had failed to touch the bottom.</p> - -<p>At another place the road for some considerable distance is over a -narrow path composed of the roots of large sedge-like plants interwoven -and grown together, and yielding under every step. The Mundombes take -their cattle over this path, but should one walk away from it at the -side, it sinks immediately in the black mud, and is seen no more.</p> - -<p>There is a great deal of pure sulphur in the gypsum hills on the -northern bank of the river at<span class="pagenum" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</span> Dombe Grande, and going across them -once, I came to a small eminence that seemed to be all sulphur, and -with a knife, a stick, and a few wedges that I cut, I managed to detach -a solid block of sulphur of about thirty pounds in weight.</p> - -<p>At Luache the trees and bushes are covered with a vast quantity of a -curious leafless parasite. This is a creeper, which grows luxuriantly -in great masses of long, thin, green strings or stems, sometimes -completely covering the tree. These are full of tasteless mucilage -when fresh, and are employed in decoction as an emulcent in coughs -and colds. When dry these wire-like stems become black and hard, and -give the trees a very mournful and dismal appearance. This plant is a -species of Cassytha (<i>C. Guineensis?</i>) and although excessively -abundant in the province of Benguella, becomes scarce to the north.</p> - -<p>About nine miles south of Dombe Grande is the little bay of Cuio, in -13° S. lat., to the interior of which I explored a copper deposit in -1861-1863. This deposit was situated four miles from the bay in the -bottom of a small circular depression or valley in the gneiss rock of -the country. It was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</span> evident that the copper ore had been brought from -a distance by the action of water, and precipitated in the bottom of -this cup or basin.</p> - -<p>The lower part consisted of a bed of the rare indigo-blue sulphide -intimately mixed together with quartz gravel or sand, the blue sulphide -forming the matrix of this curious conglomerate, in which were also -found large, rounded, smooth, water-worn masses of hard compact gneiss. -This bed alone yielded nearly 1000 tons. Another 1000 or 1200 tons were -obtained from a higher part of the valley, and consisted of a hard -amorphous mixture of sulphide and blue and green carbonate, the latter -apparently due to the surface decomposition of the former. Some small -masses of this copper ore contained silver, from a mere trace to over -100 ounces in the ton. In one place I found a few tons of lead ore, -earthy carbonate and sulphate, with only a trace left of the galena -that had no doubt supplied the two by its decomposition. Specimens of -these ores were exhibited in the London International Exhibition of -1862, and were awarded honourable mention.</p> - -<p>I was the first in Africa to make plaster of Paris<span class="pagenum" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</span> from the gypsum -rock of the country, and to apply it to cover walls of houses, for -flooring, and even for roofing. I had to build stores at Cuio mines, -and houses for twenty-two white miners, and as there was no grass or -other material fit to roof them with, I put a layer of plaster of -Paris, about an inch and a half thick, on a framework of palm-leaf -stems, and it withstood the rain admirably. It is magnificent material -for flooring in that country, absorbing moisture and preventing the -white ant from getting through. The Portuguese soon after made great -use of this material, which had existed in inexhaustible quantities -unknown to them for so many years.</p> - -<p>The road from Dombe Grande to Cuio passes through some deep -perpendicular ravines cut in solid gypsum rock by the action of the -waters, and in other parts of Benguella it is equally abundant. It -requires no kiln for burning: it is sufficient to make a pile of small -pieces of the rock with any kind of fuel or brushwood at hand to burn -it into proper plaster of Paris; in fact, if burnt in a kiln, or -exposed to too great a degree of heat, it will not set afterwards when -mixed with water.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</span></p> - -<p>In the bare, arid country of Benguella there are a number of birds, the -colouring of whose plumage so closely accords with that of the ground -as to be barely distinguishable at a little distance. Such are the -sand-grouse (<i>Pterocles namaquus</i>) and three species of bustards, -one of which (<i>Otis picturata</i>, Hartl.) was a new and undescribed -species.</p> - -<p>These bustards are very abundant, and are found in pairs; they have -a curious, loud, hoarse, clucking cry, which can be heard at a -considerable distance, and are very shy; they run along the ground with -great rapidity, and when alarmed fly off in a straight line, but very -little above the ground, and when they alight they always run on for -some distance. Their flesh is excellent. Several Portuguese attempted -to keep them in their gardens, and rear them, but without success.</p> - -<p>In the woods of thorny trees and bushes, and particularly in the -sandy ravines, several species of small hornbills are very common. -Two were undescribed species (<i>Tockus elegans</i>, and <i>Tockus -Monteiri</i>), and are very odd birds in appearance and habits. I found -that their food consisted of grubs, grasshoppers, and other insects, -hornets’<span class="pagenum" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</span> nests, and hard seeds. They dig in the sand with their long -curved bills, when seeking their food, throwing the sand behind them -between their legs. They look very comical when sitting on a tree, -their soft feathers puffed out like those of an owl, and they raise -and depress their crest feathers, uttering loud, long-drawn, unearthly -cries, like the squall of a sick baby.</p> - -<p>They are considered as “fetish” birds by the natives, who state -positively that it is the male bird who sits on the eggs, and that the -female shuts him up in the nest so that he cannot get out, and feeds -him till he has hatched the eggs, when she tears down the nest and lets -him out. The imprisoned bird is then very lean and in ragged plumage, -and the natives have several proverbs bearing upon this singular habit. -In Benguella, when a man looks very thin and miserable, they always -say, “he looks like the hornbill when he has been let out of the nest.”</p> - -<p>I offered a large reward to any black who would find me a nest of these -birds, as I wanted to verify this extraordinary story, but I never -succeeded in seeing one. There is no doubt that the statements<span class="pagenum" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</span> of -the natives are correct, as other species of the same bird, in India, -&c., have exactly the same habit; the only particular in which I think -the natives may be wrong is in the male bird being imprisoned by the -female; it is more natural to suppose that the contrary takes place, -and that it is the female who is boxed up.</p> - -<p>The “Panda,” or wattled crane (<i>Grus carunculata</i>) is common in -the country to the interior of Benguella, and is often brought for sale -to the coast by the caravans. They get very tame and playful, and it is -amusing to see them make rushes in fun at the women and children, with -their wings and beaks wide open.</p> - -<p>A trader at Egito had one that used to play for hours with a young -donkey. The crane would run at and flap his wings in the donkey’s face -till it started after him for a race, when he would keep just a little -ahead and only take to flight when hard pressed, on seeing which the -donkey would generally give a loud bray of disappointment. At other -times the crane would chase the donkey, and it was very comical to see -the perfect understanding that seemed to exist between<span class="pagenum" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</span> them, and their -evident enjoyment of play and fun.</p> - -<p>The ox-bird (<i>Buphaga Africana</i>) is very commonly seen on the -cattle at Benguella, and the following description of it is from my -notes on a collection of birds I made there (‘Proceedings of the -Zoological Society’ for 1865):—“Abundant all over Angola, which, -generally speaking, abounds in cattle. It appears to feed entirely on -ticks: the stomach of this specimen contained no less than twenty-five. -Its flesh is very dark-coloured, strong-smelling, and its blood -extremely thick and dark. It is curious to watch the manner in which -they crawl all over the body of an ox or large animal, under its belly -and between its legs, which they are enabled to do by their strong -claws tipped with exceedingly sharp, hooked nails.</p> - -<p>“The beak is soft, of a bright red at the tip, graduating to bright -yellow at the base. I once saw a nest of these birds, which they -appeared to be finishing. It was large, loose, of dry grass, and nicely -lined with long hair, seemingly taken from the tails of cattle. These -birds were constantly<span class="pagenum" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</span> robbing the hair from the tail of an old mule -I had at Benguella. They will accompany a herd of cattle only for a -certain distance, when they will return to their usual locality, and -others immediately make their appearance and appear to take charge of -the herd.”</p> - -<p>The neighbourhood of Benguella, Catumbella, and Dombe Grande is famous -for the variety of its small and beautifully-coloured birds, and the -Mundombes capture them in thousands, to sell to the Portuguese at -Benguella, who export them to Loanda and Lisbon. These birds are said -to be more hardy, and to live better in confinement than those caught -at Loanda.</p> - -<p>Several of these little birds are greatly esteemed by the Portuguese as -cage song-birds; such are the “Maracachão” (<i>Pytelia elegans</i>), -noted for its exquisitely sweet song, the “Bigode” (<i>Crithagra -ictera</i>) or “moustache bird,” the “Viuva” or long-tailed -whydah-finch (<i>Vidua paradisea</i>), and others.</p> - -<p>They are captured with birdlime, the very sticky, gummy matter -enveloping the seeds of the beautiful parasite—a species of -Loranthus—already mentioned as being employed by the natives of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</span> -Cambambe as gum for sealing letters. This plant grows very abundantly -on trees, but most usually on the thinly-leaved spiny bushes near the -coast, and even on herbaceous plants. I have often observed it growing -luxuriantly on cotton bushes.</p> - -<p>Many kinds of ducks and other beautiful aquatic birds inhabit two -lagoons, called the “Bimbas,” about seven or eight miles inland from -Benguella. From Benguella to Mossamedes almost all the numerous bays -on the coast are inhabited by Portuguese, who employ their slaves -either in fishing or in cotton and sugar-cane planting. The principal -plantations are at Equimina and Carunjamba. Formerly all were engaged -in orchilla-weed picking, as already stated.</p> - -<p>There is no trade whatever between Benguella and Mossamedes, the -littoral region being very desert in character, and but little -populated, and the small quantity of produce from the interior finding -its way to either one or the other of those places.</p> - -<p>The fishery on that part of the coast is mostly carried on by deep -lines, and the fish caught are<span class="pagenum" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</span> opened flat, and salted and dried in -the sun. Very large quantities are thus prepared and shipped to Loanda -and to the Portuguese islands of <abbr title="Saint">St.</abbr> Thomé and Principe. A great -proportion is consumed by the slaves on the plantations.</p> - -<p>Great numbers of a dogfish, called “Cassão,” are also caught. The -livers of this fish are thrown into large iron pots and melted into -a strong-smelling oil, which is shipped to Europe, and employed to -adulterate whale and other fish-oils. It takes about 300 livers to make -a quarter-cask of oil. In the season (for these fish are not always on -the coast) a boat with two or three blacks will take from 60 or 70 to -300 fish each night, the latter being considered a large take.</p> - -<p>The lines and nets of the fishermen are prepared or tanned by steeping -them in the juice of an exceedingly curious plant growing in the sand. -This plant, specimens of which I sent to <abbr title="Doctor">Dr.</abbr> Hooker, proved to be a -new species of the genus <i>Hydnora</i>, a Rafflesiaceous plant. It -is an underground parasite on the roots of the euphorbia trees and -bushes, and consists of a square stem from one to two inches thick, -soft in texture, and of a beautiful rose-colour.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</span> This stem is covered -with a thin dark skin, and is full of tubercles; it has no leaves, and -is attached to the roots of the euphorbia, from which it derives its -nourishment.</p> - -<p>At certain seasons it sends up a thick stalk through the sand, on the -end of which it bears a large red flower of a very extraordinary shape, -and with an offensive odour of badly decayed meat. There are only three -other species known; two in South Africa, and one in Buenos Ayres. -Besides its use for tanning lines and nets, it is also employed by the -natives as a valuable astringent in cases of diarrhœa.</p> - -<p>During the latter years of the slave-trade, these various industries -were turned to a double account. When a vessel was on the coast -seeking a cargo of slaves, the planters, &c., of course always had a -stock ready. At other times any objection or suspicion was met by the -fact that the large number of slaves on the coast were employed in -the legitimate pursuits above mentioned, so that no slave barracoons -existed, and all were as industrious as bees when a cruiser, or some -local Portuguese governor or “chefe,” fired by zeal, or by disgust<span class="pagenum" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</span> at -the little games carried on, sometimes without his usual fee, appeared -on the scene.</p> - -<p>Lions are common in the country, more especially to the south of -Dombe Grande, about Carunjamba and Lucira. I spent a week once at -Carunjamba, arriving there shortly after a number of lions had caused -the proprietor of a fine plantation to be in forced confinement for -days within the high walls enclosing his house and grounds, and in -which his slaves and herds of cattle and sheep were lodged every night -to preserve them from the attacks of these animals. I saw the ground -all trodden down with their footprints, where they had gone round and -round, attracted by the scent of the cattle within.</p> - -<p>These incursions of lions are periodical, and happen shortly after -the first rains have covered the sterile ground on the coast with a -beautiful crop of young grass. The antelopes come from the interior to -feed on this sweet grass, and the lions follow their steps to feed on -them.</p> - -<p>Numbers of slaves used to be eaten by the lions in the orchilla-picking -time. I knew one man who lost twelve in a short time at the Bay of -Bomfim,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</span> and another seventeen at Lucira, and they had to give up -collecting till the lions retired. If a lion once tastes negro flesh, -he prefers it to beef, and has been known to kill the black herdsman -and not touch a head of his cattle.</p> - -<p>The Portuguese in Angola are not valiant at lion-hunting. The -proprietor of the large sugar-cane plantation at Equimina used to -recount how he went out one night to shoot a lion that had devoured -several of his slaves, and used to visit the cattle enclosure nightly. -He saw the lion approach him as he knelt on one knee near the high -stump of a tree against which he leant his gun to steady his aim, and -waited till he thought it was sufficiently near, when he fired both -barrels between its eyes. A tremendous roar instantly followed his -shot, and he ran for his life and bounded over the high thorny fence -forming the enclosure. Nothing more being heard of the lion, he went -with his blacks in search with torches, and found it dead, and so -firmly clasping the stump of the tree with its paws and claws, that -they were with difficulty detached from it.</p> - -<p>He used to say that the thought that he might<span class="pagenum" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</span> have been in the -lion’s dying embrace instead of the stump, cured him of going out -lion-hunting; and he never could make out how he had managed to clear -the high fence at one jump, as he did on that night when terror lent -wings to his feet.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII.<br /><span class="small">COUNTRY BETWEEN BENGUELLA AND MOSSAMEDES—MOSSAMEDES—CURIOUS DEPOSITS -OF WATER—HYENAS—WELWITSCHIA MIRABILIS—MIRAGE.</span></h2> -</div> - - -<p>The country between Benguella and Mossamedes abounds with large -animals: elands, spring-bok, and other antelopes, zebras, wild -buffaloes, &c. The natives affirm positively that the eland and other -antelopes in their wild state capture and eat small birds.</p> - -<p>It would be curious to ascertain if this strange habit or taste in a -herbivorous animal is true, or has been observed in South Africa, where -these animals are still more abundant.</p> - -<p>I was once fortunate enough to see, from a low rocky ridge, a vast herd -of spring-bok running at full speed across a plain near Mossamedes, and -it was really a fine sight. This very beautiful animal has a quantity -of long, snow-white hair completely<span class="pagenum" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</span> hidden in a fold of the skin along -its spine;—when running, its pace seems to be a succession of high -leaps, in which this long white hair is alternately exposed and hidden -at each jump. The effect of these flashes of pure white in the sun -was most striking and beautiful, as the thousands of spring-bok sped -rapidly across the plain at our feet, and gradually vanished in the -distance. Although I had been prepared to see large herds of antelopes -at Mossamedes, from the accounts of the Portuguese there, and from what -I had read in books of travel in Southern Africa, I could not help -being astonished at the sight, and feeling how impossible it was to -realize, except from actual observation, the appearance of thousands -of these lovely animals assembled together and scudding like a cloud -across the face of the great bare plain.</p> - -<p>The large tree euphorbias, so common near the coast at Ambriz and -Loanda, become scarcer in the country to the south till we get to the -desert hills and cliffs about Elephant Bay, and beyond to Mossamedes, -where they completely disappear.</p> - -<p>Perfectly flat-topped hills are a striking feature of this part of -the coast, and are appropriately<span class="pagenum" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</span> termed “mezas” or “tables” by the -Portuguese. The coast, more particularly from the River San Nicolau, -is deeply cut by ravines with almost perpendicular sides, and leading -no great distance inland, evidently worn by the action of the water -through the basalt and other friable rock. It makes travelling on foot -hard work, as the usual road is near the sea and some of the walls of -cliff are difficult and dangerous to ascend and descend.</p> - -<p>In one of my excursions in this part of the coast, I saw the dead body -of a black lying at the foot of one of these precipices, seemingly -fallen from the top. It was nearly devoured by birds, crabs, and small -animals. There is another road, a very good one, a few miles farther -inland.</p> - -<p>There are no elephants to be met with now on the coast at any part -of Angola; the last were said to have been seen about Elephant Bay, -from which it may probably have derived its name. They do come down -occasionally on the Quissama side of the River Quanza, and one was -lately shot at Bruto, most likely having swum the river.</p> - -<p>On Cape Santa Maria, the southern point of the “Bahia dos Passaros” -(Bay of Birds), there is an<span class="pagenum" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</span> old marble column, placed there by the -Portuguese in olden times to commemorate the discovery of this cape, -in 1486, by the navigator Diogo Cam. I once went with a Portuguese -in a boat from Cuio to Catara, a small bay beyond Cape Santa Maria. -Our men had been rowing all the moonlight night long, and at daybreak -we landed at the Bahia dos Passaros, and found an empty hut that had -been occupied by a curer during the fishing season; this was taken -possession of by our blacks, who went fast asleep in it, after hauling -up the boat. We had our breakfast under the shade of the boat sail, -and then followed their example. We had slept about a couple of hours -when I was awakened by the loud cawing of the pretty white-banded crows -of the coast (<i>Corvus scapulatus</i>). I threw a stone at the noisy -birds, and happening to look in the direction of the sea, noticed that -our boat was gone; I looked into the hut thinking our men had gone off -with it in search of birds’ eggs, but they lay like logs, still fast -asleep. I woke my companion, and we ran to the beach and saw our boat -at the northern end of the bay slowly drifting away, the tide having -risen and floated it while we<span class="pagenum" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</span> slept. Our men ran along the beach and -swam off to the boat, and we thanked the crows with the remains of our -breakfast. It is astonishing how soon a number of these birds will -appear after any one lands in these desolate bays, to pick up any food -that may be left about. This bay derives its name from the number of -sea-gulls that inhabit a high-peaked rock rising out of the sea at a -short distance from the shore.</p> - -<p>The River San Nicolau only runs in the rainy season, which is likewise -the case with all the other rivers on this part of the coast, south of -the River Quanza, and even this shifts its bar a mile or more to the -north in the dry season.</p> - -<p>At the little Bay of Baba, I saw a very extraordinary sight, and one -that shows the great quantity of fish in the sea of that coast. I had -started on foot early in the morning, from the house of a Portuguese -who was engaged in the fishing trade, on my way to Mossamedes, and as -I walked along the beach for more than a mile, I saw for the whole -distance, in the calm water, a small species of fish, about a foot -long, in countless numbers, packed side by side so closely as<span class="pagenum" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</span> almost -to touch one another, and their snouts touching the sand. Farther -south, fish are said to be even more plentiful.</p> - -<p>At Port Pinda a three-masted fishing vessel arrived with a crew of -fishermen from Algarve, and they caught such quantities that they found -the work of curing too hard, and they gradually gave up fishing, and -employed their vessel in earning freights up and down the coast.</p> - -<p>I was told by the captain of a British man-of-war that at Walwish Bay -he had seen eight tons of fish taken at one haul of the seine net.</p> - -<p>The town of Mossamedes (or Little Fish Bay of the English charts) -is very prettily built on the shore of the little bay from which it -derives its name. The houses are of stone, well built and commodious, -and the town has quite a clean and imposing appearance as seen from -the sea. The bay is very pretty, and protected from the “calema” or -surf. A fort commands it, which is built on a low cliff immediately -south of the town. At a little distance off a low line of hills hides -the further view of the interior, and all around nothing but an arid -waste of pure white sand meets the eye with<span class="pagenum" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</span> a very depressing effect. -Three miles to the north are the “hortas” or “kitchen gardens” of the -Portuguese, where the fertile sandy soil grows every kind of root and -vegetable. The common potato grows there in perfection, and was the -principal article of cultivation a few years ago, when the American -whalers used to call there from the fishery on the coast. The English -cruisers also used to touch there for cattle and fresh provisions. -Cattle used to be so abundant that the ordinary price of a bullock was -from ten shillings to one pound. There is a considerable quantity of -sugar-cane grown there and converted into rum, several thousand pipes -being the yearly production. The little River Giraul runs through these -plantations, and its overflow sometimes causes considerable damage.</p> - -<p>I saw excellent gum-arabic at Mossamedes, brought from the Gambos -country, and I sent a large tinfull of it to London, where it was -reported upon as being equal to the best quality in the market.</p> - -<p>At Mossamedes oxen are trained for riding; the cartilage of the nose is -perforated, and through the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</span> opening a thin, short piece of round iron -is passed, at the ends of which are attached the reins, and the animal -is guided by them in the same manner as a horse. A good bullock will -trot well, and even gallop for a short distance. They are most useful -in that country, and are very comfortable to ride. The saddle is made -of leather, and is only a well-padded cushion with stirrups. A riding -ox will go faster, if required, than blacks on foot can accompany it, -but as in travelling a caravan of blacks with provisions and baggage is -always necessary, there is no need of greater speed. They will live on -such spare dry grass as can be obtained on the road, and are much safer -over the stony and sandy ground than horses, and not so liable to lame -or be knocked up;—they will also go a much longer time without water.