1st April, 1871.—­The banks are well peopled, but one must see the gathering at the market, of about 3000, chiefly women, to judge of their numbers.  They hold market one day, and then omit attendance here for three days, going to other markets at other points in the intervals.  It is a great institution in Manyuema:  numbers seem to inspire confidence, and they enforce justice for each other.  As a rule, all prefer to buy and sell in the market, to doing business anywhere else; if one says, “Come, sell me that fowl or cloth,” the reply is, “Come to the ‘Chitoka,’ or marketplace.”

2nd April, 1871.—­To-day the market contained over a thousand people, carrying earthen pots and cassava, grass cloth, fishes, and fowls; they were alarmed at my coming among them and were ready to flee, many stood afar off in suspicion; some came from the other side of the river with their goods.  To-morrow market is held up river.

3rd April, 1871.—­I tried to secure a longitude by fixing a weight on the key of the watch, and so helping it on:  I will try this in a quiet place to-morrow.  The people all fear us, and they have good reason for it in the villainous conduct of many of the blackguard half-castes which alarms them:  I cannot get a canoe, so I wait to see what will turn up.  The river is said to overflow all its banks annually, as the Nile does further down.  I sounded across yesterday.  Near the bank it is 9 feet, the rest 15 feet, and one cast in the middle was 20 feet:  between the islands 12 feet, and 9 feet again in shore:  it is a mighty river truly.  I took distances and altitudes alternately with a bullet for a weight on the key of the chronometer, taking successive altitudes of the sun and distances of the moon.  Possibly the first and last altitudes may give the rate of going, and the frequent distances between may give approximate longitude.

4th April, 1871.—­Moon, the fourth of the Arabs, will appear in three or four days.  This will be a guide in ascertaining the day of observing the lunars, with the weight.

The Arabs ask many questions about the Bible, and want to know how many prophets have appeared, and probably say that they believe in them all; while we believe all but reject Mohamad.  It is easy to drive them into a corner by questioning, as they don’t know whither the inquiries lead, and they are not offended when their knowledge is, as it were, admitted.  When asked how many false prophets are known, they appeal to my knowledge, and evidently never heard of Balaam, the son of Beor, or of the 250 false prophets of Jezebel and Ahab, or of the many lying prophets referred to in the Bible.

6th April, 1871.—­Ill from drinking two cups of very sweet malofu, or beer, made from bananas:  I shall touch it no more.