31st May, 1868.—­Old Kapika sold his young and good-looking wife for unfaithfulness, as he alleged.  The sight of a lady in the chain-gang shocked the ladies of Lunda, who ran to her, and having ascertained from her own mouth what was sufficiently apparent, that she was a slave now, clapped their hands on their mouths in the way that they express wonder, surprise, and horror:  the hand is placed so that the fingers are on one cheek and the thumb on the other.

The case of the chieftainess excited great sympathy among the people; some brought her food, Kapika’s daughters brought her pombe and bananas; one man offered to redeem her with two, another with three slaves, but Casembe, who is very strict in punishing infidelity, said, “No, though ten slaves be offered she must go.”  He is probably afraid of his own beautiful queen should the law be relaxed.  Old Kapika came and said to her, “You refused me, and I now refuse you.”  A young wife of old Perembe was also sold as a punishment, but redeemed.

There is a very large proportion of very old and very tall men in this district.  The slave-trader is a means of punishing the wives which these old fogies ought never to have had.

Casembe sent me about a hundredweight of the small fish Nsipo, which seems to be the whitebait of our country; it is a little bitter when cooked alone, but with ground-nuts is a tolerable relish:  we can buy flour with these at Chikumbi’s.

FOOTNOTES: 

[60] Chikichi nuts have been an article of trade and export for some time from Zanzibar.  The oil-palm grows wild in Pemba.

[61] A chief named Moene Ungu, who admires the Arabs, sent his children to Zanzibar to be instructed to read and write.

[62] This bird is often brought to Zanzibar by the Ivory Caravans.

[63] The Doctor’s birthday.

CHAPTER XII.

Prepares to examine Lake Bemba.  Starts from Casembe’s 11th June, 1868.  Dead leopard.  Moenampanda’s reception.  The River Luongo.  Weird death-song of slaves.  The forest grave.  Lake Bembo changed to Lake Bangweolo.  Chikumbi’s.  The Imbozhwa people.  Kombokombo’s stockade.  Mazitu difficulties.  Discovers Lake Bangweolo on 18th July, 1868.  The Lake Chief Mapuni.  Description of the Lake.  Prepares to navigate it.  Embarks for Lifunge Island.  Immense size of Lake.  Reaches Mpabala Island.  Strange dream.  Fears of canoe men.  Return to shore.  March back.  Sends letters.  Meets Banyamweze.  Reviews recent explorations at length.  Disturbed state of country.

1st June, 1868.—­Mohamad proposes to go to Katanga to buy copper, and invites me to go too.  I wish to see the Lufra Kiver, but I must see Bemba or Bangweolo.  Grant guidance from above!