</p> - -<p>On one of my visits to Mossamedes I was away a fortnight in the bush, -on an excursion to explore several places where copper ore had been -found, and reached about forty miles into the interior, to near the -first range of mountains called the “Xellas” (pronounced Sheilas). Our -road lay north till we had crossed the dry, sandy bed of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</span> River -Giraul, and then in an easterly direction. The first deposits met with -are recent clayey beds, gypsum-dust, and sandstones, and in some places -the perpendicular faces of the high masses are covered with an abundant -efflorescence of almost pure sulphate of magnesia. This had attracted -the attention of some of the Portuguese, who imagined that it might be -nitre. One man sent a cask full of it to Lisbon to be reported upon, -and the answer he received was, “that it was not nitre as it would not -make gunpowder, and that they could not tell what else it was!”</p> - -<p>This formation is succeeded by massive basalt, containing in places -small quantities of double refracting calcspar and heulandite.</p> - -<p>This narrow belt or strip of basalt is followed farther inland by a -highly quartzose schistose rock with much iron and hornblende. This -insensibly changes to a quartzose granite, then to more schist, and in -some places to a fine-grained porphyry. In these are found quartz veins -with small strings or lodes of very rich sulphide of copper. These were -the only copper lodes <i>in situ</i> that I have been able to find in -Angola, but unfortunately, although containing<span class="pagenum" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</span> the very richest copper -ore, they are so poor in size, and otherwise under such disadvantages -that they would be quite profitless to work or explore.</p> - -<p>About twenty or thirty miles from Mossamedes the granite country is -very peculiar. In some places huge single rocks rise out of the nearly -level plain; in others hills of rocks, in several of which deposits -of rain-water are found at the very top. One of these was a natural -tank with a narrow entrance, and so dark that we had to light an old -newspaper to see it. It contained, I should say, not less than three or -four hundred gallons of water, which was exquisitely clear and cool. It -was covered by vast slabs of granite, from which the rain drained into -it, so that the sun was unable to evaporate it during the hot season, -when not a drop of water is to be found for miles anywhere else.</p> - -<p>A still more singular phenomenon is that of the “Pedra Grande,” or -“big stone,” on the road to the interior at over thirty miles from -Mossamedes. This, as its name implies, is a huge rounded mass of -granite rising out of the granitic, sandy plain.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</span></p> - -<p>On the smooth side of this rock, about twenty or thirty feet above the -plain, is a circular pit about nine or ten feet deep and five or six -wide. The rainfall on that part of the rock that lies above this pit, -drains into it, and is said to fill it completely every rainy season. -The form of the pit is like that of the inside of a crucible, narrowing -gently to the bottom. The walls are perfectly smooth and regular, and -it can contain several thousand gallons of water. The mass of granite -rock is of the closest and hardest description, and no explanation -seems possible of the formation of this pit, except that of a bubble -in the rock when primarily formed, or that there was a mass of easily -soluble or decomposable mineral contained in it that has since been -dissolved out. I must say, however, that there is no evidence anywhere -visible to corroborate this latter theory. There are, it is true, -one or two other small and similar pits near the great one, but this -does not throw any more light upon their probable formation. This -grand deposit supplies the Mundombes and travellers with an abundant -supply of water during the dry season, and is therefore a principal -halting-place.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</span></p> - -<p>This is a lion country, but on both occasions that I was at Mossamedes -it was not the season in which they abounded, so that I saw but little -signs of them.</p> - -<p>They come regularly to the “hortas” near the town, and several have -been shot there by the Portuguese. I was shown the hut of a German -emigrant where a lion came through the grass roof on to the table at -which he was seated at supper with his wife.</p> - -<p>It appeared that the lion had chased a cat on to the roof from an -outhouse, and the roof being of a frail nature, had given way under his -weight, but luckily the cries of the man and his wife so frightened the -astonished beast, that he forced himself through the slender walls of -the hut and ran away.</p> - -<p>On an excursion to visit a copper locality inland of Baba Bay, where a -Portuguese convict alleged he had discovered and extracted a basketful -of good specimens of ore, I put up one night at a hut belonging to a -Portuguese engaged with a number of slaves in collecting orchilla-weed. -At a distance of about two or three hundred yards from<span class="pagenum" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</span> the hut was -a pool of brackish water, in a grove of trees at the foot of a rocky -hill. During the night, which was pitch dark, the blacks declared -that a lion had captured some animal at the pool, and was eating -it. At daybreak we turned out and came on about a dozen black and -white dog-like animals, about the size of a Newfoundland dog, that -ran quickly up the hill on our approach. Close to the pool we found -the remains of an eland that had been killed by the lion. The other -animals, which are said to follow it, and wait till the royal beast has -had its fill of the game it has killed, and devour the remainder, had -not had time to finish it, and there was enough left to afford us a -good breakfast of venison steak, and our blacks a feast of fresh meat.</p> - -<p>Thick eland steak is delicious, both from its juiciness and flavour, -and its exquisite tenderness.</p> - -<p>My excursion was unsuccessful in discovering the copper-mine, as I -found that the rogue of a convict, who had been promised a large sum -of money for it by a friend of mine at Mossamedes, Senhor Accacio -d’Oliveira, had buried a basketful of copper ore taken from some other -locality, in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</span> a hole, where he pretended to find it when my friend sent -his own blacks with him to bring away larger samples.</p> - -<p>Hyenas are very common; and I saw at Mossamedes a magnificent wolfhound -(from the Serra da Estrella, in the north of Portugal) and his dam, -who always used to run out together at night and chase away any hyena -that came near their master’s house. One night, however, they did not -return, so their owner turned out to seek for them as soon as it was -daylight, and found them at some little distance lying down bleeding -and exhausted, and between them the dead body of a huge hyena which -they had fought with and killed. Some idea may be formed of the size of -the hyena, and of the ferocious nature of the fight, when I state that -the dogs were young, as powerful and as large as any I have ever seen, -and that they were protected by thick collars studded with strong iron -spikes. These beautiful animals recovered from their wounds, but they -never ran out after hyenas again.</p> - -<p>The country about Mossamedes is exposed to periodical irruptions of -the Monanos, or natives from the Nano country, which is inland, and -north<span class="pagenum" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</span> of Mossamedes. They come down in large expeditions, laying -waste the country by driving off the cattle and sheep belonging to the -Mundombes. One of these marauding columns came down to the very town -of Mossamedes, but they agreed to retire on the payment of a certain -amount of cloth and other goods by the Portuguese; and amongst other -articles that they stipulated for were a number of dogs, which they -wanted for food. This condition was easily complied with, as Mossamedes -always contains a number of maimed and horribly mangy mongrels, who try -to pick up a living from the remains of fish and other offal on the -beach.</p> - -<p>The few native inhabitants about Mossamedes are Mundombes, like those -of Benguella, but between the two places there is a district peopled -by a curious tribe called the Mucoandos. This district lies to the -interior, and between Point Santa Maria and the River San Nicolau. -These Mucoandos are a roving, migratory tribe, rearing flocks of -sheep, which are their only wealth; it is said that they hardly ever -cultivate the ground, and only build temporary huts or shelters. They -go about nearly naked, only wearing a small piece of sheepskin<span class="pagenum" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</span> round -their loins, and are a quiet and inoffensive tribe. They are said to be -gradually dying out.</p> - -<p>A still more curious tribe are the Muquices, of whom only a few now -remain. They are found near the sea, between Mossamedes and Carumjamba. -They do not keep sheep or cattle, or any live-stock whatever, and -never cultivate the ground or build huts to live in. Their food is -principally fish, which they catch with hook and line, and shellfish, -particularly mussels, which are very abundant and fine on the rocks, -and oysters. They cook their food by roasting it at a fire, and at -night they each make a small half circle of stones about a foot high, -against which they curl up like dogs as a shelter from the wind, very -often on the bare tops of the cliffs overhanging the sea. They also -take advantage of the ledges of rock and open caves or holes to sleep -in, but they are always on the move, never remaining more than a few -days at each place. I often saw these encampments, with the usual -accompaniments of heaps of mussel-shells and ashes, the remains of -their food and fires on the cliffs.</p> - -<p>I once saw a party of eight of these Muquices at Point Giraul, the -northern end of Mossamedes Bay,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</span> where I had gone with some friends for -a day’s picnic of fish, oysters, and mussels off the rocks. This was -the largest number I had seen together. They were living in a large -hole in the soft rock, and were very pleased to have a talk, and get a -drink and a few small presents.</p> - -<p>They are rather light-coloured, with very decided obliquely-set eyes, -which gives them a singular Chinese expression of face. They are slow -and gentle in their manner, and are said to be what their appearance -indicates, very quiet and inoffensive. The Portuguese often employ them -as letter-carriers up and down that part of the coast.</p> - -<p>Their constantly roving habits do not allow them to have old or infirm -people;—when these cannot walk and keep up with the rest, they are -killed by being knocked on the head from behind with a stick. The -eldest son, or nearest male relative, does the deed, and the victim is -not apprised beforehand of his fate.</p> - -<p>About Mossamedes that most singular plant the <i>Welwitschia -mirabilis</i> is found growing, and the country about the River San -Nicolau, or 14° S. lat., seems to be its northern limit. It has been -found<span class="pagenum" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</span> south, in Damara Land. I was fortunate enough to be able to -collect specimens of the plant, flowers, and cones for <abbr title="Doctor">Dr.</abbr> Hooker, -which supplied some of the materials for his splendid monograph on this -wonderful plant. These specimens are now preserved in the Kew Museum.</p> - -<p class="center p2"><span class="figcenter" id="img007"> - <img src="images/007.jpg" class="w75" alt="WELWITSCHIAS GROWING IN A PLAIN NEAR MOSSAMEDES" /> -</span></p> -<p class="center caption"><span class="smcap">Plate XV.</span><br />WELWITSCHIAS GROWING IN A PLAIN NEAR MOSSAMEDES.<br /> <i>To face page 229.</i></p> - - -<p>The following account of it is an extract from <abbr title="Doctor">Dr.</abbr> Hooker’s work:—“The -‘Welwitschia’ is a woody plant, said to attain a century in duration, -with an obconic trunk, about two feet long, of which a few inches -rise above the soil, presenting the appearance of a flat, two-lobed, -depressed mass, sometimes (according to <abbr title="Doctor">Dr.</abbr> Welwitsch) attaining -fourteen feet in circumference (!), and looking like a round table. -When full grown it is dark-brown, hard, and cracked over the whole -surface (much like the burnt crust of a loaf of bread); the lower -portion forms a stout tap-root, buried in the soil, and branching -downwards at the end. From deep grooves in the circumference of the -depressed mass two enormous leaves are given off, each six feet long -when full grown, one corresponding to each lobe: these are quite -flat, linear, very leathery, and split to the base into innumerable -thongs that lie<span class="pagenum" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</span> curling upon the surface of the soil. Its discoverer -describes these same two leaves as being present from the earliest -condition of the plant, and assures me that they are in fact developed -from the two cotyledons of the seed, and are persistent, being replaced -by no others. From the circumference of the tabular mass, above but -close to the insertion of the leaves, spring stout dichotomously -branched cymes, nearly a foot high, bearing small, erect scarlet cones, -which eventually become oblong and attain the size of those of the -common spruce-fir. The scales of the cones are very closely imbricated, -and contain, when young and still very small, solitary flowers, which -in some cones are hermaphrodite (structurally but not functionally), in -others female. The hermaphrodite flower consists of a perianth of four -pieces, six monadelphous stamens with globose three-locular anthers, -surrounding a central ovule, the integument of which is produced into a -styliform sigmoid tube, terminated by a discoid apex. The female flower -consists of a solitary erect ovule contained in a compressed utricular -perianth. The mature cone is tetragonous, and contains a broadly-winged -fruit in each scale.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</span></p> - -<p>I first saw the plant in my first journey inland from Mossamedes. On a -second visit to Mossamedes I went one day specially to obtain the large -specimens now at Kew, which were growing about six miles south of the -town on the sandy plain near the sea.</p> - -<p>I found a considerable number of the plants growing, and having secured -my specimens, placed fresh cones in spirit, and transplanted a couple -of the small plants into a box of earth, I prepared to return. I had -ridden an old mule, and taken with me a number of blacks with poles to -carry the specimens. I tied the mule to a pole and left her to graze -about on the scanty tufts of grass whilst I dug out the plants. The -little refreshment she had picked up made her quite skittish, and all -our efforts to catch her were unavailing. For more than an hour did she -manage to elude us over the burning white sand, and I was fairly tired -out when she was at last caught.</p> - -<p>I several times witnessed the “mirage” at Mossamedes. At a distance -of a few hundred yards before me I seemed to see the surface of the -ground covered with about two feet of water, and only the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</span> tops of the -grass and bushes could be seen out of it. The illusion is absolutely -perfect: the little waves and ripples of the water, and the reflection -of the sun from the surface, are all there, and only seeing the tops of -the grass still further increases the reality of the impression, which -continues sometimes for more than a quarter of an hour.</p> - -<p>I found most agreeable society at Mossamedes, many of the Portuguese -there having their wives and families with them, which was not the case -at Benguella or elsewhere in Angola.</p> - -<p>The climate at Mossamedes is remarkably healthy, and for many years -fevers were quite unknown there. I saw the white children looking as -healthy and rosy and strong as in Europe, and the white men working in -the plantations as in Portugal. Subsequently fever made its appearance -there, and once of a rather severe type, which I cannot help thinking -originated from the total want of sanitary arrangements for the greatly -increased population.</p> - -<p>The Portuguese in Angola are everywhere remarkably neglectful and -careless of these matters, so necessary for the preservation of health, -especially in a hot climate.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX.<br /><span class="small">CLIMATE—COOKERY—DRUNKENNESS—FEVER—NATIVE -TREATMENT—ULCERS—SMOKING WILD-HEMP—NATIVE REMEDIES.</span></h2> -</div> - - - -<p>The climate of Angola is not so hot as might be expected from its -latitude. Near the coast the sea-breeze, which sets in about nine or -ten o’clock in the morning, and lasts till sunset or an hour later, -always blows strongly, and consequently cools the burning rays of the -sun in the hot season: it is very often too strong to be agreeable, -blowing everything about in the houses, which always have the doors and -windows open. The thermometer in the hot season is seldom more than -80° to 86° Fahrenheit in the shade during the day; 90° and over is not -often attained. In the “cacimbo,” or cool season, the usual temperature -is 70° to 75° Fahrenheit, and at night as low as 60° to 65°. The<span class="pagenum" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</span> -nights are always cool, and for not less than six months in the year a -blanket on the bed at night is found comfortable.</p> - -<p>Towards the interior, away from the influence of the sea-breeze, the -temperature is rather higher, but soon the greater elevation of the -country lowers it, so that the thermometer ranges about the same.</p> - -<p>Rain only falls in the hot season, or from the end of October to -the beginning or middle of May, when violent storms with but little -wind deluge the country. There is generally a cessation of the rains -during the month of January and part of February; the last rains are -the heaviest, and seldom occur after the 12th or 15th of May. During -the cool or “cacimbo” season, the sun is often not visible for days -together, a thick uniform white sky preventing its position being seen -at any time of the day. A thick white mist covers the ground at night, -and in the mornings valleys and low places are completely enshrouded in -it.</p> - -<p>As the wind and sun dissipate these rolling vapours, very beautiful -effects are seen, particularly<span class="pagenum" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</span> among the valleys and mountains in -the interior. When looking down into a deep valley, the mist is -exactly like a cloud of steam from a locomotive. The “cacimbo” is the -best season for Europeans newly arrived on the coast, but is always -disagreeably felt by those who have lived in the country for some -years, the sudden fall of the thermometer checking the action of the -skin. It has a very depressing effect on old stagers, who are then more -than usually disinclined for any kind of work, bodily or mental. To new -comers, apt to be distressed by heat, the cool season is delicious, as -it enables them to go about freely, carry a gun, work, &c., without -protection from the sun.</p> - -<p>The climate of the coast of Africa is everywhere more or less -enervating, and it requires the exercise of a strong will and -determination to overcome its influence, and resist the natural -tendency to produce inactivity of mind and body. This being the case -when in perfect health, it can easily be imagined how much more this is -required when a touch of fever, however slight, still further enfeebles -the system.</p> - -<p>I am not competent to speak medically on the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</span> subject of the action of -the African climate and fevers on Europeans, which I believe to be very -difficult and obscure, but a few detached facts and observations I have -noted may be interesting. I fancy there must be something in the action -of an atmosphere so completely saturated with moisture, to account for -the sensation of exhaustion and prostration that is felt in Africa at -any bodily exertion, generally accompanied by a clammy perspiration. -I have felt this more especially in the cool or rainless but misty -season, when the air is, I believe, even more saturated with moisture -than in the rainy season with its almost daily storms, but bright -atmosphere, blue sky, and hot sun.</p> - -<p>Keys or penknives in use, and kept constantly in the pocket, get -rusty to an extraordinary degree, and steel-springs of every kind -become brittle and break very readily; I never saw a shot-pouch or -powder-flask of which the spring did not very shortly snap in two, -sometimes even before it had become rusty, and when only a thin line or -streak of rust could be seen on it.</p> - -<p>For the first few months after arrival, Europeans have enormous -appetites, and all increase in weight;—it<span class="pagenum" id="Page_237">[Pg 237]</span> is very rarely that fever -attacks those first arriving on the South-West Coast.</p> - -<p>Persons of a nervous temperament, of a thin, active, muscular habit of -body, and not above medium height, I have found to be the most likely -to resist the climate.</p> - -<p>Previous good health and sobriety are no guarantees against the -probable effects of the climate, and I believe that the best and surest -indication is to be obtained not from the physical, but from the mental -constitution of the individual. Those of a light-hearted and happy -disposition, naturally disposed to make the best of circumstances, and -whom no inconveniences or annoyances can rob for long of their good -humour, are almost certain to enjoy their health on the South-West -Coast, whilst those difficult to please, who worry themselves about -every little unpleasantness, and who are irritable and unhappy under -difficulties, are soon attacked by fever and ague, although apparently -just as strong and healthy as the former.</p> - -<p>I have always observed that an educated man has a great advantage over -one who is without education, in resisting disease on the coast; this<span class="pagenum" id="Page_238">[Pg 238]</span> -shows very strongly the preservative action of the healthy and active -mind.</p> - -<p>Amongst uneducated men, I have found that Portuguese, Spaniards, -and Italians enjoy better health than Englishmen or Germans, and -have vastly more endurance and pluck in sickness than the latter. A -Portuguese working man, soldier, or convict, will roll himself up and -shiver and groan under a strong attack of fever or ague, and as soon -as it is over will quickly go about his occupation without making any -fuss or complaint, whereas the English miners, strong and powerful as -navvies when well, were, as I have said before, pitiable sights under -even a slight attack.</p> - -<p>The reason for the greater immunity enjoyed by the natives of southern -over those of northern Europe from attacks of fever and ague, may be -due not only to the fact of that race inhabiting a hot climate, but -also to their mode of living and greater sobriety.</p> - -<p>Their cookery is infinitely better adapted to a climate like that -of Africa than ours; their soups, stews, and made dishes more or -less highly seasoned, or condimented, give less trouble to the -stomach<span class="pagenum" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</span> naturally debilitated by the action of the climate, and -present the food in a better condition for easy digestion, than the -solid ill-cooked masses of roast or boiled meat preferred by the -English—always freshly killed, and rarely of good quality or in proper -condition, from the impossibility of hanging it long enough to allow -it to get tender without being tainted. The natives of south Europe -also make great use of two vegetable products, which I consider to be -of great benefit in preserving health—the common tomato and garlic. -The former, apart from what I believe to be its valuable medicinal -properties, gives a delicious zest to every kind of cooked food from -its slightly acid taste, often transforming an uninviting dish of cold -meat, fowl, or fish, into a savoury mess, the very smell of which is -sufficient to make one’s mouth water, and raise the enfeebled appetite.</p> - -<p>A common and very delicious dish on the coast is called “muqueca,” and -is thus prepared: the bottom of a frying-pan is covered with sliced -tomatoes, on these a layer of small fish is put, or pieces of larger -fish, and some salt; a little salad-oil is poured over the whole, and -lastly the fish is covered<span class="pagenum" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</span> with thin slices of bread. No water is -added, the tomatoes and fish supplying quite enough liquid to cook the -whole, which is allowed to stew slowly till done. It should be made -hot to taste with green chilies, cut up and added with the salt. Cold -fried-fish is equally good for making a “muqueca,” which is always -served at table in the frying-pan, or, better still, flat earthen pan -in which it has been cooked. A plate or close cover over the pan whilst -cooking the “muqueca” is desirable, as it keeps in the moisture better, -and the bread becomes nice and soft in the rich gravy. The proportion -of tomato to fish is soon ascertained by practice, but it is never a -fault to have too much of the former.