his own stockade, and caused a great sensation in the country.  He was much taken with my hair and woollen clothing; but his people, heedless of his scolding, so pressed upon us that we could not converse, and, after promising to send for me to talk during the night, our interview ended.  He promised guides to Moero, and sent us more provisions than we could carry; but showed so much distrust, that after all we went without his assistance.

Nsama’s people are particularly handsome.  Many of the men have as beautiful heads as one could find in an assembly of Europeans.  All have very fine forms, with small hands and feet.  None of the West-coast ugliness, from which most of our ideas of the Negroes are derived, is here to be seen.  No prognathous jaws nor lark-heels offended the sight.  My observations deepened the impression first obtained from the remarks of Winwood Reade, that the typical Negro is seen in the ancient Egyptian, and not in the ungainly forms; which grow up in the unhealthy swamps of the West Coast.  Indeed it is probable that this upland forest region is the true home of the Negro.  The women excited the admiration of the Arabs.  They have fine, small, well-formed features:  their great defect is one of fashion, which does not extend to the next tribe; they file their teeth to points, the hussies, and that makes their smile like that of the crocodile.

Nsama’s country is called Itawa, and his principal town is in lat. 8 deg. 55’ S., and long. 29 deg. 21’ E. From the large population he had under him, Itawa is in many parts well cleared of trees for cultivation, and it is lower than Ulungu, being generally about 3000 feet above the sea.  Long lines of tree-covered hills raised some 600 or 700 feet above these valleys of denudation, prevent the scenery from being monotonous.  Large game is abundant.  Elephants, buffaloes, and zebras grazed in large numbers on the long sloping, banks of a river called Chisera, a mile and a half broad.  In going north we crossed this river, or rather marsh, which is full of papyrus plants and reeds.  Our ford was an elephant’s path; and the roots of the papyrus, though a carpet to these animals, were sharp and sore to feet usually protected by shoes, and often made us shrink and flounder into holes chest deep.  The Chisera forms a larger marsh west of this, and it gives off its water to the Kalongosi, a feeder of Lake Moero.

The Arabs sent out men in all directions to purchase ivory; but their victory over Nsama had created a panic among the tribes which no verbal assurances could allay.  If Nsama had been routed by twenty Arab guns no one could stand before them but Casembe; and Casembe had issued strict orders to his people not to allow the Arabs who fought Nsama to enter his country.  They did not attempt to force their way, but after sending friendly messages and presents to different chiefs, when these were not cordially received, turned