"Who
kills them?" "Have you no charm (Buanga) against death?" It is not
necessary to answer such questions save in a land never visited by
strangers. Both had the "organs of intelligence" largely developed. I
told them that we prayed to the Great Father, "Mulungu," and He hears us
all; they thought this to be natural.

_14th October, 1869._--An elephant killed was of the small variety, and
only 5 feet 8 inches high at the withers. The forefoot was in
circumference 3 feet 9 inches, which doubled gives 7 feet 6 inches; this
shows a deviation from the usual rule "twice round the forefoot = the
height of the animal." Heart 1-1/2 foot long, tusks 6 feet 8 inches in
length.

_15th October, 1869._--Fever better, and thankful. Very cold and rainy.

_18th October, 1869._--Our Hassani returned from Moene Kirumbo's; then
one of Dugumbe's party (also called Hassani) seized ten goats and ten
slaves before leaving, though great kindness had been shown: this is
genuine Suaheli or Nigger-Moslem tactics--four of his people were killed
in revenge.

A whole regiment of Soldier ants in my hut were put into a panic by a
detachment of Driver ants called Sirufu. The Chungu or black soldiers
rushed out with their eggs and young, putting them down and running for
more. A dozen Sirafu pitched on one Chungu and killed him. The Chungu
made new quarters for themselves. When the white ants cast off their
colony of winged emigrants a canopy is erected like an umbrella over the
ant-hill. As soon as the ants fly against the roof they tumble down in a
shower and their wings instantly become detached from their bodies. They
are then helpless, and are swept up in baskets to be fried, when they
make a very palatable food.

[Illustration: Catching Ants.]

_24th-25th October, 1869._--Making copper rings, as these are highly
prized by Manyuema. Mohamad's Tembe fell. It had been begun on an
unlucky day, the 26th of the moon; and on another occasion on the same
day, he had fifty slaves swept away by a sudden flood of a dry river in
the Obena country: they are great observers of lucky and unlucky days.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] On showing Chuma and Susi some immense Cochin-China fowls at a
poultry show, they said that they were not larger than those which
they saw when with Dr. Livingstone on these islands. Muscovy ducks
abound throughout Central Africa.--ED.

[2] The natural dress of the Malagash.

[3] The same as Unyanyembe, the half-way settlement on the