</p> - -<p>Garlic I consider a most valuable article of food in a hot climate, -especially eaten raw. I never travelled without a supply of garlic, and -I found its beneficial effects on the stomach and system most marked. -When very hungry and fatigued I have found nothing to equal a few -pieces of raw garlic, eaten with a crust of bread or a biscuit, for -producing a few minutes after a delightful sensation of repose, and -that feeling of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</span> stomach being ready to receive food, generally -absent when excessive emptiness or exhaustion is the case.</p> - -<p>The Portuguese in Angola as a rule rarely drink anything stronger than -Lisbon red wine. Many undoubtedly drink a great deal more cold water -than is necessary or good for them, as constantly drenching the stomach -with water must weaken it greatly.</p> - -<p>The English and other foreigners on the coast, on the contrary, make -use of too much brandy and spirits, which is a principal cause of the -sickness amongst them; but I am happy to say that drunkenness has very -greatly decreased of late years. It would not be easy to see now such -scenes as I have witnessed at Quissembo and Cabinda only a few years -ago.</p> - -<p>I was at the former place when an Englishman died from the effects of -intemperance a few hours after his arrival from Cabinda, where a three -days’ orgie had been held to bid him good-bye previous to his return to -England.</p> - -<p>His body was laid on a table, candles were lit all round it, and a kind -of wake held nearly all night,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_242">[Pg 242]</span> during which time two casks of bottled -ale and several cases of spirits were consumed amongst not more than -a dozen people. In the morning a hole was dug in the sand, and the -body, in a wooden coffin, lowered into it, whilst the few English in -the place stood around, most of them crying, and held by their black -servants to prevent them from falling into the grave, the effects of -the wake not allowing them to be sufficiently steady to stand without -assistance. An American, since dead, poor fellow! tried to read the -burial service, but he was obliged to give up the task, his utterance -being most amusingly choked with sobs and hiccups.</p> - -<p>I have known an Englishman to invite the rest of his countrymen to -dinner on Christmas-day, and only a very small number make their -appearance, the rest having been overpowered by drink at breakfast and -during the day.</p> - -<p>At Cabinda, on one occasion, a poor fellow who was dying was taken out -of his bed, seated on a chair at the head of the table, and his head -held up to make him drink to his own health, whilst the rest sang, “For -he is a jolly good fellow!”<span class="pagenum" id="Page_243">[Pg 243]</span> Next morning he was found dead and stiff -on his bed.</p> - -<p>The reason for this disgraceful state of things must not be laid -entirely to the fault of the men or the climate, but greatly to the -false economy of the stupid and bad system of inducing a certain class -of young men to go out at a nominal salary for several years, under the -pretence of learning the African trade.</p> - -<p>It is rather too much to expect a young man to devote his entire time -and to work hard on the coast of Africa, away from his family and every -amusement and relaxation, placed very often in a responsible situation, -and knowing that his employers are making large profits, whilst -he is earning the munificent sum of 20<i><abbr title="pounds">l.</abbr></i>, 30<i><abbr title="pounds">l.</abbr></i>, and -40<i><abbr title="pounds">l.</abbr></i>, for the first, second, and third year of his engagement, -and that also liable to various deductions, and with a very remote -chance of ever becoming a head agent.</p> - -<p>I am certain that the popular idea against the use of brandy or wine -in African travel is erroneous and very mischievous, and may be the -cause of the loss of valuable lives in future exploration if not<span class="pagenum" id="Page_244">[Pg 244]</span> -refuted. To the traveller in perfect health, spirits of any kind are no -doubt unnecessary, and should not be made use of at all under ordinary -circumstances, but I am decidedly of opinion that wine and water (in -equal parts) is almost a necessity, and should be taken at meals as -long as it can be procured. Lisbon red wine, which has more body but is -not stronger than claret, is unquestionably the best for this purpose.</p> - -<p>When chilled with wet, exhausted by fatigue, or when the stomach and -bowels are deranged by the heat, or bad food and water, brandy is -worth its weight in gold, and is better and more efficacious than any -medicine. It is all very well for strong, healthy people in Europe to -cry down brandy because its use is abused, and because any fatigue -they may undergo, in a comfortable manner, is easily dispelled at a -good fire, with a cup of nice tea, buttered toast, and warm slippers; -but let them travel in Africa, perhaps drenched by rain, with clothes -and food all soaked, or weak with profuse perspiration and bad food, -stomach, &c., out of order, and gasping for breath under the hot sun, -and they will confess to the wonderfully reviving<span class="pagenum" id="Page_245">[Pg 245]</span> effect of a drop -of good brandy! It is almost as suicidal to travel in tropical Africa -without brandy as without quinine. Both should of course only be used -on occasions when necessary. During eight months of the rainy season, -when I was exploring the province of Cambambe, I only suffered from one -fit of ague, lasting half an hour, and an attack of simple intermittent -fever for about four hours, and my consumption of spirits for the whole -time was about a litre bottle full of brandy, but I am positive that it -saved me from illness on several occasions. The risk from the climate -to Europeans in tropical Africa is quite sufficient, without increasing -it by withholding such a valuable protection as brandy from our -explorers, simply from fear of its abuse, or in deference to popular -claptrap.</p> - -<p>A very important rule to be observed (and invariably adopted by the -Portuguese) is to take a cup of coffee or tea immediately on rising at -daybreak. I made my miners at Benguella take a mugful of hot coffee and -a biscuit every morning before going to work, with great benefit to -them.</p> - -<p>My whole experience on the coast has taught me no lesson more strongly -than that of immediately<span class="pagenum" id="Page_246">[Pg 246]</span> attending to the slightest indication of -illness or fever, and I believe that the great secret or means of -enjoying health depends almost entirely on this. It is very rarely -that a fever or ague comes on without some premonitory indisposition, -very often so slight as to be disregarded—a dryness of the mouth, or -thirst, or a nervous exhilaration, being often the forerunner of an -attack of fever.</p> - -<p>If rest be taken (a slight aperient if necessary), and attention paid -to not exposing the body to the sun, the attack is generally slight, or -does not come on at all. If it does, cooling drinks must be plentifully -made use of, and means adopted to cause copious perspiration as it -passes off, and care taken to avoid any chill or cold.</p> - -<p>A most important measure is to take the sulphate of quinine immediately -the pulse is reduced to its natural beat, but not before: three to five -grains are to be taken every half hour, until fifteen to twenty-five -grains have been swallowed, either in solution or made into pills with -a little camphor, and one grain of opium to twenty of sulphate of -quinine.</p> - -<p>Any kind of cooling drink most palatable to the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_247">[Pg 247]</span> patient may be made -use of liberally, and only chicken or other broth as food.</p> - -<p>This treatment in the majority of cases will suffice to stop the fever -or ague. Ten or twelve grains of quinine (in small doses) should be -given a few hours before the completion of the twenty-four hours after -the commencement of the attack, when its recurrence takes place if the -amount of quinine first given has not been sufficient to arrest it. -Should the attack come on a second time, the same treatment must be -adopted, with an increased amount of quinine. For a couple of days or -so nothing but fowl-soup, or other light nutritious food, should be -given, increasing it only as the appetite becomes fully developed, and -when it is certain that the attack has been successfully combated. A -very strong but false appetite is often developed immediately after a -fever, which it is necessary to be very careful not to satisfy with -strong food, as this would be quite sufficient to cause indigestion, -and with certainty produce a worse attack of fever, often complicated -with dangerous bilious derangement, vomiting, &c. Bilious fevers of -a bad type are comparatively rare in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_248">[Pg 248]</span> Angola; and if the foregoing -all-important precaution is taken, of attending carefully to a fever at -first, there is but little fear of the dangerous type.</p> - -<p>A great deal of the sickness on the coast is entirely owing to the want -of this precaution. People get into a careless habit of going about -with a little fever on them every day, and it is only when they become -very reduced in strength, or unwell, that they call the doctor or place -themselves under proper treatment or regimen.</p> - -<p>It is perfectly impossible to account for the origin of fevers in -Africa. They do not always depend upon the proximity of marshes or -stagnant water. They were very frequent at Bembe, where I believe -the thick forest around had something to do with their occurrence, -as it became healthier as these were gradually cleared away. Fever -is sometimes common in places near the sea, where there are neither -marshes nor forests for considerable distances.</p> - -<p>Again, the banks of rivers may be comparatively free from fevers, -whilst at the same time places apparently least likely are suffering -from them. In any case, even in the dangerous type, there is<span class="pagenum" id="Page_249">[Pg 249]</span> never any -long convalescence or recovery, as happens with the agues and fevers of -the marshy places in Europe. A few days suffice to restore people to -health after an attack of African fever and ague, and in a short time -flesh and strength are picked up.</p> - -<p>There is no effectual substitute for quinine as yet known; its use -by subcutaneous injection has not yet been adopted in Angola. Many -Portuguese have a prejudice against quinine, and in its stead make use -of a common plant called “Fedegozo” (<i>Cassia occidentalis</i>).</p> - -<p>The root, which is excessively bitter, is made into decoction. The -seeds also are roasted and ground, and their infusion taken either -alone, or generally mixed with coffee.</p> - -<p>The natives suffer but little from fever and ague, and then it is -generally the result of a chill, on the change from the hot to the cold -season. Their treatment almost always consists in lying quiet until -nature works her own cure, but they also make use of a strong infusion -of the leaves of the “Malulo,” an excessively bitter plant (<i>Vernonia -(Elephantopus) Senegalensis</i>).</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_250">[Pg 250]</span></p> - -<p>This is a handsome, herbaceous shrub, and is curious from its habit -of being (like the nettle with us) the first to take possession -of and grow luxuriantly on all bare open places where habitations -or plantations have existed. The infusion of this plant is also -universally employed by the natives in bowel complaints. A common -method they have of curing fever is to induce strong perspiration by -squatting over an earthen pot (just removed from the fire) sunk in -a hole in the ground, in which “Herva Santa Maria” (<i>Chenopodium -ambrosioides</i>) and “Sangue-sangue” have been boiled. The patient -is well covered over, and the aromatic vapour-bath soon produces its -desired effect. I have seen blacks cured of severe attacks of fever -with one or two applications of this simple remedy. “Sangue-sangue” -is the name given to the large seed-heads of a strong, tall grass (a -species of <i>Cymbopogon</i>), which exhales a very powerful aromatic -odour when crushed.</p> - -<p>The “Herva Santa Maria” grows very abundantly everywhere in Angola, -and, as in other warm countries where it is found, its medicinal -properties are held in great repute. It is a small<span class="pagenum" id="Page_251">[Pg 251]</span> annual plant, -generally about a foot and a half high, very green and bushy, and every -part of it is hotly and strongly aromatic.</p> - -<p>In almost every complaint the natives first apply this plant as a -remedy. For internal pains of every kind it is taken as decoction, -or the crushed plant rubbed over the seat of the pain; for blows, -swellings, and bruises, a poultice of the fresh plant is employed. -When the back aches from carrying a heavy load, &c., fresh leaves are -rubbed on the spine, and a handful of the crushed plant is placed -between the skin and the waistcloth. In cases of headache, the crushed -plant is rubbed over the head, and plugs of the leaves inserted in the -capacious nostrils; for this pain they also paint the forehead with the -milky juice of the mandioca-plant, and place one or more white dots on -the temples of “pemba” or white clay. A shrub growing near streams, -called “Entuchi” (the botanical name of which I know not), the leaves -and young shoots of which, when freshly crushed, exhale a delicious -smell of bitter almonds, is also used to plug the nostrils in cases of -headache.</p> - -<p>There is remarkably little diarrhœa or dysentery<span class="pagenum" id="Page_252">[Pg 252]</span> in Angola, either -amongst the natives or whites. The treatment for it adopted by the -natives consists exclusively in taking decoctions of various astringent -and aromatic plants.</p> - -<p>The principal are “Empebi,” the aromatic seeds of the <i>Anona -muricata</i>; “Mucozo,” the thick, fleshy, rose-coloured bark of a -large, handsome fig-tree, and very strongly astringent; the “Jindungo -N’Congo” (Congo-pepper), the carpels of the <i>Xylopia æthiopica</i>, -with a disagreeable, resinous taste; “Ensacu-sacu,” the small, knobby -roots of a plant growing in marshy places, and with a strong smell of -turpentine, and the roots and stems of the Hydnora already described.</p> - -<p>A singular disease of a dysenteric character, and peculiar to the -blacks, is called “maculo,” and is quickly fatal if not attended to -promptly, when it is easily cured. It commences with strong diarrhœa, -but its chief characteristic is the production in the anal orifice, -both internally and externally, of little ulcers containing maggots. -The native method of treatment is quickly efficacious, and consists -in plugging the orifice with a wad of crushed “Herva Santa Maria” -dipped in strong<span class="pagenum" id="Page_253">[Pg 253]</span> rum and ground gunpowder, and any kind of astringent -medicine is given at the same time. This disease was very prevalent -in the slave barracoons; and I was told that at the French depot at -Banana, when they shipped some thousands of blacks some years ago under -the name of “free emigrants,” the slaves were dying at the rate of -fifty and sixty each day from this disease, whilst under the care of -the French surgeons; but that when these left from ill health, and the -slaves were entrusted to the care of black medicine-men skilled in the -treatment of “maculo,” the deaths decreased immediately to a very small -number.</p> - -<p>This disease is due to overcrowding and improper food; but change of -place will also produce it. Slaves from the interior mostly have it on -coming into possession of the white man, when it is probably induced -by the change from their usual poor food to the very much better -sustenance given them by their new masters.</p> - -<p>Sores and ulcers on the feet and legs are extremely common, and are -troublesome to heal, whether in natives or Europeans. The blacks use a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_254">[Pg 254]</span> -variety of remedies, and are sometimes very successful in the cure of -stubborn cases.</p> - -<p>I had a boy at Bembe called “Brilhante” (Brilliant), about fourteen -years of age, a fine, sharp little fellow, the son of a “capata” or -head-man of a number of carriers from the town of Musserra. A fetid -ulcer appeared on his leg, and I put him in the military hospital -under the doctor’s care, where he remained for three months without -the least improvement, although every care was taken of him, and every -remedy employed that could be thought of. At last, his father said he -would take him to the coast, and see whether the native treatment could -cure him. Two months after, he returned to Bembe, bringing me little -Brilhante perfectly cured. Our doctor was astounded, but although I -offered the boy’s father a large reward if he would obtain for me -the plants, &c., employed by the medicine-man, he never did. Their -principal remedy, however, is powdered malachite, with or without -lime-juice. Lime-juice is also used by itself, or with powdered -“mubafo” or gum elemi, which is very abundant in the Mushicongo -country. Poultices and decoctions<span class="pagenum" id="Page_255">[Pg 255]</span> made of crushed “Herva Santa Maria,” -and of various other plants, are also applied to the sores, which are -protected from dust and flies by a piece of rag, or very often by a -light shield made from a piece of dry gourd. Ointments are never made -use of by the natives in the treatment of ulcers, and they are not much -in favour with the Portuguese.</p> - -<p>From the sudden fall of the high temperature of the hot season to the -“cacimbo” the natives, as might be expected, suffer most from diseases -of the respiratory organs. No provision whatever is made by the bulk of -the natives against this great change, and the quick transition from -the clear warm nights of the hot season to the cold wet ones of the -“cacimbo,” when the ground is covered with a heavy mist, tells on their -nearly naked and unprotected bodies with terribly fatal effect. In -fact, by far the greater part of the blacks die from this cause; and so -true is this, that it is rare to see a white-headed native in Angola.</p> - -<p>There is no doubt that this is a wise provision of nature for keeping -down the otherwise excessive numbers of the human animal in that -country, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_256">[Pg 256]</span> it is certainly more natural and merciful than the -supplementary measures adopted by themselves, of poisoning by “casca” -or otherwise killing one another for “fetish” or witchcraft, or in -times of famine. Should the negro race ever be civilized, they must -be taught to be more industrious, or else means must be adopted to -enable the teeming millions to seek work and food in other countries; -subjects, I am afraid but too little regarded by philanthropists in -their present anxious solicitude for the welfare of these lazy, happy -brutes.</p> - -<p>It is a wonderful scene when travelling with a caravan in the “cacimbo” -season, to see perhaps two or three hundred blacks wake up in the cold -misty mornings, and crouch in circles of ten or a dozen together round -a fire, shivering and chattering their teeth. It is then that they -enjoy smoking the “diamba” (<i>Cannabis sativa</i>), which is the name -they give to the wild-hemp, the flowering tops of which are collected -and dried for this purpose. It is burnt in a straight clay-pipe bowl -inserted in the closed end of a long gourd, in which is contained a -small quantity of water, and through which the smoke is forced and -washed when the open end<span class="pagenum" id="Page_257">[Pg 257]</span> of the gourd is put to the mouth and suction -applied. (<a href="#img006">Plate XIV.</a>) Four or six long deep inspirations from the gourd -are as much as a man can bear of the disagreeable acrid smoke, which -makes them cough and expectorate as if their lungs were coming out of -their mouths. The gourd is rapidly passed from one to another in each -circle, and the mighty chorus of violent coughing and hawking lasts for -about ten minutes or a quarter of an hour. The effects of the wild hemp -(from which the “hasheesh” of other countries is prepared) are curious, -and appear to be different from those described as attending its use -in other parts of the world. There is no intoxicating effect produced, -but, on the contrary, the blacks affirm that it wakes them up and warms -their bodies, so that they are ready to start up with alacrity, take up -their loads, and trot off quickly.</p> - -<p>Natives who smoke “diamba” immoderately, and make themselves slaves -to the habit, have their brains affected in time, and become stupid -and listless. When they arrive at this stage, they are “fetished” like -drunkards. The Portuguese prohibit their slaves from indulging in this -habit. The<span class="pagenum" id="Page_258">[Pg 258]</span> plant is cultivated round the huts everywhere in Angola, -but except in the cold season diamba-smoking is not very general.</p> - -<p>The natives have no efficient remedies or treatment for bronchitis, -pleurisy, and pneumonia, from which they suffer so much and so fatally -in the cold season. They chew the stem of a kind of rush growing in -streams and marshy places, the juice of which has an agreeable taste -of acetic acid, and make a few emulcent drinks from the leafless -parasite <i>Cassytha</i>, a large mallow, and the seed-heads of the -sangue-sangue; these, and rubbing the chest with “tacula” mixed with -a pulp of the bruised leaves of “Herva Santa Maria,” “Ensuso-ensuso,” -“Brucutu,” and other plants, are their only applications. With slaves -or other blacks under the care of Europeans, only the most energetic -medical treatment will save their lives when attacked by these -complaints, so dangerous and rapid is the effect on their constitutions.</p> - -<p>Ophthalmia, or any affection of the eyes, is extremely rare in Angola, -either amongst natives or Europeans, which is singular, considering -that the littoral region is so white and sandy in many places.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_259">[Pg 259]</span></p> - -<p>A kind of itch called “sarna” is very common among the blacks: it -appears as little watery pustules on the hands and feet, and, in -severe cases, on the elbows and knees, and on the arms and legs. -These pustules break into sores, which become covered with matter and -scales, and are accompanied by a little swelling and pain, but not much -itching. It does not appear to be contagious, and I was unable to find -acari in several cases that I examined under the microscope.</p> - -<p>I believe it is principally the result of dirt and filth, but is not -always so, as the Cabindas and the cleaner tribes have it, although -not to such an extent as tribes like the Mushicongos, who are so much -dirtier in their habits. Europeans are almost sure to have it after -some years’ residence in the country, and I have known this to be the -case with some who were scrupulously clean in their persons and habits. -It readily gives way to sulphur ointment, and the blacks have no native -remedy so efficacious as this, which is therefore often asked for by -them.</p> - -<p>I remember, on my first arrival in Africa, witnessing a little episode -that produced some impression<span class="pagenum" id="Page_260">[Pg 260]</span> on my then inexperienced mind. I saw -one morning, from my window at Bembe, a black woman and a little girl -go out into the enclosure at the back of my neighbour’s house, both -carrying kitchen pots and pans, plates, and cups and saucers, which -they placed ready for washing up on the usual “tarimba,” a kind of -table or framework of sticks on four uprights, to be seen in every -yard for this purpose. Before going on with her work, however, the -woman stripped the child naked, and proceeded with both hands to rub -her little body all over with sulphur ointment, she being covered from -head to foot with this “sarna.” When she had thoroughly rubbed in the -ointment to her satisfaction, she deliberately, without even so much -as wiping her hands on a rag, poured some water into a frying-pan -and cleaned it with her hands; she did the same with the rest of the -pans and crockery, and left them to drain on the “tarimba” ready for -preparing her master’s breakfast!</p> - -<p>I afterwards, in the course of time, had any little squeamishness or -prejudices that I had brought with me from England rubbed off by other -instances of similar insignificant negligences on the part of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_261">[Pg 261]</span> the -black cooks in Africa. I once found a fine cutting of a big-toe nail on -a beefsteak; another time, a round head with a beak and large eyes, and -a body of an indistinct and cloudy nature, in a rice-pudding, from a -half-hatched egg having been stirred into it in its manufacture; and in -a roast fowl I was disappointed in cutting open what I fondly thought -was its stuffed breast, to find that it was the poor hen’s crop, full -of indian-corn, cockroaches, and a fine centipede. I also, as I have -said before, once saw my cook at Ambriz making some forcemeat-balls -quite round and smooth by rolling them with the palm of his hand on his -naked stomach!</p> - -<p>Another skin disease, principally attacking children, and said to be -very contagious, appears in the form of little bladders filled with -water. The treatment for this disease is to touch the vesicles with -caustic, when they soon heal; but the natives adopt a barbarous and -painful process, which is to rub them off with a rough indian-corn -cob and sand and water, and then cover the raw places with powdered -malachite and lime-juice. When at Bembe, my wife was horrified at -finding two or three<span class="pagenum" id="Page_262">[Pg 262]</span> women busily engaged in the cure of this -complaint on a child near a very pretty pool of water, to which we had -gone to collect butterflies; but instead of using a corn cob, they were -actually scraping the poor, yelling little unfortunate’s sores with a -piece of sharp potsherd! It is, however, satisfactory to know that the -treatment, although cruel, is efficacious.</p> - -<p>The purgatives made use of by the negroes are the castor-oil seeds -ground and mixed with a little water, and the juice of the plant -bearing the physic-nut (<i>Jatropha curcas</i>). This is collected -on a leaf from a cut made in the stem of the plant, and at once -swallowed;—from five to ten drops appear to be a dose.</p> - -<p>Epsom-salts are a very favourite medicine of the blacks living with the -white men near the coast, and I have seen them take a great mugful of a -strong solution of this salt without making a wry face. They are also -very fond of being cupped for any pain, and it is rare to see a man or -woman whose back or shoulders do not bear signs of this operation.</p> - -<p>Bleeding seems to suit the negro constitution<span class="pagenum" id="Page_263">[Pg 263]</span> admirably, and the -Bunda-speaking natives are very skilful in the use of the lancet, often -with dreadfully blunt instruments.</p> - -<p>One of the natives in my service at Cambambe was a capital hand at -bleeding, but his lancet was in such shocking condition, that I took -some pains to sharpen it properly on a hone: the first time he used it -afterwards, he nearly killed the man he operated upon, for, accustomed -to find considerable resistance to its blunt point, he applied the same -force to it when sharpened. He told me confidentially that he was much -obliged to me for “fetishing” the lancet, as he was sure I had not made -it so sharp by merely grinding on a stone, and he also told me that no -blood-letter would be able to compete with him.</p> - -<p>For swellings in the feet, &c., they are fond of making a number of -little incisions in the skin with a razor or common knife, and I have -often lent them my sharp penknife for this purpose.</p> - -<p>For inflammation of the bowels, colic, or other violent pains, great -use is made of the fresh leaves of the tobacco plant, applied as -gathered to the abdomen, or better still, after dipping in boiling<span class="pagenum" id="Page_264">[Pg 264]</span> -water. They are also chopped up and made into a poultice with -castor-oil. I have heard such wonderful accounts of the efficacy of -this remedy in those cases, both from the natives and Portuguese who -have used it, that I hope some of my medical readers may be induced to -give it a trial, which could easily be done even here, where tobacco -is now so generally grown out of doors as an ornamental plant in our -gardens.</p> - -<p>The leaves of the castor-oil plant are also employed in the same -manner, but are said not to be so efficacious.</p> - -<p>A short, broad-leaved grass covered with hairs, exuding a sticky gum, -and with a resinous smell, grows in the interior, and when very tired -the natives drink an infusion of it, which they say acts with great -benefit.</p> - -<p>There are a variety of other plants employed by the natives in the -cure of various complaints, but of their positive efficacy I can -only speak in two cases. One is a shrub with a very peculiar leaf, -but which unfortunately I did not observe in flower, and therefore -did not collect a specimen, so that I cannot ascertain its botanical -name. About<span class="pagenum" id="Page_265">[Pg 265]</span> Benguella its name is “Mboi.” The root is sliced, and the -decoction employed to rinse the mouth in scurvy.</p> - -<p>A Portuguese trader at Novo Redondo first told me of this plant, and -that it had quickly cured him of a dreadfully ulcerated mouth from -scurvy, after every other remedy he had had from the druggists at -Loanda had failed. On arriving at Egito I found my friend the “chefe” -there also suffering from a very bad mouth. I went into the bush in -search of this plant, and obtained a bundle of the roots for him; a few -days after, I had the satisfaction of receiving a letter telling me it -had cured him perfectly.</p> - -<p>Another remedy for stomach and liver complaints, from which I have seen -great benefit derived by the Portuguese who have used it, is the root -of a creeper bearing very pretty small white flowers (<i>Boerhaavia -sp.</i>), and growing most abundantly everywhere in Angola.</p> - -<p>A clerk of mine at Ambriz, who complained of pain in his stomach, and -who was in ill health for several months, notwithstanding the doctor’s -care, was quite cured in a short time by the use of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_266">[Pg 266]</span> decoction of -this root. I gave it to him, having seen its good results in several -cases at Benguella.</p> - -<p>Singularly enough, there is very little rheumatism amongst the natives -of Angola. Europeans also suffer but little from this complaint; but -a few years ago an epidemic of a kind of rheumatic fever attacked the -natives and nearly every white at Loanda and its neighbourhood. It was -like a simple fever, but accompanied with sudden pain in every joint, -rendering the slightest movement almost impossible. This lasted only -a few days, and the patients gradually got well. If I remember right, -there was no fatal termination to any case among the Europeans. This -disease is known in Angola by the name of “Católo-tólo,” and nearly -forty years had elapsed since its previous appearance at Loanda.</p> - -<p>Leeches are extremely abundant in the fresh-water lagoons of Angola, -and are much used by the Portuguese.</p> - -<p>In former days, when there was more intercourse between Angola and the -Brazils, leeches were an important article of export, as they fetched a -high price in the latter country. I have often<span class="pagenum" id="Page_267">[Pg 267]</span> bought a large clay-pot -full of fine leeches for a few fathoms of cotton cloth.</p> - -<p>The acrid, milky juice of the euphorbias is very dangerous to the eyes -if it should drop into them, no uncommon circumstance in clearing away -bush, &c. As a remedy the natives employ the juice of the <i>Sanseviera -Angolensis</i>, Welw. I imagine that any good effect of this plant -in such cases is more mechanical than otherwise, as it is so full of -watery juice that, by simply twisting the rod-like leaves, abundance of -it immediately squirts out.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_268">[Pg 268]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X.<br /><span class="small">CUSTOMS—BURIAL—WHITE -ANT—WASPS—FRUITS—SCENTS—SPITTING-SNAKE—SCARABÆUS—LEMUR.</span></h2> -</div> - - - -<p>There are several peculiar habits and customs, common to the natives of -Angola, that I have not mentioned in the preceding chapters. One of the -most striking and pleasing is their regard for their parents and old -people. These are always consulted before they undertake a journey, or -hire themselves as carriers or for other service, and they always bid -them good-bye, and leave them some little present of beads or rum. On -returning to their towns they immediately see their fathers and mothers -and the old people, and squat down and “beat hands” to them, and give -an account of their doings. A little food is then eaten together, and -they consider that they have done their duty. Neither the men nor women -will smoke whilst<span class="pagenum" id="Page_269">[Pg 269]</span> speaking to their old people, but always take their -pipes out of their mouths, or, if their hands are engaged, hold the -pipe-stem across their teeth. Other marks of respect always practised -to their old men, to their kings, and to white men, are, when passing -between or close to them, to bend their bodies slightly and snap their -fingers: if they meet them on the road, they will stand aside without -moving, till they have passed, and if carrying a load on the head, -always remove it to the shoulder, or lift it above the head on both -hands. A gun is never carried on the shoulder in similar cases, but -always in the hand, horizontally at the side.</p> - -<p>Smoking is universal, but although they are very fond of the habit, -and the plant grows luxuriantly and without any trouble, tobacco is -comparatively dear in all parts of Angola. It is a very usual thing -to see a native put a great piece of lighted charcoal in his empty -pipe-bowl, and puff away, as he says, to warm himself. They generally -carry the bits of plaited tobacco behind the ear. Tobacco is always -smoked pure. Only amongst the Mushicongos have I seen them put small -chips of a sweet-smelling<span class="pagenum" id="Page_270">[Pg 270]</span> root (probably a species of orris) in their -pipes with the tobacco, to give a flavour to the smoke. This root they -call “Ncombo” or “goat,” its beautiful scent being compared by the -natives to that of a billy-goat!</p> - -<p>Snuff-taking is also very general, the Mushicongos and the natives of -the Zombo country beyond, who bring down the ivory to the coast, being -the tribes most addicted to the habit. The tobacco leaf is well dried -over a fire, and ground on a stone, when it is ready for use, but the -above-mentioned tribes are not satisfied with it in its pure condition, -and, to make it stronger, mix it with a white ash obtained by burning -the twigs of a bush which appears to be very alkaline. This even is not -sufficiently strong for many of their delicate noses, and dried ground -Chili (cayenne) pepper is also added to obtain the degree of strength -desired.</p> - -<p>Their snuff-box is generally a length of cane between two knots, -the open end being closed by a small wooden stopper, secured to the -snuff-box by a bit of string passing through a hole in the centre. -Snuff-boxes are also carved out of wood,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_271">[Pg 271]</span> and variously ornamented. -The ordinary way of taking a pinch of snuff, between the forefinger -and thumb, is unknown to the blacks, and would be considered a very -unsatisfactory method. They pour about a teaspoonful of snuff into the -palm of the hand, and burying their wide and capacious nostrils in the -peppery mixture, snort it up loudly, aided by a rotary motion of the -half closed hand.</p> - -<p>Many allow a scrubby, woolly moustache to grow for the sole purpose -of plastering it thickly with snuff, so that when on a journey and -carrying a load, they can take it by simply curling up the upper lip -and sniffing strongly, without stopping or laying down the load to open -the box and take it in the ordinary way.</p> - -<p>Neither infanticide nor abortion are practised in Angola; on the -contrary, it is considered a misfortune not to have children, and their -marriages may be dissolved if they prove barren.</p> - -<p>The Mundombes have a curious custom in connection with this desire for -children. A banana-tree is planted on the day of their marriage, and if -on its producing its first bunch of fruit, which is<span class="pagenum" id="Page_272">[Pg 272]</span> generally in nine -or ten months after, a child should not have been born, the contract is -considered void, and they may marry again.</p> - -<p>The common way amongst blacks to assert the truth of a statement, is to -go on their knees and rub the forefinger of each hand on the ground, -and then touch their tongues and forehead with the dusty tips; this is -equivalent to an oath. About Loanda they make the sign of the cross on -the ground with a finger, for the same purpose, and this is evidently -derived from some old custom introduced by the former missionaries.</p> - -<p>Some of the actions of the blacks are exactly the same as those -performed by monkeys. In using their hands and fingers to clean or -polish a piece of brass work, for instance, the feeble and nerveless -manner of holding the bit of oiled rag, and the whole action of the -hand and arm, is strikingly like that of a monkey when it rubs its -hands on the ground when they are sticky or dirty. Their manner -of sliding their hands up and down on the edge of a door or on a -door-post, or along the edges of a table whilst waiting or speaking, is -very monkey-like, and no black—man, woman, or<span class="pagenum" id="Page_273">[Pg 273]</span> child—ever goes along -a corridor or narrow passage without rubbing both hands on the walls.</p> - -<p>Blacks, especially women, have a singular way of carrying any object -in the hand, which always appeared to me to be very uncomfortable. A -plate or glass, for instance, is invariably carried as in <a href="#img006">Plate XIV.</a>, -the hand being thrown back and the object taken on the flat, extended -palm. The greater flexibility of the joints in the negro race may have -something to do with this, as also with the fact of their squatting -on their heels, but with their knees not touching the ground, for a -considerable length of time, and then getting up apparently without -the slightest stiffness from what would be to most of us a very -uncomfortable position.</p> - -<p>Blacks have an odd habit, when they feel cold, of placing their hands -on their shoulders, not with their arms crossed, as would be most -natural for us to do, but each hand on its corresponding shoulder, and -if they feel very cold, they bring their elbows together in front and -shrink their heads into their shoulders, so that the ears touch the -sides of the hands.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_274">[Pg 274]</span></p> - -<p>They are fond of gambling, particularly the inhabitants of Loanda, and -also the slaves and servants of the white men on the coast. For this -they use playing-cards, and also small round pieces of crockery ground -on a stone to the size of a sixpence, and these they shake in the hands -and throw up in the same way as a handful of halfpence in our game of -“toss,” and according as a greater or lesser number of the plain or -coloured sides come down uppermost, so do the players win or lose. I -have also seen in several places a board in which were a number of -shallow pits, and in these a few seeds or round pebbles, which were -rapidly shifted about into the different holes by the two players, -but I could never make out the plan of the game. Beyond this, and the -“batuco” or dance, and playing the “marimba,” the natives of Angola -have absolutely no game or amusement of any kind whatever.</p> - -<p>The youngsters have no toys or playthings, and never race or play -together as ours do.</p> - -<p>None, either young or old, know or practise a single game of skill or -strength; there is not an indication anywhere that they ever contended -at<span class="pagenum" id="Page_275">[Pg 275]</span> ball, stick, wrestling, or any other exercise or feat. This to -my mind is striking in the highest degree, and most suggestive of a -singularly low type, one in which no sentiment of emulation or rivalry -exists, and consequently very difficult to work upon with much chance -of success for its advancement.</p> - -<p>I have never seen or heard of any monument, or sculptured rocks or -stones being found in the country, which might indicate the existence -of a previous race; and the most curious thing is that even tradition -of any kind is unknown to the blacks of Angola. In no case could they -trace events further back than during the reign of five “sobas;” -no very great length of time when it is considered that these are -generally old men when elected. They do not even know the history of -the crucifixes now-existing amongst them as “fetishes” of the “sobas;” -and when I have explained to them that they formerly belonged to the -missionaries, they were astonished, and gave as a reason for their -ignorance and my knowledge, that the white men could write, whereas, -when they died, nothing they had seen or known was preserved,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_276">[Pg 276]</span> as our -writings were, for the information of their children.</p> - -<p>This again, I think, is very indicative of their low type; as also is -the fact that no animal is tamed or utilized by the negro, or made -subservient to his comfort in any way. Even the cows or goats are not -milked except by the natives south of the River Quanza. In no part of -Angola (and the same holds good, I believe, of the whole negro race) is -a single animal employed in agriculture as a beast of burden, or for -riding.</p> - -<p>The burial places of the blacks of Angola are almost everywhere alike. -A square place is raised about a foot from the ground, and the earth -enclosed by short stakes or flat pieces of rock, and on this raised -space broken bottles and crockery of every description are placed.</p> - -<p>The ordinary burial places, like those mentioned about Ambriz, are -merely mounds of earth or stones, with a stick to mark the grave of -a man, and a basket that of a woman; and sometimes a slab of rock -is stuck upright in the ground to indicate the head of the grave. -Occasionally, in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_277">[Pg 277]</span> the case of a big “soba,” there are several tiers -of earth raised one above the other, and ornamented with broken glass -and crockery and various figures representing “fetishes,” and I have -also seen a shade of sticks and grass erected over the whole, to keep -it from the rain.</p> - - -<p class="center p2"><span class="figcenter" id="img008"> - <img src="images/008.jpg" class="w50" alt="Plate XVI - insects" /> -</span></p> -<p class="center caption"><span class="smcap">Plate XVI.</span><br />Pelopœus spirifex and nest.—Devil of the Road.—Dasylus -sp.—Caterpillars’ nests.—Mantis and nest.—Manis multiscutatum and -Ants’ nests.<br /> <i>To face page 277.</i></p> - - - -<p>The “Salalé” or “white ant,” as the larva of quite a small black ant -is called, is, from its numbers and the ravages it commits, a very -important insect, and merits some notice. It is most abundant in the -interior, where the soil, from the decomposition of the clay and mica -slate, is more earthy or clayey, as it is not fond of rocky, stony, or -sandy ground unless it is very ferruginous. Their nests are sometimes -large, pointed masses of earth three and four feet high, and as many -in diameter at the base, internally tunnelled in every direction, and -swarming with ants, eggs, and larvæ; but the usual nests are about a -foot or eighteen inches high, like a gigantic mushroom, with from one -to six round curved heads placed one on top of the other (<a href="#img008">Plate XVI.</a>). -These nests are very hard, and the exceedingly fine earth or clay of -which they are made must be mixed with some<span class="pagenum" id="Page_278">[Pg 278]</span> gummy secretion, by means -of which it becomes so hard on drying.</p> - -<p>My cook at Cambambe was very clever at making small dome-shaped ovens -from old ants’ nests, which he ground fine and mixed to a thick paste -or mortar. When the oven was dry (nothing else being used in building -it but this mortar), he lit a fire in it, and it burnt to almost the -hardness of stone, and without a crack or flaw in it; it was then ready -for use, and lasted a long time. These ovens were big enough to bake -three small loaves of bread at a time.</p> - -<p>These nests are sometimes so numerous, particularly in the grassy -plains of the interior, as to render walking difficult in many places, -and, when the grass has been burnt off, they give a very peculiar -appearance to the surface, looking something like a field of brown -cauliflowers. They are, like the larger ones, perforated with galleries -in every direction, and also full of ants and larvæ. It is curious -that considering the existence of the countless millions of these ants -over large areas of country, no bird, and with the exception of the -rare <i>Manis multiscutata</i>, no animal, should be found<span class="pagenum" id="Page_279">[Pg 279]</span> to feed on -them. This animal is something like an armadillo, with a long tail, -and covered with large, hard, long scales (<a href="#img008">Plate XVI.</a>). Specimens are -sold at Loanda and elsewhere, and used as “fetishes” by the natives. -A species of the “ant-bear,” apparently the same as that found at the -Cape, is not uncommon in Benguella, but I have seen its burrows in -situations near the sea, in salt, dusty plains, &c., where very little -or no “Salalé” is found, and from examination of the dung, I found -that its food must consist principally of small lizards and larvæ of -insects, and beetles, especially the <i>Psammodes oblonga</i>, Dej., so -extremely abundant in its haunts.</p> - -<p>The natives of Benguella say there are two kinds, one very much larger -than the other. I once tasted a roasted leg of the ant-bear, called -“Jimbo” by the natives, and its flavour was very much like pork.</p> - -<p>It is a well-known fact that the white ant is most destructive to -timber and woodwork of every description, as well as to all clothes and -fabrics. Nothing comes amiss to its insatiable jaws, with the exception -of metal and some very few woods.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_280">[Pg 280]</span> Goods, provisions, &c., must be kept -on tables or frames built on wooden legs, as if placed on the ground -they would quickly be destroyed; but even then care must be taken to -examine the legs or supports of the frames every day, as they will run -up these in search of the good things on the top. The white ant is -about a quarter of an inch long, and its body is very soft and white, -but with a black head provided with most powerful jaws for so small a -creature.</p> - -<p>It never ventures into the light, and when it leaves the shelter of the -ground always protects itself by building a flattened tube of earth -or sand as it goes along; it will carry this tube up a wall to reach -a window-sill or other woodwork, or right up to the roof timbers. Any -object left for a little time on the ground, particularly in a closed -or dark store, is quickly covered over with earth, and then completely -eaten away. I have known a pair of shoes thus covered in one night, and -the thread, being the softest part, devoured, so that the leathers came -apart at the seams when they were lifted.</p> - -<p>I once left a trunk full of clothes at Loanda whilst I was away for -about a month on an excursion<span class="pagenum" id="Page_281">[Pg 281]</span> inland. When I returned the trunk seemed -all right, but on opening it I found that a black cloth coat I had laid -at the top was at the bottom, and under it about a couple of handfuls -of dust was all that remained of my boxfull of clothes.</p> - -<p>Window or door frames I have seen completely eaten away from the walls, -leaving only a thin covering, often not thicker than a sheet of brown -paper, or little more than the thickness of the paint.</p> - -<p>Whilst lying awake one night, I noticed a peculiar thrumming noise -made by the white ant when manufacturing a tube up the wall near my -bedside. In the morning I carefully peeled off the top of the tube with -a penknife, just sufficiently to observe the motions of the little -masons within, and I saw a string of larvæ coming up loaded with -little pellets of clay, which they delivered to others at the top, who -simultaneously, and at intervals of four or five seconds, patted them -down, thus producing the noise I had heard. This noise can be very -plainly heard if the larvæ are working on the “loandos” or mats with -which the huts or stick-houses are covered.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_282">[Pg 282]</span></p> - -<p>Towards the end of the rainy season the white ant attains its perfect -form, and on a still, warm evening, generally after a shower of rain, a -wonderful sight presents itself when the perfect winged insects issue -forth in countless myriads from the ground. This is everywhere full -of little holes, about the size of a goose-quill, from which the ants -are forcing their way out, not singly, but in a solid compact body or -stream. They instantly take wing and rise upwards for about six to -twelve feet, when the breeze wafts them about in every direction. The -air becomes so full of these ants, that a mist seems to hang over the -ground, and I have seen the whole of the bottom of the valley at Bembe -completely enshrouded by them. Great is the feast of birds and animals -at this time. Birds of all kinds are attracted by the sight and collect -in numbers, flying low, and gorging themselves with them. I have shot -hawks and eagles with their crops full to their beaks. Poultry eat them -till they go about with their beaks open, unable to find room for any -more. Several tame monkeys I had at Bembe used to sit on the ground, -and, taking pinches of the ants as they issued from their<span class="pagenum" id="Page_283">[Pg 283]</span> holes, bite -off the succulent bodies and throw away the wings.</p> - -<p>On our last journey to Bembe my wife was very much amused to see two -little children come out of a hut, each with a slice of “quiquanga,” -and, sitting down on the ground close by an ant-hole, proceed to take -pinches of the ants (exactly as I have described the monkeys as doing), -and eat them as a relish to their “quiquanga.”</p> - -<p>After rising in the air for a very little while, the ants quickly fall, -lose their wings, and disappear in the ground, leaving it covered -with the pretty, delicate, transparent wings. These lie so thickly -that a handful can easily be collected together. This will give some -idea of the number of these destructive pests, which Nature seems to -provide with wings simply to enable them to spread about and form new -colonies. It is very fortunate that they do not attack live plants or -roots. These soft, delicate little mites doubtless play an important -part in Nature’s most wonderful plan for the balance of life by quickly -destroying all dead timber and other vegetable matter that the quick -growing and ever luxuriant vegetation would otherwise<span class="pagenum" id="Page_284">[Pg 284]</span> soon completely -cover, thereby choking up the surface of the country. These ants do not -wait for the fall of a dead tree, or even a branch, for they will find -the latter out, and carrying their earthen tube up the tree quickly -consume the rotten limb. I do not know how intelligence of a likely -morsel is conveyed to the larvæ underground, but it is most likely -carried by the ants. They will construct four or five feet of tube up -a wall in one night, straight to a coat or any other object that may -be hanging up; they will also come through a wall, in which they have -bored, exactly behind anything placed against it that may be likely -food for their jaws.</p> - -<p>There are many other species of ants in Angola; one very large black -kind migrates in columns of perhaps eight to ten abreast, and as -much as ten or twelve yards in length; they walk very fast, and do -not deviate from their intended path unless compelled to do so by an -impassable obstacle.</p> - -<p>On touching one of these columns with a stick, a curious fizzing -noise is produced, which is communicated to the whole body, and they -instantly open out in all directions in search of the supposed<span class="pagenum" id="Page_285">[Pg 285]</span> enemy; -after a great deal of running backwards and forwards with their -powerful hooked mandibles open and upraised, they again collect and -fall into a column and proceed on their way.</p> - -<p>I remember a laughable incident that happened at a small town on the -road to Bembe, where I once put up for the night. Some of my carriers -had gone to sleep in a hut, and towards morning I was awakened by -screams and shouts, and saw a number of these blacks coming pell-mell -out of it, dancing, jumping, and running about like mad. All the -town was alarmed, and the natives came running out of their huts to -ascertain what was the matter. I had hardly got on my feet when the -cries were mixed with peals of laughter, they having quickly found out -the cause of the terrific uproar.</p> - -<p>It was nothing else than a column of these ants that had passed through -the hut and had instantly fastened on the bodies of the sleeping blacks -with which it was filled. They fasten their great jaws into the skin -so tightly, that their bodies can be pulled off their heads without -relaxing their hold. The mandibles must discharge a poisonous fluid -into<span class="pagenum" id="Page_286">[Pg 286]</span> the wound, as their bite feels exactly like a sharp puncture from -a red-hot needle, and they always draw blood.</p> - -<p>I once unconsciously put my foot upon a column, but luckily only three -or four fastened on my ankle and leg, and I shall never forget the -sudden and sharp hot bite of the wretches.</p> - -<p>There is another kind very abundant on bushes and trees, of a -semi-transparent watery-red colour, with long legs; their bite is also -very sharp. They build nests by attaching the leaves together with fine -white web; these nests are from the size of an apple to that of a hat.</p> - -<p>Their food must be principally the fruit and seeds of the plants -they are usually found on. Some seeds, particularly those of the -india-rubber creeper, I had the greatest difficulty in obtaining ripe, -from these ants eating them up whilst green.</p> - -<p>A minute red ant, like that which infests our kitchens and houses, is -extremely abundant, and is very difficult to keep out of sugar and -other provisions; the best way is to place the legs of the table in -saucers of vinegar and water, or have safes suspended by a rope, which -must be tarred, or they<span class="pagenum" id="Page_287">[Pg 287]</span> will find their way down. If anything on -which they are swarming is placed in the sun, they immediately vanish. -A small piece of camphor, tied up in a bit of rag and placed in a -sugar-basin or safe, will effectually keep them out, without flavouring -the sugar, &c., in the least.</p> - -<p>The best and cheapest preventive against the white ant is ordinary -petroleum; they will not come near a place where the least trace of its -smell exists.</p> - -<p>Of other insects the most abundant and worthy of note, besides the -mosquitoes already described, are the many species of wasps. One -of these, brightly barred with yellow and having a comical habit -of dropping down its long legs in a bunch straight under its body -as it flies, is the <i>Pelopœus spirifex</i> (<a href="#img008">Plate XVI.</a>)—(called -“marimbondo” by the natives)—and is one of the large family found -in the tropics and called “mud-daubers” from their habit of making -clay or mud nests in which they store up spiders and caterpillars as -provision for the grubs or larvæ. It is a very singular fact that of -the fifty or sixty species known to entomologists, all are males, the -females not having yet been<span class="pagenum" id="Page_288">[Pg 288]</span> discovered. It is supposed that the latter -are parasites on other insects, or perhaps in ants’ nests, &c. I have -opened many hundreds of the clay cells and invariably found a grub -or perfect male insect, or the empty chrysalis of one; and I further -ascertained that the male insect does not bring the female in its legs -or mouth to lay the egg in the cell, nor does he bring the egg, but -the young, hatched grub. I watched one nest being built, and when it -was ready, I saw the insect fly away and return and go into it, and on -examination I found that it had deposited the small grub at the bottom. -In its next journeys it brought spiders till the cell was full of them, -when it procured some clay and quickly plastered over the aperture. To -procure the spiders it first stabs them with its dreadful sting, and -then picks them up and flies away with them to its nest.</p> - -<p>Whilst at Bembe, I fortunately witnessed a fight between a large -specimen of these wasps and a powerful spider which had built its -fine web on my office wall. The spider nearly had the wasp enveloped -in its web several times, and by means of its long legs prevented the -wasp from reaching its<span class="pagenum" id="Page_289">[Pg 289]</span> body with its sting, but at last, after a few -minutes hard fighting, the wasp managed to stab the spider right in the -abdomen, when it instantly curled up its legs and dropped like dead to -the ground. The wasp pounced down on it, but I interfered, and picking -up the spider placed it under a tumbler to ascertain how long it would -live, as I had noticed that the spiders stored in the nests were always -alive, although unable to crawl away when taken out. It lived for a -week, and, although moving its legs when touched, had no power of -locomotion, showing that the poison of the wasp has a strong paralysing -effect. I have counted as many as twenty spiders in a single cell, and -there are seldom less than three cells together, and sometimes as many -as eight or ten.</p> - -<p>These wasps are fond of building their nests in the houses, on -curtains, behind picture-frames, books, or furniture, and I once found -the inside of a harmonium full of them. Each cell is about the size of -a thimble; they are very smoothly and prettily made, and a wasp will -build one in a day easily. I never found anything else in these cells -but spiders and caterpillars.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_290">[Pg 290]</span></p> - -<p>It is satisfactory to know that these savage destroyers of spiders have -in their turn enemies from which they have no escape. These are large, -long-bodied, brown flies (<i>Dasylus sp.</i> and <i>Dasypogon sp.</i>) -(<a href="#img008">Plate XVI.</a>), with long legs and a very quiet inoffensive look and -manner of flying. They settle on the backs of the different species of -wasps, their long legs enabling them to keep at such a distance that -the wasp cannot reach them with its sting, then insert a long sharp -proboscis into the wasp’s back and suck its body dry, when they fly -off in search of another. Other beautiful flies of splendent metallic -colouring (<i>Stilbum sp.</i>) also prey on the wasps and mud-daubers. -These flies again are an easy prey to the numerous insectivorous -birds, and thus we get a series of links of the complicated chain of -the apparently somewhat cruel law of Nature, by means of which the due -proportion of animal life would appear to be principally adjusted, and -an undue preponderance of one kind over another prevented.</p> - -<p>On the stems of the high grass may very often be seen little round -nests about the size of a hen’s egg, having the appearance of rough -glazed paper, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_291">[Pg 291]</span> made by the different species of Mantis (<a href="#img008">Plate -XVI.</a>). These nests are applied by the black women to an odd use; they -rub the soles of their children’s feet with them in the belief that it -will make them good walkers when they grow up, and I have often seen -the little brats struggling and yelling in their mothers’ laps whilst -being thus tickled.</p> - -<p>A large species of wasp (<i>Synagris cornuta</i>) is called the “devil -of the road” by the natives, from the alleged poisonous character of -its bite and sting. It is a ferocious-looking creature with very large -and powerful mandibles (<a href="#img008">Plate XVI.</a>). It is an inch and a half long, and -is said to have a habit of settling on the paths: hence its name, and -the natives then always give it a wide berth.</p> - -<p>The sting of this class of insect is poisonous. One very small species -once stung me in the back of the neck, and it was greatly swollen, for -several hours; and I have seen a black who had been stung in the ear by -a moderate sized one, with not only his ear but the side of his face -very much swollen for a couple of days.</p> - -<p>Centipedes are very abundant, but their bite is<span class="pagenum" id="Page_292">[Pg 292]</span> not dangerous. I -was bitten by one in the shoulder whilst asleep, and on awaking, and -putting my hand instinctively to the place, I was bitten a second time -in the wrist, and, although it was a large specimen, beyond the sharp -puncture and considerable irritation near the spots, no other ill -effect was produced. Whilst I was at Bembe a Portuguese officer was -bitten between the fingers, and his hand and arm as far as the shoulder -were swollen slightly for two or three days, but without much pain.</p> - -<p>Many of the caterpillars are very gorgeously coloured and fancifully -ornamented with tufts of hair, but generally the moths and butterflies -are of a more dull and sombre colouring than might be expected from -the tropical latitude of Angola. Insect life as a rule is scarce, with -the exception of ants and mosquitoes, and not only very local in its -occurrence but also confined to a short space of time. Hardly an insect -of any kind is to be seen in the “cacimbo,” and in the hot season the -different species of butterflies only appear for a very few weeks, -and sometimes only days. Beetles are remarkably scarce at any time. -The finest butterflies are, of course,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_293">[Pg 293]</span> found in the forest region of -the first and second elevation, and almost exclusively in the places -most deeply shaded, where they flit about near the ground between the -trees. The sunny open places full of flowering plants are not so much -frequented by butterflies as might be expected, but the great abundance -of insectivorous birds may possibly supply an explanation of this -circumstance.</p> - -<p>The following interesting note on the butterflies of Angola has -been kindly written by my friend, <abbr title="Mister">Mr.</abbr> W. C. Hewitson, so well known -from his magnificent collection, and his beautiful work on ‘Exotic -Butterflies’:—</p> - -<p>“Until very recently we knew nothing of the butterflies of Angola, -and very little of those of Africa north of the Cape of Good Hope, -except what we could learn from the plates of Drury. The great genus -<i>Romaleosoma</i>, so peculiar to that country, and remarkable for its -rich colour, rivalling even Agrias of America, was only represented in -the British Museum. Now we have them in abundance, and several species -are plentiful in Angola.</p> - -<p>“We have had large collections from that country<span class="pagenum" id="Page_294">[Pg 294]</span> during the last -two years from <abbr title="Mister">Mr.</abbr> Rogers, a collector sent out by me, and from <abbr title="Mister">Mr.</abbr> -Monteiro, who, with the assistance of his wife, caught and brought home -a fine collection of Lepidoptera.</p> - -<p>“With the first collections of <abbr title="Mister">Mr.</abbr> Rogers, made on the banks of the -River Quanza, I was greatly disappointed. With a very few exceptions -they contained those butterflies only which we had previously received -in abundance from the Cape and from Natal. A collection from the -mountainous district of Casengo was much more promising, and supplied -us, together with some new species, with several varieties little -known before, amongst them <i>Charaxes Anticlea</i> and <i>Harma -Westermanni</i>.</p> - -<p>“<abbr title="Mister">Mr.</abbr> Monteiro’s collection, though also deficient in new -species, contained several of great value, and only recently -discovered—<i>Godartia Trajanus</i>, so remarkable for its nearly -circular wings, which had been previously taken by <abbr title="Mister">Mr.</abbr> Crossley on the -Cameroons; the rare <i>Charaxes Lysianassa</i>, figured by Professor -Westwood in his ‘Thesaurus;’ <i>Charaxes Bohemani</i>, which we had -previously received from the Zambesi; the very beautiful <i>Crenis -Benguella</i>, described by <abbr title="Mister">Mr.</abbr> Chapman; and a number<span class="pagenum" id="Page_295">[Pg 295]</span> of varieties of -<i>Acræa Euryta</i>, and the <i>Diademas</i>, which so closely resemble -them.</p> - -<p>“The most remarkable new species in the collection was the large -<i>Euryphene Plistonax</i>, since figured in the ‘Exotic Butterflies.’</p> - -<p>“It is interesting to learn that the same species of butterflies are in -Africa spread over a very large extent of country. The distance from -the Cape of Good Hope to Angola is 1400 miles. Several new species -which I have had from the West Coast have been received by <abbr title="Mister">Mr.</abbr> Ward -from Zanzibar, a distance of 36 degrees. Two new species of Papilio, -remarkable because unlike anything previously seen from Africa, which -I had received from Bonny, were very soon afterwards sent to <abbr title="Mister">Mr.</abbr> Ward -from Zanzibar.”</p> - -<p><abbr title="Mister">Mr.</abbr> H. Druce has published a list of the butterflies we collected in -the ‘Proceedings of the Zoological Society’ for 1875.</p> - -<p>Several caterpillars form very curious nests or houses to protect -their bodies. One is made of bits of twig about an inch and a half -long, attached round a strong cocoon or web (<a href="#img008">Plate XVI.</a>); the head and -front legs alone are protruded at will,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_296">[Pg 296]</span> which enables the insect to -walk about on the under side of the leaves on which it feeds. Another -is built up on the same plan, but the bits of twig are short and laid -across the length of the cocoon, and the whole enveloped in a strong -white web (<a href="#img008">Plate XVI.</a>).</p> - -<p>The coast of Angola has never to my knowledge been dredged for shells. -The surf grinds and destroys any that may be thrown up on the beach, -but as this is almost everywhere sandy and very slightly shelving from -the land, dredging would probably prove its fauna to be rich. Land and -fresh-water shells are rare.</p> - -<p>I have seen land tortoises at Benguella and Musserra only, and they -appear to be confined to the gneiss and granite rocks of those two -places. They are only found in the hot season, and according to the -natives they hybernate in holes in the rock during the “cacimbo.” The -natives eat them, so that it is not easy to obtain live specimens. Two -that I brought home from Musserra lived for some time at the gardens -of the Zoological Society, and were described by <abbr title="Doctor">Dr.</abbr> Selater as the -<i>Cinixys erosa</i> and the <i>Cinixys belliana</i> (Proc. Zool. Soc. -1871).</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_297">[Pg 297]</span></p> - -<p>Porcupines are not uncommon, and I often found their quills lying on -the ground. The natives are fond of the flesh of this pretty animal; -they are also fond of sticking the quills in the wool of their heads -as an ornament, but they have no acquaintance with the story of their -being able to project their quills when angry, or as a means of defence.</p> - -<p>Fruits are by no means so abundant in Angola as they might be. It is -only within the last few years that the Portuguese have followed the -good example of the old missionaries in planting fruit-trees. Most of -the European fruit-trees grow remarkably well. Oranges are of delicious -quality. Mulberries bear most abundantly, but only a very few trees -are to be seen. Limes grow wild in many places. Mangoes (<i>Mangifera -Indica</i>) grow splendidly, but are scarce everywhere except about -the Bengo country; there are none on the Quanza, the natives having -a prejudice against planting the tree, as they believe it would be -unlucky. Sweet and sour Sop (<i>Anona sp.</i>) and Papaw (<i>Carica -Papaya</i>) are very common. The Guava (<i>Psidium Guaiava</i>) grows -wild in abundance in many places, and the Araçá, another species (<i>P. -Araçá</i>) is also cultivated.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_298">[Pg 298]</span> The Jambo (<i>Jambosa vulgaris</i>) is -found growing wild, and, although rather insipid, it has a delicious -scent of attar of roses. The “Munguengue” is the name of a tree (a -species of <i>Spondiaceæ</i>) bearing bunches of yellow, plum-like -fruit of a very delicious flavour and scent, and its pulp mixed with -water and sugar makes one of the nicest drinks I have tasted. It is -a very handsome tree with leaves of a bright, spring green, of which -goats, sheep, and other animals are exceedingly fond. The wood is soft -and useless for carpentry, but the branches are much used for fences -round huts and enclosures, as any piece stuck in the ground quickly -takes root, and soon grows into a fine shady tree. The natives on the -coast eat the fruit of the <i>Chrysobolamus Icaca</i>, var., which they -call “Jingimo”; it is like a round, black-purple plum, tasteless and -astringent. It is a common sea-side plant, covering large stretches -of coast, and growing from large trailing masses a few inches high, -to small bushy trees. It has a round, bright, shiny, green leaf. -Pineapples are generally very fine, and might be grown to any extent. -Grapes and figs are sparingly grown, but bear well.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_299">[Pg 299]</span></p> - -<p>The only plants employed by the natives as scents are the seeds of the -<i>Hibiscus Abelmoschus</i>, smelling strongly of musk, and a very -sweet-smelling wood. These they keep in their boxes with their cloths, -&c., and also rub them over the head and body. The natives from the -interior also rub themselves over with a stinking nut something like an -acorn, with a powerful smell like rotten onions. These are brought to -the coast for sale to the natives of Ambriz. On my asking one of them -how he could bear to rub his body with such a bad-smelling substance, -he answered by another question, “Do not you whites use Eau-de-Cologne?”</p> - -<p>The blacks also use the skin of the musk or civet-cat, which is very -common in the interior, to scent their cloths and bodies. The smell of -this animal is so powerful that the clothes of a person passing through -grass where one has previously been, acquire such a strong smell of -musk as to retain it perceptibly for days.</p> - -<p>Angola is poor in dyes, and only a few are employed by the blacks. -For red they use the fresh pulp enveloping the seeds of the “annatto” -(<i>Bixa Orellana</i>); for yellow they employ yellow ginger.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_300">[Pg 300]</span> The -Quissamas and some of the natives on the River Quanza dye their cloths -of a bluish-black with the black mud of the river, mixed with the -infusion of a plant that I believe to be a species of indigo. Cloths -are also made black by rubbing them with charred ground-nuts reduced to -a fine paste, and, as already mentioned, a fine red for painting their -faces, bodies, and houses, is obtained by rubbing tacula-wood to a pulp -with water on a rough stone, and drying the resulting paste.</p> - -<p>Large land-lizards are rare except at Benguella, where they abound. -They are brown, and from two to three feet long. I tried very often to -preserve them alive, but without success, although I gave them every -kind of food I could think of. A very long yellow-spotted water-lizard -(<i>Monitor Niloticus</i>), with a handsome bead-like pattern on its -back and legs, and as much as six or eight feet long, is common in the -rivers, and is said to be very destructive to poultry. The natives -state that this lizard feeds upon the eggs and young of the alligator.</p> - -<p>Snakes are nowhere very abundant—I may say singularly scarce; and -in the years that I have<span class="pagenum" id="Page_301">[Pg 301]</span> travelled in Angola I have not only never -trodden on or been attacked by one, but have only seen them a very few -times. The most common is the boa-constrictor, but only in the marshy -places near rivers. In these the River Jack (<i>Clotho nasicornis</i>) -is also found; one of these which had been caught in a fish-basket -set to catch “Bagre” in the River Luqueia, was brought alive to me at -Bembe. It was a very fine one and very brilliantly marked. I kept it -in a large box covered with wire-gauze. It lived for several months, -and died a natural death shortly after shedding its skin. It is called -“Uta-maza” (water-snake) by the natives, and is held in the greatest -fear by them, its bite being said to be deadly, and no antidote or cure -for it known. I can well believe this from witnessing the effect of its -bite on the live rats with which I fed it.</p> - -<p>I was obliged to feed it on live rats, as it refused to eat any kind -of animal or bird that it had not itself killed. If I placed a dead -rat in its cage with the live one, I would find in the morning it had -swallowed the one it had killed, but had left the dead one. On placing -a rat in the cage, the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_302">[Pg 302]</span> snake, which was generally coiled up in a -corner, would lift up its head and hiss slightly at the rat, which -seemed conscious of its danger, and would run about seeking for some -means of escape. The snake would continue to watch it with uplifted -head till it passed close enough, when it would suddenly strike it a -blow with incredible rapidity, the action being so instantaneous that -I could never see how the fangs were projected forwards, or, in fact, -how the blow was delivered. The poor rat would only give a small squeak -on receiving the blow, run a few paces, then stagger, fall on its side, -stretch itself out, and die after a few feeble convulsions.</p> - -<p>This snake would never make more than one dart at its prey, and would -only swallow it at night; and although I watched it for hours in -perfect quiet, and with a shaded light, I never succeeded in seeing it -eat.</p> - -<p>There is a dangerous snake (Naja heje) not uncommon about Benguella. -It is small in size, but remarkable from its habit of spitting to a -considerable distance, and its saliva is said to blind a person if it -touches the eyes. It is called “Cuspideira”<span class="pagenum" id="Page_303">[Pg 303]</span> by the Portuguese. One of -these snakes was captured by the natives and brought to the mine at -Cuio, where it was placed in a cage. An English miner was standing over -the cage, which was on the ground, teasing the snake with a stick; when -it spat up in his face, and he felt some of the liquid enter one of -his eyes. He immediately had it washed out with water, but the eye was -very much irritated for several days after. I was absent at the time, -and the snake was unfortunately destroyed, but I have no reason for -doubting the miner’s statement or that of his companions, corroborated -as it is by that of the natives and Portuguese. A harmless snake is -found under floorings of houses and stores, and is very useful in -ridding them of rats and mice.</p> - -<p>One of these snakes once gave me considerable trouble at Loanda. My -bedroom was on the ground-floor under an office, and outside my door -was the staircase leading to it. Every morning, just a little before -daybreak, I used to be awakened by hearing a loud crack on the table as -if made by a blow from a thick whip. This excited my curiosity greatly, -as I could find no possible explanation<span class="pagenum" id="Page_304">[Pg 304]</span> for the noise. At last I -determined to be on the watch. I had lucifers and a candle ready, -and was luckily awake when I heard the noise repeated on my table. I -instantly struck a light, and saw a snake about six feet long glide off -the table on to the ground and quickly disappear in a hole in a corner -of the room. I then ascertained that <abbr title="Mister">Mr.</abbr> Snake went up the staircase -every night to the office above, where he hunted about for rats, and -towards morning returned through a hole in the flooring immediately -above my table, dropping a height of about ten feet, and producing the -whip-like sound that had so perplexed me for many nights. A bung in the -hole in the floor above stopped his return that way for the future, but -I could not help being thankful that my bed had not been placed where -the table stood, for, notwithstanding that I believed it was simply -a harmless and inoffensive ratcatcher, still six feet of cold snake -wriggling over my face and body might not have been quite pleasant in -the dark.</p> - -<p>We collected a number of sphynx-moths, both at Ambriz and on the -road to Bembe. At Ambriz<span class="pagenum" id="Page_305">[Pg 305]</span> they always came to the flowers of the -shrubby jasmine I have described as being so abundant near the coast -(<i>Corrissa sp.</i>) Farther inland we saw them flitting about -only on the white flowers of a herbaceous plant (<i>Gynandropsis -pentaphylla</i>, D.C.), a very common weed, particularly around the -towns and in open, cleared spaces.</p> - -<p>A large scarabæus beetle (which my friend, <abbr title="Mister">Mr.</abbr> H. W. Bates, finds to -be a new species, and has named <i>Ateuchus Angolensis</i>) is very -abundant wherever cow-dung is found; and it is amusing to see them -at work, making it up into balls nearly the size of a billiard-ball, -an egg having been deposited in each. Two or three may often be -seen pushing the ball along backwards—the custom of these beetles -everywhere. I once saw a curious episode at Ambriz:—one beetle was -on the top of a ball fussing about as if directing two others that -were pushing it along with all their might; suddenly he came down and -commenced fighting with one of them, and after a hard tussle (during -which they made quite a perceptible hissing noise), beat him off and -took his place.</p> - -<p>I discovered at Benguella a very beautiful lemur,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_306">[Pg 306]</span> named by <abbr title="Mister">Mr.</abbr> A. D. -Bartlett the <i>Galago Monteiri</i>, and described and figured in the -‘Proceedings of the Zoological Society’ (June 1863). It is of a light, -chinchilla-grey colour, with black nose and ears, and dark brown feet -and toes. This animal can turn back and crumple up its rather large -and long ears at will. Its tail is long, and, like the rest of the -body, very furry. It is very quiet and gentle, nocturnal in its habits, -and sleeps much during the day. The natives use its long, fine fur to -stanch bleeding from cuts or wounds.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_307">[Pg 307]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI.<br /><span class="small">CONCLUSION.</span></h2> -</div> - - - -<p>I have now brought to a close my description of a small portion of -the terra incognita, comparatively speaking, of Africa, and it may -not be out of place, in conclusion, to note those results of my long -experience in Angola that bear on the important questions of the -civilization and mental advancement of the negro race, and the material -development of tropical Africa.</p> - -<p>I have given the reasons that have convinced me of the rudimentary -quality of the negro intellect, naturally corresponding to the -peculiar insensibility of his organization, the result of the “natural -selection” that, through perhaps thousands of years of struggling -against malaria, has at last resulted in his adaptability to inhabit -with perfect impunity what to the white race is the deadly, unhealthy -climate of a great part of tropical Africa.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_308">[Pg 308]</span> I have also attempted -to show that the malignity of the climate of the West Coast is, as I -believe, principally due to its low level, and that this unhealthy -character or influence is continued in many places far inland, although -perhaps resulting from other causes.</p> - -<p>From the mental constitution of the race, and the impossibility of -ameliorating the climate, I can see no hope of the negro ever attaining -to any considerable degree of civilization, owing to his incapacity for -spontaneously developing to a higher or more perfect condition, and -the impossibility of the white race peopling his country in sufficient -numbers to enforce his civilization; consequently, should science not -discover a means for the successful combating of the African climate, -the negro must ever remain as he has always been, and as he is at the -present day.</p> - -<p>The greatest good or improvement we can hope for is, that in the -comparatively healthy parts, as Angola for instance, the more barbarous -customs or habits may be abolished by the more intimate contact with -Europeans; but even this gain or advantage will not be an unmixed good, -as it will<span class="pagenum" id="Page_309">[Pg 309]</span> be counterbalanced by the creation of an amount of vice and -immorality unknown to the negro in his native or unsophisticated state.</p> - -<p>That this is not an imaginary result, but one inevitably following -the contact of the white race with one of so inferior a type as the -negro, is, for example, notably evidenced at Sierra Leone. The contact -of the Portuguese with the natives of Angola, however, does not -appear to have acted so prejudicially as ours in Sierra Leone, for -although there is not much difference for the better in the morals -of the whites or of the civilized natives, the latter certainly have -not the astounding impudence and cant of the Sierra Leone blacks. -It is true that in Angola the natives have not been muddled by the -present style of missionary work, which I am sorry to say is not only -nearly useless, but must be blamed as the cause of the above very -objectionable characteristics. It does seem a pity that so much money -and well-intentioned zeal should for so many years have been expended -on the negro of British West Africa with an almost negative result.</p> - -<p>There is more hope for the development of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_310">[Pg 310]</span> material resources of -tropical Africa. The negro is capable of being acted upon to a certain -extent by the desire for something more than the absolute necessaries -of life, to satisfy which he is willing to work a little. The country -is so extensive, and the soil and natural productions so rich, that -a very little exertion on the part of the population suffices to -bring forth a considerable amount of produce; but another and more -industrious race will have to take the place of the negro in Africa if -its riches and capabilities are to be fully developed.</p> - -<p>The introduction of Coolies and Chinese into tropical Africa would, -in my opinion, be the most important and valuable step that could be -devised. The starving millions of China and other parts of the East -would find in Africa a congenial climate, and a bountiful reward -for their industry, with the greatest benefit to themselves and the -rest of mankind. The useless negroes would then sooner follow their -apparent fate of future extinction, or become merged into a more highly -organized and industrious race.</p> - -<p>The indefensible injustice and cruelty of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_311">[Pg 311]</span> former slave-trade has -created a wrong impression in our minds of the actual condition of -the negro in Africa, and, based upon this false idea, our sympathies -are unduly excited for a state of misery and wretchedness that in -reality has no existence. Our blind philanthropists crowd to hear the -stereotyped tale of the missionary in Africa, and the greatest interest -is taken in the efforts to ameliorate the assumed unhappy state of the -much-pitied negro—who is lying in perfect enjoyment and nakedness -under a magnificent sky, surrounded by exquisite scenery, supplied by -nature with food without any work or trouble, and insensible alike to -physical suffering and hardship, or mental worry and vexation. Meantime -thousands of our race are plunged into hopeless misery and suffering, -unpitied and often unrelieved by those who are so anxious to minister -to the imaginary wants of the poor heathen!</p> - -<p>It is impossible for any one who has lived much amongst natives of -tropical climates not to contrast the life led by them with that -endured by a great portion of our own so highly civilized race—to -compare their, as a rule, harmless, peaceful, healthy, and I may say -sinless existence, with the grinding,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_312">[Pg 312]</span> despairing poverty of our -cities; with the awful misery that hides in noisome dens under a -cruel, rigorous climate, without warmth, air, water, or food; with the -constant hopeless toil of thousands in our manufacturing districts, -and the frightful barbarity, ignorance, and vice underlying our -civilization, with all its religions, wealth, and luxury. We spend -large sums in the fruitless attempt to reclaim and convert the negro -from his so-called dark state, and we allow thousands of our innocent -children at home to grow up as thieves and worse than savages.</p> - -<p>It is lucky that the negro is unaware that those who are so anxious for -his welfare and conversion from a comparatively innocent condition, -come from a country where a state of ferocity, poverty, and vice exists -of which he has happily no conception, or it would make him look upon -us with horror and surprise.</p> - -<p>Amongst the pleasant remembrances of the years I have spent in -Angola, the hospitality of the Portuguese often recurs. Many a time -in travelling I have had my hammock hidden, and have been obliged -to stay for two or three days with<span class="pagenum" id="Page_313">[Pg 313]</span> strangers, in all but name, or -friends perhaps of persons I knew at other places. At any time of the -night that a traveller may arrive, he is made welcome, and the cook is -instantly told to prepare coffee or kill a fowl and make a “canga,” as -fowl-soup thick with rice, and flavoured with ham, &c., is called.</p> - -<p>I have been especially grateful to the officers commanding the -districts in the interior, and to all, without exception, whether -civilians or military, that I have met with in my long travels, I have -to offer my thanks for their great kindness and hospitality—doubly -pleasing from its disinterestedness and spontaneity.</p> - -<p>I have hardly alluded to the wonderful safety and absence of all risk -or danger in travelling over almost any part of Angola, especially -in those parts in the occupation of the Portuguese. The natives are -everywhere civil if well treated; and if only good humour exists on the -part of the traveller, and due allowance be made for the laziness and -procrastination of the negro, no great inconvenience need ever be felt -in going anywhere through the country. A knowledge of Portuguese<span class="pagenum" id="Page_314">[Pg 314]</span> is -of course almost essential, as, with the exception of some places on -the River Congo, and as far south of it as Ambriz, where some of the -natives speak English, a great number speak only Portuguese besides -their own language.</p> - -<p>Money of most nations passes in Angola, the English sovereign being -perhaps the most useful of any, and at those places where goods of -various kinds are principally required for payments of carriers, -provisions, &c., they can be readily obtained at moderate rates from -the traders.</p> - -<p>I have now, to the best of my ability, described the customs and -productions of this wonderful and beautiful country, and I shall be -glad if the perusal of these pages should induce others to explore more -fully the rich field it presents to the naturalist and geographer.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_315">[Pg 315]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="APPENDIX">APPENDIX.</h2> -</div> - - -<p>The habit of the negro, when employing European languages, of using an -absurd and inflated style is well known, and I cannot help attributing -this peculiarity to the effect of the specifically constituted mind of -the race. The natives of Angola are no exception to this rule, and I -have often been amused at their writings in Portuguese.</p> - -<p>I cannot better illustrate this very curious characteristic than by -transcribing the following pamphlet, written by a highly educated -native of Sierra Leone:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - - -<p>“<i>The Athletic Sports at Falcon Bridge Battery, Freetown, Sierra -Leone, June 4, 1869, graphically sketched.</i></p> - - -<p>“The dull monotony of the city was revived and the hearts of the -denizens exhilarated by the celebration—under the auspices of those -holding the reins<span class="pagenum" id="Page_316">[Pg 316]</span> of government in this settlement—of athletic games -at the above period.</p> - -<p>“A grand spectacle indeed it was! Countless numbers of persons -came to witness this magnificent sight. The arena of athletic -contention—limited by boards geometrically constructed, guarded by -an efficient constabulary corps, not less rotund in their size than -prodigious in their height—was crowded almost to suffocation by those -who were voluntary to signalize themselves by their feats. The mountain -was really in labour and brought forth no ridiculous mouse.</p> - -<p>“The time for the commencement of the games was fixed for 2 -<span class="allsmcap">P.M.</span> If recollection fails not, so it was. The hilarity -evinced by the spectators reminded one of ancient Greece and Rome; -when, in the leaps, wrestles, quoits, &c., of the former, and the -gladiatorial combats, &c., of the latter, combatants vied with each -other, and the victors were amply remunerated; when emulation was -cultivated; when, as expressed by Thomson in his ‘Castle of Indolence’—</p> - -<p class="poetry"> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">‘It was not by vile loitering at ease,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">That Greece obtain’d the brighter palm of art,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">That soft yet ardent Athens learnt to please,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">To keen the wit and to sublime the heart;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">In all supreme—complete in ev’ry part—</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">It was not thence majestic Rome arose,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And o’er the nations shook her conq’ring dart.’</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>Ancient Olympia, with her inhabitants, would have rejoiced to behold -such a pleasing scene.</p> - -<p>“At the appointed time the programme was followed,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_317">[Pg 317]</span> despite the absence -of His Excellency; because ‘procrastination is the thief of time.’ The -ringing of a bell announced the beginning of every race. The adroitness -of the athletes, combined with the thought of there being some who -equalled in all points almost the notorious Gogmagog in English -history, were things akin to the incredible. The scene had commenced, -but two <i>sine qua nons</i> were wanting. A few moments after, one -appeared—viz., the band of the 1st West Indian Zouaves, whose services -will ever be remembered whilst music reverberates its harmonious peals -throughout the four corners of this stupendous cosmos, headed by one -through whom music wakes. But there was a pause. The play stood in need -of a <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">coup de grâce</i>. The sports were a little after full going, -when, lo! His Excellency was kenned. His arrival to the spot was not -one of inactivity. Seated gallantly on a restive horse, ‘round-hoofed, -short-jointed, fetlocks shag and long, broad breast, full eye, small -head, high crest, short ears, straight legs, thin mane, thick tail, -tender hide, nostrils drinking the air,’ whose foams and yells made -part of the spectators stand aghast—he, with excellent dexterity, -skilfully contrived to be a match for him, and made his way to the spot -at a graceful pace. And ere he reached the spot for rest, ‘God save the -Queen’ was heard, the splendid band playing that which</p> - -<p class="poetry"> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">‘Language fades before its spell.’</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>“Far a little from the scene of action—untrodden by<span class="pagenum" id="Page_318">[Pg 318]</span> insignificant -individuals—supplied with all kinds of food for refreshment—decorated -with such things as beautify nature—amidst the pathless intricacies -of countless multitudes—was erected a <span class="smcap">Grand Stand</span>. On the -arrival of the Governor at the stand, he was most cordially greeted -and received by ladies of rank and wit and gentlemen of respectability -and erudition who were the tenants of that locality. The games became -more lively. Clergymen, editors of the different local papers, and -great many of the well-to-do, with their consorts, &c., entered -into conversation, and were viewing the sight. A very gratifying -circumstance it was that all who were there present were superbly -clad in the latest Parisian styles. Ladies with their bonnets and -other dresses almost indescribable, and gentlemen attired in costly -vestments, observed the most faultless etiquette. Some of the gentlemen -must have, no doubt, interested the little band, either with the light -bantering of Addison or the ponderous verbiage of Johnson. Added to -this, the place was like a perfumer’s, where odoriferous unguents -delight the smell of the visitants. Needless it is to speak of the -natural accomplishments of these personages, as they soar beyond the -pen of description. Suffice it to say, that the gentlemen, breathing -ambrosial scents around their heads, were taciturn, loquacious, sedate, -and grave; and the ladies, as</p> - -<p class="poetry"> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">‘Coy as Thetis, fair as Flora,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Beautiful as young Aurora.’</span><br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_319">[Pg 319]</span></p> - -<p>“They spoke: and, during the time the games were being directed by -a very able-bodied European, whose reward was a sprained foot after -the celebration of the sports, were very jolly, and remained in that -position until the sports were over, without a violation of any -trifling minutiæ of civility.</p> - -<p>“Not to speak of the High Jumps, Flat Races, &c., it was no ordinary -treat to see lasses running with all their might to have some pieces -of cloths for their prizes. An event like this induced the ladies -and gentlemen in the Grand Stand to rise from their seats and take a -clearer view of the scene. Many were (I think) halting between two -opinions—either to look at the sports or listen to the charming music. -Would that there were ten eyes and ears to each! But impossibility -<em>is</em> impossibility.</p> - -<p>“One of the actors, well-nigh approaching to a British Grenadier, -tumbled during the High Jumps on the ground, and was a victor of not -even a ridiculous prize.</p> - -<p>“The scene went on amidst the hurrahs and applauses of the -spectators: among them the always-the-same Allangbas,<a id="FNanchor_1" href="#Footnote_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> and the -never-to-be-polished vulgar. But afterwards nature—either disgusted -at, or fatigued by, the event—for a while interrupted the scene by her -somewhat violent inundations: but subsequently being appeased she again -charmed us with her usual smiles. With her well-prepared instruments -she was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_320">[Pg 320]</span> ready to depict in the most masterly language the proceedings -of the day.</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_1" href="#FNanchor_1" class="label">[1]</a> The Timnehs are here meant.</p> - -</div> - -<p class="poetry"> -<span style="margin-left: 9em;">‘Who can paint</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Like nature? Can imagination boast,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Amid its gay creation, hues like hers?’</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>“All those successes of the actors were the results of the like energy -which ‘built,’ observes Harris, ‘the mountain pyramids of Egypt—which -reared the Chinese wall—by which Alexander conquered the old -world—Columbus discovered the new—and Newton elaborated the system of -the universe.’</p> - -<p>“The scene of action commanded, like the Acropolis of Athens, a most -picturesque sight opposite the sea. The fairy landscape, viewed in -conjunction with the stately and commodious houses by which it was -adorned, and the trees already in full bloom which cast their shades -on the undulating and glittering waves of the sluggish and ceaseless -sea during ebb tide, formed an unrivalled spot for the pencil of the -artist. How delightful would it have been to see a Boswell ready -to describe in the most sparkling language the proceedings of this -auspicious day. The effusions of a poet would have been excessive and -Byronian delineations tremendous—for the sight was delightful; the -gentlemen were masterpieces of nature; and the ladies each a belle -ideal of symmetrical beauty. What topics were touched upon by the -grandees on this occasion were so momentous that, like Elsie,</p> - -<p class="poetry"> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">‘Their words fell from their lips</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Like roses from the lips of Angelo: and Angels</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Might stoop to pick them up!’</span><br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_321">[Pg 321]</span></p> - -<p>“Donkeys were not a whit behind the spectators and contenders; they -created their own excitement. On the backs of these heady brutes were -to be seen two lads who endeavoured with all their wits to ride them, -but all in vain! Although guided by some gentlemen who willingly lent -them a helping hand, they were tumbled on the ground as many times as -they attempted to ride. The consequence was that a universal roar of -laughter ran through the whole spot.</p> - -<p>“Besides this there was another interesting sight. A greasy pole, -having at the end a leg of mutton, was offered to him who would scale -it to its top. The attempts were fruitless. The pole, finding no -Alexander, stood like the Gordian knot, and set at the utmost defiance -men of magnanimity, those possessing massive bodies and Herculean -prowess. Thus the scene proceeded; and, in reality, the Rubicon -remained uncrossed.</p> - -<p>“Whilst on the one hand you would see the refined natives leaping and -exercising within the circus with inimitable grace, you would, on the -other, without the pale of the circus, see Timnehs in their usual garb -performing feats,—by whirling themselves as a well-constructed steamer -in Scylla or Charybdis,—without any taste or attraction.</p> - -<p>“Not to speak of the other exercises, the victors, with the prizes -awarded them, claim the most paramount importance.</p> - -<p>“Without chaplets of flowers, without laurel wreaths,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_322">[Pg 322]</span> without -ovations or triumphs, without the prizes in brief anciently awarded -to gladiators, warriors, comedians, lyric, tragic, and epic poets, -and other innumerable worthies, humble as the premiums were, this is -certain—that prizes, acting as an incentive and a stimulus to be up -and doing, were awarded to the victors. And so it was, if the news is -to be credited, and the veracity of the inaugurators of the games is -unimpeached.</p> - -<p>“Among all who merited rewards, two were more especially noticed. -At every race almost, they went winning and to win. The prodigious -feats performed by these two, coupled with those of the others, are -sufficient to entitle each being honoured with the sobriquet of -‘Valentinian.’</p> - -<p>“During the whole of the procedure the spectators were not a little -cheered up by the matchless music of the band, whose stirring strains -silently spoke of the perfect order of the regiment, the worth of -the bandmaster, the avidity of the men to master such an excellent -science, by its being performed <i>sostenuto</i>. Not descanting on the -selections, overtures, &c., performed on piccolos, flutes, cornets, and -clarionets, on the whole it was ‘ear’s deep sweet music.’ The Sicilian -Muses, if present, would have stood astounded, doubting whether such -was excellently managed by mortals or celestials.</p> - -<p>“One great desideratum wanting on that occasion to grace it -to perfection was that, while the men were employed in doing -such athletics, the ladies in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_323">[Pg 323]</span> the Grand Stand were not engaged -in performing Terpsichorean gymnastics. The <em>why</em> and -<em>wherefore</em> veiled in a mystery was unravelled.</p> - -<p>“The popular excitement was unbounded. The enthusiasm marked by -the plaudits of the spectators; enthusiasm evinced by the actors; -enthusiasm, the great propeller to immortal acts—seen not only in the -horizon, but even on the spot where the games were celebrated—was -equal to, in every way (if it surpassed not), that of the subtle -and sophistical Athenians, when the ridiculer<a id="FNanchor_2" href="#Footnote_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> of the Eleusinian -mysteries, noted for his ‘versatile genius and natural foibles,’ -returned home from his expedition against the Lacedemonians.</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_2" href="#FNanchor_2" class="label">[2]</a> Alcibiades.</p> - -</div> - -<p>“It is gratifying to know that, despite the countless multitudes that -thickened the paths on the occasion, there was no <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">émeute</i>, as -might have been expected; all things went on in perfect harmony. -Everyone was active, each had his post, all acted heart and hand, and -put forth an undivided attention to render all things energetic and -attractive.</p> - -<p>“The proceedings of the day went on as at the commencement, till about -half-past 6 <span class="allsmcap">P.M.</span> with quickened step brown night appeared, and -terminated the affair never to be forgotten in the archives of Western -Africa.</p> - -<p>“If the city and the rural districts should, at all times, be -exhibiting shows, and be ready and willing<span class="pagenum" id="Page_324">[Pg 324]</span> to excite public admiration -by horse-races, regattas, &c., and by grand concerts, where comic -and such like songs delight the ears of the audience: then by such -emulations and amusements, not only will we find that in process of -time the Colony shall be, under an All-wise Providence, one of physical -improvement, but by vieing with each other in the pure sciences, -the intelligence of the inhabitants shall arrive at its climax, and -it shall equal the admirable Crichton’s, who ‘acted the divine, the -lawyer, the mathematician, the soldier, and the physician, with such -inimitable grace, that every time he appeared upon the theatre he -seemed to be a different person.’</p> - -<p>“Thus this event, like all other things human, had its end; and, amidst -the unbounded praises and acclamations of the spectators, combined with -the heart-stirring strains of the band which cast weariness on this -occasion to absolute nothingness, and which was eminently calculated -to magnify the sight, every one, with much <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">éclat</i>, went to -his domicile prepared to relate to his absent friend or friends the -dexterity and vigour evinced at the athletic arena, and all bade the -scene of action their tender farewells!</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">“<span class="smcap">Sierra Leone</span>, <i>Jan. 1870</i>.”</span><br /> -</p> -</div> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_325">[Pg 325]</span></p> - - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="INDEX">INDEX.</h2> -</div> -<hr class="r5" /> -<div> -<p class="center"> -A</p> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Abuses by authorities of Angola, i. 54.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Adansonias, abundance of, from River Congo to Mossamedes, i. 27.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">African fevers, facts and observations about, ii. <a href="#Page_236">236</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Agave, i. 29.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Alligators, i. 65, ii. <a href="#Page_123">123</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Ambaca, natives of, ii. <a href="#Page_103">103</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Ambaquistas, natives of Ambaca, ii. <a href="#Page_103">103</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Ambriz, description of town, i. 153;</li> -<li class="isuba">trade of, <i>ib.</i>;</li> -<li class="isuba">iron pier at, 157;</li> -<li class="isuba">author’s return to, 233;</li> -<li class="isuba">negroes, customs of the, 281.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">——, vegetation of, i. 30;</li> -<li class="isuba">exports from in 1874, 111.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">—— to Mossamedes, i. 23.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">—— to Loanda country, ii. <a href="#Page_1">1</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Ambrizzette, witchcraft at, i. 65;</li> -<li class="isuba">treatment of a black for forgery, 115.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Amydrus fulvipennis</i>, ii. <a href="#Page_164">164</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Andrade, on board the, to Quanza, ii. <a href="#Page_113">113</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Angola, discovery and early history, i. 1;</li> -<li class="isuba">Portuguese possessions of, 23;</li> -<li class="isuba">physical geography of, <i>ib.</i>;</li> -<li class="isuba">description of coast-line, <i>ib.</i>;</li> -<li class="isuba">character of landscape, 25;</li> -<li class="isuba">change of landscape at 13° S. lat., 26;</li> -<li class="isuba">vegetation of from Ambriz to Bembe, 29;</li> -<li class="isuba">slave trade in, 59;</li> -<li class="isuba">statistics of slaves shipped in, 67;</li> -<li class="isuba">division of, ii. <a href="#Page_51">51</a>;</li> -<li class="isuba">pay of governor and army officers, <a href="#Page_52">52</a>;</li> -<li class="isuba">abuses by authorities of, <a href="#Page_54">54</a>;</li> -<li class="isuba">climate of, <a href="#Page_223">223</a>;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_326">[Pg 326]</span></li> -<li class="isuba">effect of climate on Europeans, ii. <a href="#Page_237">237</a>;</li> -<li class="isuba">customs of the natives, ii. <a href="#Page_268">268</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Angolœa fluitans</i>, ii. <a href="#Page_133">133</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Anha River, ii. <a href="#Page_173">173</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Animal food of the natives, i. 297.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Arachis hypogœa</i>, native name of, “mpinda,” or “ginguba,” i. 129;</li> -<li class="isuba">description of, 130;</li> -<li class="isuba">its cultivation, <i>ib.</i>;</li> -<li class="isuba">preparation of the nut and Chili pepper, 132.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Arms and war, i. 261.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Atacamite, where found, i. 192.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Athletic sports at Sierra Leone, account of, ii. <a href="#Page_315">315</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Author buys a slave, i. 77;</li> -<li class="isuba">the slave’s ingratitude to, <i>ib.</i>;</li> -<li class="isuba">reception of by Senhor Chaves at Boma, i. 83;</li> -<li class="isuba">at a picnic organized by Senhor Chaves, 87;</li> -<li class="isuba">catches four new species of fish at Boma, 95;</li> -<li class="isuba">discoverer of the baobab fibre as a substance for paper-making, 118;</li> -<li class="isuba">manages a malachite mine, 161;</li> -<li class="isuba">accompanies <abbr title="Mister">Mr.</abbr> Augustus Archer Silva to Quanza, ii. <a href="#Page_112">112</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">——, mining explorations of, at Benguella, i. 43, ii. <a href="#Page_191">191</a>, <a href="#Page_199">199</a>.</li> - -</ul> -<p class="center">B</p> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Baba Bay, abundance of fish at, ii. <a href="#Page_216">216</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Babies, treatment of, i. 71.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Bagre fish, i. 50.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Bagrus</i>, “Bagre” fish, ii. <a href="#Page_134">134</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Baobab-tree—<i>Adansonia digitata</i>, i. 24, 29.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">—— bark, its application to paper-making (discovered by author in 1858), i. 75;</li> -<li class="isuba">baobabs at Boma, 84.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">—— or <i>Adansonia digitata</i>, as a substance for paper-making, i. 118;</li> -<li class="isuba">description of the tree, and use of the trunk, 120;</li> -<li class="isuba">mode of taking off the bark, 122;</li> -<li class="isuba">its fruit, and mode of climbing it, 128.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Banana, trading factories at, i. 81.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Bananas, or plantains, i. 294;</li> -<li class="isuba">as food, 295.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Barra da Corimba, ii. <a href="#Page_21">21</a>.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_327">[Pg 327]</span></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Basalt, ii. <a href="#Page_220">220</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Bats, abundance of in churches, ii. <a href="#Page_129">129</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Bed-clothing of the natives, i. 266.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Beer, native, manufacture of, i. 301.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Bees—mode of getting honey, ii. <a href="#Page_165">165</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Bellows, native, ii. <a href="#Page_93">93</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Bembe, vegetation of, i. 31;</li> -<li class="isuba">description of, 109.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">—— Fort, i. 190; soil about, 225.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Bengo river, ii. <a href="#Page_16">16</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Bengo to Loanda, vegetation, ii. <a href="#Page_18">18</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Benguella, i. 28;</li> -<li class="isuba">mining operations at, 43;</li> -<li class="isuba">country south of, 45;</li> -<li class="isuba">fertility of its soil, trade, &c., ii. <a href="#Page_181">181</a>;</li> -<li class="isuba">slave-trade at, <a href="#Page_184">184</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">—— and Mossamedes, country between, ii. <a href="#Page_212">212</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Berenjela, egg plant, i. 296.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Bigode, or moustache-bird (<i>Crithagra ictera</i>), ii. <a href="#Page_205">205</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Bimba tree (<i>Herminiera Elaphroxylon</i>), ii. <a href="#Page_195">195</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Bimbas, birds at, ii. <a href="#Page_206">206</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Birds of Boma, i. 86;</li> -<li class="isuba">habits of various kinds, <i>ib.</i></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Bitumen, ii. <a href="#Page_11">11</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Bleeding, fondness of the natives for, ii. <a href="#Page_262">262</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Boma, as centre for slave-trade, i. 56;</li> -<li class="isuba">cultivation of, 85;</li> -<li class="isuba">birds of, 86;</li> -<li class="isuba">distrust of natives at, 90.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Bombó, preparation, i. 287.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Bonny, landing at, i. 114.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Brachytrypes achatinus</i> (king cricket), i. 299.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Brandy, use of in Africa, ii. <a href="#Page_245">245</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Bronchitis, &c., native treatment of, ii. <a href="#Page_258">258</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Bruto, plantation at, ii. <a href="#Page_119">119</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Bucorax Abyssinicus</i> (hornbill), ii. <a href="#Page_71">71</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Bunda-speaking natives, indolence of, ii. <a href="#Page_100">100</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Burial among the natives, i. 276.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">—— and burial-places, ii. <a href="#Page_275">275</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Bustards, ii. <a href="#Page_5">5</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Bustards at Benguella, ii. <a href="#Page_201">201</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Butterflies, species of, ii. <a href="#Page_295">295</a>.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_328">[Pg 328]</span></li> - -</ul> -<p class="center">C</p> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Cabeça da Cobra to Ambriz—description of coast-line, i. 102;</li> -<li class="isuba">vegetation, 103.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Cajanus indicus</i>, shrub, i. 296.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Calumbo, scenery, vegetation, &c., ii. <a href="#Page_116">116</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Cambambe, high grass at, i. 38;</li> -<li class="isuba">water at, 47;</li> -<li class="isuba">cataracts at, ii. <a href="#Page_133">133</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Camoensia maxima</i>, plant, i. 177.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Cannibalism, ii. <a href="#Page_157">157</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Capatas, or captains of the carriers, i. 196, 203.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Cardozo, Feo, on the “History of the Governors of Angola,” i. 1.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Casca, preparation of, i. 63;</li> -<li class="isuba">effect by poisoning from, 127.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Cashew-tree, i. 44.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Cassão, dogfish, ii. <a href="#Page_207">207</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Cassanza, country about, ii. <a href="#Page_153">153</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Cassytha—(<i>C. Guineensis?</i>), i. 45;</li> -<li class="isuba">at Luache, ii. <a href="#Page_198">198</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Castor-oil plant in Novo Redondo and Benguella, i. 51.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Catinga, or odour of the natives, i. 30.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Cattle, cause for absence of, i. 46.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">—— and other animals, mortality of, i. 207.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Catumbella, scenery and vegetation, ii. <a href="#Page_178">178</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Cazengo, abundance of food at, ii. <a href="#Page_84">84</a>-<a href="#Page_88">88</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Celis country, ii. <a href="#Page_105">105</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Chameleons, ii. <a href="#Page_109">109</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Circumcision among the natives, i. 278.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Civilization of the negro, i. 113.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Climate of Angola, effect on Europeans, ii. <a href="#Page_237">237</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Coffee-trade, i. 134.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Coffee plantations, ii. <a href="#Page_87">87</a>;</li> -<li class="isuba">wild, about Golungo Alto and the Dembos, ii. <a href="#Page_92">92</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Cola fruit, ii. <a href="#Page_37">37</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Commerce, i. 117.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Congo River, i. 26;</li> -<li class="isuba">a boundary, i. 53;</li> -<li class="isuba">mouth of, i. 81.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">——, probable sources of, i. 54, ii. <a href="#Page_69">69</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">—— to Ambriz, the country from, i. 100.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">—— River and Ambriz, system of trading, i. 105.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_329">[Pg 329]</span></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Congo, king of, i. 213;</li> -<li class="isuba">customs of, 221.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Cookery of Angola natives, ii. <a href="#Page_239">239</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Copper at Benguella, ii. <a href="#Page_179">179</a>;</li> -<li class="isuba">at Quileba, <a href="#Page_191">191</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Copper ore at Cuio Bay, ii. <a href="#Page_198">198</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Coracias caudata</i>, manner of flying, &c., i. 172, ii. <a href="#Page_19">19</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Corythaix Paulina</i>, plantain-eaters, superstitious dread of by the natives, ii. <a href="#Page_74">74</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Corythornis cyanostigma</i>, kingfisher, ii. <a href="#Page_121">121</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Cotton growth at Cazengo, ii. <a href="#Page_105">105</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Creepers, description of, i. 31, 45.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Crime, punishment for in Angola, ii. <a href="#Page_46">46</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Crows (<i>Corvus scapulatus</i>), ii. <a href="#Page_215">215</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Cuacra, cannibalism at, ii. <a href="#Page_155">155</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Cuio Bay, ii. <a href="#Page_198">198</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Cursorius Senegalensis</i>, ii. <a href="#Page_19">19</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Customs of natives of the interior, ii. <a href="#Page_99">99</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Cynocephalus sp.</i> of dog-faced monkey, ii. <a href="#Page_194">194</a>.</li> - -</ul> -<p class="center">D</p> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Dances of the natives, ii. <a href="#Page_137">137</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Dande River, ii. <a href="#Page_15">15</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Dead, “drying” of the, i. 275.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Decamera Jovis-tonantis</i>, hard-wood shrub, preservative against lightning, ii. <a href="#Page_99">99</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Diamba, hemp for smoking, ii. <a href="#Page_26">26</a>, <a href="#Page_257">257</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Dias, Captain, governor of Barra do Bengo, i. 80.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Dirty habits of the natives, ii. <a href="#Page_259">259</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Dish, Angola native, i. 305.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Dog’s sense of smell when nearing a negro, i. 36.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Dombe Grande, rush of water down the Luache, i. 49.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">——, district of, ii. <a href="#Page_196">196</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Dondo town, ii. <a href="#Page_130">130</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Dress of the kings, i. 260.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">—— natives, i. 263.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Drunkenness of Englishmen, ii. <a href="#Page_243">243</a>.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_330">[Pg 330]</span></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Dyes and paints, ii. <a href="#Page_299">299</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Dysentery, native treatment of, ii. <a href="#Page_252">252</a>.</li> - -</ul></div><div> -<p class="center">E</p> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Egg-trade, i. 209.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Egito river, ii. <a href="#Page_169">169</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Eland steak, a breakfast of, ii. <a href="#Page_224">224</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Engongui signal-bells, i. 203.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Entuchi, shrub, used for curing headache, ii. <a href="#Page_251">251</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Epsom-salts, ii. <a href="#Page_262">262</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Eriodendron anfractuosum</i>, cottonwood tree, ii. <a href="#Page_86">86</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Erythrophlœum Guineense</i>, action of poison extracted from, i. 61.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Euphorbia tree, i. 24;</li> -<li class="isuba">abundance of, from River Congo to Mossamedes, 27;</li> -<li class="isuba">in Ambriz, 29.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Eusemia ochracea</i>, moth, i. 158.</li> - -</ul> -<p class="center">F</p> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Fairs, i. 209.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Falls of Cambambe, ii. <a href="#Page_133">133</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Farofa, preparation, i. 291.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Farinha de pao, preparation, i. 290.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Fedegozo (<i>Cassia occidentalis</i>) as a substitute for quinine, ii. <a href="#Page_249">249</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Fetish, as a punishment to drunkards, i. 117.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">“Fetishes” of the negro, fetish men, &c., i. 243-253.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Fetish-house, ii. <a href="#Page_7">7</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Fever, its prevention and cure, ii. <a href="#Page_246">246</a>;</li> -<li class="isuba">native treatment of, <a href="#Page_249">249</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Fevers at Bembe, i. 227.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Fish, mode of cooking at Loanda, ii. <a href="#Page_30">30</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">—— caught at Loanda, ii. <a href="#Page_31">31</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">—— and fisheries between Benguella and Mossamedes, ii. <a href="#Page_206">206</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Food, abundant growth at Cazengo, ii. <a href="#Page_105">105</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Frogs as food, i. 298.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Fruits, ii. <a href="#Page_297">297</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Furniture of the natives, i. 282.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_331">[Pg 331]</span></li> - -</ul> -<p class="center">G</p> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Gamboa, General, ii. <a href="#Page_3">3</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Garapa, drink, i. 300.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Garlic as a food for hot climate, ii. <a href="#Page_240">240</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Gigantic grasses, i. 33.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Giraul river, ii. <a href="#Page_218">218</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Gold at Lombige, ii. <a href="#Page_90">90</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Golungo Alto, ii. <a href="#Page_85">85</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Gorilla and Chimpanzee, where found, i. 53.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Gourds of Cazengo and Pungo Andongo, ii. <a href="#Page_104">104</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Grandy, Lieut., i. 162.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Grass, “Capim de faca” or knife-grass, i. 33;</li> -<li class="isuba">description of burning, 39.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Ground-nut, analysis, ii. <a href="#Page_110">110</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Gum-arabic at Mossamedes, ii. <a href="#Page_218">218</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Gum Elemi, called “mubafo,” i. 206.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Gun-loading by the natives, i. 141.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Gypsum, ii. <a href="#Page_16">16</a>.</li> - -</ul> -<p class="center">H</p> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Habits and customs of natives in Angola, ii. <a href="#Page_268">268</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Hammock, description of, i. 163.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Haricot-bean, i. 97.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Head, mode of shaving the, i. 269.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">——, “inhabitants” of the, trap for catching, and professional catchers, i. 269.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Herva Santa Maria (<i>Chenopodium ambrosioides</i>), ii. <a href="#Page_250">250</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Hippopotami in the River Quanza, ii. <a href="#Page_124">124</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Hornbill, the, ii. <a href="#Page_73">73</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">—— (<i>Toccus elegans</i> and <i>Toccus Monteiri</i>), at Benguella, ii. <a href="#Page_201">201</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Hot-spring at Dongo, ii. <a href="#Page_162">162</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Hydnora</i>, a Rafflesiaceous plant, ii. <a href="#Page_207">207</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Hydraulic-press for baleing the baobab fibre, i. 125.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Hyenas steal the author’s sheep, ii. <a href="#Page_81">81</a>;</li> -<li class="isuba">attacked by wolf-hounds, <a href="#Page_225">225</a>.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_332">[Pg 332]</span></li> - -</ul> -<p class="center">I</p> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Import-duties, ii. <a href="#Page_61">61</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">India-rubber creeper, description of, i. 31, 137.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Indian-corn, i. 296.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Indolence of the Bunda-speaking natives, ii. <a href="#Page_100">100</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Infundi, preparation, i. 288.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Ink, ingredients of native, ii. <a href="#Page_98">98</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Insanity among the natives, i. 279.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Iron-smelting at Cazengo, ii. <a href="#Page_95">95</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Ivory, i. 139.</li> - -</ul> -<p class="center">J</p> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Jasmine at Benguella, ii. <a href="#Page_192">192</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Jasminum auriculatum, ii. <a href="#Page_5">5</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">—— multipartitum, ii. <a href="#Page_5">5</a>.</li> - -</ul> -<p class="center">K</p> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Kew Gardens, author’s collection of plants in the herbarium at, i. 178.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Kimpoaca, aversion of natives to the landing of hydraulic press, i. 126.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">King Parrot, where found, i. 53.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Kingfishers, ii. <a href="#Page_121">121</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Kinsao, mineral pitch at, i. 150.</li> - -</ul> -<p class="center">L</p> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst"><i>Landolphia, florida?</i> the tree-creeper that produces indiarubber, i. 31, 137.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Language of the different races, ii. <a href="#Page_96">96</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Lead ore, ii. <a href="#Page_199">199</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Leeches, abundance of, ii. <a href="#Page_266">266</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Lemur, <i>Galago Monteiri</i>, ii. <a href="#Page_306">306</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Libollo country, ii. <a href="#Page_145">145</a>.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_333">[Pg 333]</span></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Libongo, ii. <a href="#Page_9">9</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Lions at Carunjamba, ii. <a href="#Page_209">209</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Lissochilus giganteus</i>, found at Porto da Lenha, i. 82.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Little Fish Bay, i. 23.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Lizards, ii. <a href="#Page_109">109</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Loanda, cause for change of vegetation, i. 28;</li> -<li class="isuba">baptizing slaves at, 68.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">——, death of a boy in market-place at, i. 72.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">——, vegetation, ii. <a href="#Page_18">18</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">——, city of <abbr title="Saint">St.</abbr> Paul de, ii. <a href="#Page_20">20</a>;</li> -<li class="isuba">population, <a href="#Page_22">22</a>;</li> -<li class="isuba">style of building, <i>ib.</i>;</li> -<li class="isuba">market of, <a href="#Page_25">25</a>;</li> -<li class="isuba">custom of the ladies of, <a href="#Page_33">33</a>;</li> -<li class="isuba">dress of the people, <a href="#Page_35">35</a>;</li> -<li class="isuba">slavery in, <a href="#Page_39">39</a>;</li> -<li class="isuba">vegetation, <a href="#Page_44">44</a>;</li> -<li class="isuba">police of, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>;</li> -<li class="isuba">lighting of the city, <i>ib.</i>;</li> -<li class="isuba">theatre at, <i>ib.</i>;</li> -<li class="isuba">morals, <i>ib.</i></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Loangos or Loandos’ mats, i. 302.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Lobato, Senhor, ii. <a href="#Page_63">63</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Lobito Bay, ii. <a href="#Page_176">176</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Loranthus, seed of, used as bird-lime, ii. <a href="#Page_205">205</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Luache river at Dombe Grande, i. 49.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">——, quicksands at, ii. <a href="#Page_197">197</a>.</li> - -</ul> -<p class="center">M</p> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">“Macotas,” or the council, i. 255.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Maculo, a disease peculiar to blacks, its treatment, ii. <a href="#Page_252">252</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Malachite, ii. <a href="#Page_161">161</a>, <a href="#Page_191">191</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">——, how and where found, i. 191-195.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Malagueta pepper, i. 294.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Manatee, or woman-fish, ii. <a href="#Page_17">17</a>, <a href="#Page_125">125</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Mandioca plant, cultivation of, i. 287;</li> -<li class="isuba">preparation, 291, ii. <a href="#Page_197">197</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Mangrove tree, ii. <a href="#Page_117">117</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Manis multiscutata</i>, ant-eating animal, ii. <a href="#Page_278">278</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Manoel Vacca, notorious pirate, i. 92.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Maquata, the red gum-copal, i. 134.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_334">[Pg 334]</span></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Maracachão bird (<i>Pytelia elegans</i>), ii. <a href="#Page_205">205</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Marble column at Santa Maria Cape, commemorating its discovery, ii. <a href="#Page_216">216</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Marriage law of the natives, i. 264.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Massangano town, ii. <a href="#Page_128">128</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Mateba palm, abundance of, from River Congo to Ambrizzette, i. 44.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Matuta, change of scenery and vegetation, i. 29.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">——, visit to, i. 199.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Mineral pitch, i. 150.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Mirage at Mossamedes, ii. <a href="#Page_231">231</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Mossamedes, i. 23, 27, 28.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">—— (Little Fish Bay), ii. <a href="#Page_217">217</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">——, climate, society, &c., ii. <a href="#Page_232">232</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Mosquitoes, i. 167.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Mourning of the natives, i. 277.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Mucelis, i. 28.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Mucoandos tribe, ii. <a href="#Page_226">226</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Mucozo river, i. 47, ii. <a href="#Page_66">66</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Mundombes, the inhabitants of Benguella, their clothing, vegetation, mode of eating meat, &c., ii. <a href="#Page_186">186</a>;</li> -<li class="isuba">their arms, <a href="#Page_188">188</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Muinzus or pestles, i. 304.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Mule, dislike to being harnessed by a negro, i. 37.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Muqueca, its ingredients, ii. <a href="#Page_239">239</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Muquices tribe, ii. <a href="#Page_227">227</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Mus Gambianus</i>, ii. <a href="#Page_168">168</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Mushicongo negroes, customs of, i. 280;</li> -<li class="isuba">mode of building their huts, 284;</li> -<li class="isuba">furniture of the, <i>ib.</i></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Musical instruments of the natives, ii. <a href="#Page_139">139</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Mussera, town, i. 143.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Mussurougo tribe, pirates, i. 92;</li> -<li class="isuba">ankle-rings worn by, 93;</li> -<li class="isuba">customs of, 280.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Muxima town, ii. <a href="#Page_122">122</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Muxixe tree, i. 29.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_335">[Pg 335]</span></li> - -</ul> -<p class="center">N</p> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Native remedies for diseases, ii. <a href="#Page_263">263</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Natives, custom of, in case of death, after the administration of medicine, or after the performance of an operation, i. 73;</li> -<li class="isuba">objection of to work for wages, 75;</li> -<li class="isuba">fear of at sight of a steamer, 125;</li> -<li class="isuba">customs of the, 257;</li> -<li class="isuba">bed-clothing, 266.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Navigation of Rivers Dande, Bengo, &c., i. 47.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Nborotuto shrub, ii. <a href="#Page_70">70</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Ncombo, or goat-root, used to flavour tobacco, ii. <a href="#Page_270">270</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Nectariniæ</i>, i. 99.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Negro cook making forcemeat balls, i. 36.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Negro, insensibility of the, i. 69-75;</li> -<li class="isuba">ingratitude of the, 77;</li> -<li class="isuba">character of the, 238;</li> -<li class="isuba">absence of affection in the, 242;</li> -<li class="isuba">social laws of the, 242;</li> -<li class="isuba">absence of sympathy in the, 243;</li> -<li class="isuba">absence of cruelty in the, 245;</li> -<li class="isuba">“fetishes” of the, 246, 247;</li> -<li class="isuba">toilet of, 263;</li> -<li class="isuba">mode of shaving the head, 269.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Negroes, odour of, i. 36;</li> -<li class="isuba">ankle-rings worn by, 94;</li> -<li class="isuba">customs of, 181.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Ngilló, vegetable, i. 296.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Novo Redondo, i. 28.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">—— natives of, ii. <a href="#Page_155">155</a>-<a href="#Page_159">159</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Nymphœa dentata</i> and <i>stellata</i>, water-lily, ii. <a href="#Page_121">121</a>.</li> - -</ul></div><div> -<p class="center">O</p> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Oil, dog-fish, ii. <a href="#Page_207">207</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Oil-palm at Bembe, i. 32.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Ophthalmia, its rarity, ii. <a href="#Page_258">258</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Orange River, i. 27.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Orchilla-weed, ii. <a href="#Page_184">184</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Ordeal by poison, i. 61.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Ornaments of kings’ and macotas’ wives, i. 268.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Ox-bird (<i>Buphaga Africana</i>), ii. <a href="#Page_204">204</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Oxen trained for riding, ii. <a href="#Page_218">218</a>.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_336">[Pg 336]</span></li> - -</ul> -<p class="center">P</p> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Palm-chop, i. 97.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">—— tree, mode of climbing, i. 97.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">—— wine, i. 97.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Panda or wattled crane (<i>Grus carunculata</i>), ii. <a href="#Page_203">203</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Paper-making, baobab-tree in its application to, i. 118.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Papyrus, growth of, i. 302.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Pedra grande, or “big stone,” ii. <a href="#Page_221">221</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Pentalobus barbatus</i>, beetle, i. 146.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Pepper, Chili, &c., i. 293.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Picnic at Boma, visit of the nine kings, i. 87.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Pirão, preparation, i. 291.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Pitch, mineral, ii. <a href="#Page_9">9</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Plants used by natives for cure of dysentery or diarrhœa, ii. <a href="#Page_252">252</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Plaster-of-paris, manufactured by author from gypsum-rock, ii. <a href="#Page_200">200</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Polygamy among the natives, i. 263.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Porcupines, ii. <a href="#Page_297">297</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Porto da Lenha, description of, i. 83.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">—— Domingos, ii. <a href="#Page_66">66</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Potato, sweet, i. 296.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Productions of Cazengo, ii. <a href="#Page_105">105</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Products from River Congo to Ambriz, i. 119-141.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Ptyelus olivaceus</i>, or spit-frog, ii. <a href="#Page_108">108</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Pungo Andongo range, description of scenery, i. 31.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">——, natives of, ii. <a href="#Page_102">102</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Pungo fish, i. 142.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Purgatives used by the natives, ii. <a href="#Page_262">262</a>.</li> - -</ul> -<p class="center">Q</p> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Quanza River, i. 47, ii. <a href="#Page_113">113</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">“Queimada,” burning grass, description of, i. 39.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Quiavo, or Quingombó, i. 297.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Quiballa, i. 30;</li> -<li class="isuba">description of country, 171.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">—— to Bembe, i. 181-187.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_337">[Pg 337]</span></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Quifandongo, ii. <a href="#Page_19">19</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Quileba, copper at, ii. <a href="#Page_191">191</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Quilumbo, i. 185.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Quinbundo natives, ii. <a href="#Page_146">146</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Quincollo, i. 236.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Quindas or baskets, i. 301.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Quingombe, i. 235.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Quinine—fedegozo used as a substitute by Portuguese, ii. <a href="#Page_249">249</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Quioco bird, ii. <a href="#Page_79">79</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Quipupa, spring of ferruginous water at, ii. <a href="#Page_196">196</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Quiquanga, preparation, i. 289.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Quirandas, shell-bead ornaments, ii. <a href="#Page_169">169</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Quissama country, ii. <a href="#Page_144">144</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">—— ladies, fashions of the, ii. <a href="#Page_147">147</a>.</li> -</ul> - -<p class="center">R</p> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Rain, fall of, i. 42.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Rat-catching, i. 298.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Rats, as food, i. 298;</li> -<li class="isuba">at Libongo, ii. <a href="#Page_8">8</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Root parasite, i. 198, ii. <a href="#Page_207">207</a>.</li> - -</ul></div><div> -<p class="center">S</p> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Salalé, or white ant, i. 299, ii. <a href="#Page_277">277</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Salt, i. 147.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">San Francisco River, ii. <a href="#Page_196">196</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">San Salvador, i. 225.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Sand-grouse—<i>Pterocles namaquus</i>, ii. <a href="#Page_201">201</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Sangue-sangue, tall grass, ii. <a href="#Page_250">250</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Sanseviera plant, i. 29, 45.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Santa Maria Cape, ii. <a href="#Page_214">214</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Sarna, a kind of itch common among blacks, ii. <a href="#Page_259">259</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Scents, ii. <a href="#Page_299">299</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Scorpions, effects of their sting, ii. <a href="#Page_170">170</a>, <a href="#Page_171">171</a>.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_338">[Pg 338]</span></li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Scopus umbretta</i>, heron-like bird, ii. <a href="#Page_73">73</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Senhor Chaves, i. 83;</li> -<li class="isuba">organizes a picnic, 87.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Sesamum indicum</i> seed, i. 134.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Sesbania punctata</i>, Pers., shrub common in marshes, ii. <a href="#Page_176">176</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Sharks, absence of south of River Congo, i. 51.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Silva, <abbr title="Mister">Mr.</abbr> Augustus Archer, accompanies author to Quanza, ii. <a href="#Page_112">112</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Silver in Cambambe, ii. <a href="#Page_62">62</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Skin-disease, treatment of, ii. <a href="#Page_261">261</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Slave, author buys a, i. 77.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Slaves shipped in Angola, statistics of, i. 67;</li> -<li class="isuba">treatment of in case of famine, 69;</li> -<li class="isuba">native laws regarding, 76;</li> -<li class="isuba">cost of, 205.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Slave-trade, i. 56;</li> -<li class="isuba">explanation of in Angola, 58.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">—— at Benguella, ii. <a href="#Page_185">185</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Slavery, i. 56;</li> -<li class="isuba">observance of laws, 59;</li> -<li class="isuba">witchcraft in, 61;</li> -<li class="isuba">ordeal by poison, <i>ib.</i>;</li> -<li class="isuba">in Loanda, ii. <a href="#Page_39">39</a>;</li> -<li class="isuba">author’s views on abolition of, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Sleep-disease, i. 143;</li> -<li class="isuba">description of, 144.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Snakes, ii. <a href="#Page_300">300</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Soba, a, visits the author, ii. <a href="#Page_173">173</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">—— Dumbo, formerly a powerful king, ii. <a href="#Page_67">67</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Solanum saponaceum</i>, fruit of the, used as soap, ii. <a href="#Page_111">111</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Solé, bird, ii. <a href="#Page_166">166</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Sounds of birds, &c., i. 304.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Sphynx moths, ii. <a href="#Page_304">304</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Spit-frog, the, ii. <a href="#Page_108">108</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Spring-bok, near Mossamedes, ii. <a href="#Page_213">213</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Sterculia tomentosa</i>, i. 29.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Sulphate of magnesia, ii. <a href="#Page_220">220</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Sulphur at Dombe Grande, ii. <a href="#Page_197">197</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Suspension-bridge at Novo Redondo, ii. <a href="#Page_159">159</a>.</li> -</ul> - -<p class="center">T</p> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">“Tangandando,” india-rubber, i. 137.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Tobacco, its efficacy for inflammation of bowels, ii. <a href="#Page_263">263</a>;</li> -<li class="isuba">its use by natives, <a href="#Page_269">269</a>.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_339">[Pg 339]</span></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Toilet of the negro, i. 263.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Trading between River Congo and Ambriz, i. 105.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Traps to catch “inhabitants” of the head, i. 269.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Travelling, mode of, i. 165.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Treron calva</i>, pigeon, ii. <a href="#Page_164">164</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Trial of a man for bewitching the spirit of his dead wife, i. 66.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Trionyx nilotica</i>, tortoise, ii. <a href="#Page_125">125</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Turacus cristatus</i>, plantain-eater, ii. <a href="#Page_86">86</a>.</li> -</ul> - -<p class="center">U</p> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Uallua, drink, i. 300.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Ulcers, native remedies for, ii. <a href="#Page_253">253</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Uzanzos, baskets or sieves, i. 304.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Uzus, or mortars, i. 304.</li> -</ul> - -<p class="center">V</p> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Vegetables, growth of, at Bembe, i. 225.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Vegetation of Angola, from Ambriz to Bembe, i. 29;</li> -<li class="isuba">from River Congo to Mossamedes, 43.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Viuva, or long-tailed whydah-finch (<i>Vidua paradisea</i>), ii. <a href="#Page_205">205</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Voandzeia subterranea</i>, ii. <a href="#Page_111">111</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Volcanic rocks, ii. <a href="#Page_69">69</a>, <a href="#Page_220">220</a>.</li> -</ul> - -<p class="center">W</p> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Wages of Englishmen in Africa, ii. <a href="#Page_243">243</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Water, mode of getting, in dry season, i. 43;</li> -<li class="isuba">finding of at Cambambe, 47;</li> -<li class="isuba">curious deposits of ii. <a href="#Page_221">221</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Watercress, ii. <a href="#Page_93">93</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Wasps, ii. <a href="#Page_287">287</a>, <a href="#Page_291">291</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst"><i>Welwitschia, mirabilis</i>, plant, ii. <a href="#Page_229">229</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">White men, reception of, by king, i. 257.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Wild-hemp smoking, ii. <a href="#Page_257">257</a>.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_340">[Pg 340]</span></li> - -<li class="ifrst">Witchcraft at Ambrizzette, i. 65.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Women’s work, i. 285.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Writing, style of employed by natives, ii. <a href="#Page_315">315</a>.</li> -</ul> - -<p class="center">Z</p> -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Zebras at Benguella, ii. <a href="#Page_194">194</a>.</li> - -<li class="ifrst">Zombo tribe, mode of dressing the hair, &c., i. 271.</li> -</ul> -</div> - 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